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The nation’s Littoral Combat Ship fleet has been expanded with the commissioning of a new vessel.
USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul is the US Navy’s 11th Freedom-variant littoral Combat Ship (LCS) 21, officially entering service at a commissioning ceremony in the city of Duluth.
The Lockheed Martin-built vessel – launched and christened on 15 June 2019 – completed acceptance trials on 21 August 2020 before being delivered to the US Navy on 18 November 2021.
USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul is set to be homeported at Naval Station Mayport, Florida.
Lockheed Martin developed the vessel in collaboration with shipbuilder Fincantieri Marinette Marine, naval architect Gibbs & Cox, and more than 800 suppliers in 42 states.
Lockheed Martin is currently constructing a further five LCS ships for the Navy.
“The versatility, adaptability and relevance USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul will bring to the fleet is unmatched,” Jon Rambeau, vice president and general manager of integrated warfare systems and sensors at Lockheed Martin, said.
“LCS 21 is ready for tomorrow’s threats, providing her crew the ability to flexibly deploy advanced capabilities that will deter our adversaries.”
The LCS fleet is deployed for close-to-shore missions, supporting a range of operations, including counter-illicit drug trafficking operations in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.
The Freedom Class fleet was recently deployed to US 6th Fleet in support of NATO allies and partners in Europe and Africa.
The commissioning of USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul comes just weeks after the USS Frank E Petersen Jr (DDG 121) – the latest Arleigh Burke Class guided-missile destroyer – entered service with the US Navy.
Arleigh Burke Class destroyers form the basis of the US Navy’s surface fleet, designed to conduct a variety of operations, including peacetime presence to national security, providing multi-threat air, surface and subsurface domain missions.
[Related: US Navy commissions Arleigh Burke destroyer]
