MOBILE, Alabama - The future USS Omaha (LCS 12) launched
today, marking another important production milestone for the littoral combat
ship (LCS) program.
"That this precisely choreographed launch event has
become commonplace in Mobile is a sign of the maturity and stability of the LCS
serial production line," said Capt. Tom Anderson, LCS program manager.
"I look forward to the future USS Omaha completing the test and trial
process en route to delivery to the fleet."
Omaha was rolled out of her assembly bay at the Austal
USA Shipyard onto a barge for transfer down the Mobile River to a floating
drydock at BAE Shipyard on Nov. 19. The ship entered the water on Nov. 20 when
the drydock was flooded and the ship floated off the blocks. The ship will
return to Austal's final assembly pier to continue outfitting, system
activation and testing. She is scheduled to be christened on Dec. 19.
Omaha is the fourth ship in a block buy contract with
Austal to build Independence- variant ships. Montgomery (LCS 8) is preparing
for builders trials and Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10) was christened in June 2015
and is currently completing system testing in preparation for trials.
Manchester (LCS 14) is under construction preparing for an early 2016 launch.
Tulsa (LCS 16) will have her keel laid later this year.
The LCS class consists of the Freedom variant and
Independence variant, designed and built by two industry teams. The Freedom
variant team is led by Lockheed Martin (for the odd-numbered hulls, e.g. LCS
1). The Independence variant team is led by Austal USA (for LCS 6 and follow-on
even-numbered hulls) and was led by General Dynamics, Bath Iron Works for LCS 2
and LCS 4. Purchased under the innovative block-buy acquisition strategy, there
are 12 ships currently under construction.
LCS is a modular, reconfigurable ship, with three types
of mission packages including surface warfare, mine countermeasures, and
anti-submarine warfare. The Program Executive Office Littoral Combat Ships (PEO
LCS) is responsible for delivering and sustaining littoral mission capabilities
to the fleet. Delivering high-quality warfighting assets while balancing
affordability and capability is key to supporting the nation's maritime
strategy.
-NAVSEA-