Tag Archives: USS Nantucket (LCS-27)

Keeping Nautical Traditions Alive

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A couple of interesting bits caught my eye lately and warmed my salty old heart.

On PCU Nantucket (LCS 27), the planned third commissioned ship in naval service to carry the name of the Massachusetts island and the 14th of 16 Freedom-class littoral combat ships, a mast-stepping ceremony was held last week.

“The crew commemorated the occasion by passing a vessel containing mementos from the ship’s namesake town and coins from the crew, which was then welded to the mast, symbolizing the union of the ship and its heritage.”

Listed as “In Service, Special” in the NVR, the event celebrated the 3rd birthday of Nantucket’s christening.

While a little thing, it is still nice to see a mast stepping on one of these “little crappy ships,” despite their problems.

Of course, I’ve always thought that masts should carry rum or whisky, but that is just me. 

Meanwhile, the Coast Guard Historian’s Office recently visited the service’s Surface Acquisition Logistics Center, Cutter Transition Division located at the CG Yard in Baltimore to retrieve relics saved from recently mothballed surface assets.

The haul looks like lots of gear from recently decommissioned 87-foot patrol boats (Sea Dragon, Sea Devil, Sea Dog, Mako, et. al) as well as some very long-serving ships such as the 35-year veteran Island class cutter Orcas (WPB1327), and the 210-foot Reliance-class cutters Confidence (WMEC-619) and Dauntless (WMEC-624) which had over 110 years of service between them.

As retired cutters almost always either get recycled by some other government agency for continued use or donated to some third-world ally, never to see American waters again, it is good to grab these relics to retain the memory of the vessels and those who served on their decks.

As noted by the USCGH: 

A recent trip to the Cutter Transition Division netted a trove of ship boards, bells, and plaques that will be well preserved by the Historian’s Office. Some of the items will be placed into the Historian’s educational collection that the National Coast Guard Museum takes on the road to teach communities about the Coast Guard and its various missions

Plus, as the service is steadily activating new CGJROTC units, some of these historic relics may soon find new homes.

Again with the LCS shuffle…

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In addition to the rapidly falling numbers of cruisers (without replacement) and SSN-688s (with some replacement, albeit not 1:1) the Navy keeps pulling the LCS shuffle.

Just two weeks ago, we brought you the news that the Freedom-variant (mono-hull Marinette Marine-built) littoral combat ship USS Milwaukee (LCS 5), was decommissioned at Naval Station Mayport, with a career spanning just 7 years, 9 months, and 18 days– a record cradle-to-grave for such a vessel, the third of the class retired. The same week, the USS Marinette (LCS 25) commissioned in Menominee, Michigan, the “Lucky” 13th Freedom-variant LCS, leaving three final Freedom-class LCS fitting out, to be delivered at some future date: PCUs USS Nantucket (LCS-27), Beloit (LCS-29), and Cleveland (LCS-31).

Now, the Navy essentially pulled a repeat last weekend with two Freedom variants hitting mothballs while a new Independence variant (trimaran built by Austal in Mobile) joined the fleet.

Littoral Combat Ship Squadron Two in Mayport paid off the sixth US Navy vessel to bear the name of Michigan’s largest city, USS Detroit (LCS-7) and the second to be named after the largest city in Arkansas, USS Little Rock (LCS-9), were decommissioned on September 29, 2023. They are the fourth and fifth members of that class.

USS Detroit (LCS-7) was decommissioned on September 29, 2023

Detroit was active for 6 years, 11 months, 7 days.
Little Rock was active for 5 years, 9 months, 13 days-– a new short-timer record for an LCS.

Detroit managed to deploy four times to SOUTCOM on 4th Fleet orders with CTF-45 in her career, essentially holding down missions typically completed by 50-year-old Coast Guard cutters half their size.

