USS DETROIT

A few years ago, my son and I had the chance to participate in the commissioning ceremony for the newest ship in the United States' Navy fleet to bear the name Detroit.  At a riverfront event in front of the Renaissance Center, Navy officers initiated bringing the USS DETROIT into service before a crowd of dignitaries, sailors' families and well wishers. With a gun salute, the first raising of the Colors over the ship, and the playing of Anchors Away, it was time for the ship to sail off for missions that could take its crew to almost anywhere around the world.

Before the USS DETROIT set sail though, we had the chance to tour the ship and meet some of the crew. Classified as a Littoral Combat Ship, the vessel is meant to operate close to shore in what is called the "littoral zone." This means it can sail into water as shallow as 14 feet deep providing the Navy with a lot of flexibility on how the ship can be used. Fourteen feet may seem deep but when you think about the USS Detroit weighing 3,480 tons and having a core crew of 50 sailors that is some pretty shallow water for a warship to be passing through.

The USS DETROIT is also very fast (for a ship equipped with a 57 mm canon as well 21 surface-to-air missiles, and can carry up to 2 Seahawk helicopters) powered by 2 powerful Rolls-Royce gas turbines that allow it to zip across the water like a jet ski at 40+ knots per hour. The versatility and speed of the USS DETROIT allow the Navy to operate in waters where traditional warships have been too large to engage in throughout the world. So what has the USS DETROIT been up to since departing its namesake city?

The U.S. Navy Office of Community Outreach recently provided us with an update on the whereabouts and current activities of the USS DETROIT. Right now the ship is in the Caribbean stopping narcotic shipments from being smuggled into the United States. Working in tandem with an embarked Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment, the USS DETROIT detains go fast vessels (called GFVs) that are a primary way of transporting illegal drugs into the U.S.

Hooyah! The task force the USS DETROIT is a part of disrupted a combined 112 bales of suspected contraband worth over $79.6 million in one week alone just last month. The crew is doing us proud!

For more information about the USS DETROIT head over to www.public.navy.mil/surflant/lcs7/ and if we get more updates about the ship from the Navy we'll post them from time to time here at ageekdaddy.com. Fair winds and following seas USS DETROIT!