USS Billings

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USS Billings (46505553924) (cropped).jpg
USS Billings conducting trials on Lake Michigan on 6 December 2018
History
Flag of the United States.svgUnited States
NameBillings
Namesake Billings
Awarded29 December 2010 [1]
Builder Marinette Marine [1]
Laid down2 November 2015 [1]
Launched1 July 2017 [2]
Sponsored bySharla Tester
Christened1 July 2017
Acquired1 February 2019 [3]
Commissioned3 August 2019 [4]
Homeport Mayport
Identification
Motto
  • Big Sky Over Troubled Waters
  • Star Of The Big Ocean
StatusActive
Badge USS Billings LCS15 Crest.png
General characteristics
Class and type Freedom-class littoral combat ship
Displacement3,500 metric tons (3,900 short tons) full load [5]
Length378.3 ft (115.3 m)
Beam57.4 ft (17.5 m)
Draft13.0 ft (4.0 m)
Propulsion2 Rolls-Royce MT30 36 MW gas turbines, 2 Colt-Pielstick diesel engines, 4 Rolls-Royce waterjets
Speed45 knots (52 mph; 83 km/h) (sea state 3)
Range3,500 nmi (6,500 km) at 18 knots (21 mph; 33 km/h) [6]
Endurance21 days (336 hours)
Boats & landing
craft carried		11 m RHIB, 40 ft (12 m) high-speed boats
Complement15 to 50 core crew, 75 mission crew (Blue and Gold crews)
Armament
Aircraft carried
Aviation facilitiesFlight deck, hangar
NotesElectrical power is provided by 4 Isotta Fraschini V1708 diesel engines with Hitzinger generator units rated at 800 kW each.

USS Billings (LCS-15) is a Freedom-class littoral combat ship of the United States Navy. [1] She is the first ship in naval service named after Billings, Montana. [7]

Contents

Design

In 2002, the U.S. Navy initiated a program to develop the first of a fleet of littoral combat ships. [8] The Navy initially ordered two monohull ships from Lockheed Martin, which became known as the Freedom-class littoral combat ships after the first ship of the class, USS Freedom. [8] [9] Odd-numbered U.S. Navy littoral combat ships are built using the Freedom-class monohull design, while even-numbered ships are based on a competing design, the trimaran hull Independence-class littoral combat ship from General Dynamics. [8] The initial order of littoral combat ships involved a total of four ships, including two of the Freedom-class design. [8]   Billings is the eighth Freedom-class littoral combat ship to be built.

Billings includes additional stability improvements over the original Freedom design; the stern transom was lengthened and buoyancy tanks were added to the stern to increase weight service and enhance stability. [10] The ship will also feature automated sensors to allow "conditions-based maintenance" and reduce crew overwork and fatigue issues that Freedom had on her first deployment. [11]

Construction and career

Marinette Marine was awarded the contract to build the ship on 4 March 2013. [1] Construction began on 20 October 2014 and she was launched on 1 July 2017. [2] she is homeported to Naval Station Mayport, Florida and assigned to Littoral Combat Ship Squadron Two. In June 2019, Billings visited Cleveland, Ohio. [12] Billings sustained damage after hitting Rosaire Desgagnes , a bulk cargo ship in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The incident occurred on 24 June 2019. The vessel's starboard bridge wing was damaged as a result of the collision. [13] Billings was officially commissioned in Key West, Florida on 3 August 2019. [4]

On the 4 July 2021, a contingent of her crew visited their ship’s namesake city to celebrate Independence Day. [14] Later on the 10th of the same month, the ship together with the Dominican Republic Navy conducted a passing exercise (PASSEX). [15] 24 August, Billings and Burlington were dispatched to support and provide relief to Haiti after a 7.2-magnitute earthquake that struck Haiti on 14 August. [16]

Related Research Articles

USS <i>Freedom</i> (LCS-1) Freedom-class littoral combat ship of the US Navy

USS Freedom (LCS-1) is the lead ship of the Freedom-class littoral combat ship for the United States Navy. She is the third vessel to be so named after the concept of freedom. She is the design competitor produced by the Lockheed Martin consortium, in competition with the General Dynamics–designed USS Independence. She was officially accepted by the Supervisor of Shipbuilding Gulf Coast, on behalf of the US Navy, from the Lockheed Martin/Marinette Marine/Gibbs and Cox team, in Marinette, Wisconsin, on 18 September 2008.

