MARINETTE, Wis., May 17, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Lockheed
Martin [NYSE: LMT]-led industry team officially laid the keel for
the U.S. Navy's 19th Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), the future USS St.
Louis, in a ceremony held at Fincantieri Marinette Marine in
Marinette, Wisconsin.
Ship sponsor Barbara Broadhurst
Taylor completed the time-honored tradition and
authenticated the keel by welding her initials onto a steel plate
that will be placed in the hull of the ship.
"It is a tremendous honor to serve as the sponsor of the future
USS St. Louis," Taylor said. "The keel-laying ceremony is a great
milestone, and I look forward to supporting the ship and its crew
throughout the building process. I know the people of St. Louis and
Missouri will proudly support her
when she is commissioned and officially enters the Navy fleet."
The Lockheed Martin-led industry team is currently in full-rate
production of the Freedom-variant of the LCS, and has delivered
four ships to the U.S. Navy to date. The future USS St. Louis is
one of seven ships in various stages of construction at Fincantieri
Marinette Marine, with two more in long-lead production.
"We are proud to build another proven warship that allows our
Navy to carry out their missions around the world," said
Joe North, vice president and
general manager of Littoral Ships and Systems. "We look forward to
working with the U.S. Navy to continue building and delivering
highly capable and adaptable Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ships
to the fleet."
LCS 19 will be the seventh ship to bear the name USS St. Louis.
The first St. Louis, a sloop of war, was launched in 1828. Other
ships to bear the name included an ironclad gunboat commissioned in
1862, a troop transport commissioned in 1898, a protected cruiser
in commission from 1906 to 1922, a light cruiser commissioned in
1939, and, most recently, a Charleston-class amphibious cargo ship
in service from 1969 to 1991.
The Lockheed Martin-led LCS team is comprised of shipbuilder
Fincantieri Marinette Marine, naval architect Gibbs & Cox, and
more than 800 suppliers in 42 states. The Freedom-variant's steel
monohull design is based on a proven, resilient design recognized
for its stability and reliability.
Costing less than a third of a brand new Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, the Littoral
Combat Ship is the Navy's most affordable surface combatant
shipbuilding program and the ideal platform to grow the U.S. Navy
fleet quickly and affordably.
For additional information, visit our website:
www.lockheedmartin.com/lcs
About Lockheed Martin
Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a
global security and aerospace company that employs approximately
97,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research,
design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of
advanced technology systems, products and services.
About Fincantieri Marinette Marine
Founded in 1942,
Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM) is located on the Menominee
River flowage into Green Bay. The
largest shipyard in the Midwest, FMM has delivered more than 1,300
vessels to the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, and commercial
customers, including the technologically advanced Littoral Combat
Ship Freedom variant for the U.S. Navy. In 2008, FMM along with
several sister shipyards also based in the Great Lakes region,
became part of Fincantieri, one of the world's largest shipbuilding
groups and number one by diversification and innovation, with
almost 21,000 employees, of whom approximately 7,700 in
Italy, 21 shipyards in 4
continents. Fincantieri operates in the United States through its subsidiary
Fincantieri Marine Group, serving both civilian and government
customers. Over the past five years, Fincantieri invested more than
$100 million in both capital
infrastructure and its resources to support FMM's transformation
into what is now one of the best shipyards in the United States. Employing approximately
1,500 employees, today FMM is a state-of-the-art, full service new
construction shipyard.
About Gibbs & Cox
Gibbs & Cox, the nation's
leading independent maritime solutions firm specializing in naval
architecture, marine engineering and design, is headquartered in
Arlington, Virginia. The company,
founded in 1929, has provided designs for nearly 80 percent of the
current U.S. Navy surface combatant fleet; approaching 7,000 naval
and commercial ships have been built to Gibbs & Cox
designs.
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SOURCE Lockheed Martin