Midshipmen toured various spaces at Minneapolis-Saint Paul, including the airborne and waterborne mission areas, mess decks, pilot house and ship’s forecastle, while ship subject matter experts discussed the multitude of capabilities of the ship.
“I didn’t know much about littoral combat ships before I came aboard,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Ayush Padhi, a Naval Academy student. “However, after touring the ship, seeing all the advanced technology and learning the efficiency of the crew and the ship, I think it’s a really great ship.”
Prior to arriving at Minneapolis-Saint Paul, USNA midshipmen completed their in-depth summer training, where they learned about basic seamanship, basic damage control, navigation, and various duties and responsibilities of surface warfare officers.
“It was really fun to see all the training we did over the summer translate so well to the fleet,” said Midshipman 4th Class Charlotte Caywood, a Naval Academy freshman. “I didn’t come from a Navy family, so it was my first time seeing a real ship. I never considered the LCS program as an option, and while I still have a long way to go, it will definitely be in the my list of options when the time comes.”
While discussing the ship’s capabilities, crew members also discussed daily life on a littoral combat ship, touching on topics such as meal quality, crew morale and crew closeness.
