Navy takes delivery of LCS 9

Written by Nick Blenkey
image description

LCS 9

SEPTEMBER 26, 2017 — The U.S. Navy accepted delivery of the future USS Little Rock (LCS 9) from the Lockheed Martin led industry team at ceremony at the Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM) shipyard, in Marinette, WI, yesterday..

The LCS-class consists of the Freedom variant and Independence variant, designed and built by two industry teams. The Freedom variant team is led by Lockheed Martin (for the odd-numbered hulls, e.g. LCS 1). The Independence variant team is led by Austal USA (for LCS 6 and follow-on even-numbered hulls). Twenty-seven LCS ships have been awarded to date: 11 have been delivered to the Navy, 13 are in various stages of construction, and three are in pre-production states.

“We look forward to the day the future USS Little Rock joins the fleet. Her superb sea trials performance highlights the success of the production and performance improvements achieved as a result of serial production,” said Joe DePietro, Lockheed Martin vice president of small surface combatants and ship systems. “This milestone would not have been possible without the extraordinary contributions of all Freedom-variant LCS teammates.”

LCS 9 completed acceptance trials last month with the highest score of any Freedom-variant LCS to date, earning a “clean sweep.” During sea trials, the industry team also successfully demonstrated performance improvements, which will be incorporated into all future Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ships.

“Today marks a significant milestone in the life of the future USS Little Rock, an exceptional ship which will conduct operations around the globe,” said Capt. Mike Taylor, the Navy’s LCS program manager. “I look forward to seeing Little Rock join her sister ships this fall, with 100 percent of propulsion power available for unrestricted use.”

“Today’s important milestone for LCS 9 was made possible by the investment and improvements made to our serial production line, which allowed us to realize our vision for a full flex shipyard,” said Jan Allman, FMM president and CEO. “Fincantieri Marinette Marine’s shipbuilders are proud to deliver this proven warship, and we look forward to working with the U.S. Navy to continue building these highly capable ships for the fleet.”

LCS 9 on acceptance trials

Categories: Shipyard News Tags: , ,

Leave a Reply