Unique journey for unique warship

[unhappycamper]

Unique journey for unique warship
By Christopher P. Cavas
Posted : Friday Nov 21, 2008 14:19:27 EST

ABOARD USS FREEDOM — The Navy’s first-of-a-kind Littoral Combat Ship faces a number of challenges as the service works to develop and perfect how this new type of warship fits in and operates with the fleet. But before all that can begin, the ship needed to make one major move: get to the fleet. And that was easier said than done.

“This is not easy stuff,” said Cmdr. Don Gabrielson, Blue Crew commanding officer of the Freedom.

The voyage for his ship to reach the Atlantic Ocean began Oct. 24 at its builder’s shipyard in Marinette, Wis., on Lake Michigan. In late October, the Freedom paid a courtesy call on Duluth, Minn., at the western end of Lake Superior. From there, the new vessel faced a journey of more than 2,300 miles to reach the sea.

The Freedom crossed Lakes Huron, Erie and Ontario and entered the St. Lawrence Seaway on Thursday.

A gantlet of 15 canal locks needed to be passed: eight in the Welland Canal between Lakes Erie and Ontario, and seven more in the Seaway between Lake Ontario and Montreal.


Rest of article at: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/11/defense_freedom_112108/%2e


uhc comment: The Freedom is also unique for being 200% ($600,000,000 v. the $200,000,000 estimate) over the budget estimates, and it also has the distinction of being one of the two of this class of boat ever built.