USS DETROIT CREST UNVEILED IN DUAL CEREMONIES IN DETROIT AND SAN DIEGO

The official crest of the USS DETROIT (LCS 7) was unveiled on Friday, February 21, 2014, at dual ceremonies held in San Diego and Detroit.  


“Our crest pays tribute to the great City of Detroit and the ship and crew that bear its name,” Commander Michael Wohnhaas, USN, Prospective Commanding Officer of USS DETROIT (LCS 7) said during ceremonies held at the San Diego Naval Station, the homeport for the ship when she joins the fleet in 2016.  “None of this would be possible without the talents of a number of our First Class Petty Officers, whose ideas will live on in the crest long after we’ve departed for other commands.”

He also delivered similar remarks in a recorded video message to those attending in Detroit and thanked the Metropolitan Detroit Council, Navy League of the United States for the support he and his crew had already received. The ceremony held at Port Detroit was attended by Detroit news media and special guests.  Participants in the Detroit unveiling event included:  Mrs. Barbara Levin, the ship’s sponsor; Jay Farner, President and Chief Marketing Officer, Quicken Loans, Inc., and Honorary Chairman of the Navy League’s USS DETROIT (LCS 7) BLUE & GOLD COMMITTEE; Detroit Deputy Mayor Ike McKinnon; Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano; John Jamian, Executive Director, Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority and John Peracchio, Vice Chairman of the Metropolitan Detroit Council’s USS DETROIT (LCS 7) BLUE & GOLD COMMITTEE. 

 “As you will soon see, each element of the crest symbolizes something about the Navy, about the ship’s mission and about its namesake,” Mrs. Barbara Levin, the ship’s sponsor, said before unveiling the crest.   “The USS DETROIT will carry the name of the Motor City across the ocean, proudly bearing this crest which embodies Detroit’s resilient spirit.  It is a great ship, with a great crew, that will carry a great crest that symbolizes her strength and agility.  It will provide a reminder to her crew that proud people of Detroit and all Americans sail with them.” 

The USS DETROIT (LCS 7) BLUE & GOLD COMMITTEE was formed by the Metropolitan Detroit Council, Navy League of the United States, in November 2012, shortly after the keel laying ceremony for the ship at the Lockheed Martin Marinette Shipyard in Marinette, Wis.  The committee is working with CDR Wohnhaas and other Navy officials on a number of projects leading to the ship’s commissioning in 2016.

“The Navy League frequently organizes commissioning ceremonies for the United States Navy,” said John Peracchio, vice chairman of the committee.  “Our Blue & Gold Committee was formed in anticipation that our ship will be commissioned here in 2016.  We’re underway early to support the crew of DETROIT.

“Founded with the support of President Theodore Roosevelt in 1902, the Navy League of the United States has been a powerful voice advocating a strong maritime component to America’s national defense for over a century,” he added.  “Our committee and our Metropolitan Detroit Council is dedicated to supporting the crew of the DETROIT and all the men and women in our Sea Services.”


“We have so many exciting things happening on our Detroit waterfront these days,” said John Jamian, Executive Director, Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority. 


“The naming of the USS DETROIT (LCS 7), as well as Mrs. Levin being selected as the ship’s sponsor, are added feathers in our cap,” Jamian added. 


“We are hopeful and looking forward to the possibility of hosting the commissioning of the USS DETROIT in 2016,” Jamian concluded.

“Detroit has a rich history of maritime activity,” said Ike McKinnon, Deputy Mayor of Detroit.  “Our city and our citizens could not be prouder that we are the namesake for a state of the art ship that undoubtedly will prove as tough and agile and strong as our city.”

“The new USS Detroit reflects the promise, renewal and growth that symbolizes what we see here in Detroit and Wayne County,” said Robert Ficano, Wayne County Executive.  “Sometimes we forget how vital a port is to a community.  It’s quite an honor to have a ship named after Detroit.”

CDR Wohnhaas said that about 60 percent of the ship is now complete, including the helicopter hangar, and that the name “DETROIT” is now proudly displayed on the stern doors.  Control consoles are starting to be installed on the bridge.  At the ship’s training office in San Diego, 27 of his 40 crew members have reported on board.


The ship will be launched this summer and christened USS DETROIT by Mrs. Levin during ceremonies at the Lockheed Martin Marinette (Wisconsin) shipyard.  She will be commissioned in 2016 and then sail to her homeport of San Diego.


Representatives from the offices of Congresswoman Candice S. Miller, Congressman Gary Peters and Senator Debbie Stabenow also attend the ceremony.  Last November, these and other members of the Michigan Congressional delegation co-signed a letter to Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, encouraging him to select Detroit as the commissioning site for the ship.  The member of  Representative Miller’s office read a letter from her during the ceremony.


