USS Beloit (LCS-29) is a Freedom-class littoral combat ship of the United States Navy.[8] She is the first commissioned ship in naval service named after Beloit, Wisconsin. This honors the contributions Beloit has made to the US Navy, especially the engines built in its Fairbanks Morse plant, including USS Beloit's own powerplant.[9][10][11]
 USS Beloit launched in Marinette, Wisconsin
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Beloit |
| Namesake | Beloit |
| Awarded | 18 September 2018 |
| Builder | Marinette Marine |
| Laid down | 22 July 2020[1] |
| Launched | 7 May 2022[2] |
| Sponsored by | MG Marcia Anderson (USAR, Ret.) |
| Christened | 7 May 2022[2] |
| Commissioned | 23 November 2024 [3] [4] |
| Homeport | Mayport, Florida[5] |
| Identification | Hull number: LCS-29 |
| Motto | Forward for Freedom[6] |
| Status | In service |
| Badge |  |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Freedom-class littoral combat ship |
| Displacement | 3,410 metric tons (3,760 short tons) full load[7] |
| Length | 388 ft (118 m)[7] |
| Beam | 58 ft (18 m)[7] |
| Draft | 14 ft (4.3 m)[7] |
| Speed | >40 knots (46 mph; 74 km/h) |
| Complement | 9 officers, 41 enlisted[7] |
Design
editIn 2002, the US Navy initiated a program to develop the first of a fleet of littoral combat ships.[12] 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.[12][13] 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.[12] The initial order of littoral combat ships involved a total of four ships, including two of the Freedom-class design.[12] Beloit is the fifteenth Freedom-class littoral combat ship to be built.
Construction and career
editMarinette Marine was awarded the contract to build Beloit on 18 September 2018.[7][8] She was christened and launched on 7 May 2022 at the shipyard in Marinette, Wisconsin.[2] The ship's sponsor is Beloit-born Major General Marcia Anderson, (USAR, Ret.). Now retired, she was the first African-American woman to reach the rank of Major General in the US Army, US Army Reserve and the US Army National Guard.[14]
Beloit successfully completed her acceptance trials in August 2024[5] and was commissioned in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on 23 November 2024.[3]
References
edit- ^ "Lockheed Martin-Led Team Begins Construction On Navy's Littoral Combat Ship, The Future USS Beloit" (Press release). Lockheed Martin. 22 July 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
- ^ a b c Schroeder, Lexi (8 May 2022). "Future USS Beloit christened in Marinette". WLUK. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
- ^ a b "Navy Announces Commissioning Ceremony for the Future USS Beloit". Retrieved 18 November 2024.
- ^ https://armyrecognition.com/news/navy-news/2024/commissioning-of-uss-beloit-marks-a-new-era-in-littoral-combat
- ^ "USS Beloit (LCS 29)". The Institute of Heraldry. U.S. Army. 11 August 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f "Beloit (LCS-29)". Naval Vessel Register. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
- ^ a b "Navy Awards Three Littoral Combat Ships" (Press release). United States Navy. 18 September 2018. NNS180918-12. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
- ^ "Secretary of the Navy Names Newest Freedom Variant Littoral Combat Ship" (Press release). United States Navy. 9 October 2018.
- ^ "Navy names future Wisconsin ship USS Beloit, will be built at Fincantieri Marinette Marine". Green Bay Press Gazette. 9 October 2018.
- ^ "U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin Announces the USS Beloit, Newest Littoral Combat Ship Honors Made In Wisconsin Manufacturing" (Press release). Urban Milwaukee. 9 October 2018.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Lockheed Martin-Led Team Begins Construction On Navy's Littoral Combat Ship, The Future USS Beloit". sdquebec.ca. 24 July 2020. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
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