Navy Names New Littoral Combat Ship

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NEWS RELEASES from the United States Department of Defense

No. 272-06 IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Apr 04, 2006 Media Contact: (703)697-5131
Public/Industry(703)428-0711

Navy Names New Littoral Combat Ship
Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter has named the Navy's newest Littoral
Combat Ship (LCS) Independence.

"Independence, along with USS Freedom, are going to be great 21st century
ships. Their speed and agility are widely recognized. I believe that their
modular approach yields tremendous flexibility for employing these ships and
for taking the fight right to the enemy's shoreline," Winter said.

The name Independence recognizes the cornerstone of our nation's foundation
that so many Americans have fought and died to ensure. Five previous ships
have also had that name. The first Independence was a 10-gun sloop that
served during the War of Independence. The second Independence, the first
ship of the line in the Navy, was launched in 1814 as a 74-gun ship, but later
refitted to a 54-gun frigate. The third Independence served with the Naval
Overseas Transportation Service (NOTS) following the end of World War I. The
fourth Independence (CVL-22), a small aircraft carrier commissioned in 1943,
earned eight battle stars during World War II. The fifth Independence
(CV-62) was an aircraft carrier commissioned in 1959 and decommissioned in
1998.



In developing capability to overcome access denial threats from
surface and subsurface threats in the littoral, the Navy sought improved mine
warfare capability, an effective counter to small, fast, highly-armed boats,
and a ship better suited against quiet diesel submarines. These capabilities
highlighted the need for a high-speed, shallow-draft vessel with endurance.
The littoral combat ships are designed to meet that need.



The littoral combat ships are the first Navy vessels to separate
capability from hull form and provide a robust, affordable, mission-focused
warship designed to provide assured access for our joint forces. Independence
will have the size, speed, endurance, and connectivity to deploy as a member
of carrier strike groups, expeditionary strike groups or surface strike groups.



Independence will carry some core capabilities, such as
self-defense and command and control; but its true war-fighting capability
will come from its innovative and tailored mission modules. Like its sister
ship, LCS 2 will be configured for one mission package at a time, consisting
of modules, manned aircraft, unmanned vehicles, off-board sensors, and
mission-manning detachments, all in an open-systems architecture.



In May 2004, the Department of Defense awarded both Lockheed
Martin and General Dynamics separate contract options for final-system design
with options for detail design and construction of up to two LCS ships. The
future USS Independence (LCS 2) is the General Dynamics' lead hull in that
ship design.



In October 2005, the Department of Navy awarded General Dynamics -
Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine, a contract for detail design and construction
of their first LCS. General Dynamics - Bath Iron Works teammates include
Austal USA of Mobile, Ala. and General Dynamics AIS of Pittsfield, Mass. A
keel laying ceremony was held Jan. 19, 2006, at Austal USA Shipyard in Mobile,
Ala.



For more information on the Littoral Combat Ship, visit
http://peoships.crane.navy.mil/lcs/ or call the Navy newsdesk at 703-697-5342.