“Times may change but the Navy’s mission will always be to maintain, train and equip combat-ready Naval forces capable of winning wars, deterring aggression and ensuring freedom of the seas,” Miller wrote.   “The DETROIT will prove instrumental in helping the Navy continue to achieve its mission as it evolves to 21^st Century warfare.  Similar to the Navy entering a new chapter of its history, so is the City of Detroit.  Detroit has famously faced its own challenges and has a deep history of being able to adapt, adjust and rebuild throughout the years.  It is fitting that this crest unveiling occurs in a city that is going through analogous changes.”


LCS is a fast, agile, focused-mission platform designed for operation in near-shore environments yet capable of open-ocean operation. It is designed to defeat asymmetric “anti-access” threats such as mines, quiet diesel submarines and fast surface craft.

 

John Peracchio

 

Deputy Mayor Ike McKinnon

 

Robert Ficano, Wayne County Executive

 

Jay Farner, President and CMO, Quicken Loans, Inc.

 

Mrs. Barbara Levin

 

Unveiling of the Crest

 

 

USS FREEDOM (LCS 1) RETURNS FROM MAIDEN DEPLOYMENT

Members of the "Blue" crew of the USS FREEDOM (LCS 1) were reunited with their family members on December 23 when the ship returned to her homeport of San Diego, marking the completion of the first deployment of a Littoral Combat Ship.

FREEDOM deployed from San Diego on March 1, with her "Gold" crew in charge, for operations with the U.S. 7th Fleet.  Operating primarily from Singapore, the ship participated in a number of theater security cooperation and maritime presence operations with partner nations.  In August, her Blue crew relied the Gold crew, continuing operations which included providing humanitarian assistance and disaster response in the Philippines following Typhoon Haiyan.

"This deployment was a huge success for the LCS program, for us as a crew, and for the Navy in general," said Cmdr. Dale Heinken, commanding officer of Freedom's Blue Crew. "The sailors did very well executing the mission."

You can read about FREEDOM's Christmas week homecoming in these stories published by the San Diego Union-Tribune and the Los Angeles Times.

USS MILWAUKEE (LCS 5) CHRISTENING

News from the Navy League's SEAPOWER MAGAZINE news site:

Navy to Christen Littoral Combat Ship Milwaukee

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Navy will christen its newest littoral combat ship (LCS), the future USS Milwaukee (LCS 5) in a ceremony at the Marinette Marine Corp. shipyard in Marinette, Wis., on Dec. 18 at 1:15 p.m. CST, the Defense Department announced in a Dec. 16 release.
Sylvia Panetta, wife of former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, will serve as the ship’s sponsor. Panetta will officially christen the ship Milwaukee.
Milwaukee was named in honor of the largest city in the state of Wisconsin and will be the fifth ship to bear the city’s name.
“Milwaukee’s christening serves as a tribute to this great American city, but also to the hard working people of Wisconsin and our nation’s entire industrial base,” Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said in the statement. “LCS is one of our most important platforms and represents the future of the Navy. Our commitment to this program remains as steadfast as that of those who helped build this great ship.”
Littoral combat ships are fast, agile surface combatants optimized for warfighting in the highly trafficked near-shore regions of the world against asymmetric “anti-access” threats. Through its innovative design, LCS can be reconfigured for surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, and mine countermeasures. This versatility enables Navy to provide warfighters with the most capable, cost-effective solutions to gain, sustain, and exploit littoral maritime supremacy.
The launch and christening of LCS 5 and the recent launch of LCS 6 from the Austal USA shipyard together mark a milestone for the LCS program. These are the first two littoral combat ships built from start to finish using serial production processes. Serial production is important because it allows the Navy to reap benefits such as improved cost structure per vessel and reduced construction time.
The Navy has incorporated much of the knowledge gained in the build, test and operation of LCS 1 and LCS 2, the lead ships of the Freedom and Independence classes, into follow-on ships.
Milwaukee will be 388 feet in length and equipped with four axial-flow waterjet engines, which will improve performance and move nearly half a million gallons of seawater per minute which will propel the ship to speeds in excess of 40 knots.
The first USS Milwaukee was a double-turret ironclad river monitor built for Civil War service. A St. Louis-class cruiser, the second USS Milwaukee (C-21) was lost in 1916 while attempting to free a submarine that had run aground. The third USS Milwaukee (CL-5) was an Omaha-class light cruiser, which served through World War II in the Atlantic, and the fourth USS Milwaukee (AOR 2), a Wichita-class replenishment oiler, was decommissioned in 1994.

FACTS AND DATA ON LITTORAL COMBAT SHIPS

Over my morning coffee, I came across a very interesting and informative website from the Lockheed Martin LCS Team.  As the USS DETROIT begins her fourth month of construction, we are only a year from the ship's launching.  Commissioning is slated for the summer of 2015.

During the keel-laying of the future USS Detroit Nov. 8 at the Marinette Marine shipyard in Wisconsin, ship sponsor Barbara Levin, the wife of Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan, authenticated the keel by having her signature welded into it.

The website provides a wealth of information.  A four minute video provides a great overview of the capability of these Freedom-class warships.