The U.S. Navy accepted delivery of the future USS Cooperstown (LCS-23) at the Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyard in Marinette, Wisconsin September 20.

The ship is the 12th Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) designed and delivered by the Lockheed Martin-led industry team. Delivery marks the official transfer of the ship from the shipbuilder to the U.S. Navy. Following delivery, the ship will sail away for a commissioning ceremony in New York City before transiting to its homeport in Mayport, Florida.
«Today marks a significant shipbuilding milestone in the life of the future USS Cooperstown, ‘America’s Away Team,’ an exceptional ship and the latest inductee into the U.S. Navy’s arsenal conducting operations around the globe», said Captain Andy Gold, PMS-501 (Littoral Combat Ships) program manager.
USS Cooperstown (LCS-23) is the second Freedom-variant ship outfitted with the combining gear correction that will allow unrestricted operations. The correction addresses a class-wide flaw that was identified as the Fleet deployed these ships in greater numbers.
The future USS Cooperstown (LCS-23) will be the first naval ship to honor the Village of Cooperstown in Otsego County, New York. The village is located at the southern end of the historic Otsego Lake in the central region of the state. Cooperstown, New York, is the home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, which is the source of the ship’s motto, «America’s Away Team».
Several more Freedom variant ships are under construction at the Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyard in Marinette, Wisconsin. The future USS Marinette (LCS-25) is scheduled for delivery in early 2023. Additional ships in various stages of construction include the future ships USS Nantucket (LCS-27), USS Beloit (LCS-29) and USS Cleveland (LCS-31). LCS-31 will be the final Freedom-variant LCS.
The LCS class is now the second-largest surface ship class in production. The future USS Cooperstown (LCS-23) is the fourth LCS delivered in Fiscal Year 2022, following the deliveries of the Freedom-variant USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul (LCS-21), Independence-variant USS Canberra (LCS-30), and Independence-variant USS Santa Barbara (LCS-32).
The LCS is a fast, agile, mission-focused platform designed to operate in near-shore and open ocean environments, capable of winning against 21st-century coastal threats such as mines and swarming small craft. The ships are capable of supporting forward presence, maritime security, sea control and deterrence.
«I look forward to seeing Cooperstown step up to the plate with her sister ships in Mayport to bring her slugging capabilities to the Fleet», Gold said.
Ship Design Specifications
Hull | Advanced semiplaning steel monohull |
Length Overall | 389 feet/118.6 m |
Beam Overall | 57 feet/17.5 m |
Draft | 13.5 feet/4.1 m |
Full Load Displacement | Approximately 3,200 metric tons |
Top Speed | Greater than 40 knots/46 mph/74 km/h |
Range at top speed | 1,000 NM/1,151 miles/1,852 km |
Range at cruise speed | 4,000 NM/4,603 miles/7,408 km |
Watercraft Launch and Recovery | Up to Sea State 4 |
Aircraft Launch and Recovery | Up to Sea State 5 |
Propulsion | Combined diesel and gas turbine with steerable water jet propulsion |
Power | 85 MW/113,600 horsepower |
Hangar Space | Two MH-60 Romeo Helicopters |
One MH-60 Romeo Helicopter and three Vertical Take-off and Land Tactical Unmanned Air Vehicles (VTUAVs) | |
Core Crew | Less than 50 |
Accommodations for 75 sailors provide higher sailor quality of life than current fleet | |
Integrated Bridge System | Fully digital nautical charts are interfaced to ship sensors to support safe ship operation |
Core Self-Defense Suite | Includes 3D air search radar |
Electro-Optical/Infrared (EO/IR) gunfire control system | |
Rolling-Airframe Missile Launching System | |
57-mm Main Gun | |
Mine, Torpedo Detection | |
Decoy Launching System |
Freedom-class
Ship | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Homeport |
USS Freedom (LCS-1) | 06-02-2005 | 09-23-2006 | 11-08-2008 | San Diego, California |
USS Fort Worth (LCS-3) | 07-11-2009 | 12-07-2010 | 09-22-2012 | San Diego, California |
USS Milwaukee (LCS-5) | 10-27-2011 | 12-18-2013 | 11-21-2015 | San Diego, California |
USS Detroit (LCS-7) | 08-11-2012 | 10-18-2014 | 10-22-2016 | San Diego, California |
USS Little Rock (LCS-9) | 06-27-2013 | 07-18-2015 | 12-16-2017 | San Diego, California |
USS Sioux City (LCS-11) | 02-19-2014 | 01-30-2016 | 11-17-2018 | Mayport, Florida |
USS Wichita (LCS-13) | 02-09-2015 | 09-17-2016 | 01-12-2019 | Mayport, Florida |
USS Billings (LCS-15) | 11-02-2015 | 07-01-2017 | 08-03-2019 | Mayport, Florida |
USS Indianapolis (LCS-17) | 07-18-2016 | 04-18-2018 | 10-26-2019 | Mayport, Florida |
USS St. Louis (LCS-19) | 05-17-2017 | 12-15-2018 | 08-08-2020 | Mayport, Florida |
USS Minneapolis/St. Paul (LCS-21) | 02-22-2018 | 06-15-2019 | 05-21-2022 | Mayport, Florida |
USS Cooperstown (LCS-23) | 08-14-2018 | 01-19-2020 | Mayport, Florida | |
USS Marinette (LCS-25) | 03-27-2019 | 10-31-2020 | ||
USS Nantucket (LCS-27) | 10-09-2019 | 08-07-2021 | ||
USS Beloit (LCS-29) | 07-22-2020 | 05-07-2022 | ||
USS Cleveland (LCS-31) | 06-20-2021 |