Austal USA hosts keel-laying for US Navy’s newest Independence-class LCS

Defence Company Austal USA has hosted keel-laying of the future USS Kingsville (LCS 36), US Navy’s newest Independence-class littoral combat ship (LCS) at its ship manufacturing facility.

USS Kingsville is an Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), one of 18 that the Navy has contracted Austal to build. The ship is the first U.S. Navy ship named for the city of Kingsville in Texas.

A keel-laying ceremony is the formal recognition of the start of a ship’s construction.  At Austal USA, the keel laying symbolically recognizes module erection in final assembly and the ceremonial beginning of a ship.

The Independence-class LCS is a fast, agile, focused-mission platform designed for operation in near-shore environments yet capable of open-ocean operation. It is designed to defeat asymmetric “anti-access” threats, such as mines, quiet diesel submarines and fast surface craft, according to the company.

The 127-meter long, high-speed trimaran hull warship integrates new technology and capability to support current and future mission capability from deep water to the littorals.

Last December, the company delivered future USS Canberra to the US Navy.