Navy takes delivery of LCS 20

Written by Nick Blenkey

Future USS Cincinatti

The U.S. Navy accepted delivery of the future USS Cincinnati (LCS 20) during a June 21 ceremony at the Austal USA shipyard in Mobile, Alabama.

The future USS Cincinnati is the 18th littoral combat ship (LCS) delivered to the Navy and the tenth of the Austal-built Independence variant to join the fleet. Delivery marks the official transfer of the ship from the shipbuilder to the Navy. It is the final milestone prior to commissioning, which is planned for this fall in Gulfport, Mississippi.

Signing marked the official transfer of the ship from the shipbuilder to the Navy

“This is a great day for the Navy and our country with the delivery of the future USS Cincinnati,” said Capt. Mike Taylor, LCS program manager. “I look forward to celebrating the commissioning of this great ship alongside the crew later this year. This ship will play an essential role in in carrying out our nation’s maritime strategy.”

“It’s so exciting to deliver another great warship to the U.S. Navy,” said Austal USA President Craig Perciavalle. “I’m so proud of our incredible team here at Austal USA, our industry and Navy partners for achieving this major milestone for the future USS Cincinnati.”

“The shipbuilding momentum here is second to none, led by the most talented shipbuilding professionals I’ve ever worked with,” Perciavalle continued. “This momentum and efficiency continues to result in incredible cost savings ship over ship, enabling us to provide highly capable but very cost-effective solutions to our Navy.”

Five additional Independence-variant ships are under construction at Austal USA: the future USS Kansas City (LCS 22) is expected to be delivered to the Navy this fall, and the future USS Oakland (LCS 24), Mobile (LCS 26), Savannah (LCS 28) and Canberra (LCS 30) are all in various stages of construction. Four more ships are awaiting the start of construction following LCS 30.