The U.S. Navy commissioned its newest Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), the future USS Mobile (LCS-26), at 10:00 a.m. CDT, Saturday, May 22 in Mobile, Alabama.

Due to public health and safety concerns related to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the commissioning ceremony is private with a limited audience.

Mr. James «Hondo» Geurts, performing the duties of under secretary of the U.S. Navy, and Vice Admiral John Mustin, Chief of Naval Reserve, provided remarks. Mrs. Rebecca Byrne, the President and Chief Executive Officer of The Community Foundation of South Alabama and wife of former U.S. Representative from Alabama Bradley Byrne, was the ship’s sponsor. The ceremony observed a time-honored Navy tradition when Mrs. Byrne gave the order to «man our ship and bring her to life»!

U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama delivered the commissioning ceremony’s principal address.

Commander Christopher W. Wolff, a third-generation naval officer, is the ship’s commanding officer and leads a crew of 70 officers and enlisted Sailors.

«It has been an amazing experience to get to know our namesake city so well, while having the opportunity to live, work, and commission the ship right here in Mobile, where she was built», said Wolff. «We have definitely felt welcomed into the community, and have created a strong connection to the area that I am confident will last. Mobile bills itself as a city that is born to celebrate and the crew has really adopted that philosophy as we celebrate our shipmates every day».

The ship is 421 feet/128.3 m in length, has a beam of 103 feet/31.4 m, and a navigational draft of 14.8 feet/4.5 m. It is powered by two gas turbine engines, two main propulsion diesel engines, and four waterjets to speeds up to 40-plus knots/46-plus mph/74-plus km/h.

Built by Austal USA in Mobile, Alabama, Mobile was christened December 7, 2019 and delivered to the U.S. Navy on December 9, 2020.

Mobile, the fifth ship to bear the name, 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. LCS are capable of supporting forward presence, maritime security, sea control, and deterrence.

USS Mobile (LCS-26) will homeport at Naval Base San Diego, California.

The Independence Variant of the LCS

Independence-class

The future USS Mobile (LCS-26) successfully concluded its acceptance trial in the Gulf of Mexico September 25 after a series of in-port and underway demonstrations.

The Navy conducted comprehensive tests of the Independence-variant littoral combat ship’s systems during the trial, spanning multiple functional areas including main propulsion, auxiliaries and electrical systems. USS Mobile (LCS-26) also performed a full-power demonstration, steering and quick reversal, anchor drop test and combat system detect-to-engage sequence. The acceptance trial is the last significant milestone before delivery of the ship to the U.S. Navy, currently planned for October.

«I am impressed with the outstanding results achieved by the U.S. Navy and industry team during this acceptance trial of the future USS Mobile. We continue to see impressive results during trials as we work to provide warfighting capability to the fleet and the nation», said Captain Mike Taylor, Littoral Combat Ship program manager.

Following delivery and commissioning, Mobile will sail to its homeport in San Diego with sister ships 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), USS Tulsa (LCS-16), USS Charleston (LCS-18), USS Cincinnati (LCS-20), USS Kansas City (LCS-22), and USS Oakland (LCS-24).

Four additional Independence-variant ships are under construction at Austal USA in Mobile. Final assembly is well under way on USS Savannah (LCS-28). The modules for USS Canberra (LCS-30) are erected. Additionally, Austal is fabricating modules for USS Santa Barbara (LCS-32) and fabrication has started on USS Augusta (LCS-34). USS Kingsville (LCS-36) and USS Pierre (LCS-38) will begin fabrication in 2021.

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

LCS is now the second-largest surface ship class in production, behind the Navy’s DDG-51 Arleigh Burke-class destroyer program. In 2019, three LCSs were delivered to the fleet and four will be delivered in 2020 – a shipbuilding pace not seen since the 1990s.

The Independence Variant of the LCS

Independence-class

The U.S. Navy christened its newest Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), the future USS Mobile (LCS-26), during a 10 a.m. CDT ceremony Saturday, December 7, in Mobile, Alabama.

U.S. Representative Bradley Byrne, representing Alabama’s first district, delivered the christening ceremony’s principal address. His wife, Rebecca Byrne, president and CEO of the Community Foundation of South Alabama, served as the ship’s sponsor. In a time-honored Navy tradition, Rebecca Byrne christened the ship by breaking a bottle of sparkling wine across the bow.

«USS Mobile is a marvel of engineering», said Acting Secretary of the U.S. Navy Thomas Modly. «She will extend our capabilities for any mission, from the middle of the ocean to the shallowest of waters, enhancing our ability to project power ashore and at sea. This Independence-class LCS will extend the maneuverability and lethality of our fleet to confront the many challenges of a complex world».

LCS is a highly maneuverable, lethal and adaptable ship designed to support focused mine countermeasures, anti-submarine warfare and surface warfare missions. The ship integrates new technology and capability to affordably support current and future mission capability from deep water to the littorals. 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 in Marinette, Wisconsin (for the odd-numbered hulls). The Independence variant team is led by Austal USA in Mobile, Alabama (for LCS-6 and the subsequent even-numbered hulls).

USS Mobile (LCS-26) is the 13th Independence-variant LCS and the 26th in the class. It is the fifth ship named in honor of the port city on Alabama’s Gulf Coast.

The Independence Variant of the LCS Class

Independence-class

The U.S. Navy held a keel laying and authentication ceremony for the future USS Mobile (LCS-26) at Austal USA’s shipyard on December 14.

The ship’s sponsor, Rebecca Byrne, wife of Representative Bradley Byrne, Republican-Alabama, authenticated the keel for the 13th Independence variant of the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) during the ceremony. While keel laying traditionally represents the formal start of a ship’s construction, fabrication of the ship begins months in advance. Today, keel laying continues to symbolically recognize the joining of the ship’s components and the ceremonial beginning of the ship.

The LCS seaframe program manager’s representative, Commander Chris Addington, commended the Austal USA shipbuilders at the event.

«With the learning and improvements that the Austal team has forged into this hull, this 13th ship of the Independence variant will certainly be the best yet», he said. «Thanks to all of you for the effort that will be put into completing this great ship that will exemplify its namesake city».

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.

There are currently four other Independence variant LCSs undergoing construction at Austal USA, with three additional ships in pre-production planning.

The Independence Variant of the LCS Class

Independence-class