New Lockheed warship is 4 percent overweight - sources

Published: 16 Oct 2008 17:44:41 PST

WASHINGTON, Oct 16 - A new shore-hugging warship built by Lockheed Martin Corp and delivered to the U.S. Navy last month weighs 4 percent more than it should, which could make it vulnerable to sinking if severely damaged, two sources familiar with the issue told Reuters on Thursday.

The Navy and Lockheed already have a plan to remove nearly all the additional weight from the ship over a period of about six months once the new ship, which is named Freedom, gets to Norfolk, Virginia, in December, said the sources, who asked not to be identified.

They said the weight-loss effort would not add to the cost of the first Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) and no sailors would be at risk during the ship's journey from the Great Lakes, where it was built, to Virginia.