As noted by the Navy:

Detroit and its Sailors contributed a tremendous amount of work and time to ensure the success of the LCS program during the ship’s time in naval service. USS Detroit (LCS 7) began the year with a Light Off Assessment (LOA) on January 30. The crew performed with distinction through several major milestones including LOA, contractor sea trials, and the basic/advanced phase in preparation for her 2023 deployment. Detroit completed her most recent deployment to the Fourth Fleet in April 2023 partnered with the embarked US Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment, other US warships, the Department of Defense, the Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security. Detroit participated in two fleet experiments off the coast of San Juan, Puerto Rico, which greatly contributed to C4F’s tactical mission set. Detroit and her embarked LEDETs seized an estimated total of 900kg of cocaine from entering the United States. Detroit provided a maritime security presence enabling the free flow of commerce in key corridors of trade.

Likewise, Little Rock also did roughly the same, deploying south three times, only recently returning from a CTF-45 tasking in April.

CARIBBEAN SEA – (Apr. 17, 2023) — The Freedom-variant littoral combat ship USS Little Rock (LCS 9) steams in the Caribbean Sea while deployed to the U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet area of operations (AOR) (U.S. Navy courtesy photo/Released) 230417-N-N3764-1000

Of interest, LCS-9 was the first warship to be commissioned while next to a former namesake, ex-USS Little Rock (CL-92/CLG-4/CG-4), which served off and on from 1945-1976 and has been a museum ship in Buffalo, New York since then.

Both Detroit and Little Rock are reportedly on hold for potential foreign military sales, presumably with a paid engineering combining gear fix (estimated at $8-10 million per hull). Only seven Freedom-class LCS (of 13 completed) remain in service, with the latter models presumably incorporating the fix.

Fast forward to Maine, where USS Augusta (LCS 34), the newest (17th) Independence-variant littoral combat ship was placed in commission. Austal only has two ships of a total of 19 to be delivered remaining under construction: the future USS Kingsville (LCS 36) and USS Pierre (LCS 38).

Independence-class Littoral Combat Ship, the future USS Augusta (LCS 34) was delivered to the U.S. Navy on 15 May 2023. Note the Battle House Hotel and the Trustmark building behind the vessel on Mobile’s skyline, the latter home to the only 600lb electric MoonPie which is dropped at midnight on New Year’s Eve. (Image: Austal USA)

She is the second naval warship named for the city of Augusta, Maine. LCS 34 continues the legacy of USS Augusta (SSN 710), a Los Angeles-class submarine that was in active service for 24 years and decommissioned on February 11, 2009.

And, just because you came this far, take a look at this great drydock shot of the USS Charleston (LCS 18) in San Diego after a 26-month rotational deployment, showing her class’s unique stern drive.

Strange Happenings with the LCS program

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And in more oddball installments from the world of the U.S. Navy’s troubled Littoral Combat Ship fiasco, I bring you a trio of recent bullet points.

Bye Bye, Milwaukee

The fifth ship to carry the name, the Freedom-variant (mono-hull Marinette Marine-built) littoral combat ship USS Milwaukee (LCS 5), was decommissioned at Naval Station Mayport on Sept. 8, the third of the class retired. She had been commissioned on 21 November 2015, leaving her entire career to span just 7 years, 9 months, and 18 days. Much of that was spent in repair and, when she did get operational, it was always on short 4th Fleet orders close to home– the ship never made it to her previously planned homeport of San Diego.

U.S. Navy photos by MC1(NAC/AW) Brandon J. Vinson

U.S. Navy photos by MC1(NAC/AW) Brandon J. Vinson

From her short history:

Milwaukee and its Sailors contributed a tremendous amount of work and time to ensure success of the LCS program during the ship’s time in naval service. Milwaukee completed two successful deployments in April 2022 and June 2023. The ship deployed to U.S. Fourth Fleet and integrated with the embarked US Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET), other US warships, Department of Defense, Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, and SOUTHCOM/JIATF-S. During their second deployment, Milwaukee and her embarked LEDETs, seized an estimated $30 million in suspected cocaine, and three detainees during interdictions as sea, preventing 954kgs of cocaine from entering the United States. She also transported six detainees and case packages on behalf of USCGC BEAR in support of the counter-narcotic/interdiction mission. While deployed, Milwaukee provided maritime security presence enabling the free flow of commerce in key corridors of trade.

