Austal USA delivers LCS 12
Written by Nick BlenkeySEPTEMBER 19, 2017 — Austal USA delivered its sixth littoral combat ship to the U.S. Navy on Friday, Sep. 15. The future USS Omaha (LCS 12) is the first of two littoral combat ships that the shipbuilder will deliver this year.
“Today marks a significant milestone in the life of the future USS Omaha, as transfer to the Navy occurs, and her in-service counter begins,” said the Navy’s LCS program manager Capt. Mike Taylor. “I look forward to celebrating the commissioning of this fine ship after she departs from Austal and embarks upon her post-delivery test and trials period.”
“We are excited to welcome the future USS Omaha into the LCS class,” said Capt. Jordy Harrison, commander, LCS Squadron One (COMLCSRON ONE). “LCS are in high demand around the globe, and after additional ship testing and crew training, Omaha will join the fleet, serving combatant commanders in a wide range of worldwide missions.”
“They’re here and ready! Our Independence-variant littoral combat ships are coming off the line with exceptional quality and under the congressional cost cap,” said Austal USA President Craig Perciavalle. “It’s important to us to safely and quickly get these highly capable game-changing ships to the Navy.”
The Omaha delivery follows the USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10) commissioning which took place in Galveston, earlier this summer.
With the USS Jackson (LCS 6) and USS Montgomery (LCS 8) having completed final contract trials and the USS Coronado (LCS 4) successfully completing its expeditionary maintenance stop while on its maiden deployment in the Western Pacific, the Independence-variant LCS program is mature and in full swing.
Six LCS remain under construction at Austal’s Alabama shipyard. Manchester (LCS 14) is making final preparations for acceptance trials and Tulsa (LCS 16) is preparing for builder’s sea trials. Charleston (LCS 18) launched last week, assembly is underway on Cincinnati (LCS 20) and modules for Kansas City (LCS 22) and Oakland (LCS 24) are under construction.
“This achievement would not have been possible without the hard work and commitment of Austal’s talented team of shipbuilders,” said Perciavalle. “The men and women of Austal are truly dedicated patriots and I’m looking forward to sharing many future successes with them and the thousands of suppliers across America who support this program.”
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