The Ship Model Forum

Keel laid for 25th US Navy littoral combat ship Marinette (LCS 25)
Fincantieri Marinette Marine has hosted a keel-laying ceremony for the US Navy’s future littoral combat ship USS Marinette (LCS 25).
During a March 27 ceremony in which the beginning of the ship’s construction was formally marked, the ship’s sponsor Jennifer Granholm, former governor of Michigan, had her initials welded into the ship’s keel plate.
LCS 25 will be the first US Navy ship to bear the name Marinette, and is named to recognize the town’s significant contributions to navy shipbuilding.
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House, Senate Defense Bills Tough on Littoral Combat Ship Programs
By: Ben Werner
June 13, 2019 7:51 PM
The Navy is ready to sunset littoral combat ship production and three of four congressional defense committees appear happy to oblige through restrictive policies and funding authorizations.

Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) members included language prohibiting the use of funds to extend the LCS program except in a couple of specific and short-term instances, in their version of the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, released Wednesday.

As for the existing LCS fleet, the White House FY 2020 budget asked for $388.1 million for mission modules. However, the House Appropriations Committee authorized $327 million, cutting the amount of money for the LCS mine countermeasures and common mission module equipment packages.
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Navy Launches Combat Ship USS Minneapolis-St. Paul
17 Jun 2019
The Associated Press
MARINETTE, Wis. — A shipyard on the border between Wisconsin and Michigan was for one day crowded with Minnesotans who showed up Saturday to watch the launch of the U.S. Navy's newest combat ship, named in honor of the Twin Cities.
The USS Minneapolis-St. Paul was dropped sideways into the water Saturday at the Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyard in Marinette, Wisconsin, about 55 miles (88 kilometers) north of Green Bay. The ship is designed to be fast and agile in order to conduct missions close to shore.(...SNIPPED)

U.S. Navy completes Army’s Hellfire missile tests on Littoral Combat Ship
Jul 14, 2019
in Maritime Security, Missiles & Bombs, News
The littoral combat ship USS Detroit (LCS 7)launches a Longbow Hellfire Missile during structural test firing (STF) off the coast of Norfolk, Va. STF is part of the developmental test program for the Surface to Surface Missile Module. Photo by the U.S. Navy
The U.S. Navy successfully completed structural testing of the Longbow Hellfire missile for the Littoral Combat Ship Surface-to-Surface Missile Module.
Integration of the Longbow Hellfire missile system, designated the Surface-to-Surface Missile Module (SSMM), will increase the lethality of the Navy’s fleet of littoral combat ships. SSMM utilizes the Army Longbow Hellfire Missile in a vertical launch capability to counter small boat threats.
The U.S. Naval Institute News agency reported that the Navy has finished testing needed to confirm that the Hellfire can safely operate on the Littoral Combat Ship, and the missile will go out on a ship deployment later this year.
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New USS Indianapolis Commissioning Set for Indiana Port
23 Jul 2019
The Associated Press

BURNS HARBOR, Ind. — The Navy is planning to commission its new USS Indianapolis combat vessel at a northwestern Indiana port this fall.

The ceremony marking the ship's entry into the Navy's active fleet is set for Oct. 26 at Burns Harbor along Lake Michigan. It is the fourth military vessel carrying the Indianapolis name.

The second USS Indianapolis was sunk by a Japanese submarine in July 1945 while returning from a Pacific island where it delivered key components for the Hiroshima atomic bomb. Only 317 of its nearly 1,200 crewmen survived the sinking and days in shark-infested waters.

The ship was built at a Marinette, Wisconsin, shipyard and will be based near Jacksonville, Florida. It is a Freedom-class littoral ship designed to be highly maneuverable for missions such as mine-clearing and anti-submarine warfare.

Navy to Commission Newest Littoral Combat Ship on Saturday
2 Aug 2019
Florida Keys Keynoter | By Gwen Filosa
The Navy will commission its newest warship, the USS Billings, on Aug. 3 in Key West, Florida. A ceremony at Naval Air Station Key West's Truman Harbor is expected to draw 2,000 people.
The 10 a.m. ceremony is open to the public, but tickets are required and they ran out last month.
Everyone entering the base must show a ticket, along with a valid state or federal-issued photo identification at the gate.
If you can't attend Saturday's ceremony, the Navy will livestream the event. The link will not become active until five minutes before the 10 a.m. ceremony.
Related: US Navy Commander Relieved After LCS Hits a Cargo Ship in Canada
The first ship named for Montana's largest city, the 378-foot Billings weighs 3,500 metric tons and can reach a speed of 45 knots, according to the commissioning committee.
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The Navy's New Pacific Maintenance Team Can Fix an LCS on the Fly
13 Sep 2019
Military.com | By Gina Harkins
A new support site at a Singapore Navy base is shaking up the way the service maintains its long-criticized littoral combat ships as the vessels start to resume overseas missions.

