US Navy Gives Special Tour of USS Milwaukee to CBS 58

CBS 58 was granted access to see the US Navy's newest vessel, the USS Milwaukee.

The ship was built in Marinette, and is named after the state's largest city.

The ship definitely has a commanding voice.

But, to see its beauty, you have to step back and look from a distance.

The ship will muscle through enemy territory, each day defending America's freedom with the Wisconsin construction and the Milwaukee name.

 "To be able to commission the ship in a state that the ship is built, to represent the city that it's going to be named after, and to be able to commission in that same city, is quite an honor,” said Commander Kendall Bridgewater.

Cmdr. Bridgewater is the ship's commanding officer and the tour guide on this rare look inside this 389 foot long Littoral Combat Ship.

This ship is a fast combat ship designed to operate in near shore and in open waters.

Each section of the ship has a function, but it's versatile so, for example, the area near the Waterborne Mission Zone could perform reverse osmosis and produce fresh water for an area wrecked by a tsunami.

The USS Milwaukee crew is made up of 54 members, but depending on the mission, they can add to that and those extra crew members.

"It's just for situational dependence, whatever the mission is," said Cmdr. Bridgewater.

Inside Mission Control, or the left side of the brain as it's called, a three member team includes Operations Specialist Billy Latham.

"Normally it takes about 12 people to do what we do with just three. So the three of us come up with a plan and inform the chain of command of what's going on," said Latham.

The USS Milwaukee will be offering public tours starting this Sunday.

The naval ship is the fifth ever to be named after the Milwaukee and will be commissioned for service later this month.