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

Beloit (LCS 29)

"Forward For Freedom"
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
Beloit (LCS 29) Building and Operational Data:
  • 18 September 2018: Contract Awarded to Lockheed Martin Corp.
  • 10 October 2018: Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer announced today that the next Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ship will be named USS Beloit (LCS 29)
  • 22 July 2020: Keel laid at Fincantieri Marinette Marine, Marinette, Wis., keel authenticated by sponsor, Maj. Gen. Marcia Anderson, USAR (ret.) (the first female African American officer to reach that rank)
  • 07 May 2022: Launched and christened by sponsor, Maj. Gen. Marcia Anderson; Tammy Baldwin, U. S. Senator from Wisconsin, gave the principal address

    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.

    "Beloit, The Ship"     -    "Beloit, The People"
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		Size Image Description Contributed
    By And/Or Copyright
    Freedom
    1501001a    		 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.

    Manager, Navsource
    DE / FF / LCS Archive
    Freedom
    1501001b    		 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)

    "Beloit, The Ship"     -    "Beloit, The People"
    Beloit Memorabilia
    Ship's Emblem
    Beloit
    Courtesy of
    Wolfgang Hechler
    There is no DANFS History currently available for Beloit (LCS 29) at Navsource
    Additional Resources
    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 21 September 2018,
    and is maintained by Mike Smolinski
    All pages copyright Navsource Naval History
    by Paul R. Yarnall, All Rights Reserved.
    Page Last Updated: 08 January 2023