U.S. Navy Doubling LCS Fleet

The U.S. Navy will double its Littoral Combat fleet by February 2016. The USS Jackson, the first of  four newbuilds, was delivered August 11 at the Austal Shipyard in Mobile, Alabama.    

The Navy will also receive the USS Milwaukee (LCS 5) in October, the USS Montgomery (LCS 8) in December and the USS Detroit next February 2016.

The USS Jackson is the first LCS ship built by Austal and is part of a ten ship, $3.5 billion block-buy contract. The Jackson is the first of seven LCS ships under construction by Austal.

The Montgomery will soon undergo test trials before its December delivery and the Gabrielle Gifford (LCS 10) was recently christened. Omaha (LCS 12) is currently being prepared for a fall launch and the Manchester (LCS 14) is in assembly. The Tulsa (LCS 16) and Charleston (LCS 18) are currently under construction, and constructuion will begin on the Cincinatti (LCS) later this year.

In a statement, Austal President Craig Perciavalle said: “To deliver our first LCS as prime contractor is a major milestone for our company. I can’t express enough how proud I am to be part of this team of amazing men and women who made this accomplishment possible through their hard work and dedication. This truly is an extraordinary ship built by extraordinary people.”

The USS Jackson will undergo shock trials in Mayport, Florida and will be transported to San Diego, California once cleared. Its four sister vessels the USS Freedom (LCS 1), USS Independence (LCS 2), USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) and the USS Coronado (LCS 4) are based in San Diego.