LCS 21 (Minneapolis-Saint Paul) Christening and Launch on June 15, 2019.
The Littoral Combat Ship Minneapolis-Saint Paul (LCS-21) delivered to the Navy after almost a year of waiting for a fix to the gearing mechanism that connects the ship’s gas turbines and diesel engines, Navy officials said today. Read More
Minneapolis-Saint Paul (LCS-21) during acceptance trials in Lake Michigan in 2020. Lockheed Martin Photo
The Navy has completed and tested the first fix for the complicated gearing system that has plagued the Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ships, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday told reporters on Wednesday. Read More
The former Freedom-variant littoral combat ship USS Freedom (LCS 1) departs Naval Base San Diego, Calif., on Sept. 30 in preparations to be towed to Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility Bremerton. Freedom was decommissioned after more than 10 years of service. US Navy Photo
The Navy decommissioned the first Littoral Combat Ship with more than a decade of naval service last week. Read More
LCS 21 (Minneapolis-Saint Paul) Christening and Launch on June 15, 2019.
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. – The Navy is putting Littoral Combat Ship Minneapolis-Saint Paul (LCS-21) back together after completing a repair to beef up the complicated gearing mechanism that links the ship’s gas turbines to its diesel engines, service officials told USNI News on Monday. Read More
USS Independence (LCS-2) is moored alongside the pier during its decommissioning ceremony at Naval Base San Diego, Calif., on July 29, 2021. US Navy Photo
The namesake of the Navy’s Independence-class of Littoral Combat Ships left the fleet after 11 years in a small pier-side ceremony in San Diego on Thursday, according to the service. Read More
The crew of USS Little Rock (LCS-9) man the rails during the ship’s commissioning ceremony Dec. 16, 2017 in Buffalo, N.Y. US Navy Photo
This story has been updated to include comments from the Navy’s budget briefing.
The Navy wants to cut four Littoral Combat Ships from the fleet as part of a cost-saving measure that will net the service $186 million, according to the service’s latest budget request. Read More
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Mark A. Milley testify before the House Appropriations Committee-Defense on the Fiscal 2022 Department of Defense Budget in the Pentagon Press Briefing Room, Washington, D.C., May 27, 2021. DoD Photo
While the Chinese are investing heavily in advanced technology, “they are not our peer or near-peer competitor just” militarily, but their goal is “to be our equal” across all domains in the coming decades, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said today. Read More
Littoral combat ship USS Freedom (LCS 1) returns to Naval Base San Diego from her final deployment, April 12, 2021. US Navy Photo
The Navy will decommission the service’s first two Littoral Combat Ships later this year, USNI News has learned. Read More
The Freedom-variant littoral combat ship USS Sioux City (LCS 11), transits the Caribbean Sea, April 10, 2021. Sioux City is deployed to the U.S. 4th Fleet area of operations to support Joint Interagency Task Force South’s mission, which includes counter-illicit drug trafficking missions in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific. US Navy Photo
Two lawmakers raised questions on the future of the Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship during a Wednesday hearing, as the service continues to wrestle with a crucial design flaw, how it will use the ships operationally and retirements of early hulls in the class. Read More
The Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Montgomery (LCS 8) returns to homeport at Naval Base San Diego following the successful completion of a 12-month rotational deployment. Montgomery operated in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations to enhance interoperability with partners and serve as a ready-response force. US Navy photo.
USS Montgomery (LCS-8) recently wrapped up its maiden deployment – and the ship class’s first since a restructure of the Littoral Combat Ship program – and the head of LCS operations said the ship leveraged lessons learned from earlier deployments to avoid readiness problems and make the most of its operational capabilities. Read More
