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US Navy - Littoral Combat Ship LCS 1 - USS Freedom |
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| 04/23 | ||
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Type,
class: Littoral Combat Ship - LCS; Freedom class Builder: Marinette Marine Corporation, Marinette, Wisconsin, USA STATUS: Awarded: December 15, 2004 Laid down: June 2, 2005 Launched: September 23, 2006 Commissioned: November 8, 2008 Decommissioned: September 29, 2021 Fate: hold in reserve at Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility (NISMF) Bremerton, Washington Namesake: FREEDOM! Ships Motto: FAST - FOCUSED - FEARLESS Technical Data: see: INFO > Freedom class Littoral Combat Ship - LCS |
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 departing San Diego for her final journey to Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility Bremerton, Washington - September 30, 2021  prepared to be towed to Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility Bremerton, Washington - San Diego, California - September 30, 2021  decommissioning ceremony - San Diego, California - September 29, 2021  returning to Naval Base San Diego, California after her final deployment - April 12, 2021  returning to Naval Base San Diego, California after her final deployment - April 12, 2021  Pacific Ocean - February 2021  San Diego - April 2020  San Diego - May 2017  San Diego - May 2017  San Diego - May 2017  Colt-Pielstick 16PA6B diesel engine exchange - Southwest Regional Maintenance Center, San Diego, California - March 2017  diesel engine exchange - Southwest Regional Maintenance Center, San Diego, California - March 2017  in dry dock - December 2016  4 x Rolls-Royce Kamewa 153SII waterjets, 2 steerable - December 2016  Rolls-Royce Kamewa 153SII waterjets - December 2016  April 2015  Pacific Ocean - April 2015  Pacific Ocean - April 2015  Pacific Ocean - March 2015  San Diego - November 2014  USS Freedom (LCS 1) conducts visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) training off the coast of Southern California. The training marked the first time a littoral combat ship, an MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned helicopter and an SH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter conducted integrated VBSS training - May 2014  May 2014  May 2014  May 2014  May 2014  May 2014  San Diego, California - December 2013  San Diego, California - December 2013  Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - December 2013  Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - December 2013  Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - December 2013  Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii - December 2013  Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii - December 2013  Pacific Ocean - November 2013  Brunei - November 2013  October 2013  Straits of Singapore - August 2013  Sembawang, Singapore - August 2013  Sembawang, Singapore - August 2013  Sembawang, Singapore - August 2013  Changi Naval Base, Singapore - July 2013  Kuantan, Malaysia - June 2013  Kuantan, Malaysia - June 2013  Changi Naval Base, Singapore - June 2013  Santa Rita, Guam - March 2013  Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii - March 2013  Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii - March 2013  Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii - March 2013  Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii - March 2013  Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii - March 2013  Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii - March 2013  Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii - March 2013  Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii - March 2013  San Diego, California - March 2013  San Diego, California - March 2013  San Diego, California - March 2013  San Diego, California - March 2013  San Diego, California - March 2013  Pacific Ocean - February 2013  Pacific Ocean - February 2013  Pacific Ocean - February 2013  Pacific Ocean - February 2013  Pacific Ocean - February 2013  Pacific Ocean - February 2013  Pacific Ocean - February 2013  Pacific Ocean - February 2013  Pacific Ocean - February 2013  Pacific Ocean - February 2013  Pacific Ocean - February 2013  Pacific Ocean - February 2013  Pacific Ocean - February 2013  Pacific Ocean - February 2013  Pacific Ocean - February 2013  Pacific Ocean - February 2013  Pacific Ocean - February 2013  San Diego - February 2013  February 2013  San Diego, California - November 2012  San Diego, California - October 2012  scheduled four-month maintenance period - Naval Base San Diego, California - July 2011  scheduled four-month maintenance period - Naval Base San Diego, California - July 2011  scheduled four-month maintenance period - Naval Base San Diego, California - July 2011  Pacific Ocean - June 2011  Pacific Ocean - June 2011  Pacific Ocean - June 2011  57mm ammunition onloading - Seal Beach, California - September 2010  August 2010  exercise RIMPAC 2010 - off Hawaii - July 2010  RIM-116 rolling airframe missile live firing exercise during exercise RIMPAC 2010 - July 2010  during exercise RIMPAC 2010 - Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - July 2010  Mk.46 30mm gun fire exercise  during exercise RIMPAC - July 2010  during exercise RIMPAC - July 2010  Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - July 2010  Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - June 2010  Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - June 2010  Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - June 2010  Pacific Ocean - June 2010  San Diego, California - June 2010  San Diego, California - April 2010  Pacific Ocean - April 2010  Pacific Ocean - April 2010  Pacific Ocean - March 2010  Panama City, Panama - March 2010  Colon, Panama - March 2010  Carribbean Sea - February 2010  Mayport, Florida - February 2010  Mayport, Florida - February 2010  Atlantic Ocean - February 2010  Mayport, Florida - November 2009  flight deck