Sailors, Navy civilians and contractors are manning a new maintenance support center at Changi Naval Base, Singapore. Members of the crew not only work on the littoral combat ship Montgomery when it pulls into port there, but also as it operates in other parts of the region.

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USS Gabrielle Giffords Is The 1st LCS To Get Its Full Load Of Next Gen NSM Missiles
Xavier Vavasseur 29 Sep 2019

U.S. Navy pictures released September 13 show the vessel with its full load of 8 top side launchers, located forward, right ahead the bridge.

This was confirmed by General Dynamics Mission Systems in a statement released September 26, unveiling on the same occasion the official designation of the NSM in U.S. Navy service: MK 87 Mod 0.

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USS Indianapolis Commissioning Set for Saturday at Indiana Port
25 Oct 2019
The Associated Press
BURNS HARBOR, Ind. — The Navy says it will commission its new USS Indianapolis combat vessel at a northwestern Indiana port Saturday.
The ceremony marking the ship's entry into the Navy's active fleet is set to begin at 10 a.m. CDT at Burns Harbor along Lake Michigan. It's the fourth military vessel carrying the Indianapolis name.
The second USS Indianapolis was sunk by a Japanese submarine in July 1945 while returning from a Pacific island where it delivered key components for the Hiroshima atomic bomb. Only 317 of its nearly 1,200 crewmen survived the sinking and days in shark-infested waters.
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Navy LCS Gun Could Get Potent Airburst Rounds to Take Out Drones
16 Jan 2020
Military.com | By Gina Harkins
Crews on Navy littoral combat ships could soon be armed with powerful rounds that can blast hard-to-hit drones out of the sky.
Northrop Grumman, which produces modules for the LCS based on its mission, is eyeing a powerful precision airburst munition to combat drones targeting ships at sea. The round would be compatible with the 30mm gun module that's already installed on some ships.
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Naval Station Mayport's Newest Warship Welcomed by US Navy
The Navy prepares to christen the future littoral combat ship USS St. Louis
7 Feb 2020
The Florida Times-Union | By Dan Scanlan

The U.S. Navy's newest littoral combat ship is one step closer to its Naval Station Mayport dock after the future USS St. Louis was officially delivered by Lockheed Martin.

The almost 390-foot-long ship is the 10th Freedom-variant LCS designed, built and delivered, and will be commissioned in early August in Pensacola, the manufacturer said.
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Lockheed Martin to Integrate Layered Laser Defense Weapon Aboard LCS
Lockheed Martin received an Office of Naval Research (ONR) contract to integrate a prototype Layered Laser Defense (LLD) weapon system aboard a U.S. Navy Littoral Combat Ship (LCS).
Xavier Vavasseur 10 Mar 2020
The $22.4 million contract, calls for the integration, demonstration, testing and operation of the Layered Laser Defense (LLD) weapon system prototype onboard a Navy littoral combat ship while that vessel is underway.
The U.S. Defense Department contract notice further details that: “Key areas of work to be performed include development of a prototype structure and enclosure to protect the LLD from ships motion and maritime environment in a mission module format; system integration and test with government-furnished equipment; platform integration and system operational verification and test; systems engineering; test planning; data collection and analysis support; and operational demonstration. Work is expected to be complete by July 2021.”
Our colleagues from USNI News reported in January this year that USS Little Rock (LCS-9) would receive a laser weapon during its upcoming deployment, citing Commander of Naval Surface Forces Vice Adm. Richard Brown.
At SNA 2020, the Surface Navy Association’s national symposium held earlier this year, Lockheed Martin was showcasing a Freedom-class LCS scale model fitted with a laser weapon system. Chris Cavas interviewed for Naval News Joe DePietro, Lockheed Martin Vice President and General Manager of Small Combatants and Ship Systems, about the model:
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US Navy commissions another Littoral Combat Ship amid renewed push to fix the program
By: David B. Larter   20 hours ago
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Navy Saturday commissioned its latest littoral combat ship amid a top-level push to fix the ship’s nagging reliability issues and forge a path to make the small surface combatants useful in the years ahead.
The monohull Freedom-variant LCS St. Louis was commissioned at a private event in its namesake city, the 22nd LCS and 10th Freedom variant to join the fleet. There will be 35 LCS in the fleet once all are commissioned.
Change is in the wind for LCS once again, which has already seen several shakeups to its system. A high-level effort is underway to address problems with its complicated drive train built for high speeds that have limited the ships availability for tasking as well as to finally field its long-delayed mission packages. Mission package