USS Desert Ship (LLS-1)

USS "Desert Ship" (LLS-1) is a Navy surface-to-air weapons testing facility at the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division-White Sands.cite web|url=http://www.astronautix.com/sites/whisands.htm|title=White Sands|accessdate=2008-06-26]

Origin

The beginning of construction of the Desert Ship coincided with the start of testing of the RIM-8 Talos missile. Although there was a mock christening upon completion of the building, the Desert Ship has never been commissioned and special permission from Congress was required to name the building USS "Desert Ship".cite web|url=http://www.wsmr-history.org/HandsAcrossHistory-08-07.pdf|format=PDF|title=The Navy Blasted Off At Launch Complex 35|work=Hands Across History|year=2007|month=08|pages=4-7|publisher=White Sands Historical Foundation, White Sands Pioneer Group|author=George Helfrich|accessdate=2008-06-26] The designation "LLS" stands for "Land Locked Ship".

History

"Desert Ship" was originally used to test the Talos missile. Subsequent uses have included the Standard Missilecite web|url=http://www.jhuapl.edu/aboutapl/heritage/firstforty/chapters/chapter4.pdf|format=PDF|title=The First Forty Years|pages=52|year=1983|publisher=The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory|accessdate=2008-06-26] , Aegis Weapons Systemcite web|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS121960+28-Jan-2008+PRN20080128|title=U.S. Navy Test Confirms Missile Firing Capability of Aegis Open Architecture|accessdate=2006-06-26|date=2008-01-28] , and in mid-2008, the Standard Missile 6cite web|url=http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?ContentBlockID=c0724045-bad4-4561-93a5-bc9f03f22c21|title=US Navy Conducts First Test Of Raytheon Standard Missile 6|publisher=Aero-News Network|date=2008-06-26|accessdate=2008-06-26] .

References