<i>Freedom</i>-class littoral combat ship Class of American littoral combat ships

The Freedom class is one of two classes of the littoral combat ship program, built for the United States Navy.

USS <i>Fort Worth</i> Freedom-class littoral combat ship of the US Navy

USS Fort Worth (LCS-3) is a Freedom-class littoral combat ship of the United States Navy. She is the first ship to be named after Fort Worth, Texas, the 13th-largest city in the United States.

USS <i>Milwaukee</i> (LCS-5) Freedom-class littoral combat ship of the US Navy

USS Milwaukee (LCS-5) is a Freedom-class littoral combat ship of the United States Navy. She is the fifth ship to be named for the city of Milwaukee, the largest city in Wisconsin.

USS <i>Detroit</i> (LCS-7) Freedom-class littoral combat ship of the US Navy

USS Detroit (LCS-7) is the fourth Freedom-class littoral combat ship of the United States Navy. She is the sixth ship to be named after the city of Detroit, Michigan.

USS <i>Little Rock</i> (LCS-9) Freedom-class littoral combat ship of the US Navy

USS Little Rock (LCS-9) is a Freedom-class littoral combat ship (LCS) of the United States Navy. She is the second ship named after Little Rock, the capital city of Arkansas.

USS <i>Sioux City</i> Littoral combat ship of the United States Navy

USS Sioux City (LCS-11) is a Freedom-class littoral combat ship of the United States Navy. She is the first ship named after Sioux City, the fourth-largest city in Iowa.

USS <i>Wichita</i> (LCS-13) Littoral combat ship of the United States Navy

USS Wichita (LCS-13) is a Freedom-class littoral combat ship of the United States Navy, the third ship named after Wichita, the largest city in Kansas.

USS <i>St. Louis</i> (LCS-19) Freedom-class littoral combat ship of the United States Navy

USS St. Louis (LCS-19) is a Freedom-class littoral combat ship of the United States Navy. She is the seventh ship in naval service named after St. Louis, Missouri.

USS <i>Indianapolis</i> (LCS-17) Freedom-class littoral combat ship of the United States Navy

USS Indianapolis (LCS-17) is a Freedom-class littoral combat ship of the United States Navy. She is the fourth vessel in the navy named after Indianapolis, Indiana.

USS <i>Cooperstown</i> Freedom-class littoral combat ship of the United States Navy

USS Cooperstown (LCS-23) is a Freedom-class littoral combat ship of the United States Navy. She is the first naval ship named after Cooperstown, New York.

USS <i>Oakland</i> (LCS-24) Independence-class littoral combat ship of the United States Navy

USS Oakland (LCS-24) is an Independence-class littoral combat ship of the United States Navy. She is the third ship to be named for the City of Oakland, California.

USS <i>Minneapolis-Saint Paul</i> (LCS-21) Littoral combat ship of the United States Navy

USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul (LCS-21) is a Freedom-class littoral combat ship of the United States Navy. She is the second ship in naval service named after Minnesota's Twin Cities.

USS <i>Marinette</i> (LCS-25) Littoral combat ship of the United States Navy

USS Marinette (LCS-25) will be a Freedom-class littoral combat ship of the United States Navy. She will be the first commissioned ship, and second overall in naval service to be named after Marinette, Wisconsin, the other being Marinette (YTB-791), a Natick-class large fleet tugboat.

