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Navsource Online: Littoral Warship Photo Archive
Ship's emblem courtesy of
Don McGrogan,
BMCS, USN (Ret.)

Minneapolis-Saint Paul (LCS 21)

"Aut Viam Inveniam Aut Faciam"
(I Will Find A Way Or Make One)
Specifications - LCS Littoral Combat Ship - Freedom Class (Variant 1, Flight 0, first generation):
Hull Type: Semi-planing Monohull
Displacement: 2135 tons (light), 2862 tons (full) Dead Weight: 727 tons
Length: 324 (wl), 378.9' (oa)
Beam: 43' (wl), 57' (extreme)
Draft: 13' (navigational), 14' (draft limit)
Propulsion: Two Rolls-Royce MT30 36MW gas turbines, FM Colt-Pielstick 16PA6B STC diesel engines driving four Rolls-Royce waterjets
Auxiliary Power: Four Isotta Fraschini Model V1708 ship service diesel generator sets
Speed: 45 kts
Armament: BAE Systems Land and Armaments Mk110 57mm naval gun system
Combat Management System: Lockheed Martin open architecture COMBATSS-21
Electronics: EADS TRS-3D C-band radar (air / surface surveillance, weapon assignment)
Decoy System: Soft-Kill Weapon System (SKWS) decoy launcher from Terma A/S of Denmark
Complement: 26
Minneapolis-Saint Paul (LCS 21) Building and Operational Data:
  • 29 December 2010: Contract Awarded to Lockheed Martin Corp.
  • 03 September 2015: Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced LCS 21 will be named USS Minneapolis / St. Paul
  • 22 February 2018: Keel laid at Marinette Marine Shipyard, Marinette, Wis.; keel authenticated by sponsor Jodi J. Greene, Deputy Undersecretary of the Navy for Policy and a native of Northfield, Minn.
  • 15 June 2019: Launched, christened by sponsor Jodi Greene, principal address given by U.S. Representative Betty McCollum (DFL-Minn.)
  • 21 August 2020: Completed builder's trials
  • 02 February 2021: Delivery being held up due to a design defect being discovered in the propulsion combining gear assembly designed and manufactured by Renk AG
  • 29 April 2021: Departed Marinette Marine for Escanaba, Mich., propulsion combining gear assembly is scheduled to be repaired at North Shore Marine Terminal and Logistics Shiipyard
  • 18 November 2021: In a ceremony held at Escanaba, Mich., the U.S. Navy accepted delivery of the ship from its builder, commissioning is scheduled for May 2022 at Duluth, Minn.
  • 21 May 2022: Commissioned at Duluth, Minn., Cmdr. Alfonza White in command, assigned to LCS Squadron Two at Mayport, Fla.
  • 11 July 2022: Arrived at her homeport, Mayport, Fla.
  • 11 September 2022: Struck by the Royal Danish Navy sail training ship Danmark while moored in Baltimore Inner Harbor on a port visit for Maryland Fleet Week & Flyover Baltimore, no injuries or serious damage

    Note:
    1.) The contract option awarded to Lockheed Martin Corporation is managed by Lockheed Martin's Maritime Systems and Sensors division in Moorestown, N.J. The Lockheed Martin team includes: Marinette Marine shipyard, Bollinger Shipyards, Gibbs and Cox naval architects, Izar of Spain and Blohm & Voss naval shipbuilders.

    2.) The contract option awarded to General Dynamics is managed by Bath Iron Works at Bath ME. The major members of General Dynamics team are: Austal USA, based in Mobile AL; BAE Systems, Rockville MD; Maritime Applied Physics Corporation, Baltimore MD; CAE Marine Systems, Leesburg VA; Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems, Baltimore MD; General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products, Burlington VT; General Dynamics Electric Boat, Groton CT; General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, Washington DC; and General Dynamics Canada, Ottawa, Ontario.

    "Minneapolis-Saint Paul, The Ship"     -    "Minneapolis-Saint Paul, The People"
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    For Full Size Image    		Size Image Description Contributed
    By And/Or Copyright
    Freedom 172k 27 May 2004: Washington, D.C. - The U.S. Navy announced today that Lockheed Martin Corporation - Maritime Systems & Sensors Division, Moorestown, N.J., will be one of two defense contracting teams awarded contract options for final system design with options for detail design and construction of up to two Flight 0 Littoral Combat Ships (LCS). The LCS is an entirely new breed of U.S. Navy warship. A fast, agile, and networked surface combatant, LCS's modular, focused-mission design will provide Combatant Commanders the required warfighting capabilities and operational flexibility to ensure maritime dominance and access for the joint force. LCS will operate with focused-mission packages that deploy manned and unmanned vehicles to execute missions including, Special Operations Forces (SOF) support, high-speed transit, Maritime Interdiction Operations (MIO), Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), and Anti-Terrorism/Force Protection (AT/FP).

