CRUISER DETROIT'S FIRST ASSIGNMENT 120 YEARS AGO

The history of the first Navy cruiser to carry the name Detroit began with her launching on October 28,  1891 at the Columbian Iron Works in Baltimore.  USS DETROIT (C 10) was commissioned on July 20,1893.  Commander W. H. Bronson, USN, was her first commanding officer.  Bronson went on to achieve the rank of Rear Admiral.  Among his duties assignments as a Flag officer included being Superintendent of the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis.

It wasn't long until USS DETROIT and her crew responded to her first international crisis, sailing from Norfolk on October 5 that year for Rio de Janeiro to protect U.S. citizens and interests during revolutionary disturbances in Brazil.

She remained in Rio's harbor and nearby waters until the spring of 1894, returning to her homeport of Norfolk on April 24.  Less than six months later, she sailed for 2 years of duty on the Asiatic Station, cruising the Chinese coast and making port calls in Japan and Korea. 

Her other duty assignments until her decommissioning in 1905 are documented on the Naval Historical and Heritage Command's website.  Enjoy!

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) MAKES A SPECTACULAR SPLASH!

There's a lot of news coverage on yesterday's launching and christening ceremony for the USS MILWAUKEE (LCS 5).  Coverage on the Fox News 11 site is comprehensive and includes the You Tube video provided by Lockheed Martin.

I will update this report with input from USS DETROIT (LCS 7) BLUE & GOLD COMMITTEE member Jerry Moskwa, who attended yesterday's launching, once he checks in.

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.

CONGRESSIONAL SUPPORT FOR USS DETROIT

On Friday, December 13, Representative Candice Miller's office issued the following press release:

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For Immediate Release December 13, 2013

Rep. Miller: City of Detroit Ideal Location for the USS DETROIT’s (LCS 7) Official Launch Into Service

 

WASHINGTON – U.S. Representative Candice Miller (MI-10) today sent a bipartisan letter with members of the Michigan U.S. Congressional Delegation to the U.S. Department of the Navy requesting the selection of the City of Detroit as the site for the official commissioning of the USS DETROIT (LCS 7).  Currently, the USS DETROIT is being constructed in Wisconsin, and the Navy is reviewing potential sites for its official commissioning.  Miller is joined by her colleagues requesting that the Navy give the City of Detroit their full consideration for this honor launching the USS DETROIT (LCS 7) into service.

“The USS DETROIT (LCS 7) will be a vital asset to our Navy as they meet their mission protecting Americans and our allies in coastal waters and in the open sea.  This new and agile combat ship is designed to defeat the ever-growing maritime threats posed, such as by modern day pirates, by providing a fast and dominate response to those who wish to do harm,” Miller said.  “The USS DETROIT (LCS 7) will bear the Motor City’s name, echoing the city and its citizens’ longstanding patriotism and military support provided throughout our nation’s history.  The city is making strides to rally through a difficult time and uniting in courage and perseverance towards a strong comeback.  There would be no greater honor or recognition of the city’s rebirth then to have our City of Detroit be selected as the site of this new ship’s commission into service.”

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The letter was signed by Miller and 13 members of the Michigan Congressional Delegation, including Senators Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow and Representatives Gary C. Peters, Sander Levin, Bill Huizenga, John D. Dingell, John Conyers, Jr., Tim Walberg, Mike Rogers, Kerry Bentivolio, Dave Camp, Fred Upton and Dan Kildee. 

 

Our thanks to Representative Miller and her fellow members of Congress for their support of our namesake warship DETROIT!

 

 

IMPRESSIVE ROLL-OUT OF LCS MILWAUKEE

Here's an impressive video of the Littoral Combat Ship MILWAUKEE being moved to her launch position on the Menominee River.  She will be launched and christened by Mrs. Sylvia Panetta, wife of the former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, on December 18.  We will have a member of our USS DETROIT BLUE & GOLD committee attending this event.  Let's hope for good weather!