The future littoral combat ship USS Minneapolis-St. Paul successfully completed acceptance trials on Lake Michigan in August 2020. During trials, the ship’s systems and maneuverability were put to the test, a preview of the ship’s function and capability before delivery to the U.S. Navy. USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul (LCS-21) is a Freedom-class littoral combat ship of the United States Navy. She is the second ship in naval service named after Minnesota’s Twin Cities. On 29 December 2010, Marinette Marine was awarded the contract to build the ship in Marinette, Wisconsin.
Several more Freedom-variant ships are under different construction phases at Fincantieri Marinette Marine Corp. in Marinette. The acceptance trial is the last significant milestone before delivery of the ship to the Navy, currently planned for October. Following delivery and commissioning in 2021, LCS 21 will be homeported in Mayport, Florida, with sister ships USS Milwaukee (LCS 5), USS Detroit (LCS 7), USS Little Rock (LCS 9), USS Sioux City (LCS 11), USS Wichita (LCS 13), USS Billings (LCS 15), USS Indianapolis (LCS 17) and USS St. Louis (LCS 19).
The U.S. Navy has announced that its Freedom-class littoral combat ship (LCS), the future USS Minneapolis/Saint Paul (LCS 21), will be commissioned in Duluth. The selection of the commissioning location was revealed by US Navy Deputy Undersecretary Jodi Greene during her visit to the port city for Duluth Navy Week. LCS 21 is sponsored by Greene and was christened last month during a ceremony in Marinette, Wisconsin. The future USS Minneapolis/Saint Paul is the 11th Freedom-class ship and the second vessel to be named after Minnesota’s twin cities.
The Freedom class is one of two classes of the littoral combat ship program, built for the United States Navy. The Freedom class was proposed by a consortium formed by Lockheed Martin as “prime contractor” and by Fincantieri (project) through the subsidiary Marinette Marine (manufacturer) as a contender for a fleet of small, multipurpose warships to operate in the littoral zone. Two ships were approved, to compete with the Independence-class design offered by General Dynamics and Austal for a construction contract of up to 55 vessels.
