The US Navy has decommissioned the troubled $437m USS Milwaukee, which helped seize 954kg of cocaine worth $30m

The US Navy has decided to retire another littoral combat ship after several years of service. This time the USS Milwaukee (LCS 5) was decommissioned.

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The decommissioning ceremony came after the US Navy announced plans to prematurely retire a dozen ships due to technical failures. USS Milwaukee (LCS 5) began suffering from propulsion problems as early as 20 days after commissioning.

The ship joined the fleet in 2015 and was the fifth ship named after Wisconsin's largest city. It was built by Lockheed Martin. The contract value was $437 million.After discovering engine problems, USS Milwaukee (LCS 5) went to Virginia for repairs.

The littoral combat ship is 115.3 metres long, 13 metres wide and has a draft of 4 metres. It is armed with BAE Systems Mk 110 57mm BAE Systems Mk 110 artillery, RIM-116 RAM missiles, Mark 50 torpedoes and Mk 44 Bushmaster II machine guns. There is space on board for an MQ-8 Fire Scout drone and two MH-60R/S Seahawk helicopters.

The US Navy said in a statement that Milwaukee (LCS 5) and crew have played an important role in the defence of America and freedom at sea. Specifically, during her second deployment, the ship helped seize 954kg of cocaine worth $30m from drug traffickers.

Source: US Navy