The U.S. Navy christened its tenth Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), the future USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS-10), during a midday ceremony June 13 at Austal USA shipyard in Mobile, Alabama. LCS 10 is named after former United States Representative Gabrielle Giffords.

«The christening of the future USS Gabrielle Giffords marks the beginning of what is certain to be a long life for this great ship», said Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus. «It is also a celebration of the skill and dedication of the men and women who have built LCS 10 and the courage of her namesake. This ship truly embodies the Navy motto of Semper Fortis – Always Courageous».

During the event, Second Lady of the United States Doctor Jill Biden, the ship’s sponsor, smashed a champagne bottle on the bow as other dignitaries, including Austal USA President Craig Perciavalle and former U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona and her husband Captain Mark Kelly, USN (Retired), were watching from the platform.

Though Gabby’s comments were brief, Giffords’ excitement shown through every word during Saturday’s christening ceremony. «Thank you to all the people who built this ship. She’s stealthy. She will defend freedom around the world. Go Navy», Giffords said.

The LCS class consists of the Freedom variant and Independence variant, each designed and built by different industry teams. The Freedom variant team is led by Lockheed Martin (for odd-numbered hulls, e.g., LCS-1). The Independence variant team is led by General Dynamics (LCS-2 and LCS-4) and Austal USA (for the subsequent even-numbered hulls). Purchased under the innovative block-buy acquisition strategy, there are 12 ships currently under construction.

While capable of open-ocean tasking, LCS is intended to operate in the littorals – shallow, coastal waters. As such, the ships can operate in water as shallow as 20 feet/6 meter deep and can travel at speeds in excess of 40 knots/46 mph/74 km/h. USS Freedom (LCS-1) and USS Fort Worth (LCS-3) recently demonstrated these critical capabilities as part of their operational deployments to U.S. 7th Fleet in the Asia-Pacific region.

 

The Independence Variant of the LCS Class

Principal dimensions

Construction:                         Hull and superstructure – aluminium alloy

Length overall:                       417 feet/127.1 m

Beam overall:                          103 feet/31.4 m

Hull draft (maximum):        14.8 feet/4.5 m

 

Payload and capacities

Complement:                          Core Crew – 40

Mission crew – 36

Berthing:                                   76 in a mix of single, double & quad berthing compartments

Maximum mission load:   210 tonnes

Mission packages:               ASW, SUW, MIW

 

Propulsion

Main engines:                        2 × GE LM2500

2 × MTU 20V 8000

Waterjets:                                4 × Wartsila steerable

Bow thruster:                         Retractable azimuthing

Performance

Speed:                                         40 knots/46 mph/74 km/h

Range:                                         3,500 NM/4,028 miles/6,482 km

Operational limitation:      Survival in Sea State 8

 

Mission/Logistics deck

Deck area:                                  >21,527.8 feet²/2,000 m²

Launch and recovery:          Twin boom extending crane

Loading:                                       Side ramp

Internal elevator to hanger

 

Flight deck and hanger

Flight deck dimensions:      2 × SH-60 or 1 × CH-53

Hanger:                               Aircraft stowage & maintenance for 2 × SH-60

 

Weapons and sensors

Standard:

1 × 57-mm gun

4 × 12.7-mm/.50 caliber guns

1 × Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) launcher

3 × weapons modules