The Navy’s penultimate aluminum Littoral Combat Ship was accepted into the service late last week, Naval Sea Systems announced.
The future USS Kingsville (LCS-36) was accepted by the service from shipbuilder Austal USA in Mobile, Ala., following the completion of the Independence-class acceptance trials in the Gulf of Mexico last month.
“Kingsville successfully completed Acceptance Trials on February 1, marking the last significant milestone before a ship is delivered to the Navy. She will be commissioned later this summer, and will be homeported in San Diego, Calif.,” reads a February statement from NAVSEA.
The LCS is named for Kingsville, Texas, home to Naval Air Station Kingsville, one of the Navy’s two jet training centers.
Austal USA has one last aluminum Independence-class in the Alabama yard. The future USS Pierre (LCS-38) is expected to deliver to the Navy next year.
The Independence-class ships will eventually be the Navy’s primary mine-counter measure platform spread across the Pacific and in the Middle East.
Austal USA has been transitioning from aluminum construction to steel over the last two years. The yard is still manufacturing aluminum Spearhead-class high-speed transports (T-EPF-1) and the Bethesda (T-EMS-1) medical ship. Last month, the shipyard announced last month is intended to make a $250 million expansion to its steel yard in Mobile.
The Alabama yard is building the Navajo-class towing, salvage and rescue ship (T-ATS), the first ship on the steel line that Austal converted from its original aluminum manufacturing facility. Trouble with the steel line resulted in a $40 million write-down for Austal USA’s Australian parent last year. Austal USA is also the second yard for the next-generation LCU-1700 landing craft.
