US Navy lays keel for first Constellation-class frigate

The US Navy has held a keel-laying ceremony for the first Constellation-class frigate, USS Constellation (FFG 62) in Wisconsin.

As informed, the ceremony took place at Fincantieri’s shipyard on April 12.

The Constellation is the first ship of the Constellation-class frigates awarded to Fincantieri Marinette Marine in 2020.

“USS Constellation and the Constellation-class frigates are a critical next step in the modernization of our surface ship inventory, increasing the number of players on the field available globally for our fleet and combatant commanders,” said Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro.

“The Constellation-class frigate, named after the USS Constellation – the first of six frigates authorized by the Naval Act of 1794 and the first in-class designed and built by American workers – will ensure the free flow of American commerce by sea,” Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti stated.

The Constellation-class guided-missile frigate is a next-generation small surface combatant. This ship class will be an agile, multi-mission warship capable of operations in both blue-water and littoral environments, providing increased combat-credible forward presence that provides a military advantage at sea.  

FFG 62 will be fielded with multi-mission capability to conduct air warfare, anti-submarine warfare, surface warfare, electromagnetic maneuver warfare. These capabilities include an Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar (EASR), Baseline Ten (BL10) Aegis Combat System, an Mk 41 Vertical Launch System, communications systems, countermeasures and added capability in the electronic warfare/information operations area.

The future ships will be: Constellation (FFG 62), Congress (FFG 63), Chesapeake (FFG 64), and Lafayette (FFG 65).