TSAMTO, November 29. At the Fincantieri Marinette Marine Company (FMM) in Marinette (pcs.Wisconsin) On November 18, the ceremony of handing over to the US Navy of the new Littoral Combat Ship (LCS-21) Minneapolis–Saint Paul of the Freedom class was held.
According to the US Navy Shipbuilding and Armament Command, the LCS-21 Minneapolis-Saint Paul is the 22nd coastal combat ship and the 11th Freedom-class ship built by a consortium that includes Lockheed Martin, Fincantieri Marinette Marine, designer Gibbs & Cox, as well as 800 more subcontractors in 42 states. The laying of the keel of the LCS-21 took place on February 22, 2018, the launch took place on June 15, 2017. Although the tests of the Minneapolis - Saint Paul were completed in August 2020, the US Navy did not accept the ship due to technical shortcomings in the power plant.
As reported by TSAMTO, the construction of LCS ships is carried out by two main contractors, Lockheed Martin and Austal USA, on alternative projects. To date, the Lockheed Martin-led consortium has transferred 10 Freedom-class ships to the US Navy. The last on February 6, 2020, the LCS-19 "St. Louis" was transferred to the command of the US Navy.
Currently, several more Freedom-class ships are at various stages of construction, including Cooperstown (LCS-23), Marinette (LCS-25), Nantucket (LCS-27), Beloit (LCS-29) and Cleveland (LCS-31).
In September 2021, the US Navy Command withdrew the lead ship of the series, LCS-1 Freedom, from the fleet.
LCS is a new generation of surface warships of the US Navy, which are capable of performing a wide range of combat missions both on the high seas and in the coastal zone. Among the main functions of the ships are: patrolling, combating enemy surface ships and submarines, protecting the fleet from attack by small surface vessels, mine warfare, reconnaissance, support for the actions of special operations forces.
