Littoral Combat Ship USS Omaha Joins Navy Fleet

Notable names, including the daughter of businessman and philanthropist Warren Buffett and the magnate himself, will be in San Diego Saturday for the commissioning of the U.S. Navy’s newest littoral combat ship (LCS), USS Omaha.USS Omaha officially became the Navy fleet’s 11th LCS and the sixth Independent-variant when it was commissioned at a  ceremony on Broadway Pier Saturday afternoon. The LCS will be homeported at Naval Base San Diego. 2 Adults, 1 Child Suffer Smoke Inhalation After House Fire At the commissioning ceremony, philanthropist Susie Buffett, USS Omaha’s sponsor, gave the first order to “man our ship and bring her to life” in one of the Navy’s most time-honored traditions, U.S. Navy said. The ceremony also featured a principle address from former Nebraska senator and Medal of Honor recipient Joseph Robert “Bob” Kerry.Billionaire Warren Buffet, an Omaha native attended the ceremony Saturday where Susie Buffett said she was honored to serve as the sponsor for a Naval ship named after her hometown. Film Fest Highlights Police Shootings, Factory Conditions “On behalf of the people back home in Omaha, I can tell you how filled with joy and pride we all are with this ship and by your service,” Susie Buffett said. The ship is the fourth to be named after Nebraska’s largest city. Several of the state’s prominent leaders were expected to attend the commissioning ceremony. Popular Hispanic Supermarket Partially Reopens After Re-inspection The 2,300-ton vessel will be lead by Commander Michael Toth, an Ohio Native, and manned by a team of 70 Navy sailors, the U.S. Navy said.USS Omaha was built in Mobile, Alabama, where Susie Buffett formally christened the ship with a bottle of bubbly in 2015. The Naval ship cost about $440 million to build, CNBC reported.USS Omaha conducted trials last month in the Gulf of Mexico, CNBC reported. It made a fuel stop at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay before transiting through the Panama Canal and to its homeport of San Diego.As an LCS, USS Omaha is meant to be fast and agile and was designed to operate in near-shore environments, the U.S. Navy said. The ship, powered by two gas turbine engines, will conduct missions of maritime security, sea control and deterrence. The U.S. Navy said the ship has the ability to take on coastal threats such as submarines, mines and swarming small craft.Photo Credit: NBC 7/Ramon Galindo
Source: NBC San Diego