USS Marinette Christened

Ship Sponsor, The Honorable Jennifer Granholm breaks a bottle of sparkling wine on the bow of LCS 25 during the christening ceremony for the future USS Marinette. (Lockheed Martin photograph)

(Original article appears courtesy of Lockheed Martin)

Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) 25, the future USS Marinette, completed its next milestone when ship sponsor, the Honorable Jennifer Granholm christened the ship by breaking a bottle of sparkling wine on the bow of LCS 25 in a ceremony at Fincantieri Marinette Marine in Marinette, Wisconsin. Prior to the christening, the Lockheed Martin-led (NYSE: LMT) team launched the ship into the water on Oct. 31, 2020. LCS 25 is slated to begin acceptance trials next year.

“Today’s christening of Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) 25, the future USS Marinette, marks the next critical milestone in the life of this warship. It’s an honor to celebrate this moment with the many hardworking men and women who both built the Marinette and call this great city home. The Lockheed Martin team is proud of our continued partnership with the U.S. Navy to support enhanced warfighting capabilities to this highly capable class of Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ships.” –Steve Allen, Lockheed Martin Vice President, Small Combatants and Ship Systems

“Building LCS 25 and sister ships for the U.S. Navy is an honor and we are proud to be the nation’s shipyard in the heartland. It is especially memorable to have this ship be named for the great town it’s built in. This christening is a testament to the hard work of more than 2,500 shipbuilders who pass through our gates and build American warships.” – Mark Vandroff, Fincantieri Marinette Marine CEO

Unique among combat ships, LCS is designed to complete close-to-shore missions and is a growing and relevant part of the Navy’s fleet.

• It is flexible—with 40 percent of the hull easily reconfigurable, LCS can be modified to integrate capabilities including over-the-horizon missiles, advanced electronic warfare systems (SEWIP) and decoys (Nulka), and in future, vertical launching systems or laser weapon systems.
• It is fast—capable of speeds in excess of 40 knots.
• It is automated—with the most efficient staffing of any combat ship.
• It is lethal—standard equipped with Rolling Airframe Missiles (RAM) and a Mark 110 gun, capable of firing 220 rounds per minute.

Lockheed Martin is in full-rate production and has delivered 11 ships to the U.S. Navy. There are five ships in various stages of production.