Navy's new 'agile' warship trapped by ice

The commissioning of the USS Little Rock was held in Buffalo, N.Y., last month, on a day so cold people's breath billowed through the air as they spoke.

Partway through the ceremony, snow began falling - sideways - on the thousands of attendees. A Navy chaplain bowed his head in prayer to bless the Little Rock before it sailed to its home port, Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville, Fla.

But the ship's maiden voyage has gotten off to a rather inauspicious start. A week after it was commissioned, as it made its way up the Saint Lawrence Seaway, the USS Little Rock became trapped by ice near Montreal.

It has remained stuck there since Christmas Eve, the Toronto Star first reported, thanks to "unusually heavy ice conditions."

"The temperatures in Montreal and throughout the transit area have been colder than normal, and included near-record low temperatures, which created significant and historical conditions in the late December, early January time frame," Lt. Cmdr. Courtney Hillson said.

According to the Navy's website, the Little Rock is a 389-foot-long littoral combat ship - "a fast, agile, mission-focused platform designed to operate in near-shore environments.

Temporary heaters and 16 de-icers have been added to the USS Little Rock, and its crew members - some 70 officers and personnel - have been given new cold-weather clothing while staying on the ship for training and certification.