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Navsource Online: Littoral Warship Photo Archive
Ship's patch courtesy of
Don McGrogan,
BMCS, USN (Ret.)

St. Louis (LCS 19)


Flag Hoist / Radio Call Sign:
N - S - T - L
"Gateway To Freedom"
Specifications - LCS Littoral Combat Ship - Freedom Class (Variant 1, Flight 0, first generation):
Hull Type: Semi-planing Monohull
Displacement: 2135 tons (light), 2862 tons (full) Dead Weight: 727 tons
Length: 324 (wl), 378.9' (oa)
Beam: 43' (wl), 57' (extreme)
Draft: 13' (navigational), 14' (draft limit)
Propulsion: Two Rolls-Royce MT30 36MW gas turbines, FM Colt-Pielstick 16PA6B STC diesel engines driving four Rolls-Royce waterjets
Auxiliary Power: Four Isotta Fraschini Model V1708 ship service diesel generator sets
Speed: 45 kts
Armament: BAE Systems Land and Armaments Mk110 57mm naval gun system
Combat Management System: Lockheed Martin open architecture COMBATSS-21
Electronics: EADS TRS-3D C-band radar (air / surface surveillance, weapon assignment)
Decoy System: Soft-Kill Weapon System (SKWS) decoy launcher from Terma A/S of Denmark
Complement: 26
St. Louis (LCS 19) Building and Operational Data:
  • 29 December 2010: Contract Awarded to Lockheed Martin Corp.
  • 17 April 2015: Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced LCS 19 will be named USS St. Louis
  • 17 May 2017: Keel laid at Marinette Marine Shipyard, Marinette, Wis.; keel authenticated by sponsor Barbara Broadhurst Taylor, the wife of Andy Taylor, chairman of Enterprise Holdings, the largest privately held company in St. Louis
  • 15 December 2018: Launched and christened by sponsor Barbara Taylor
  • 17 December 2019: Completed builder's trials
  • 06 February 2020: In a ceremony held at Fincantieri Marinette Marine, the U.S. Navy accepted delivery of the ship from its builder, commissioning is scheduled for later this year at Pensacola, Fla.
  • 08 August 2020: Commissioned at the U.S. Naval Station, Mayport, Fla., Commander Kevin Hagan in command, assigned to LCS Squadron Two at Mayport
  • 15 June 2024: Departed Mayport to begin her "maiden deployment" to the U. S. Fourth Fleet, embarking the "Rangers" of HSM-50 Det. 4, and a U.S.C.G. Law Enforcement Detachment
  • 24 February 2025: Arrived back in Mayport completing her "maiden deployment" to the U. S. Fourth Fleet

    Note:
    1.) The contract option awarded to Lockheed Martin Corporation is managed by Lockheed Martin's Maritime Systems and Sensors division in Moorestown, N.J. The Lockheed Martin team includes: Marinette Marine shipyard, Bollinger Shipyards, Gibbs and Cox naval architects, Izar of Spain and Blohm & Voss naval shipbuilders.

    2.) The contract option awarded to General Dynamics is managed by Bath Iron Works at Bath ME. The major members of General Dynamics team are: Austal USA, based in Mobile AL; BAE Systems, Rockville MD; Maritime Applied Physics Corporation, Baltimore MD; CAE Marine Systems, Leesburg VA; Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems, Baltimore MD; General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products, Burlington VT; General Dynamics Electric Boat, Groton CT; General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, Washington DC; and General Dynamics Canada, Ottawa, Ontario.

    "St. Louis, The Ship"     -    "St. Louis, The People"
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		Size Image Description Contributed
    By And/Or Copyright
    Freedom
    1501001a    		 172k 27 May 2004: Washington, D.C. - The U.S. Navy announced today that Lockheed Martin Corporation - Maritime Systems & Sensors Division, Moorestown, N.J., will be one of two defense contracting teams awarded contract options for final system design with options for detail design and construction of up to two Flight 0 Littoral Combat Ships (LCS). The LCS is an entirely new breed of U.S. Navy warship. A fast, agile, and networked surface combatant, LCS's modular, focused-mission design will provide Combatant Commanders the required warfighting capabilities and operational flexibility to ensure maritime dominance and access for the joint force. LCS will operate with focused-mission packages that deploy manned and unmanned vehicles to execute missions including, Special Operations Forces (SOF) support, high-speed transit, Maritime Interdiction Operations (MIO), Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), and Anti-Terrorism/Force Protection (AT/FP).

    (Artist concept provided to the U.S. Navy courtesy of Lockheed Martin Corporation, Photo #040527-O-0000L-003, from the Navy News Stand)    		 Mike Smolinski
    Clifton, N.J.

