The U.S. Navy’s 13th Littoral Combat Ship slide into the Menominee River Saturday as the ship’s sponsor, Kate Lehrer christened LCS 13.  The ships will eventually be called the USS Wichita.  Saturday’s ceremony took place at the Fincantieri  Marinette Marine shipyard.  LCS 13 will undergo additional outfitting and testing at Fincanieri Marinette Marine before the ship’s anticipated delivery in 2017. 

 The Lockheed Martin-led industry team is currently in full-rate production of the Freedom-variant, with six ships under construction at Fincantieri Marinette Marine and three more in long-lead material procurement. The ship’s design and open architecture allows the Navy to rapidly acquire and deploy a fleet of highly flexible and capable ships at a fraction of the cost of other platforms.

 LCS 13 will be the third U.S. Navy ship named USS Wichita.