Littoral Combat Ship
LCS 1 - USS Freedom
Type, Class:		Littoral Combat Ship - LCS; Freedom - class planned and built as LCS-1
Builder:		Marinette Marine Corporation, Marinette, Wisconsin, USA
STATUS:		Awarded: December 15, 2004 Laid down: June 2, 2005 Launched: September 23, 2006 Commissioned: November 8, 2008 ACTIVE / in service (Pacific Fleet)
Homeport:		Naval Base San Diego, California
Namesake:		-
Ship’s Motto:		FAST, FEARLESS, FOCUSED
Technical Data: (Measures, Propulsion, Armament, Aviation, etc.)		see: INFO > Freedom class Littoral Combat Ship - LCS
ship images
during maintenance - San Diego - July 2011 during maintenance - San Diego - July 2011 during maintenance - San Diego - July 2011 MH-60R Sea Hawk (HSM-77) landing - Pacific Ocean - June 2011 Pacific Ocean - June 2011 Pacific Ocean - June 2011 Pacific Ocean - June 2011 Pacific Ocean - June 2011 MH-60R Sea Hawk (HSM-77) operations - Pacific Ocean - June 2011 ammunition onload - Seal Beach, California - September 2010 ammunition onload - Seal Beach, California - September 2010 Pacific Ocean - July 2010 RIM-116 rolling airframe missile (RAM) live fire exercise - Pacific Ocean - July 2010 RIM-116 rolling airframe missile (RAM) live fire exercise - Pacific Ocean - July 2010 Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - July 2010 Mk-46 30mm gun system - Pacific Ocean - July 2010 Pacific Ocean - July 2010 Mk-110 57mm/70-caliber gun - Pacific Ocean - July 2010 MH-60S Sea Hawk (HSC-22) - Pacific Ocean - July 2010 exercise RIMPAC 2010 - Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - July 2010 Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - June 2010 Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - June 2010 Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - June 2010 Mk-110 57mm/70-caliber gun - Pacific Ocean - June 2010 Pacific Ocean - June 2010 replenishment with USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) - Pacific Ocean - June 2010 San Diego - June 2010 San Diego - June 2010 Pacific Ocean - June 2010 San Diego - April 2010 San Diego - April 2010 Pacific Ocean - April 2010 Pacific Ocean - April 2010 Pacific Ocean - April 2010 Pacific Ocean - April 2010 Pacific Ocean - April 2010 Pacific Ocean - April 2010 Pacific Ocean - March 2010 Panama City - March 2010 Pacific Ocean - March 2010 Pacific Ocean - March 2010 Pacific Ocean - March 2010 Panama City, Panama - March 2010 Cartagena, Colombia - March 2010 Cartagena, Colombia - March 2010 Colon, Panama - March 2010 Caribbean Sea - March 2010 waterboard mission zone - Caribbean Sea - February 2010 rigid-hull inflatable boat (RHIB) inside the waterboard mission zone - Caribbean Sea - February 2010 Caribbean Sea - February 2010 Mayport, Florida - February 2010 Mayport, Florida - February 2010 Mayport, Florida - February 2010 Mayport, Florida - February 2010 Mayport, Florida - February 2010 Mayport, Florida - February 2010 MH-60S Sea Hawk (HSC-22) - Atlantic Ocean - February 2010 Atlantic Ocean - February 2010 Mk-110 gun live fire exercise - Atlantic Ocean - February 2010 Atlantic Ocean - February 2010 Atlantic Ocean - November 2009 Mayport, Florida - November 2009 Mk-110 gun surface gunnery exercise (GUNEX) - Atlantic Ocean - November 2009 MH-60S Sea Hawk (HSC-22) operations - Atlantic Ocean - September 2009 MH-60S Sea Hawk (HSC-22) flight deck operations - Atlantic Ocean - September 2009 Atlantic Ocean - September 2009 Atlantic Ocean - September 2009 Atlantic Ocean - September 2009 Atlantic Ocean - September 2009 Charleston, South Carolina - June 2009 Alexandria, Virginia - May 2009 Alexandria, Virginia - May 2009 Norfolk, Virginia - November 2008 Norfolk, Virginia - November 2008 Norfolk, Virginia - November 2008 Annapolis, Maryland - December 2008 Annapolis, Maryland - December 2008 Boston, Massachusetts - December 2008 Montreal, Canada - November 2008 Saint Lawrence River - November 2008 Buffalo, New York - November 2008 Cleveland, Ohio - November 2008 Cleveland, Ohio - November 2008 commissioning ceremony - Milwaukee, Wisconsin - November 2008 commissioning ceremony - Milwaukee, Wisconsin - November 2008 Milwaukee, Wisconsin - November 2008 Marinette, Wisconsin - August 2008 Marinette, Wisconsin - August 2008 Marinette, Wisconsin - August 2008 Marinette, Wisconsin - August 2008 Marinette, Wisconsin - August 2008 Marinette, Wisconsin - August 2008 (Lockheed Martin photo via NNS) Marinette, Wisconsin - August 2008 (Lockheed Martin photo via NNS) Marinette, Wisconsin - August 2008 (Lockheed Martin photo via NNS) Marinette, Wisconsin - August 2008 (Lockheed Martin photo via NNS) Marinette, Wisconsin - August 2008 (Lockheed Martin photo via NNS) Marinette, Wisconsin - August 2008 (Lockheed Martin photo via NNS) Marinette, Wisconsin - August 2008 (Lockheed Martin photo via NNS) Marinette, Wisconsin - August 2008 (Lockheed Martin photo via NNS) Marinette, Wisconsin - August 2008 (Lockheed Martin photo via NNS) Marinette, Wisconsin - August 2008 (Lockheed Martin photo via NNS) Marinette, Wisconsin - August 2008 (Lockheed Martin photo via NNS) Marinette, Wisconsin - August 2008 (Lockheed Martin photo via NNS) Marinette, Wisconsin - August 2008 (Lockheed Martin photo via NNS) Marinette, Wisconsin - August 2008 (Lockheed Martin photo via NNS) Marinette, Wisconsin - August 2008 (Lockheed Martin photo via NNS) Marinette, Wisconsin - August 2008 (Lockheed Martin photo via NNS) Marinette, Wisconsin - August 2008 (Lockheed Martin photo via NNS) Marinette, Wisconsin - August 2008 (Lockheed Martin photo via NNS) Marinette, Wisconsin - August 2008 (Lockheed Martin photo via NNS) Marinette, Wisconsin - August 2008 (Lockheed Martin photo via NNS) Marinette, Wisconsin - August 2008 (Lockheed Martin photo via NNS) Marinette, Wisconsin - August 2008 (Lockheed Martin photo via NNS) Marinette, Wisconsin - August 2008 (Lockheed Martin photo via NNS) Marinette, Wisconsin - August 2008 (Lockheed Martin photo via NNS) Marinette, Wisconsin - August 2008 (Lockheed Martin photo via NNS) christening ceremony & launching - Marinette, Wisconsin - September 2006 (Lockheed Martin photo via NNS) christening ceremony & launching - Marinette, Wisconsin - September 2006 (Lockheed Martin photo via NNS) christening ceremony & launching - Marinette, Wisconsin - September 2006 (Lockheed Martin photo via NNS) christening ceremony & launching - Marinette, Wisconsin - September 2006 (Lockheed Martin photo via NNS) Marinette, Wisconsin - September 2006 (Lockheed Martin photo via NNS) under construction - Marinette, Wisconsin - August 2006 (Lockheed Martin photo via NNS)
USS Freedom (LCS 1): Construction: The construction contract was awarded to Lockheed Martin's LCS team (Lockheed Martin, Gibbs & Cox, Marinette Marine, Bollinger Shipyards) in May 2004. Her keel was laid down on 2 June 2005, by Marinette Marine in Marinette, Wisconsin. The ship was sponsored by Birgit Smith, the widow of United States Army Sergeant 1st Class Paul Ray Smith, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Mrs. Smith's initials are welded on the ship's keel. The couple's Saint Christopher medal and wedding bands are embedded in the ship's mast. USS Freedom was christened on 23 September 2006, delivered to the Navy on 18 September 2008, and commissioned in Milwaukee on 8 November. Cost overruns during Freedom's construction combined with projected future overruns led the government to issue a "Stop-work" in January 2007 and ultimately led to the cancellation of construction of LCS-3 (the second Lockheed Martin ship) on 13 April 2007. On 25 April 2008 the New York Times ran a highly critical article, arguing that both Freedom and competitor Independence demonstrated a failure of the Navy's littoral combat ship program. Prior to delivery, the Navy's Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) conducted acceptance trials aboard LCS-1, 17–21 August. INSURV found the ship to be "capable, well-built and inspection-ready" and recommended that the Chief of Naval Operations authorize delivery of the ship. Because the trials were conducted in Lake Michigan, some ship systems, including aviation and combat systems, could not be demonstrated. Systems