The littoral combat ship USS Freedom (LCS 1) returns to its homeport of San Diego following completion of her maiden deployment. Fast, agile and mission-focused, littoral combat ships are designed to operate in near-shore environments and employ modular mission packages that can be configured for surface warfare, mine countermeasures, or anti-submarine warfare. U.S. Navy photo by Doug Sayers (Released) 131223-N-ZZ999-112