Story highlights The USS Little Rock is a 378-foot-long, 3,000-ton littoral combat ship with only a 13-foot draft

It is ideal for the missions the Navy faces in shallow waters around Pacific Rim

(CNN) The U.S. Navy's newest combat ship, the USS Little Rock, slid into the waters of Marinette Marine Shipyard in Wisconsin on Saturday morning.

In the launch ceremony, speakers said the 378-foot-long, 3,000-ton littoral combat ship with only a 13-foot draft is ideal for the missions the Navy faces in shallow waters around Pacific Rim, where the Navy is increasing presence as it keeps an eye on China, which is expanding its naval forces and its presence in the South China Sea.

Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said the launching of the Little Rock is emblematic of the Navy's commitment to have a fleet of 304 ships by the end of the decade, enough to maintain a strong presence in all the world's waters.

That presence means "being where it counts, when it counts," Mabus said Saturday. "That presence reassure allies, it deters potential foes."

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"LCS is a fast, agile, focused-mission platform designed for operation in near-shore (littoral) environments yet capable of open-ocean operation. It is designed to defeat asymmetric 'anti-access' threats such as mines, quiet diesel submarines and fast surface craft," a Navy fact file on the ships says.

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