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First littoral combat ship commissioned

MILWAUKEE — Cold weather didn’t deter thousands from turning out to Milwaukee’s Veteran’s Park for the commissioning of the littoral combat ship Freedom on Saturday.

Navy secretary Donald C. Winter formally commissioned the ship, telling the crowd “May God bless and guide this war ship and all who sail in her.”

As soon as Eric Gereau heard about the ship, the naval officer from Ontario, Wis. wanted to be a part of it.

“I’ve been trying to get my foot in this door in this program when I first heard about it in 2004,” Gereau told WTMJ-TV.

Some of Gereau’s family members attended the commissioning and were able to celebrate the day with him.

“It’s awesome. I’ve had a great time since I got here and Milwaukee has really rolled out the red carpet for us. They’ve been treating us really well,” Gereau said.

The new class of speedy, agile warships are designed to conduct water combat immediately off an enemy’s shore.

Navy officials say the Freedom, with its nimble navigation and quick-change weaponry, represents the future of aquatic warfare.

The inaugural ship went heavily over budget but industry experts aren’t especially concerned, saying brand-new technologies generally hit unexpected snags that can be avoided in subsequent builds.

The steel Freedom is about 25 yards longer than a football field and weighs about 3,100 tons, but it can maneuver in water as shallow as 20 feet deep, according to Navy specifications.

“I mean it, (there’s) no other ship like it. It’s not just of a new class but first in a new concept,” said Adm. Gary Roughead, Chief of Naval Operations.

The Navy wants to build 54 more ships like the Freedom, which leaves Monday morning.

“LCS is a cost-effective war ship, and I look forward to the day when we will have all 55 LCS in the fleet,” Sean Stackley, assistant secretary of the Navy, told WISN-TV.

The Freedom, built in Marinette, will be stationed in San Diego.