Maritime security: Navy's littoral combat ship to share duties with Coast Guard.

• Author: Jean, Grace V.

On her maiden deployment, the Navy's first littoral combat ship is carrying a "tailored" surface warfare package that includes maritime security boats, boarding team equipment and berthing modules.

The USS Freedom deployed to the waters surrounding Latin America to conduct counter trafficking operations and other security activities while en route to its new homeport of San Diego, Calif.

The littoral combat ship is the Navy's newest class of surface combatants that was designed for operations near the shore. The fast, shallow-draft warships will carry one of three interchangeable mission packages that are geared for surface, mine and anti-sub-marine warfare.

USS Freedom's deployment is happening two years earlier than the fleet had originally planned. Navy officials decided to task her with a maritime security mission in response to 4th Fleet demands for help in curtailing narcotics trafficking in the eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea.

Because the three mission packages are still in various stages of development, program officials have outfitted Freedom with an ad hoc package that combines elements of the surface warfare mission package with maritime security prototype modules, said Capt. Mike Good, program manager for LCS mission modules at the Navy's littoral and mine warfare program executive office.

"We're calling it a tailored surface warfare package," he said.

The package includes the two 30mm guns from the surface warfare modules, an armed H-60S helicopter, two 11-meter rigid hull inflatable boats, two 12-per-son berthing modules and a collection of boarding team equipment ranging from flak jackets and small arms to grappling hooks. The Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment 407 will embark during the deployment.

USS Freedom can accommodate 75 people in permanent berthing--the 40 core crewmembers that operate the ship, the 20 sailors in the aviation detachment and the 15 sailors in the mission package.

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Because of the extra personnel coming on board for the maritime intercept operations mission, program managers are adding two habitability modules to the package.

Housed in 20-foot by 8-foot by 8-foot containers, the modules each contain 12 racks that are similar to the berthing found on DDG-51 destroyers. Those modules will be placed in the mission bay and crews will have access to the ship's facilities. Good added that his team is working on a separate container for future ships that will include heads...