Marinette Marine Lays Keel For Second Mine Countermeasure Vessel

Marinette Marine Corporation (MMC) recently laid the keel of the MCM-4 Champion. The Champion is the second MCM class ship to be constructed by MMC under contract to the Naval Sea Systems Command.

The ceremony took place in MMC's MCM Ship Erection Building, a 339-foot-long by 207-footwide by 95-foot high-facility which enables MMC to more efficiently meet the Navy's long range needs for MCM construction by providing the capability to construct two or more ships per year.

The MCM vessel class is the first new mine-warfare ship developed by the U.S. Navy in nearly 30 years. Navy plans are to provide for the construction of a total of 14 MCM vessels.

The ship will be equipped with state-of-the-art systems for mine detection and neutralization, as well as conventional acoustic, magnetic and mechanical minesweeping systems. These systems will enable them to neutralize any type of mine threat encountered in the performance of their mission.

The vessel will be 224 feet long with a beam of 39 feet, have a draft of 10-1/2 feet and an approximate displacement of 1,100 tons.

Accommodations will be provided for a crew of 81 men. Stringent measures have been taken by the Navy to keep the vessel's magnetic and acoustical signatures as neutral as possible, and as a result the hull will be made of laminated wood sheathed in glass reinforced plastic for preservation and maintainability.

Equipment will be designed to keep operational noise levels to a minimum and are to be constructed of non-magnetic material wherever possible.

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