USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul (LCS-21)

For other ships with the same name, see USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul.

USS Minneapolis-St Paul, on trials in Lake Michigan.
History
United States
Name	Minneapolis-Saint Paul
Namesake	Minneapolis–Saint Paul
Awarded	29 December 2010[1]
Builder	Marinette Marine[1]
Laid down	22 February 2018[2]
Launched	15 June 2019[3]
Sponsored by	Jodi J. Greene
Christened	15 June 2019
Acquired	18 November 2021[4]
Commissioned	21 May 2022[5]
Identification	MMSI number: 368926299 Hull number: LCS-21
Motto	Aut viam invenium aut faciam (I Will Find a Way or Make One)
Status	Active
Badge
General characteristics
Class and type	Freedom-class littoral combat ship
Displacement	3,500 metric tons (3,900 short tons) (full load)[6]
Length	387 ft (118 m)
Beam	58 ft (18 m)
Draft	13 ft (4.0 m)
Propulsion	2 Rolls-Royce MT30 36 MW gas turbines, 2 Colt-Pielstick diesel engines, 4 Rolls-Royce waterjets
Speed	45 knots (83 km/h; 52 mph) (sea state 3)
Range	3,500 nmi (6,500 km; 4,000 mi) at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)[7]
Endurance	21 days (504 hours)
Boats & landing craft carried	11 m RHIB, 40 ft (12 m) high-speed boats
Complement	35-50 core crew, 75 mission crew (Rotating crews)
Armament	BAE Systems Mk 110 57 mm gun RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missiles Mark 50 torpedo
Aircraft carried	2 MH-60R/S Seahawks MQ-8 Fire Scout
Notes	Electrical 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.[1][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 propulsion system was fixed in November 2021.[14] The Navy commissioned the ship on 21 May 2022 in Duluth, Minnesota under the command of Commander Alfonza White.[5][15]

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.[16]

References

1. "Minneapolis-Saint Paul (LCS-21)". Naval Vessel Register. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
2. "Team Freedom Lays Keel on Nation's 21st Littoral Combat Ship" (Press release). Lockheed Martin. 22 February 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
3. "Littoral Combat Ship 21 (Minneapolis-Saint Paul) Christened And Launched" (Press release). Lockheed Martin. 15 June 2019. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
4. "Navy Accepts Delivery of Future USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul (LCS 21)" (Press release). United States Navy. 18 November 2021. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
5. "USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul (LCS 21) Commissions" (Press release). United States Navy. 21 May 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
6. "Littoral Combat Ship Class - LCS". America's Navy. US Navy. Archived from the original on 19 April 2015. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
7. "LCS Littoral Combat Ship". Archived from the original on 8 August 2007. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
8. "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. "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. "CNO: First Combining Gear Fix Completed on Freedom-Class LCS Minneapolis-Saint Paul". USNI News. 2021-11-17.
15. "USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul Arrives In Duluth Ahead Of Commissioning". 2022-05-16. Retrieved 2022-05-16.
16. Network, MI News (12 September 2022). "Danish Training Ship, The Danmark, Crashed With The USS Minneapolis- St. Paul". Marine Insight. Retrieved 12 September 2022.

•  This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here.