    Archive Manager
    DE / FF / LCS Archive
    Navsource
    Freedom
    1501001b    		 365k undated: Marinette, Wis. - An aerial view of Fincantieri Marinette Marine, which was founded in 1942 along the south bank of the Menominee River in Marinette, Wisconsin. The river forms the border between Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Originally built to meet America's growing demand for naval construction, today FMM is one of the premier builders of vessels for the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard. From humble beginnings with a contract to build five wooden barges, FMM has grown into a world-class shipbuilder, having designed and built more than 1,500 vessels. In conjunction with the Lockheed Martin Corp., all of the planned Freedom Class LCS's will be built here, beginning in 2005 with USS Freedom (LCS 1).

    (Photo courtesy of Lockheed Martin, Fincantiere Marinette Marine)
    St. Louis
    1519031    		 391k 17 April 2015: St. Louis, Mo. - Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announces the Navy's newest Freedom-class littoral combat ship (LCS 19) will be named after the city of St. Louis during a ceremony on the steps of the Soldiers Memorial Military Museum in St. Louis, Mo.

    (U.S. Navy photo VIRIN #150417-N-AC887-002 by MCC Sam Shavers from the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service)
    St. Louis
    1519001    		 249k 17 May 2017: Marinette, Wis. - The U.S. Navy, together with shipbuilders at the Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyard, laid the keel for the future littoral combat ship USS St. Louis (LCS 19) during a keel laying ceremony in Marinette, Wisc. Barbara Broadhurst Taylor, the ship's sponsor, authenticated the keel by welding her initials onto a steel plate that will be placed in the hull of the ship.

    (U.S. Navy photo #170517-N-N0101-001 from the Defense Video & Imagery Distribution Center)    		 Lee Wahler
    Lcdr., USN (ret.)
    St. Louis  1.) 306k     St. Louis  2.) 358k     St. Louis  3.) 358k     St. Louis  4.) 263k
    St. Louis  5.) 301k     St. Louis  6.) 238k     St. Louis  7.) 209k     St. Louis  8.) 250k

    30 November 2018: Marinette, Wis. - The future littoral combat ship USS St. Louis is moved from the indoor production facility at
    Fincantiere Marinette Marine to the launchway in preparation for its upcoming christening and launch into the Menomenee River.

    (Photos courtesy of  LCS Team Freedom, Flickr)

    1.) 1519033       2.) 1519034       3.) 1519035       4.) 1519036
    5.) 1519037       6.) 1519037       7.) 1519039       8.) 1519040    		 Mike Smolinski
    Clifton, N.J.

    Archive Manager
    DE / FF / LCS Archive
    Navsource

    St. Louis  1.) 181k   St. Louis  2.) 377k   St. Louis  3.) 172k   St. Louis  4.) 165k   St. Louis  5.) 124k   St. Louis  6.) 544k

    14 December 2018: Marinette, Wis. - The future USS St. Louis holds a "Mast Box" ceremony.

    Mast-stepping is an ancient Greek and Roman practice of putting coins at the base of a mast of a ship under construction and has continued throughout history. It is believed that
    due to the dangers of early sea travel, the coins were placed under the mast so the crew would be able to cross into the afterlife if the ship were sunk. The Romans believed it was
    necessary for a person to take coins with them to pay Charon, who in Greek mythology is the ferryman of Hades, the god of the dead and the king of the Underworld, in order to
    cross the river Styx, a deity and a river that forms the boundary between Earth and the Underworld, to the afterlife. Another theory for this practice is that the insertion of coins in
    buildings and ships may have functioned as a form of sacrifice thanking the gods for a successful construction, or a request for divine protection in the future. A third theory is that
    corrosion-resistant coins of gold or silver provided a physical barrier minimizing the transmission of rot between the wooden mast and wooden mast step. Modern U.S. Naval mast
    stepping consists of having mementos from the ship and her sponsor placed in a small box, which is welded shut and then welded to the mast.

    (Photos courtesy of  LCS Team Freedom, Flickr)

    1.) 1519015     2.) 1519016     3.) 1519017     4.) 1519018     5.) 1519019     6.) 1519020
    Billings
    1515012    		 460k 15 December 2018: Marinette, Wis. - An early morning view of the Marinette Marine shipyard from the Menominee River as the future littoral combat ships USS Billings (LCS 15), left, and USS Indianapolis (LCS 17) are moored in front of USS St. Louis (LCS 19), before St. Louis' christening.

    (U.S. Navy photo #181215-N-N0101-113 courtesy of Lockheed Martin, from the Navy Newstand)
    St. Louis  1.) 323k       St. Louis  2.) 980k       St. Louis  3.) 371k

    15 December 2018: Marinette, Wis. - Three views, as the Navy prepares to christen the future littoral combat ship USS St. Louis (LCS 19) at Marinette
    Marine. In view one, USS Billings (LCS 15) is under construction and preparing for commissioning. Once commissioned, LCS-19 will be the seventh
    ship to bear the name St. Louis, while LCS-15 will be the first U.S Navy ship named after Billings, Montana.