not demonstrated during recent trials will be presented to INSURV in early 2009 trials in Norfolk and in the open ocean. The inspection discovered 2,600 total discrepancies, of which 21 were considered high-priority deficiencies. "As part of LCS 1 acceptance trials, the Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) identified 21 critical “starred” deficiencies and recommended the Chief of Naval Operations authorize delivery of LCS-1 after correction or waiver of these deficiencies. According to Navy officials, only 9 of these deficiencies were corrected prior to delivery. Navy officials report that transiting the ship away from Marinette, Wisconsin, prior to the winter freeze was a higher priority than timely correction of starred deficiencies. The Navy intends to correct remaining deficiencies during planned post-delivery maintenance availabilities." One of the issues with the ship is that it is six percent overweight and therefore more likely to sink if damaged. This seems to have been caused by design changes during construction. The Navy says that the ship will require special operating procedures until this is corrected. The workaround selected will be to install external tanks for additional buoyancy. And the Navy states that LCS-1 now meets the damage stability requirement with the addition of the external tanks and that the design of USS Fort Worth (LCS-3) includes additional stability improvements. Other issues include difficulty with the slow speed operations required for deep sea refueling, no ability to UNREP other supplies aboard other than by helicopter, and problems with side-door launches of remotely operated vehicles. On 12 June 2009, The Navy confirmed that CNO Roughead had ordered a study of an early deployment of Freedom, before the expected date of 2012. Anonymous sources inside Lockheed Martin reported that Roughead wanted to use the first LCS to patrol for pirates off the coast of Somalia. On 13 October 2009, the Department of Defense announced the Freedom would be deployed two years ahead of schedule. For this deployment 20 additional sailors will be carried for Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure operations in two shipping containers in the mission module cargo area. These containers will not include sanitary facilities, so they will be forced to use the ones in the ship's berthing spaces. About half of the 20 member boarding team will be temporarily replaced with United States Coast Guard law enforcement officers for some portion of the deployment. John C. Harvey, Jr. said that while the deployment was a success, manning may need adjustment. Operations: On 15 February 2010, Freedom set sail from Naval Station Mayport on its first deployment to support SOUTHCOM operations. On 22 February, off the coast of Colombia, the ship pursued a possible drug-running boat. The boat fled back into Colombian coastal waters and Freedom's crew recovered 1/4 ton of cocaine that had been dumped overboard by the boat's crew. On 4 April 2010 Freedom entered the 3rd Fleet area of responsibility. She is currently carrying Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 22, Det. 2, a LCS Surface Warfare Mission Package, and a U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment. She is expected to be dry docked in San Diego’s Nassco shipyard so that her outer starboard waterjet can be replaced. On 12 September 2010, the starboard Rolls-Royce MT30 gas turbine broke down and the ship had to rely on her diesel engines to return to port. Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Gary Roughead said that the media had overhyped the issue and that such breakdowns were not uncommon. During a heavy-weather ocean trial in February 2011, the ship sprung a six-inch crack in its hull that leaked 5 gallons of water an hour. The Navy is investigating. The problem appears to be due to faulty welds rather than a design error. The repairs are scheduled to begin on 27 June 2011. And last until September 19. source: wikipedia
patches
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