11th Littoral Combat Ship launched for U.S. Navy

MARINETTE, Wis., Jan. 31 (UPI) -- An 11th Littoral Combat Ship for the U.S. Navy took to water this weekend in Wisconsin at the Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyard.

The shipyard is part of Lockheed's team that builds Freedom variants of the ship.

"The future USS Sioux City's interchangeable mission modules will empower her to face a variety of high-priority missions, from anti-surface warfare to anti-submarine warfare to mine counter-measures," said Joe North, Lockheed Martin vice president of Littoral Ships & Systems. "She is ideally suited to navigate the reefs and shallows in the Asia-Pacific, as USS Fort Worth has demonstrated on her current 20-month deployment."

The future USS Sioux City (LCS 11) is a single-hull vessel that is 378.3 feet long, 57.4 feet in the beam and a draft of 13 feet. Its maximum speed is 45 knots.

Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyard laid its keel in early 2014. The ship is expected to enter operational service with the Navy early next year.

Lockheed Martin said that following its launch into the Menominee River on Saturday it will continue to outfitting, followed by testing.

"The Christening and launch of the Sioux City is a proud event for FMM," said Jan Allman, president and chief executive officer of Fincantieri Marinette Marine. "It showcases the craftsmanship and engineering capabilities of our workforce.

"We are confident that this ship will play a vital role in the fleet, and carry the spirit of our industry team as she sails the globe."