USS Minneapolis-St Paul, on trials in Lake Michigan.
History
United States
NameMinneapolis-Saint Paul
NamesakeMinneapolis–Saint Paul
Awarded29 December 2010[4]
BuilderMarinette Marine[4]
Laid down22 February 2018[5]
Launched15 June 2019[1]
Sponsored byJodi J. Greene
Christened15 June 2019
Acquired18 November 2021[2]
Commissioned21 May 2022[3]
Identification
Motto
  • Aut viam invenium aut faciam
  • (I Will Find a Way or Make One)
StatusActive
Badge
General characteristics
Class and typeFreedom-class littoral combat ship
Displacement3,500 metric tons (3,900 short tons) (full load)[7]
Length387 ft (118 m)
Beam58 ft (18 m)
Draft13 ft (4.0 m)
Propulsion2 Rolls-Royce MT30 36 MW gas turbines, 2 Colt-Pielstick diesel engines, 4 Rolls-Royce waterjets
Speed45 knots (83 km/h; 52 mph) (sea state 3)
Range3,500 nmi (6,500 km; 4,000 mi) at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)[6]
Endurance21 days (504 hours)
Boats & landing
craft carried		11 m RHIB, 40 ft (12 m) high-speed boats
Complement35-50 core crew, 75 mission crew (Rotating crews)
Armament
Aircraft carried
NotesElectrical power is provided by 4 Isotta Fraschini V1708 diesel engines with Hitzinger generator units rated at 800 kW each.

USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul (LCS-21) is a Freedom-class littoral combat ship of the United States Navy.[8] She is the second ship in naval service named after Minnesota's Twin Cities.[8][9]

Design

In 2002, the US Navy initiated a program to develop the first of a fleet of littoral combat ships.[10] The Navy initially ordered two monohull ships from Lockheed Martin, which became known as the Freedom-class littoral combat ships after the first ship of the class, USS Freedom.[10][11] Odd-numbered U.S. Navy littoral combat ships are built using the Freedom-class monohull design, while even-numbered ships are based on a competing design, the trimaran hull Independence-class littoral combat ship from General Dynamics.[10] The initial order of littoral combat ships involved a total of four ships, including two of the Freedom-class design.[10] Minneapolis-Saint Paul is the eleventh Freedom-class littoral combat ship to be built.

Construction and career

On 29 December 2010, Marinette Marine was awarded the contract to build the ship in Marinette, Wisconsin.[4][12]

The ship was christened at the Marinette shipyard in 2019. The commissioning ceremony was expected to take place in the spring of 2021 before a problem with the propulsion system was discovered.[13] On 15 June 2021, Minneapolis-St. Paul was launched in Marinette. The Navy commissioned the ship on 21 May 2022 in Duluth, Minnesota under the command of Commander Alfonza White.[3][14]

In September 2022, the ship was involved in a collision with Danmark, a 252-foot full-rigged ship. Danmark was being towed by a tugboat when she collided with the stationary Minneapolis-Saint Paul. No injuries were reported.[15]

References

  1. ^ "Littoral Combat Ship 21 (Minneapolis-Saint Paul) Christened And Launched" (Press release). Lockheed Martin. 15 June 2019. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  2. ^ "Navy Accepts Delivery of Future USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul (LCS 21)" (Press release). United States Navy. 18 November 2021. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  3. ^ a b "USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul (LCS 21) Commissions" (Press release). United States Navy. 21 May 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  4. ^ a b c "Minneapolis-Saint Paul (LCS-21)". Naval Vessel Register. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  5. ^ "Team Freedom Lays Keel on Nation's 21st Littoral Combat Ship" (Press release). Lockheed Martin. 22 February 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
  6. ^ "LCS Littoral Combat Ship". Archived from the original on 8 August 2007. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  7. ^ "Littoral Combat Ship Class - LCS". America's Navy. US Navy. Archived from the original on 19 April 2015. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  8. ^ a b "Navy Names Littoral Combat Ship" (Press release). U.S. Department of Defense. 3 September 2015. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  9. ^ "Next LCS will be the USS Minneapolis/St. Paul". WLUK FOX 11. 3 September 2015. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  10. ^ a b c d "US Navy Fact File: Littoral Combat Ship Class – LCS". US Navy. Archived from the original on 2 March 2015. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
  11. ^ O'Rourke, Ronald (4 May 2010). "Navy Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Program: Background, Issues, and Options for Congress" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  12. ^ "U.S. Navy Fact File: Littoral Combat Ships". U.S. Navy. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
  13. ^ The Associated Press (2021-02-03). "Navy postpones USS Minneapolis-St. Paul commissioning after design defect discovered". Defense News.
  14. ^ "USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul Arrives In Duluth Ahead Of Commissioning". 2022-05-16. Retrieved 2022-05-16.
  15. ^ Network, MI News (12 September 2022). "Danish Training Ship, The Danmark, Crashed With The USS Minneapolis- St. Paul". Marine Insight. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
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