USS Bordelon DD/DR 881

Navy's Vessel of Versatility

Navy personnel meet on the USS Freedom on Wednesday.

The vessel, only an idea five years ago, was built by Marinette Marine.

Cutting-edge ship will switch roles quickly as it patrols near shores

By Meg Jones of the Journal Sentinel

Posted: Nov. 5, 2008

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The log is still kept by hand using paper and pen, but that's about the only thing old school on the Navy's cutting edge ship Freedom.

The littoral combat ship, docked in Milwaukee this week for it’s commissioning, is drawing gawkers wondering why it looks so different from other Navy warships. It resembles a high-tech version of a Civil War era ironclad, at least from the front. The 377-foot vessel known as LCS-1 Freedom is the first of the Navy's new wave of ships designed to patrol close to shore - the meaning of littoral.

Built by Marinette Marine in northeastern Wisconsin, Freedom will be used within 200 miles of shorelines to neutralize pirates, mines and other threats. The key feature is the ability to switch quickly from one combat mode to another by bringing on board different equipment. For example, the ship may transform from a mine- or submarine-hunter to a surface war vessel. "It's not only a new ship," said Kris Doyle, Freedom's executive officer, "it's a new way of doing our duty."

During a tour Wednesday of Freedom, sailors pointed out the bells - including the actual bell - and whistles of the ship, which will be stationed in San Diego in 2010 after testing.

Chief Gunner's Mate Richard Reyes said a ship of Freedom's size would normally carry a crew of about 200, with 11 to 14 needed on the bridge. But littoral combat ships require only a 40-member crew, including just three people to operate the ship from the bridge. Two crews will alternate four-month tours of sea duty, rotating between Freedom and the base in San Diego.

There's no steering wheel - levers handle that function. And instead of propellers, Freedom uses four water jets - two inboard, two outboard - to move through the water like a Jet Ski, Chief Petty Officer Joe Radford said. The water jets are so powerful they could fill an Olympic-size swimming pool in 10 seconds. Cameras throughout the ship double as heat sensors to detect fires without having to send a sailor into danger.

"Very efficient, very high-tech compared to a normal vessel," Radford said.

In the rear cargo bay, Reyes pointed out how the ship's side can be opened to move a torpedo-like mine detection system into the water, the rear can be opened to launch small boats to catch pirates or drug smugglers, and a large hole in the ceiling can be used to move in large metal boxes containing combat mission packages. Sitting on a helipad was a helicopter that can be used to find and detonate underwater mines.

It's all designed for versatility and speed. The ship tops out at 40 knots.

Three years after the keel was laid in Marinette and two years after it was christened, Freedom is scheduled to be commissioned during a ceremony at 10 a.m. Saturday at Veterans Park. Secretary of the Navy Donald Winter; Admiral Gary Roughead, the chief of naval operations; and the ship's sponsor, Birgit Smith, the wife of the first Medal of Honor recipient from the Iraq War, are expected to take part. Smith donated a St. Christopher's medal worn by her husband, Army Sgt. 1st Class Paul Smith, who was killed during a firefight in Baghdad in 2003. The St. Christopher's medal and the couple's wedding rings are part of the ship's mast.

Cost overruns scuttled original plans to build 55 littoral combat ships when the target price of $220 million more than doubled. However, this week the Navy asked Lockheed and General Dynamics to submit bids to build five more.

Many of Freedom's crew has been with the ship since the beginning, working closely with builders and engineers in Marinette.

"The fact that this ship five years ago was an idea and now we're here in Milwaukee is simply amazing," Doyle said.

Built by Marinette Marine in northeastern Wisconsin, LCS-1 Freedom will be used by the Navy within 200 miles of shorelines to neutralize pirates, mines and other threats.

Navy Electronics Technician 1st Class Thomas C. Hasant rings the bell Wednesday on board the USS Freedom Littoral Combat Ship at Veterans Park. The ship will be commissioned at 10 a.m. Saturday at the park.

 Photo by JEFFREY PHELPS