2nd LCS Delivered To The U.S. Navy

The Independence (LCS 2)

From Defense News:

The U. S. Navy accepted its second Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Friday during a short ceremony at Mobile, Ala., according to the Naval Sea Systems Command.

The Independence (LCS 2) is the first ship built at Austal USA's shipyard to an aluminum, trimaran hull design by a team led by General Dynamics. The 418-foot-long, 2,784-ton ship ran acceptance trials in mid-November in the Gulf of Mexico, during which the Navy's Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) found the ships' propulsion plant, sea-keeping and self-defense performance to be "commendable." The ship reached speeds of 46 knots during the trials.

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My Comment: The key paragraph in this report is the following ....

General Dynamics is competing with a Lockheed Martin team to build as many as 51 more LCS ships. Each team is building a second ship, and the Navy is to make a winner-take-all decision next spring or summer as to which design will form the basis of the remaining ships.