POUGHKEEPSIE – The Hudson Valley was treated to a very rare sight on Friday as the USS Marinette, a Freedom-Class Littoral Combat Ship, was traveling up the Hudson River on its way to the Port of Albany for part of the national REV250 celebration. It was escorted by two Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office Marine Units; Enforcer I and Enforcer II.
The ship, with four engines capable of speeds reaching 47 knots, carries a crew of up to 80, two Seahawk helicopters, two smaller boarding vessels, and heavy artillery, including a bow-mounted gun that fires different types of rounds against different threats at 220 rounds per minute.
It is based at Naval Port Mayport in Jacksonville, Florida, and stopped at the Port of Baltimore before its voyage to Albany for the celebrations.
The fast, agile, and modular warship is designed for multi-mission surface warfare and mine countermeasures in shallow coastal environments. It was commissioned in 2023 and has yet to be deployed and is currently used to intercept suspected drug traffickers who are then turned over to the Coast Guard.
This is the first time a major active-duty Navy ship has visited the Port of Albany in more than 30 years, since the guided-missile frigate USS Capodanno docked there in July 1993.
The 378-foot-long ship has a displacement of 3,000 tons at full load, and has the motto “FREEDOM DONE WRIGHT”.
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