Step aboard the USS Milwaukee: "Designed to get up there close in that knife fight"
MILWAUKEE -- You can't miss it if you've been by the lakefront. The Navy's newest littoral combat ship is at its namesake port. Tickets to tour the USS Milwaukee are already sold out, but FOX6's Deandra Corinthios got a sneak peek for you.
USS Milwaukee
A warship known for its speed, maneuverability and highly trained crew, the USS Milwaukee is a powerful vessel, able to handle all types of missions: mine warfare, anti-submarine warfare and surface warfare.
"This type of warship is designed to get up there close in that knife fight," said Kendall Bridgewater, USS Milwaukee commanding officer.
The ship has no propellers or rudders. Instead, the same engines in a Boeing 777 aircraft move this vessel.
"Those gas turbines provide us this tactical advantage to get on station quickly," said Bridgewater.
The control room is the heart of the ship.
"They're going to be gathering all this information from their different watch centers," said Bridgewater.
The control room involves sensors and weapons systems -- able to send the command to a 57mm gun on board, to fire, and even deploy unmanned helicopters. The navigation on-board is known for its high level of automation.
USS Milwaukee
The USS Milwaukee is 388 feet long and can reach speeds of 40 knots -- around 46 miles-per-hour. Each sailor has about a decade of experience in the Navy, and specialized training. They could spend months at a time on-board -- doing everything from drug interdiction operations, to recovering aircraft remains, and even fighting off pirates.
"They would be hard pressed to find a vessel that could come up against us," said Bridgewater.
The USS Milwaukee was built in Marinette -- at Marinette Marine. After leaving the Great Lakes, the ship will make its way to Florida for additional tests, and eventually, to its home port in San Diego.
The USS Milwaukee is the fifth ship to be commissioned under the name "Milwaukee." The last Milwaukee was decommissioned in 1994.