LITTORAL DEFENSE SHIP LAUNCHED

USS FREEDOM, LCS 1 Running at Flank Speed , Flight Deck

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Left click on image to size it for full view

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Word of the day: LITTORAL = Coastline
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Fast (50 Knots at Flank Speed), maneuverable, designed for shallow water Coastal combat. This ship packs a powerful punch.
See the extracted article below and follow the link for the entire article.
Go Navy!

Dave Israel

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The crew of USS Freedom (LCS 1) ushered in a new era in naval warfare, Nov. 8 as the ship was brought to life at Milwaukee’s Veterans Park before a crowd of nearly 10,000.
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The ship was officially placed in commission by Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter, who remarked the Navy was commissioning not just Freedom but a new class of naval war ships.
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“In this platform we are making the right investments in our future security and in our prosperity,” Winter said. “For those of you who will have the privilege of serving in Freedom you will play a leading role in protecting our nation’s interest and in ensuring stability of the global economy. You will also be called upon to serve in a ship whose namesake defines the very aspirations of the American people and of people the world over.”
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Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Gary Roughead, said Freedom will never have a more important crew than its first one, for they are the ones that set the tone and standards that will endure.
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Freedom also represents a new concept in how and where the Navy is going to operate in executing the Maritime Strategy.
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“USS Freedom will sail as an instrument of that strategy. Hers will be the march of the mind, with the spear and the shield, she will proclaim and insure the freedom of the seas and the freedom of the nation,” Roughead said.......!

REF: the following for the entire article

http://pentagonbrief.wordpress.com/2008/11/13/littoral-combat-ship-uss-freedom-commissioned-in-milwaukee/

A SHIP LIKE NO OTHER

For all you Ex Navy Rates I suspect you have never seen a vessel quite like this Hi-Tech. Stealth technology Anti-Terrorist Ship.

USS New York

It was built with 24 tons of scrap steel from the World Trade Center .

It is the fifth in a new class of warship - designed for missions that include 20 special operations against terrorists.

It will carry a crew of 360 sailors and 700 combat-ready Marines to be delivered ashore by helicopters and assault craft.

Steel from the World Trade Center was melted down in a foundry in Amite, LA to cast the ship's bow section. When it was poured into the molds on Sept 9, 2003, 'those big rough steelworkers treated it with total reverence,' recalled Navy Capt. Kevin Wensing, who was there.

'It was a spiritual moment for everybody there.' Junior Chavers, foundry operations manager, said that when the trade center steel first arrived, he touched it with his hand and the 'hair on my neck stood up.'

'It had a big meaning to it for all of us,' he said. 'They knocked us down. They can't keep us down. We're going to be back.' The ship's motto? 'Never Forget'

Dave Israel