Littoral combat ship Cooperstown passes acceptance trials

The US Navy’s new littoral combat ship (LCS) 23, the future USS Cooperstown, has completed acceptance trials in Lake Michigan.

Trials included a full-power run, maneuverability testing, and surface and air detect-to-engage demonstrations of the ship’s combat system. Major systems and features were demonstrated, including aviation support, small boat launch handling and recovery and machinery control and automation, according to Lockheed Martin.

Now that trials are complete, the ship will undergo final outfitting and fine-tuning before delivery to the navy next year.

LCS 23 is the 12th Freedom-variant LCS designed and built by the Lockheed Martin-led industry team. The newbuild was christened in Wisconsin in late February this year.

The focused-mission LCS is designed to support mine countermeasures, anti-submarine and surface warfare missions and is easily adapted to serve future and evolving missions.

The LCS class consists of two variants, the Freedom variant and the Independence variant, designed and built by two industry teams. The Freedom-variant team is led by Lockheed Martin in Marinette, Wisconsin, (for the odd-numbered hulls). The Independence-variant team is led by Austal USA in Mobile, Alabama, (for LCS 6 and the subsequent even-numbered hulls).