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!

GREAT VIDEO ON LITTORAL COMBAT SHIPS

John Peracchio, vice chairman of our USS DETROIT BLUE & GOLD COMMITTEE, just shared this excellent video on LCS class ships. It was produced by National Geographic.  Enjoy!

QUICKEN LOAN'S JAY FARNER TO BE HONORARY CHAIR OF USS DETROIT COMMITTEE

Jay Farner, President and Chief Marketing Officer of Quicken Loans, Inc. has been named honorary chairman of the USS DETROIT (LCS 7) Blue & Gold Committee.

The committee, formed by the Metropolitan Detroit Council of the Navy League of the United States, will play a key role in supporting the crew and family members of this new Littoral Combat Ship, the ship’s launching and Christening in 2014 and her commissioning in early 2016. 

Farner was chosen by the Navy League due to Quicken Loans’ commitment to hiring veterans and involvement in the community. 

“The USS Detroit Committee will play a key role in supporting the Navy men and women who will form the crew of our city’s namesake ship,” Farner said.  “I am very proud to be selected honorary chair and look forward to supporting the USS Detroit, her crew and their families, not only for the launching and commissioning ceremonies but for many years to come as part of the Navy’s fleet.”

 A previous USS DETROIT (CL 8), a light cruiser, was one of the few ships to get underway during the attack on Pearl Harbor and earned six Battle Stars during WWII.  She was moored with the battleship USS MISSOURI during the surrender ceremony in Tokyo Bay in 1945.

A Freedom-class littoral combat ship, the new, high-tech USS DETROIT will be a fast, agile ship designed for a variety of missions in coastal waters against submarines, ships and fast surface craft, as well as minesweeping and humanitarian relief.  Capable of open ocean operations, her modular design supports interchangeable mission packages, which will allow the ship to be reconfigured for antisubmarine warfare, mine warfare, or surface warfare missions as needed.

The new USS DETROIT is being built at the Lockheed Martin Marinette Marine shipyard in Wisconsin.  Mrs. Barbara Levin, wife of Senator Carl Levin, was selected by the Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus to be the sponsor of the ship.  As sponsor, she fills an important role in supporting Detroit crew members and their families, as well as serving in traditional roles for the ship’s launching and commissioning.

METDET NAVY LEAGUE HOSTS VISIT OF COMMANDER MIKE WOHNHAAS

The Metropolitan Detroit Council, Navy League of the United States, hosted CDR Michael R. Wohnhaas, USN, for his first visit to the City of Detroit in early September.  CDR Wohnhaas is the Prospective Commanding Officer of the Littoral Combat Ship DETROIT (LCS 7).

CDR Wohnhaas arrived in Detroit on Tuesday evening, Sept. 3.  On Wednesday morning, John McCandless, chairman, USS DETROIT BLUE & GOLD COMMITTEE, hosted a breakfast meeting at the Detroit Athletic Club (DAC), attend by committee members Gordon Cole and Jim Semerad.  From there, the group journeyed to the Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority offices in Port Detroit adjacent to the Renaissance Center.  Joined by committee co-chair John Peracchio, CDR Wohnhaas was hosted by D/WCPA executive director John Jamian for an informative brief, as well as a tour of the Port Detroit facility.  Peter Berry, Harbourmaster, Port of Windsor, and Ben Bostic, D/WCPA director of security provided important information during this visit. 

At noon, CDR Wohnhass addressed members of the Detroit Rotary Club during their weekly luncheon meeting.  Afterwards, he was interviewed by Detroit News columnist Neal Rubin during a visit to the Naval Recruiting District offices in downtown Detroit.

That evening, the MetDet council hosted a cocktail reception at the DAC in honor of CDR Wohnhaas and Mrs. Barbara Levin, the ship’s sponsor.  The reception, supported by generous financial support from Quicken Loans (thanks to the efforts of committee member Beth Jones!) was attended by over 75 Navy League members and community and business leaders. 

(Left to Right) Kevin MacFarland, John McCandless,

CDR Mike Wohnhaas, Barbara Levin and Jerry Moskwa.)

A brief program, emceed by Kevin MacFarland, MetDet Council president, included remarks by Mrs. Levin and CDR Wohnhaas, as well as special plaque presentations to our guests of honor.  Special thanks to: Jerry Moskwa for preparing the plaques, handling the invitations and making all DAC arrangements; Lois MacFarland and Marcia Kuypers for handling registration duties and Lois MacFarland for providing photographic coverage that evening.

On Thursday morning, CDR Wohnhaas and John McCandless started their day with a visit with WJR’s morning show host Paul W. Smith.  An eight minute in-studio interview provided Paul’s many listeners in a multi-state area with key information on the seventh US Navy ship to bear the name DETROIT.

Detroit Historical Society CEO and Executive Director Bob Bury, along with senior curator Joel Stone, shared breakfast with CDR Wohnhaas and committee members prior to a visit to the Dossin Great Lakes Museum on Belle Isle.  The museum recently completed an extensive renovation.  John Peracchio is leading the effort to have the museum develop an exhibit on “Ships named DETROIT”. 

Later that morning, CDR Wohnhaas and committee members were hosted by General Motors chief diversity officer Ken Barrett and committee member Doug Waite for a tour of the GM World Headquarters in the Renaissance Center.  The tour included a visit to GM’s Command Center, as well as a roof-top visit to the 39^th floor of RenCen’s Tower 100.  Following the tour, CDR Wohnhaas was interviewed by Channel 4 reporter Tim Pamplin at Port Detroit.

That afternoon, committee member Mark Petroff arranged for a tremendously impressive visit to the downtown campus of Rock Ventures/Quicken Loans, led by Quicken Loans Detroit relocation ambassador Bruce Schwartz.  This company has been the driving force behind the revitalization of downtown Detroit. 

To cap the afternoon, CDR Wohnhaas met with United Way CEO Michael Brennan and his team to be briefed on the many initiatives the organization is behind to make Detroit and Southeastern Michigan a better place to live. 

Prior to departing for points East on Friday morning, CDR Wohnhaas and committee members enjoyed a casual dinner at the Bayview Yacht Club on the Detroit River.  Although the commander had switched to casual clothes for the evening, the word quickly got around that the skipper of the new Naval ship to be named DETROIT was in the clubhouse.  Many well-wishes stopped by to wish him “Fair winds and following seas!”