The U.S. Navy commissioned its newest Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), the USS Cincinnati (LCS-20), during a 10 a.m. CDT ceremony Saturday, October 5, on west pier in Gulfport, Mississippi.

The principal speaker was Representative Brad Wenstrup of Ohio. Former Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker served as the ship’s sponsor. The ceremony was highlighted by a time-honored naval tradition when Mrs. Pritzker gives the first order to «man our ship and bring her to life!»

«USS Cincinnati and her crew will play an important role in the defense of our nation and maritime freedom», said Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer. «She stands as proof of what teamwork – from civilian to contractor to military – can accomplish. This fast, agile platform will deliver her motto, ‘Strength in Unity’ worldwide thanks to their efforts».

The USS Cincinnati (LCS-20) is the fifth U.S. Navy ship to honor Ohio’s third largest city. The first was a stern-wheel casemate gunboat that served during the Civil War and was sunk by Confederate fire on two separate occasions. Raised both times and returned to service, she was decommissioned following the war. The second Cincinnati was a cruiser commissioned in 1894. She served extensively in the Caribbean before, during, and after the Spanish-American War before being decommissioned in 1919. The third ship to bear the name was a light cruiser commissioned in 1924 that served around the world and earned a battle star for World War II service that included convoy escort and blockade duty. She was decommissioned in 1945 after the war ended. The fourth Cincinnati was a Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine commissioned in 1978. The boat served for 17 years before being decommissioned in 1995.

LCS is a modular, reconfigurable ship, designed to meet validated fleet requirements for surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare and mine countermeasures missions in the littoral region. An interchangeable mission package is embarked on each LCS and provides the primary mission systems in one of these warfare areas. Using an open architecture design, modular weapons, sensor systems and a variety of manned and unmanned vehicles to gain, sustain and exploit littoral maritime supremacy, LCS provides U.S. joint force access to critical areas in multiple theaters.

The LCS class consists of two variants, the Freedom variant and the Independence variant, designed and built by two industry teams. The Freedom-variant team is led by Lockheed Martin (for the odd-numbered hulls). The Independence-variant team is led by Austal USA (for LCS-6 and the subsequent even-numbered hulls).

The Independence Variant of the LCS Class

Independence-class

The Navy accepted delivery of the future USS Cincinnati (LCS-20) during a June 21 ceremony at Austal USA in Mobile, Alabama.

The future USS Cincinnati (LCS-20) is the 18th Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) delivered to the Navy and the 10th of the Independence variant to join the fleet. Delivery marks the official transfer of the ship from the shipbuilder, Austal USA, to the Navy. It is the final milestone prior to commissioning, which is planned for this fall in Gulfport, Mississippi.

«This is a great day for the Navy and our country with the delivery of the future USS Cincinnati», said Captain Mike Taylor, LCS program manager. «I look forward to celebrating the commissioning of this great ship alongside the crew later this year. This ship will play an essential role in in carrying out our nation’s maritime strategy».

Five additional Independence-variant ships are under construction at Austal USA: the future USS Kansas City (LCS-22) is expected to be delivered to the Navy this fall, and the future USS Oakland (LCS-24), USS Mobile (LCS-26), USS Savannah (LCS-28) and USS Canberra (LCS-30) are all in various stages of construction. Four more ships are awaiting the start of construction following LCS-30.

Five other naval vessels have honored the city of Cincinnati. The first, an ironclad river gunboat, was commissioned in 1862. Although sunk twice in battle, it was raised each time. Another ship – USS Queen City, named for Cincinnati, the Queen City of Ohio – was commissioned in April 1863 and was ultimately destroyed by Confederate forces. There was also a protected cruiser in service from 1894 to 1919 that enforced neutrality laws during the Cuban Revolution and served during the Spanish-American War. A light cruiser was commissioned in 1924 that patrolled the Atlantic during World War II, and a Los Angeles-class nuclear attack submarine (SSN-693) was in service from 1978 to 1996.

LCS is a fast, agile, mission-focused platform designed to operate in near-shore environments, while capable of open-ocean tasking and winning against 21st-century coastal threats such as submarines, mines and swarming small craft. They are capable of supporting forward presence, maritime security, sea control and deterrence.

