Secretary of the Navy to Celebrate Naming of USS Sioux City

From Defense Media Activity - Navy

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus will host a ship naming ceremony in honor of the littoral combat ship (LCS) USS Sioux City, June 23, at 10 a.m. CDT at Sioux City City Hall in Sioux City, Iowa.

The future USS Sioux City (LCS 11), a Freedom variant of the LCS class, was named to honor the patriotic, hard-working citizens of Sioux City and the state of Iowa for their support of and contributions to the military. Sioux City was termed an All American City by the National Civic League because of the balance it struck between community and industry.

Littoral combat ships are fast, agile, focused-mission platforms designed for successful operations in near-shore and open-ocean environments. They are designed to defeat threats such as mines, quiet diesel submarines and fast surface craft.

Sioux City will be outfitted with reconfigurable payloads, called mission packages, which can be changed out quickly as combat needs demand. These mission packages are supported by special detachments that will deploy manned and unmanned vehicles and sensors in support of mine, undersea and surface warfare missions.

Marinette Marine in Marinette, Wis. will build Sioux City, which will be 378 feet in length, have a waterline beam of 57 feet, displace approximately 3,000 tons, and operate at speeds in excess of 40 knots.

Media may direct queries to the Navy Office of Information at 703-697-5342.

For more information about littoral combat ships, visit http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=4200&tid=1650&ct=4.

For more news from the Secretary of the Navy, visit http://www.navy.mil/SECNAV.