Tri-Service
Warship Makes A Splash In Dramatic Sideways Launch
The USS Wichita has been formally christened by getting plunged into the Menominee River… sideways.
The ship was seen tipping frantically into the water last weekend - a method used when the requirement for a ship to be launched "nose first" is not met.
To the untrained eye, the ship's sensational launch may look a little haphazard, but in reality this is standard practice for vessels of this size.
In order to send a ship like the USS Wichita head on into the water, the channel has to be half as deep as the ship is long - which is not the case in the Menominee.
Other methods include stern-first launching, which means that the ship is released into the water lengthways and backwards, and air-bag launching, which uses inflatable tubes underneath the hull or body of the ship as it is rolled into the water.
At a cost of $360 million per ship, it's not hard to imagine the relief that those at Lockheed Martin, who built the USS Wichita, would have felt on seeing the ship safely launched.
The Littoral Combat Ship will maintain dominance in near shore environments, a vital part of the US's ability to provide deterrence, sea control, and project the strength and power of the US Navy around the globe.
Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) are those designed for operations that take place close to shore, known in the U.S as the littoral zone.
The nation’s thirteenth LCS will undergo some more testing before it officially becomes a part of the U.S. Navy fleet, but once it has, this will be the third ship to be named after Wichita - Kansas’ largest city.
This style of ship is described by the U.S Department of Defense as:
“A networked, agile, stealthy surface combatant capable of defeating anti-access and asymmetric threats in the littorals."
The ceremonial “laying of the keel” took place on 9 February 2015, at Marinette, Wisconsin. This ceremony celebrates the construction of the beam which forms the 'spine' of the ship, known as the keel, hence "the laying of the keel".
As a warship, the Freedom-variant LCS is built to fight. The USS Wichita will be replacing three previous battleships, as its design is far tougher and more durable. The LCS design has already proven its value in its successful Southeast Asia deployment.
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