certification - Atlantic Ocean - September 2009  flight deck certification - Atlantic Ocean - September 2009  Atlantic Ocean - September 2009  Atlantic Ocean - September 2009  Atlantic Ocean - September 2009  Atlantic Ocean - September 2009  Charleston, South Carolina - June 2009  Alexandria, Virginia - May 2009  Alexandria, Virginia - May 2009  Norfolk, Virginia - December 2008  Norfolk, Virginia - December 2008  Norfolk, Virginia - December 2008  Norfolk, Virginia - December 2008  Montreal, Canada - November 2008  Buffalo, New York - November 2008  commissioning ceremony - Milwaukee, Wisconsin - November 8, 2008  commissioning ceremony - Milwaukee, Wisconsin - November 8, 2008  Milwaukee, Wisconsin - November 2008  Marinette, Wisconsin - August 2008  Marinette, Wisconsin - August 2008  Marinette, Wisconsin - August 2008  Marinette, Wisconsin - August 2008  builders trials - August 2008  builders trials - August 2008  builders trials - August 2008  builders trials - August 2008  builders trials - August 2008  builders trials - August 2008  builders trials - August 2008  builders trials - July 2008  builders trials - July 2008  builders trials - July 2008  builders trials - July 2008  builders trials - July 2008  builders trials - July 2008  builders trials - July 2008  builders trials - July 2008  builders trials - July 2008  builders trials - July 2008  builders trials - July 2008  builders trials - July 2008  builders trials - July 2008  builders trials - July 2008  builders trials - July 2008  builders trials - July 2008  builders trials - July 2008  builders trials - July 2008  builders trials - July 2008  launching ceremony at Fincantieri Marinette Marine, Wisconsin - September 23, 2006  launching ceremony at Fincantieri Marinette Marine, Wisconsin - September 23, 2006  launching ceremony at Fincantieri Marinette Marine, Wisconsin - September 23, 2006  launching ceremony at Fincantieri Marinette Marine, Wisconsin - September 23, 2006  roll-out at Marinette Marine, Wisconsin - September 23, 2006  under construction at Marinette Marine - Marinette, Wisconsin - August 23, 2006   keel laying ceremony at Marinette Marine - Marinette, Wisconsin - June 2, 2005 |
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USS Freedom (LCS 1): Construction: The construction contract was awarded to Lockheed Martin's LCS team (Lockheed Martin, Gibbs & Cox, Marinette Marine, Bollinger Shipyards) in May 2004. Her keel was laid down on 2 June 2005, by Marinette Marine in Marinette, Wisconsin. The ship was sponsored by Birgit Smith, the widow of United States Army Sergeant 1st Class Paul Ray Smith, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Mrs. Smith's initials are welded on the ship's keel. The couple's Saint Christopher medal and wedding bands are embedded in the ship's mast. USS Freedom was christened on 23 September 2006, delivered to the Navy on 18 September 2008, and commissioned in Milwaukee on 8 November. Cost overruns during Freedom's construction combined with projected future overruns led the government to issue a "Stop-work" in January 2007 and ultimately led to the cancellation of construction of LCS-3 (the second Lockheed Martin ship) on 13 April 2007. On 25 April 2008 the New York Times ran a highly critical article, arguing that both Freedom and competitor Independence demonstrated a failure of the Navy's littoral combat ship program. Prior to delivery, the Navy's Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) conducted acceptance trials aboard LCS-1, 17-21 August. INSURV found the ship to be "capable, well-built and inspection-ready" and recommended that the Chief of Naval Operations authorize delivery of the ship. Because the trials were conducted in Lake Michigan, some ship systems, including aviation and combat systems, could not be demonstrated. Systems not demonstrated during recent trials will be presented to INSURV in early 2009 trials in Norfolk and in the open ocean. The inspection discovered 2,600 total discrepancies, of which 21 were considered high-priority deficiencies. "As part of LCS 1 acceptance trials, the Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) identified 21 critical “starred” deficiencies and recommended the Chief of Naval Operations authorize delivery of LCS-1 after correction or waiver of these deficiencies. According to Navy officials, only 9 of these deficiencies were corrected prior to delivery. Navy officials report that transiting the ship away from Marinette, Wisconsin, prior to the winter freeze was a higher priority than timely correction of starred deficiencies. The Navy intends to correct remaining deficiencies during planned post-delivery maintenance availabilities." One of the issues with the ship is that it is six percent overweight and therefore more likely to sink if damaged. This seems to have been caused by design changes during construction. The Navy says that the ship will require special operating procedures until this is corrected. The workaround selected will be to install external tanks for additional buoyancy. And the Navy states that LCS-1 now meets the damage stability requirement with the addition of the external tanks and that the design of USS Fort Worth (LCS-3) includes additional stability improvements. Other issues include difficulty with the slow speed operations required for deep sea refueling, no ability to UNREP other supplies aboard other than by helicopter, and problems with side-door launches of remotely operated vehicles. On 12 June 2009, The Navy confirmed that CNO Roughead had ordered a study of an early deployment of Freedom, before the expected date of 2012. Anonymous sources inside Lockheed Martin reported that Roughead wanted to use the first LCS to patrol for pirates off the coast of Somalia. On 13 October 2009, the Department of Defense announced the Freedom would be deployed two years ahead of schedule. For this deployment 20 additional sailors will be carried for Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure operations in