    (Artist concept provided to the U.S. Navy courtesy of Lockheed Martin Corporation, Photo #040527-O-0000L-003, from the Navy News Stand)    		 Mike Smolinski
    Clifton, N.J.

    Archive Manager
    DE / FF / LCS Archive
    Navsource
    Freedom 365k undated: Marinette, Wis. - An aerial view of Fincantieri Marinette Marine, which was founded in 1942 along the south bank of the Menominee River in Marinette, Wisconsin. The river forms the border between Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Originally built to meet America's growing demand for naval construction, today FMM is one of the premier builders of vessels for the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard. From humble beginnings with a contract to build five wooden barges, FMM has grown into a world-class shipbuilder, having designed and built more than 1,500 vessels. In conjunction with the Lockheed Martin Corp., all of the planned Freedom Class LCS's will be built here, beginning in 2005 with USS Freedom (LCS 1).

    (Photo courtesy of Lockheed Martin, Fincantiere Marinette Marine)

    Minneapolis-Saint Paul 290k 17 July 2019: Duluth, Minn. - Duluth Mayor Emily Larson, left, and Deputy Undersecretary of the Navy Jodi Greene announce Duluth as the commissioning city of the future littoral combat ship USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul (LCS 21) during a joint press conference at City Hall during Duluth Navy Week, 17 July 2019. The Navy Office of Community Outreach uses the Navy Week program to bring Navy Sailors, equipment and displays to approximately 14 American cities each year for a week-long schedule of outreach engagements designed for Americans to experience firsthand how the U.S. Navy is the Navy the nation needs.

    (U.S. Navy photo #190717-N-AV754-1111 by MC2 Evan Thompson from the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service)
    Minneapolis-Saint Paul  332k       Minneapolis-Saint Paul  350k       Minneapolis-Saint Paul  259k       Minneapolis-Saint Paul  360k
    Minneapolis-Saint Paul  206k       Minneapolis-Saint Paul  307k       Minneapolis-Saint Paul  284k       Minneapolis-Saint Paul  2295k

    Thursday, 22 February 2018: Marinette, Wis. -
    The U.S. Navy, together with shipbuilders at the Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyard, laid the keel for the future littoral combat ship USS
    Minneapolis-Saint Paul (LCS 21) during a keel laying ceremony in Marinette, Wis. The ship's sponsor, Jodi Greene, authenticated the
    keel by having her initials welded onto a steel plate that will be placed in the hull of the ship.

    (Photos courtesy of  LCS Team Freedom, Flickr)

    Minneapolis-Saint Paul  305k     Minneapolis-Saint Paul  268k     Minneapolis-Saint Paul  299k     Minneapolis-Saint Paul  201k
    Minneapolis-Saint Paul  490k     Minneapolis-Saint Paul  291k     Minneapolis-Saint Paul  354k     Minneapolis-Saint Paul  391k     Minneapolis-Saint Paul  626k

    Friday, 31 May 2019: Marinette, Wis. -
    The future littoral combat ship USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul is moved from an indoor production facility at Fincantiere
    Marinette Marine to the launchway in preparation for its upcoming launch into the Menomenee River.

    (Photos courtesy of  LCS Team Freedom, Flickr)


    Minneapolis-Saint Paul   64k   Minneapolis-Saint Paul  229k   Minneapolis-Saint Paul  144k   Minneapolis-Saint Paul  244k   Minneapolis-Saint Paul  350k

    Friday, 14 June 2019: Marinette, Wis. -
    The future USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul holds a "Mast Box" ceremony.

    Mast-stepping is an ancient Greek and Roman practice of putting coins at the base of a mast of a ship under construction and has continued throughout history. It is believed that
    due to the dangers of early sea travel, the coins were placed under the mast so the crew would be able to cross into the afterlife if the ship were sunk. The Romans believed it was
    necessary for a person to take coins with them to pay Charon, who in Greek mythology is the ferryman of Hades, the god of the dead and the king of the Underworld, in order to
    cross the river Styx, a deity and a river that forms the boundary between Earth and the Underworld, to the afterlife. Another theory for this practice is that the insertion of coins in
    buildings and ships may have functioned as a form of sacrifice thanking the gods for a successful construction, or a request for divine protection in the future. A third theory is that
    corrosion-resistant coins of gold or silver provided a physical barrier minimizing the transmission of rot between the wooden mast and wooden mast step. Modern U.S. Naval mast
    stepping consists of having mementos from the ship and her sponsor placed in a small box, which is welded shut and then welded to the mast.

