The side-launching of the Litoral Combat Ship (LCS) USS Cleveland last Saturday in the Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyard in Marinette, Wisconsin was at the very least dramatic. When the ship slid sideways into the water it narrowly missed striking a tug assisting in the launch. The wave created by the launching broke over the tug giving it a thorough dousing. From the video below, it does not appear that the two vessels actually collided.
The launching was also notable as the last side launch expected to be performed in the shipyard. According to the US Department of Defense (DOD), any future ships are “planned to be launched using a shiplift system.”
USS Cleveland is also the 16th and last of the problem-plagued Freedom Class LCS variant to be built.
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Did anyone give the tug skipper a peek at the Risk Analysis?
They are very lucky people.
She indeed struck the tug.
https://imgur.com/vumFq0Y