two shipping containers in the mission module cargo area. These containers will not include sanitary facilities, so they will be forced to use the ones in the ship's berthing spaces. About half of the 20 member boarding team will be temporarily replaced with United States Coast Guard law enforcement officers for some portion of the deployment. John C. Harvey, Jr. said that while the deployment was a success, manning may need adjustment. Operations: On 15 February 2010, Freedom set sail from Naval Station Mayport on its first deployment to support SOUTHCOM operations. On 22 February, off the coast of Colombia, the ship pursued a possible drug-running boat. The boat fled back into Colombian coastal waters and Freedom's crew recovered 1/4 ton of cocaine that had been dumped overboard by the boat's crew. On 4 April 2010 Freedom entered the 3rd Fleet area of responsibility. She is currently carrying Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 22, Det. 2, a LCS Surface Warfare Mission Package, and a U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment. She is expected to be dry docked in San Diego’s Nassco shipyard so that her outer starboard waterjet can be replaced. On 12 September 2010, the starboard Rolls-Royce MT30 gas turbine broke down and the ship had to rely on her diesel engines to return to port. CNO Roughead, said that the media had overhyped the issue and that such breakdowns were not uncommon. During a heavy-weather ocean trial in February 2011, the ship developed a six-inch (150 mm) crack in its hull that leaked 5 US gallons (19 l) of water an hour. The Navy proceeded to investigate, the problem appearing to be due to faulty welds rather than a design error. The repairs were scheduled to begin on 27 June 2011, and last until 19 September. On February 2012, Freedom suffered minor flooding while underway off Southern California. An inflatable boot seal was deployed in a successful effort to contain the flooding, and the ship returned to San Diego, on its own power. This marked a return to the dry dock before the ship even completed its last post-repair shakedown. A "special trial" conducted in May 2012, found the ship fit for the deployment. In July 2012, Freedom was dry docked in order to expand berthing by 20 and for firefighting and boat handling improvements. After another docking to apply a new paint scheme and apply another fix for the aft ramp, she departed for Singapore, with a core crew of 50, plus 3 trainees, plus a mission crew with berthing for 98. Additional crew above that level will again be bedded in the cargo spaces. On 15 January 2013, the U.S. Defense Department's director of operational test and evaluation released a judgement of the LCS in an annual study. The report said that Freedom was "not expected to be survivable" in combat. Helicopters on board the ship cannot tow its mine-hunting sensors, so it must rely on unmanned systems for mine countermeasures, although those systems are not in service, and will not be for several years. Her 30 mm (1.2 in) Mk44 Bushmaster IIs "exhibit reliability problems." The 57 mm Mk 110 gun is differently designed on the Freedom class, which cause vibrations at high speeds that make accurate firing difficult. The integrated weapons systems and air/surface search radar have “performance deficiencies” that affect the ship’s “tracking and engagement of contacts.” In early 2013, the vessel took part in the National Geographic TV show " INSIDE: 21ST CENTURY WARSHIP " along with Independence. Freedom left for a 10-month deployment to Singapore, in March 2013. On 11 March 2013, Freedom became the first LCS to reach Hawaii. On 16 March, while en route to Singapore, the ship briefly lost power when one of the diesel engines shut down. On 18 April, Freedom arrived at the Changi Naval Base in Singapore, set to participate in joint military exercises. On 18-19 May, Freedom participated in the Republic of Singapore Navy's Open House 2013 at Changi Naval Base. Visitors to the Open House were allowed to board and visit Freedom. On 21 May, Freedom's first venture from Singapore harbor was cut short by another equipment failure, followed on 20 July 2013, by another breakdown requiring a return to port. The frequent breakdowns found the crew short of the Navy's sleep requirement, even with the maximum possible core crew and help from contractors and the mission module crew. Although billed as a trip for training and international cooperation exercises, Freedom conducted standard patrols while in the South China Sea. Despite suffering several breakdowns, the deployment was deemed a success from a research and development platform standpoint; while deployed for 10 months, the ship had 70 percent availability, on par with most other forward deployed ships in the fleet. In November 2013, Freedom delivered relief supplies to the Philippines, in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan, from 16 nmi (30 km; 18 mi) off shore, using her own and another ship's helicopters. From 25 April-16 May 2014, Freedom conducted the future concept of operations (CONOPS) for manned and unmanned helicopters aboard littoral combat ships. Operations had the manned MH-60R working together with the unmanned MQ-8B Fire Scout. The demonstration included one MH-60R/S Seahawk and one MQ-8B flying with the surface warfare (SUW) mission package installed, intended to provide fleet protection against small boats and asymmetric threats. In March 2015, Freedom completed rough water trials to demonstrate seaworthiness and structural integrity, collecting data while operating in sea states 5 and 6 for 11 days. In February 2020, it was announced that the Navy plans to retire Freedom and its sister ship Fort Worth after 12 and 8 years of service respectively. On 20 June 2020, the Navy announced that Freedom would be decommissioned on 21 March 2021. In February 2021, then Navy pushed back Freedom's decommissioning to 30 September 2021. source: wikipedia |
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