    (Photos courtesy of  LCS Team Freedom, Flickr)

    Minneapolis-Saint Paul  113k   Minneapolis-Saint Paul   91k   Minneapolis-Saint Paul  154k   Minneapolis-Saint Paul  317k   Minneapolis-Saint Paul  245k   Minneapolis-Saint Paul  447k
    Minneapolis-Saint Paul  222k   Minneapolis-Saint Paul  190k   Minneapolis-Saint Paul  199k   Minneapolis-Saint Paul  246k   Minneapolis-Saint Paul  384k   Minneapolis-Saint Paul  483k

    Friday, 14 June 2019: Menominee, Mich. -
    On the Friday evening before Saturday's christening and launch of the future littoral combat ship USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul, a dinner is held
    to honor the ship's sponsor. Here are some photos from the dinner honoring Jodi J. Greene, former Deputy Undersecretary of the Navy for Policy.

    (Photos courtesy of  LCS Team Freedom, Flickr)

    Minneapolis-Saint Paul  428k   Minneapolis-Saint Paul  127k   Minneapolis-Saint Paul  605k   Minneapolis-Saint Paul  278k   Minneapolis-Saint Paul  195k   Minneapolis-Saint Paul  513k
    Minneapolis-Saint Paul  185k   Minneapolis-Saint Paul  261k   Minneapolis-Saint Paul  223k   Minneapolis-Saint Paul  131k   Minneapolis-Saint Paul  372k   Minneapolis-Saint Paul  285k
    Minneapolis-Saint Paul  456k   Minneapolis-Saint Paul  350k   Minneapolis-Saint Paul  459k   Minneapolis-Saint Paul  235k   Minneapolis-Saint Paul  240k   Minneapolis-Saint Paul  250k

    Saturday, 15 June 2019: Marinette, Wis. -
    On a chilly Saturday, the future littoral combat ship USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul is christened by sponsor Jodi J. Greene, and immediately
    launched into the Menominee River. Minnesota congresswoman Betty McCollum (MN-04) gave the ceremony's principal address.

    (Photos courtesy of  LCS Team Freedom, Flickr)

    Minneapolis-Saint Paul  489k   Minneapolis-Saint Paul  434k   Minneapolis-Saint Paul  291k   Minneapolis-Saint Paul  260k   Minneapolis-Saint Paul  555k

    Wednesday, 19 August 2020: Lake Michigan -
    The future littoral combat ship USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul is put through her paces during builder's trials.

    (Photos courtesy of  LCS Team Freedom, Flickr)

    Minneapolis-Saint Paul  248k   Minneapolis-Saint Paul  582k   Minneapolis-Saint Paul  310k   Minneapolis-Saint Paul  318k   Minneapolis-Saint Paul  490k

    16 May 2022: Duluth, Minn. -
    The future littoral combat ship USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul arrives in Duluth, Minnesota. PCU LCS-21 is a United
    States Navy Freedom-class littoral combat ship that will be commissioned in the Port of Duluth on Saturday, 21 May 2022.

    (U.S. Navy photos #220516-Z-BQ052-1004, 220516-Z-BQ052-1016, 220516-Z-UL805-1003, 220516-Z-UL805-1011, and 220516-Z-BQ052-1001
    by Audra Flanagan, 148th Fighter Wing Public Affairs, USANG, from the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service)

    "Minneapolis-Saint Paul, The Ship"     -    "Minneapolis-Saint Paul, The People"
    There is no DANFS History currently available for Minneapolis-Saint Paul (LCS 21) at Navsource
    Minneapolis-Saint Paul's Commanding Officers

    Blue Crew
    Date of CommandCommanding Officers
    1.)  08 Aug. 2020 - 19 Sep. 2022Cmdr. Alfonza Octavius White (enl. '95 / OCS '04) (Morton, Miss.)
    2.)  19 Sep. 2022 - 12 May 2023Cmdr. Hiram Andreu (enl. '87 / LDO '03 / Line '09) (Puerto Rico)
    3.)  12 May 2023 - Cmdr. Justin M. Neff (enl. '96 / STA '09) (Fishkill, N. Y.)
    Additional Resources
    View Minneapolis-Saint Paul' Official Web page
    USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul History on U.S. Carriers
    Tin Can Sailors
    The U.S. Navy Memorial
    The Destroyer Escort Historical Museum
    The Destroyer History Foundation
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    This page created on 04 September 2015,
    and is maintained by Mike Smolinski
    All pages copyright Navsource Naval History
    by Paul R. Yarnall, All Rights Reserved.
    Page Last Updated: 09 September 2023