First Littoral Combat Ship Commissioned

First Littoral Combat Ship Commissioned (NSI News Source Info) MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - November 10, 2008: The introduction of the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) provides the U.S. Navy with a new and different capability, so it was probably appropriate that the first ship's commissioning ceremony offered a few changes from the usual niceties attending such events. There was, for example, the polka band in lederhosen pumping out "On Wisconsin." The hot dogs and bratwurst served right after the ceremony provided a distinct change of taste, and where else but the "Brew City" would draft beer be laid out before noon - even with snow clouds approaching. And for that special festive note, the Milwaukee Brewers Sausages showed up, although the mascots did not stage the races famous for taking place during Brewer's home baseball games. All the accoutrements gave a special Wisconsin flair to the traditional Navy ceremony, made special because the USS Freedom is the first of an entirely new type of warship and the first fighting ship built on the Great Lakes in several generations. The Navy's top brass flew here for the ceremony marking the entry into service of the first LCS. Navy Secretary Donald Winter and Adm. Gary Roughead, Chief of Naval Operations, both spoke, as did each of the ship's two commanding officers -- the Freedom is the first large combatant ship to have dual Blue and Gold crews. A number of retired officers who had a hand in developing the LCS also were in attendance, including former chief of naval operations Adm. Vern Clark and former surface forces commander Vice Adm. Timothy LaFleur. Others attending the ceremony included representatives from Lockheed Martin, prime contractor for the Freedom design; Marinette Shipbuilding, which built the ship in Marinette, Wisc.; and Bollinger Shipyards, which hopes to build future LCSs at its Louisiana shipyards. Cmdr. Don Gabrielson, skipper of the Blue Crew, noted the advent of the littoral combat ship less than four years after the Navy placed a construction order with Lockheed. "Change is hard," he said - perhaps echoing the election earlier in the week of President-elect Barack Obama - "but this is the proof that our nation can adapt to change." Gabrielson closed his remarks with the exhortation, "LCS is here. Imagination has become reality. Let's roll." And with that, ship's sponsor Brigit Smith, whose husband Army Sgt. 1st Class Paul Ray Smith received the Medal of Honor during Operation Iraqi Freedom, shouted out the traditional cry, "bring this ship to life!" and both 40-sailor crews ran aboard to line the rails. The Navy plans to build at least 55 LCS ships and will run the Freedom and a competing LCS, the Independence, through a lengthy series of trials beginning next year. But cost overruns have more than doubled the ships' original price tags, and no further ships are as yet under construction. Marinette Shipbuilding already has laid off more than a hundred workers for want of work. But Congress in September authorized construction of two more ships, and the Navy could award construction contracts in a few weeks. "We're looking to get those workers back to work in January," said Steve Kagen, D-Wisc., whose district includes Marinette. Winter, speaking afterward to reporters, wouldn't say when the contracts for the next two ships would be issued, but noted he'd "like to get those ships under contract as soon as possible." The Navy, like the other services, has submitted its fiscal 2010 request to the Bush administration, which is now reviewing the next defense budget. Some sources have indicated the Navy's notional 313-ship fleet -- a number referred to as a "floor" by Navy leaders -- could go up, perhaps by 20 or more ships, and it's known the service wants more LCSs. Asked about a possible rise in the 313-ship number, Winter said "I have not seen anything that is a material change to the size of the fleet." Roughead declined to comment on whether the Navy would increase the number of LCSs it plans to build, other than to say, "I'd like to see more." Winter reiterated his view that he'd "like to buy ships more like we buy aircraft," where larger quantities can translate into better delivery rates and lower costs. The secretary also noted the promise for more missions for the LCS. He noted the Marines have recently become "interested" in the ships. "LCS has all the potential for small unit insertion," Winter said. "You can think of it as a mini-gator," referring to the slang term for amphibious ships. "It can provide fires in support of an engagement, can embark rotary-wing aircraft, and can embark Marines," he said. As for the Freedom, the Navy is anxious to show off the new ship, and it will spend several weeks en route to Norfolk, Va., making a number of stops along the way.