The nation's first Littoral Combat Ship, USS Freedom (LCS 1), recently completed its participation in the world's largest maritime exercise, known as Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2010.
Throughout RIMPAC, the ship and crew completed operational exercises, including a live-fire exercise with the MK-110 57mm gun, the launch of a Rolling Airframe Missile, and a maritime security exercise in which a team from the USS Lake Erie (CG 70) boarded USS Freedom.
"USS Freedom has performed beyond all expectations in RIMPAC 2010," said Cmdr. Kris Doyle, commanding officer of Freedom's Blue Crew, in a Navy video. "...We have been able to demonstrate capabilities in areas we that didn't know we had capabilities ... we are actually going beyond on our concept of operations for underway duration."
USS Freedom recently arrived in its homeport of San Diego. Prior to participating in RIMPAC, Freedom completed a highly successful first deployment to the U.S. Southern and U.S. Pacific Command areas of responsibility. Throughout the deployment, the ship conducted counter-illicit trafficking operations, making four successful interdictions in which more than five tons of cocaine and two "go fast" drug vessels were seized, and nine suspected smugglers were taken into custody.
LCS 1 is the first of 55 the Navy plans for a new class of ships designed to operate in coastal waters.
They need to send a couple of these over to chase the Somali pirates around.
Jackle61 7 months ago