    (U.S. Navy photos #181215-N-N0101-112, #181215-N-N0101-115, and #181215-N-N0101-114 courtesy of Marinette Marine, from the Navy News Stand)

    1.) 1519002       2.) 1519003       3.) 1519004
    St. Louis  1.) 215k       St. Louis  2.) 268k       St. Louis  3.) 326k       St. Louis  4.) 531k

    15 December 2018: Marinette, Wis. - Ship's sponsor Barbara Taylor christens the future littoral combat ship USS St. Louis (LCS 19) at Marinette Marine. The
    next three views show St. Louis entering the Menominee River for the first time. Once commissioned, LCS-19 will be the seventh ship to bear the name St. Louis.

    (U.S. Navy photos #181215-N-N0101-197, #181215-N-N0101-198, #181215-N-N0101-111, and #181215-N-N0101-110 courtesy of Marinette Marine, from the Navy News Stand)

    1.) 1519005       2.) 1519006       3.) 1519007       4.) 1519008
    St. Louis
    1519032    		 355k 23 July 2019: St. Louis, Mo. - Crew members assigned to the future Freedom-variant littoral combat ship USS St. Louis (LCS 19) and Barbara Taylor, the ship’s sponsor, take a group photo during a special ceremony unveiling the ship’s crest at Soldiers Memorial Military Museum in downtown St. Louis. St. Louis is the seventh ship to bear the name of the city.

    (U.S. Navy photo VIRIN #1190723-N-JH293-1132 by MC1 Chris Williamson from the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service)

    St. Louis  1.) 319k   St. Louis  2.) 371k   St. Louis  3.) 459k   St. Louis  4.) 274k   St. Louis  5.) 314k
    St. Louis  6.) 278k   St. Louis  7.) 434k   St. Louis  8.) 379k   St. Louis  9.) 283k   St. Louis  10.) 442k

    11 December 2019: Northern Lake Michigan - The future USS St. Louis is put through her paces during "Builder's Acceptance Trials". Some of
    these photos seem to be surreal, with the fog and smoke on the water. It appears the ship is getting quite a workout during her testing.

    (Photos courtesy of  LCS Team Freedom, Flickr)

    1.) 1519021     2.) 1519022     3.) 1519023     4.) 1519024     5.) 1519025 
      6.) 1519026     7.) 1519027     8.) 1519028     9.) 1519029    10.) 1519030 
    St. Louis  1.) 396k     St. Louis  2.) 398k     St. Louis  3.) 254k     St. Louis  4.) 280k     St. Louis  5.) 271k

    08 August 2020: Mayport, Fla. - Five views of the littoral combat ship USS St. Louis (LCS 19) at her commissioning in her new homeport. LCS-19
    will be the seventh ship to bear the name, and will be homeported at Naval Station Mayport as a unit of Littoral Combat Ship Squadron Two.

    1.) The crew of the littoral combat ship USS St. Louis (LCS 19) render honors during the ship’s commissioning ceremony at Naval Station Mayport.
    2.) Cmdr. Kevin Hagan, commanding officer of St. Louis (LCS 19), addresses his crew and the honorable party during the commissioning ceremony.
    3.) Andrew Taylor stands ready to pass the long glass, on behalf of Fireman Second Class Charles Probst, to set the first watch of USS St. Louis (LCS 19).
    4.) Ship’s sponsor, Barbara Broadhurst Taylor, places USS St. Louis (LCS 19) in commission by giving the order to bring the ship to life.
    5.) The newly-commissioned Freedom-variant littoral combat ship USS St. Louis (LCS 19) comes to life during it’s commissioning ceremony.


    (U.S. Navy photos VIRIN numbers 1.) 200808-N-DA434-0044, 2.) 200808-N-DA434-0237, 3.) 200808-N-DA434-0143, 4.) 200808-N-DA434-0174, and 5.) 200808-N-DA434-0201
    All photos by MC2 Alana Langden, and are from the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service)

    1.) 1519009     2.) 1519010     3.) 1519011     4.) 1519012     5.) 1519013 
    St. Louis
    1519041    		 268k 15 June 2024: Mayport, Fla. - The littoral combat ship USS St. Louis (LCS 19) departs on deployment from Naval Station Mayport, Fla. St. Louis will support counter-drug operations in the Caribbean, working for Joint Interagency Task Force South. The ship is also scheduled to conduct exchanges with partner nation maritime forces in the region, improving interoperability.

