U.S. Navy’s littoral warfare power is growing. The U.S. Navy has announced that it will commission its Freedom-class littoral combat ship (LCS), the future USS Indianapolis (LCS 17), later this year.
The Navy will commission the littoral combat ship Oct. 26, 2019 in Burns Harbor, Indiana. The commissioning ceremony signifies the acceptance for service and the entrance of a ship into the active fleet of the U. S. Navy.
LCS-17 is the fourth ship to carry the name of Indiana’s capital city. The first Indianapolis was a steamer built for the U.S. Shipping Board (USSB) and commissioned directly into the Navy in 1918. After two runs to Europe, the ship was returned to the USSB following the war.
The ship is available in two variants, which are the Freedom-class and the Independence type.
The Independence-class LCS ships are built by Austal USA at its shipyard in Mobile, Alabama.
Last month, the Lockheed Martin-led team launched LCS 21, the future USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul, into the Menominee River.