An excellent recent Pro Publica piece, titled “A Deep Dive Into US Navy’s Epic Shipbuilding Failure” speaks of Milwaukee in the following terms:

On the morning of Nov. 23, 2015, the USS Milwaukee set out across the frigid waters of the Great Lakes for its maiden voyage. The cost overruns had made headlines, but with the fifth ship in the water, Navy officials were hoping the vessel’s performance would lessen the growing doubts about the project.

The Navy planned to sail the Milwaukee from the shipyard on the shores of Lake Michigan in Marinette, Wisconsin, to its new home port of San Diego. From there, it would eventually join its sister ship, the USS Fort Worth, in helping to counter the Chinese navy’s expanding presence in the Western Pacific.

In a press tour days before the launch, Cmdr. Kendall Bridgewater evinced confidence, proclaiming that the enemy “would be hard-pressed to find a vessel that could come up against us.”

But the ship wouldn’t need a fight to suffer its first defeat. Its worst enemy would be its own engine.

On Dec. 11, about three weeks into the two-month journey, a software failure severely damaged the Milwaukee’s combining gear — a complex mechanism that connects the ship’s diesel engines and its gas turbines to the propulsion shafts, producing the power necessary for it to reach top speeds.

A Navy salvage ship had to tow it some 40 miles for repairs at a base near Norfolk, Virginia. The ship hadn’t made it halfway down the East Coast — let alone to the South China Sea — before breaking down. If the Milwaukee were a brand-new car, this would be the equivalent of stalling on its way out of the dealership.

Some former officers look back on the breakdown and those that followed as a clear violation of a cardinal principle in Navy shipbuilding: to “buy a few and test a lot.” But with the LCS, the Navy was doing the opposite. Commanders were learning about the flaws of the ships as they were being deployed.

“This is a totally foreseeable outcome,” said Jay Bynum, a former rear admiral who served as an assistant to the vice chief of naval operations as the ships were entering the fleet. “Just think about it, Toyota checks out all of this before the car hits the showroom floor. What if the engineering guys there said, ‘Well, we think this is how the engine will work, but let’s just start selling them.’

But, as one Freedom-variant littoral combat ship leaves after just a third of her expected life span was completed– none of it in “real world” overseas taskings– another new one appeared as if by magic.

Welcome Marinette

The USS Marinette (LCS 25) commissioned Saturday, Sept. 16, in Menominee, Michigan, the “Lucky” 13th Freedom-variant LCS.

Menominee, Michigan (Sept. 15, 2023) – The U.S. Navy’s newest littoral combat ship, USS Marinette (LCS 25), is pierside on the Menominee River prior to its commissioning in Menominee, Michigan on Sept. 16. USS Marinette is the first U.S. Navy warship to honor Marinette, Wisconsin. (Courtesy photo by Shawn Katzbeck)

As noted by the Navy in the straightfaced release:

She is the first naval warship to bear the name of Marinette, Michigan, and the third naval vessel. Marinette (YTB-791) and Marinette County (LST 953) were previously named for the community. Marinette received its name on Sept. 22, 2016. The name recognizes the contributions of her namesake town and the great shipbuilders who bring these ships to life, ensuring they are ready to accomplish mission tasking in support our nation’s maritime strategy.

Marinette Marine has three final Freedom-class LCS fitting out, to be delivered at some future date: PCUs USS Nantucket (LCS-27), Beloit (LCS-29), and Cleveland (LCS-31).

MK 70?

Meanwhile, in San Diego, USS Savannah (LCS-28) (a recently-commissioned Austal USA-built trimaran-hulled Independence-variant littoral combat ship) was spotted last week with a Lockheed Martin MK 70 Typhoon containerized vertical launching system on her large deck.

Capable of firing either a Standard Missile 6 or a Tomahawk Land Attack Missile, that could be a very interesting development, especially if the systems are mounted in numbers.

When asked by USNI News, the Navy acknowledged the veracity of the photographs but did not provide additional details.

“USS Savannah (LCS-28) will participate in a live-fire demonstration during the fourth quarter of 2023 that will include a containerized launching system. More information will be provided after the evolution is complete,” Naval Surface Forces spokesperson CDR Arlo Abrahamson said in a statement.

It increasingly seems that the Indy class LCS has some merit while the Freedoms may, well, not.

Time will tell.