U.S. Navy accepts delivery of future USS Milwaukee

MARINETTE, Wis., Oct. 21 (UPI) -- The U.S. Navy accepted the delivery of the future USS Milwaukee, making it the sixth littoral combat ship to be delivered to the Navy.

The Milwaukee is a Freedom-class littoral combat ship, and was accepted during a ceremony at the Marinette Marine Corporation shipyard on October 16 after completing testing in September. This transfer of authority from manufacturer Lockheed Martin to the U.S. military marks the final milestone before the ship is formally commissioned.

Littoral combat ships are comparatively small surface vessels fitted for naval combat close to shore. LCS program manager Capt. Tom Anderson says the ships enhance a fleet's capabilities while also driving down costs.

"With each LCS delivered, we have succeeded in driving down costs by incorporating lessons learned to provide the Navy with a highly capable and flexible ship," Anderson said in a statement. "We are honored to place the Milwaukee in the able hands of her crew as they set sail for the ship's commissioning."

Milwaukee will be homeported in San Diego following its commissioning with sister ships USS Freedom, USS Independence, USS Fort Worth, USS Cornonado, and the future USS Jackson. Fort Worth, another Freedom-class LCS, made its debut in training exercise Malabar 2015 in October.