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USS Billings

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USS Billings conducting trials on Lake Michigan on 6 December 2018
History
United States
NameBillings
NamesakeBillings
Awarded29 December 2010[1]
BuilderMarinette 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]
HomeportMayport
Identification
Motto
  • Big Sky Over Troubled Waters
  • Star Of The Big Ocean
StatusActive
BadgeUSS Billings Coat of Arms
General characteristics
Class and typeFreedom-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]

Design

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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

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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]

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Billings (LCS-15)". Naval Vessel Register. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  2. ^ a b "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. ^ a b "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. ^ a b c d "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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