USS <i>Nantucket</i> (LCS-27) Freedom-class littoral combat ship of the United States Navy

USS Nantucket (LCS-27) will be a Freedom-class littoral combat ship of the United States Navy. She will be the third commissioned ship in naval service named after Nantucket.

USS <i>Savannah</i> (LCS-28) Littoral combat ship of the United States Navy

USS Savannah (LCS-28) is an Independence-class littoral combat ship of the United States Navy. She is the sixth ship to be named Savannah.

USS <i>Beloit</i> Littoral combat ship of the United States Navy

USS Beloit (LCS-29) is a Freedom-class littoral combat ship of the United States Navy. She will be the first commissioned ship in naval service named after Beloit, Wisconsin. This honors the contributions Beloit has made to the US Navy, especially the engines built in its Fairbanks Morse plant, including USS Beloit's own powerplant.

USS <i>Augusta</i> (LCS-34) Independence-class littoral combat ship of the United States Navy

USS Augusta (LCS-34) is a planned Independence-class littoral combat ship of the United States Navy. She will be the second ship to be named for Augusta, Maine.

USS <i>Kingsville</i> Independence-class littoral combat ship of the United States Navy

USS Kingsville (LCS-36) will be an Independence-class littoral combat ship of the United States Navy. She will be the first ship to be named for Kingsville, Texas, which is home to Naval Air Station Kingsville.

USS <i>Cleveland</i> (LCS-31) Littoral combat ship of the United States Navy

USS Cleveland (LCS-31) is a Freedom-class littoral combat ship of the United States Navy. She is the fourth commissioned ship in naval service named after Cleveland, the second-largest city in Ohio.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Billings (LCS-15)". Naval Vessel Register . Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Lockheed Martin-Led Team Launches Future USS Billings" (Press release). Lockheed Martin. 1 July 2017. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
  3. ↑ "Navy Accepts Delivery of Future USS Billings (LCS 15)" (Press release). United States Navy. 5 February 2019. NNS190205-01. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  4. 1 2 "The U.S. Navy Commissions USS Billings, Eighth Freedom-Variant Littoral Combat Ship" (Press release). United States Navy. 5 August 2019. NNS190805-11. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  5. ↑ "Littoral Combat Ship Class - LCS". America's Navy. US Navy. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  6. ↑ "Freedom Class LCS Littoral Combat Ship" . Retrieved 18 June 2015.
  7. ↑ "Navy to name combat ship USS Billings". Billings Gazette. 6 June 2013. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "US Navy Fact File: Littoral Combat Ship Class – LCS". US Navy. Archived from the original on 2 March 2015. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
  9. ↑ O'Rourke, Ronald (4 May 2010). "Navy Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Program: Background, Issues, and Options for Congress" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  10. ↑ Osborn, Kris (27 June 2014). "Navy Engineers LCS Changes". www.dodbuzz.com. Monster. Archived from the original on 29 April 2015. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  11. ↑ Freedberg Jr., Sydney J. (4 April 2014). "Sleepless In Singapore: LCS Is Undermanned & Overworked, Says GAO". breakingdefense.com. Breaking Media, Inc. Archived from the original on 10 July 2015. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  12. ↑ "Navy combat ship USS Billings stops in Cleveland". Fox 8 News. 10 June 2019.
  13. ↑ Joseph Trevithick (June 25, 2019). "Navy's Newest Littoral Combat Ship Damaged After Smacking Into A Moored Ship In Canada". The War Zone. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  14. ↑ "Crew of USS Billings to visit Billings over Independence Day holiday". KTVQ. 2021-07-01. Retrieved 2021-08-30.
  15. ↑ "U.S. and Dominican Republic Strengthen Bonds". DVIDS. Retrieved 2021-08-30.
  16. ↑ Staff, Seapower (2021-08-24). "USS Billings and USNS Burlington Support Haiti Relief". Seapower. Retrieved 2021-08-30.
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