Program Executive Office Unmanned and Small Combatants (PEO USC) Public Affairs –
MOBILE, Ala. – The U.S. Navy accepted delivery of the future USS Pierre (LCS 38) from Austal USA’s shipyard in Mobile, Alabama, July 11.
Pierre is the 19th and final ship marking the completion of the Independence-variant littoral combat ship (LCS) construction phase—a sustained acquisition effort involving Navy personnel, industry partners, and program management teams for over two decades.
Pierre successfully completed acceptance trials the week of June 9, achieving the highest measured quality score of any LCS in the past 15 years. This performance reflects the notable progress made over the course of the program and the expertise honed by the LCS shipbuilding and acquisition teams.
“The delivery of the final Independence-variant LCS marks the end of a chapter, but not the story,” said Capt. Matthew Lehmann, program manager of the LCS Program Office. “The LCS program, for all its complexities, has pushed the boundaries of naval design and operational concepts. The LCS represents a bold vision for a more agile and adaptable Navy. We are seeing the Fleet operating these ships with the advanced mission packages they were designed for and they are continuing to evolve those operational concepts as more unmanned technologies come online."
Following commissioning later this fall, the ship will be homeported in San Diego, California, —supporting forward presence, maritime security, sea control, and deterrence in key operational theaters.
“Pierre is more than just the last number – it represents the hard work of manufacturers, suppliers and builders from across the nation culminating in a warship that will serve as the Navy's most versatile workhorse for years to come,” said Melissa Kirkendall, acting program executive officer for Unmanned and Small Combatants (PEO USC). “The legacy of Pierre and her sister littoral combat ships is the vibrant shipbuilding industrial base that we now have in the mid-tier yards that are now constructing the Navy’s next-generation warships.”
LCS is a fast, agile, mission-focused warship designed to operate in near-shore environments to counter 21st-century threats. It is a class of small surface combatants armed with capabilities to defeat challenges in the world’s littorals. LCS can operate independently or in high-threat scenarios as part of a networked battle force that includes larger, multi-mission surface combatants such as cruisers and destroyers.
PEO USC designs, develops, builds, maintains, and modernizes the Navy's unmanned maritime systems; mine warfare systems; special warfare systems; expeditionary warfare systems; small boats/craft; and small surface combatants.
For more news from PEO USC, visit: https://www.navsea.navy.mil/Media/News/