Shipbuilder Austal USA has held a christening ceremony for US Navy’s newest littoral combat ship (LCS) USS Kingsville (LCS 36).
LCS 36 is the first U.S. Navy ship named for Kingsville. The town, born from the need for an efficient railroad service connecting Brownsville, Texas to St. Louis, Mo., was founded in 1904, after Captain King’s wife, Henrietta, deeded 40,000 acres from the King Ranch to be available for the development of the Kingsville townsite.
Independence-variant littoral combat ships are fast, optimally-manned, mission-tailored surface combatants that operate in near-shore and open-ocean environments.
USS Kingsville is planned for delivery in early 2024 and will be homeported in San Diego, California., where Austal USA will can dry-dock and provide lifecycle sustainment support for the Independence-variant ship class and other similar sized ships at its waterfront repair facility.
Last week, US Navy christened and launched the newest and the final Freedom-variant littoral combat ship, the future USS Cleveland.
The event marked the last planned side-launch of a ship at the Fincantieri Marinette Marine Wisconsin shipyard. Follow-on ships are planned to be launched using a shiplift system.
The Freedom and Independence-variant LCS integrate new technologies and capabilities to support current and future operational missions, from deep water to the littorals.