It's a high-tech military ship which looks like something out of a Hollywood movie, and it's named after Santa Barbara. The USS Santa Barbara will officially become the U.S. Navy’s newest combat ship at a ceremony at Naval Base Ventura County this weekend.
The Santa Barbara is part of a relatively new class of navy ships, which are called littoral combat ships, that are small, fast, and highly maneuverable.
"This is an Independence-class LCS...littoral combat ship. It is an unusual design," said Commander Brian Sparks, who's the ship's captain. It can be used for all kinds of missions, because it has a deck gun, plus missile, mine, and manned and unmanned aircraft capability.
He said the ship is one of the fastest in the Navy. It's capable of going 40 knots, which is about 45 miles an hour. Instead of using propellers, its engines power pumps which shoot out water like a hose. That allows the ship to move at high speeds, and turn more rapidly than a conventional vessel.
Commander Sparks takes us on a tour of the Santa Barbara. He says the ship is designed for flexibility. We walk into a large, hanger sized room in the ship.
"Where we're standing now is the Mission Bay," said Sparks. From this area, the ship can launch manned or unmanned surface or underwater craft.
It has a helicopter landing pad, and a hangar area capable of not only storing manned and unmanned helicopters, but also repairing them.
Commander Sparks takes us up to the ship’s bridge.
The Santa Barbara is equipped with cutting edge technology not found on older, and larger navy warships.
The Santa Barbara was designed to be lean when it comes to the size of its crew. The latest in technology helps. Its crew of 70 is much smaller than that of the crew of traditional Navy combat ships.
Naming the ship after Santa Barbara continues a more than century-old tradition. The Navy commissioned a freighter in 1918, named the USS Santa Barbara. It served more than 20 years, until it was sunk during World War II.
In 1970, the Navy commissioned an ammunition ship called the USS Santa Barbara. It served for 28 years, until it was retired, and eventually scrapped.
Commander Brian Sparks said he and his crew are thrilled to have a brand new ship bearing Santa Barbara’s name.
The City of Santa Barbara’s gift to the ship bearing its name is a bell, a replica of the Santa Barbara Mission Bell, which is used to signify time.
After the ship is officially commissioned Saturday, the crew will finish its final training. Its home port will be San Diego. When the USS Santa Barbara is fully operational, it will be deployed for patrols in the South Pacific, and the South China.
