Austal Limited (Austal) is pleased to announce the future USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS-10) has been delivered to the United States Navy (USN) during a ceremony held aboard the ship at Austal USA’s shipyard in Mobile, Alabama.
The future USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS-10) is the fifth Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) delivered to the USN since 2009 and the fourth naval vessel delivered to the USN by Austal USA in 2016; including 2 × Littoral Combat Ships (USS Montgomery LCS-8 and USS Gabrielle Giffords LCS-10) and 2 × Expeditionary Fast Transport (USNS Brunswick T-EPF-6 and USNS Carson City T-EPF-7).
Designed in Australia by the team bidding for the Commonwealth of Australia’s Offshore Patrol Vessel (SEA1180) program, the 417-foot/127-meter frigate-sized Littoral Combat Ships are constructed in Mobile, Alabama utilizing Austal’s Module Manufacturing Facility (MMF), which offers production-line efficiencies and industry leading productivity.
Announcing the delivery, Austal Chief Executive Officer David Singleton said: «Gabrielle Giffords joins Independence, Coronado, Jackson and Montgomery as the fifth Littoral Combat Ship Austal USA has delivered to the U.S. Navy. This vessel further demonstrates our capability to successfully deliver large, complex naval programs and reinforces our ability to transition an innovative, effective design not just across shipyards but continents».
«The Independence-variant LCS platform has gone from strength to strength, as the first LCS variant to be fitted with a Harpoon Anti-ship Missile System and the first U.S. Navy class of vessel to successfully pass shock testing since 2008», Singleton added.
Six additional Independence-variant LCS are under construction at Austal USA under an 11 ship contract worth approximately US$4 billion. The future USS Omaha (LCS-12) and USS Manchester (LCS-14) are preparing for sea-trials, USS Tulsa (LCS-16) and USS Charleston (LCS-18) are in Assembly and modules for USS Cincinnati (LCS-20) and USS Kansas City (LCS-22) are underway in the MMF. Austal delivered USS Jackson (LCS-6) in August 2015 and USS Montgomery (LCS-8) in June 2016.
LCS10 Completes Acceptance Trials with Dolphins in tow
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 Bay Volume | 118,403 feet3/11,000 m3 |
| Mission packages | Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) |
| Surface Warfare (SUW) | |
| Mine Warfare (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 | |
| Launch/Recover Watercraft | Sea State 4 |
| FLIGHT DECK AND HANGER | |
| Flight deck dimensions | 2 × SH-60 or 1 × CH-53 or multiple Unmanned Aerial Vehicles/Vertical Take-off and Land Tactical Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAVs/VTUAVs) |
| Hanger | Aircraft stowage & maintenance for 2 × SH-60 |
| Launch/Recover Aircraft | Sea State 5 |
| 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 | |
Independence-class
| Ship | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Homeport |
| USS Independence (LCS-2) | 01-19-2006 | 04-26-2008 | 01-16-2010 | San Diego, California |
| USS Coronado (LCS-4) | 12-17-2009 | 01-14-2012 | 04-05-2014 | San Diego, California |
| USS Jackson (LCS-6) | 08-01-2011 | 12-14-2013 | 12-05-2015 | San Diego, California |
| USS Montgomery (LCS-8) | 06-25-2013 | 08-06-2014 | 09-10-2016 | San Diego, California |
| USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS-10) | 04-16-2014 | 02-25-2015 | ||
| USS Omaha (LCS-12) | 02-18-2015 | 11-20-2015 | ||
| USS Manchester (LCS-14) | 06-29-2015 | 05-12-2016 | ||
| USS Tulsa (LCS-16) | 01-11-2016 | |||
| USS Charleston (LCS-18) | 06-28-2016 | |||
| USS Cincinnati (LCS-20) | ||||
| USS Kansas City (LCS-22) | ||||
| USS Oakland (LCS-24) | ||||
| USS Mobile (LCS-26) |