The following is a U.S. Navy video of the commissioning ceremony of the Independence-class Littoral Combat Ship USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS-10) in Galveston, Texas. Speakers include Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. William Moran. The ship sponsor is Jill Biden and the ceremony speaker is former First Lady and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Read More
Former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords waves to a crowd in front of the littoral combat ship, USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10), during the ship’s christening ceremony on June 13, 2015. US Navy photo.
The Navy accepted delivery of Independence-class littoral combat ship Gabrielle Giffords (LCS-10) from shipbuilder Mobile Ala. Austal USA during a Friday ceremony, the service announced. Read More
The future USS Detroit (LCS 7) conducts acceptance trials on July 14, 2016. Lockheed Martin Photo
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Members of the Senate Armed Services Committee today questioned the Navy’s ability to ensure a smooth transition from the Littoral Combat Ship to the frigate program, given that current plans would force the Navy to award something akin to a block buy contract for 12 ships even before the first frigate is built and tested. Read More
Aerial view of the future littoral combat ship USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10) during its launch sequence at the Austal USA shipyard on Feb. 24, 2015. US Navy Photo
The Navy’s 10th Littoral Combat Ship successfully completed its acceptance trials ahead of a planned commissioning next year. Read More
Sailors assigned to Surface Warfare Mission Package Detachment 2 prepare to be hoisted out of the water by the littoral combat ship USS Coronado’s (LCS 4) twin-boom-extensible crane following a visit, board, search and seizure training exercise. As the LCS transitions to the frigate, certain design features, like the crane and the back mission bay doors, will be eliminated to save weight for other add-ons like armor and missiles. US Navy photo.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Whereas a high sprint speed was a driving factor in designing the Littoral Combat Ship, the follow-on frigate will instead be optimized for lethality and survivability, the Navy’s frigate program manager said Thursday. Read More
USS Freedom (LCS-1), left, and USS Independence (LCS-2) in 2012. US Navy Photo
The Pentagon will cut the final number of the Navy’s Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) by 20 — from 52 to 32 — and shortly begin a study on a new frigate for the service, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel told reporters at a Fiscal Year 2015 Defense Department budget preview on Monday afternoon. Read More
Westpac Express High Speed Vessel pulls away from the pier at Naha Military Port, Okinawa. US Navy Photo
U.S. Military Sealift Command (MSC) is exercising a contract option on a high-speed aluminum catamaran used to transport U.S. Marines by six-months, MSC officials told USNI News on Monday.
WestPac Express, in use by MSC since 2001 years, has been retained until February of 2014 by MSC, according to a release by the Australian vessel owner, Austal. Read More
