LCS christened Independence (LCS 2)

Austal USA?s 127 metre trimaran Littoral Combat Ship, LCS 2 Independence, has been christened during an official ceremony held at its Mobile, Alabama shipyard.

The General Dynamics LCS Team – within which Austal is ship designer and builder – christened the state-of-the-art combat ship on 4 October on the waters of Mobile Bay.

Referring to Austal USA?s new modular manufacturing facility, which has begun construction, Senator Sessions commented; “With the new facility seven times the size of these two bays, thousands more will be employed providing an efficient rate of production because 25 percent of our Navy ships will be Littoral Combat Ships.”

The LCS 2 is the first ship built by Austal USA for the U.S. Navy and the Navy?s first trimaran Littoral Combat Ship. It is the first naval warship constructed in Mobile, Alabama since World War II.

The 127 metre Austal trimaran seaframe is the platform for the LCS?s mission and weapon systems. This seaframe provides superior seakeeping and aviation as a result of its long, slender central hull and smaller side hulls. The trimaran hull form provides a huge internal mission deck with a large payload carrying capacity and superior seakeeping capability.