The U.S. Navy has commissioned the USS Marinette, a Freedom-class littoral combat ship constructed by Lockheed Martin and Fincantieri’s Marinette Marine shipyard.
The vessel, which was named after a city in Wisconsin, was delivered to the Navy in February and inaugurated on Saturday in Menominee, Michigan, DVIDS reported.
The Marinette is the Navy’s 25th littoral combat ship, designed for both near-shore and open ocean environments. The vessel has been tested to counter mines, fast surface craft, quiet diesel submarines and other asymmetrical “anti-access” threats. It will be assigned to Naval Station Mayport in Florida.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, Chauncey McIntosh, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin’s integrated warfare systems and sensors business, underscored his organization’s commitment to working with the U.S. Navy to continue improving the LCS warfighting capability.
Also speaking at the ceremony was Department of Energy Secretary and USS Marinette sponsor Jennifer Granholm, who expressed pride at the ship’s having been named after a great city.