Marinette Marine turns over Navy warship

MARINETTE, Wis. — Marinette Marine plans to turn over the warship it built for the U.S. Navy on Wednesday.

The shipbuilder finished the 377-foot Fort Worth two months ahead of schedule. The ship is designed to patrol close to shore and can quickly switch from one combat mode to another. That allows it to transform from a mine or submarine hunter to a surface war vessel.

A conventional ship the size of the Fort Worth usually carries a crew of about 200. This ship requires only 44 crew members who are trained to do multiple jobs.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says the ship’s price tag is $360 million. Crew members will train about 60 days before they take the Fort Worth to its commissioning in Galveston, Texas.