The Independence Variant of the LCS Class

Independence-class

The future USS Cincinnati (LCS-20) successfully concluded acceptance trials in the Gulf of Mexico February 8, following a series of in-port and underway demonstrations for the Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey.

Acceptance trials are the last significant milestone before the ship is delivered to the U.S. Navy, which is planned for this summer. During trials, the U.S. Navy conducted comprehensive tests of the Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) to demonstrate the performance of the propulsion plant, ship-handling and auxiliary systems.

«I can’t say enough about the positive results achieved by the Navy and industry team during these acceptance trials of the future USS Cincinnati», said Captain Mike Taylor, LCS program manager. «She’s well into her journey to be delivered to the Navy this summer and will provide needed and cost-effective warfighting capability to the fleet and the nation».

Following delivery and commissioning, Cincinnati will join her nine sister ships already homeported in San Diego, USS Independence (LCS-2), USS Coronado (LCS-4), USS Jackson (LCS-6), USS Montgomery (LCS-8), USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS-10), USS Omaha (LCS-12), USS Manchester (LCS-14), the future USS Tulsa (LCS-16) and the future USS Charleston (LCS-18).

Four more Independence-variant ships are under construction at Austal USA in Mobile. Final assembly is well underway on the future USS Kansas City (LCS-22) and USS Oakland (LCS-24). Modules for the future USS Mobile (LCS-26) are under construction in the module manufacturing facility and construction on the future USS Savannah (LCS-28) commenced last summer. Additionally, Austal is preparing for construction of the future USS Canberra (LCS-30), USS Santa Barbara (LCS-32), USS Augusta (LCS-34), USS Kingsville (LCS-36) and USS Pierre (LCS-38).

LCS is a highly maneuverable, lethal and adaptable ship designed to support focused mine countermeasures, anti-submarine warfare and surface warfare missions. The Independence-variant LCS integrates new technology and capability to affordably support current and future mission capability, from deep water to the littorals.

LCS is now the second-largest surface ship class in production. In 2018, five LCSs were delivered to the Fleet and three will be delivered in 2019 – a pace not seen since the 1990s.

The Independence Variant of the LCS Class

Independence-class

The U.S. Navy christened its newest Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), the future USS Cincinnati (LCS-20), during a 10 a.m. CDT ceremony May 5 in Mobile, Alabama.

The principal speaker was Cincinnati Councilmember David Mann, also a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio. Former Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker served as the ship’s sponsor. In a time-honored Navy tradition, she christened the ship by breaking a bottle of sparkling wine across the bow.

«The future USS Cincinnati is a symbol of the strong connection between the people of Cincinnati and the Navy and Marine Corps team», said Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer. «The ship serves as a testament to our commitment to growing the Fleet and our partnership with industry and the American public».

The future USS Cincinnati (LCS-20) is the fifth U.S. Navy ship to honor Ohio’s third largest city. The first was a stern-wheel casemate gunboat that served during the Civil War and was sunk by Confederate fire on two separate occasions. Raised both times and returned to service, she was decommissioned following the war. The second Cincinnati was a cruiser commissioned in 1894. She served extensively in the Caribbean before, during, and after the Spanish-American War before being decommissioned in 1919. The third ship to bear the name was a light cruiser commissioned in 1924 that served around the world and earned a battle star for World War II service that included convoy escort and blockade duty. She was decommissioned in 1945 after the war ended. The fourth Cincinnati was a Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine commissioned in 1978. The boat served for 17 years before being decommissioned in 1995.

LCS is a modular, reconfigurable ship, designed to meet validated fleet requirements for surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, and mine countermeasures missions in the littoral region. An interchangeable mission package is embarked on each LCS and provides the primary mission systems in one of these warfare areas. Using an open architecture design, modular weapons, sensor systems and a variety of manned and unmanned vehicles to gain, sustain and exploit littoral maritime supremacy, LCS provides U.S. joint force access to critical areas in multiple theaters.

The LCS class consists of two variants, the Freedom variant and the Independence variant, designed and built by two industry teams. The Freedom variant team is led by Lockheed Martin (for the odd-numbered hulls). The Independence variant team is led by Austal USA (for LCS-6 and the subsequent even-numbered hulls).

The Independence Variant of the LCS Class

Independence-class