USS St. Louis during her commissioning ceremony on 8 August 2020
History
United States
NameSt. Louis
NamesakeSt. Louis
Awarded29 December 2010[4]
BuilderMarinette Marine[4]
Laid down17 May 2017[5]
Launched15 December 2018[1]
Sponsored byBarbara Broadhurst Taylor
Christened15 December 2018[1]
Acquired6 February 2020[2]
Commissioned8 August 2020[3]
Identification
MottoGateway to Freedom
StatusActive
Badge
General characteristics
Class and typeFreedom-class littoral combat ship
Displacement3,500 metric tons (3,900 short tons) full load[7]
Length378.3 ft (115.3 m)
Beam57.4 ft (17.5 m)
Draft13.0 ft (4.0 m)
Propulsion2 Rolls-Royce MT30 36 MW gas turbines, 2 Colt-Pielstick diesel engines, 4 Rolls-Royce waterjets
Speed45 knots (52 mph; 83 km/h) (sea state 3)
Range3,500 nmi (6,500 km) at 18 knots (21 mph; 33 km/h)[6]
Endurance21 days (336 hours)
Boats & landing
craft carried		11 m RHIB, 40 ft (12 m) high-speed boats
Complement15 to 50 core crew, 75 mission crew (Blue and Gold crews)
Armament
Aircraft carried
Aviation facilitiesFlight Deck, Hangar Bay
NotesElectrical power is provided by 4 Isotta Fraschini V1708 diesel engines with Hitzinger generator units rated at 800 kW each.
Aerial view

USS St. Louis (LCS-19) is a Freedom-class littoral combat ship of the United States Navy. She is the seventh ship in naval service named after St. Louis, Missouri.[8]

Design

In 2002, the US Navy initiated a program to develop the first of a fleet of littoral combat ships.[9] 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.[9][10] 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.[9] The initial order of littoral combat ships involved a total of four ships, including two of the Freedom-class design.[9]  St. Louis is the tenth Freedom-class littoral combat ship to be built.

Construction and career

St. Louis was built in Marinette, Wisconsin by Marinette Marine.[11] The ship was christened and launched on 15 December 2018.[1] She was commissioned on 8 August 2020 and is assigned to Littoral Combat Ship Squadron Two.

References

  1. ^ a b c "Littoral Combat Ship 19 (St. Louis) Christened And Launched" (Press release). Lockheed Martin. 15 December 2018. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
  2. ^ "Navy Accepts Delivery of Future USS St. Louis (LCS 19)" (Press release). United States Navy. 7 February 2020. NNS200207-13. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  3. ^ "U.S. Navy Littoral Combat Ship USS St. Louis Joins the Fleet" (Press release). United States Navy. 8 August 2020. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  4. ^ a b "St. Louis (LCS-19)". Naval Vessel Register. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  5. ^ "Lockheed Martin-Led Team Lays Keel on 19th Littoral Combat Ship" (Press release). Lockheed Martin. 17 May 2017. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  6. ^ "Freedom Class LCS Littoral Combat Ship". Retrieved 18 June 2015.
  7. ^ "Littoral Combat Ship Class - LCS". America's Navy. US Navy. Archived from the original on 19 April 2015. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  8. ^ "Navy Names Littoral Combat Ship" (Press release). U.S. Navy. 20 April 2015. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ "U.S. Navy Fact File: Littoral Combat Ships". U.S. Navy. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
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