US Navy commissions Littoral Combat Ship 29 USS Beloit

News, US May 13, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

U.S. Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) 29, the future USS Beloit has been launched into the Menominee River at the Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM) Shipyard.

LCS 29 is the first ship named in honor of the city of Beloit. It is the 15th Freedom-variant LCS and 29th in the LCS class. The ship was launched by the Lockheed Martin-led shipbuilding team, as the defense firm has already delivered 11 ships to the U.S. Navy and five ships are in various stages of production.

Lockheed Martin vice president, Small Combatants and Ship Systems, Steve Allen said: “Lockheed Martin is confident that the sailors of Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) 29, the future USS Beloit, will play a critical role in supporting maritime security and deterrence.”

“The LCS Freedom-variant, operationally deployed today, is an unmatched and highly adaptable warship, designed to outpace the growing threat of our adversaries and fulfill the dynamic missions of the U.S. Navy. Our team of more than 800 suppliers maintains a strong partnership with the U.S. Navy to add lethality and survivability enhancements to the highly capable and resilient LCS class,” Allen added.

According to the company’s release, the LCS is deployed for close-to-shore missions and is a growing and relevant part of the Navy’s fleet. Freedom-variant Littoral Combat ships have been supporting the U.S. Navy on various missions including several counter-illicit drug trafficking in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars in narcotics seizures.

“Its speed, strength and versatility make it a critical tool to help sailors achieve their missions. Recently, the Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ship for the first time has deployed to US 6th Fleet, as a measure of assurance for NATO allies and partners in Europe and Africa,” the release added.

*^{The 29th Littoral Combat Ship, the future USS Beloit, launches into the Menominee River in Marinette, Wisconsin, on May 7, 2022. (Image Credit: Lockheed Martin)}*

Fincantieri Marinette Marine CEO Mark Vandroff said in a statement that “Shipbuilding is hard work, done by dedicated professionals. And I could not be more proud of the work done by our team here in Marinette to get another Freedom-class warship built and in the water where she belongs.”

According to the Lockheed Martin release, the Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ship is a resilient, flexible warship, designed from the keel up to affordably take on new capabilities including advanced sensors, missiles, and cutting-edge cyber systems. Its speed, strength, and versatility make it a critical tool to help sailors achieve their missions.