    (U.S. Navy photo VIRIN #240615-N-DB801-1081 by MC1 Steven Khor from the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service)
    St. Louis
    1519042    		 363k 05 September 2024: Valparaiso, Chile - An MH-60R, assigned to Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 50 "Valkyries" takes off from the flight deck of St. Louis during UNITAS LXV. UNITAS is the longest-running multinational maritime exercise in the world, focused on enhanced interoperability in maritime and amphibious operations in order to build on existing regional partnerships and to create new relationships that will promote peace, stability, and prosperity. U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet is the maritime component of U.S. Southern Command and the trusted maritime partner for Caribbean, Central and South America maritime forces leading to improved unity, security and stability.

    (U.S. Navy photo VIRIN #240905-N-RL456-1154 by MC1 Hunter S. Harwell from the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service)
    St. Louis
    1519043    		 913k 22 October 2024: Guantanamo Bay, Cuba - A view of the dock at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, showcasing the USS St. Louis, a U.S. Coast Guard cutter, and a U.S. Navy ferry. The ships are moored alongside the dock, representing the diverse maritime presence at NSGB, a hub for joint operations and international partnerships.

    (U.S. Navy photo VIRIN #241022-N-IX958-1009 by Jovi Prevot from the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service)
    St. Louis
    1519044    		 365k 31 January 2025: Guantanamo Bay, Cuba - The Freedom-variant littoral combat ship USS St. Louis sits moored at U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay (NSGB) with the ship’s crew supporting the expansion of the base’s Migrant Operations Center. At the direction of the President of the United States to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Defense, U.S. military service members are supporting removal operations led by DHS at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay.

    (U.S. Navy photo VIRIN #250131-N-SK336-1113 by MC2 Jennifer Newsome from the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service)
    St. Louis
    1519045    		 218k 24 February 2025: Mayport, Fla. - The Littoral Combat Ship USS St. Louis (LCS 19) makes her way back into the basin at Naval Station Mayport. LCS 19 deployed in June of 2024 operating primarily in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific Ocean.

    (U.S. Navy photo VIRIN #250224-N-OZ224-2843 by MC1 Brandon J. Vinson from the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service)
    St. Louis
    1519046    		 246k 24 February 2025: Mayport, Fla. - Sailors assigned to USS St. Louis (LCS 19) man the rails as the ship makes its way back into the basin at Naval Station Mayport.

    (U.S. Navy photo VIRIN #250224-N-OZ224-2852 by MC1 Brandon J. Vinson from the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service)
    St. Louis
    1519047    		 163k 24 February 2025: Mayport, Fla. - Sailors assigned to St. Louis wait to depart the ship after pulling back into the basin at Naval Station Mayport.

    (U.S. Navy photo VIRIN #250224-N-OZ224-2865 by MC1 Brandon J. Vinson from the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service)

    "St. Louis, The Ship"     -    "St. Louis, The People"
    St. Louis
    Memorabilia
    Ship's Emblem
    St. Louis
    Courtesy of
    Don McGrogan
    St. Louis History
    View the USS St. Louis (LCS 19) DANFS history entry located on the Naval History and Heritage Command web site.
    St. Louis's Commanding Officers
    Thanks to Wolfgang Hechler & Mike Smolinski

    Blue CrewGold Crew
    1.) 08 Aug. 2020 - 01 Jul. 2021Cmdr. Kevin Hagan (USNA '03) (Shaker Heights, Oh.)1.)08 Aug. 2020 - 2021Cmdr. Colin Joseph Kane (USNA ‘01) (Columbus, Oh.)
    2.) 01 Jul. 2021 - 23 Jan. 2023Cmdr. Eric D. Turner (enl., FCC, LDO, URL) (Baton Rouge, La.)2.) .. .... 2021 - 12 Aug. 2022Cmdr. Hiram Andreu (enl. ‘87, LDO ‘03, Line ‘09) (Puerto Rico)
    3.) 23 Jan. 2023 - 17 May 2024Cmdr. Jonathan C. Williams (NROTC '06) (Houston, Tex.)3.) 12 Aug. 2022 - Dec. 2024Cmdr. John Bear ('92) (Philadelphia, Pa.)
    4.) 17 May 2024 - 22 Aug. 2025Cmdr. Timothy J. Orth (USNA '07) (Farmville, Va.)Dec. 2024Gold Crew Disestablished
    5.) 22 Aug. 2025Cmdr. Lester Lee Shewmake III (OCS '07) (Leslie, Ga.)--
    Additional Resources
    View St. Louis' Official Web page
    USS St. Louis Facebook Page - Blue Crew
    USS St. Louis Facebook Page - Gold Crew
    USS St. Louis History on U.S. Carriers
    Tin Can Sailors
    The U.S. Navy Memorial
    The Destroyer Escort Historical Museum
    The Destroyer History Foundation
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    This page created on 04 September 2015,
    and is maintained by Mike Smolinski
    All pages copyright Navsource Naval History
    by Paul R. Yarnall, All Rights Reserved.
    Page Last Updated: 30 September 2025