US Navy commissions littoral combat ship USS Nantucket

Freedom-variant littoral combat ship USS Nantucket (LCS 27) was commissioned on November 16, 2024, in Boston, Massachusetts.

USS Nantucket is the 14th Freedom-variant littoral combat ship (LCS) commissioned in the US Navy. The vessel is also the fourth US Navy ship to bear this namesake, dating back to 1863 when the first USS Nantucket, a Passaic-class, single-turret monitor was commissioned. The Passaic-class Nantucket supported the US Navy’s South Atlantic Blockade and played a critical role during the Civil War.

The LCS class consists of two variants: the Freedom and the Independence, designed and built by two industry teams.

Lockheed Martin leads the Freedom-variant team, building the odd-numbered hulls in Marinette, Wisconsin. Austal USA leads the Independence-variant team in Mobile, Alabama, constructing LCS 6 and the subsequent even-numbered hulls.

The vessels like Nantucket will be equipped with over the horizon – weapons system (OTH-WS) naval strike missile (NSM). The OTH NSM provides the U.S. with long-range anti-surface offensive strike capability as well as increased coastline defense, deterrence, and interoperability, according to the officials.

The mission of CNSP is to man, train, and equip the Surface Force to provide fleet commanders with credible naval power to control the sea and project power ashore.

In July this year, USS Nantucket was delivered to the navy. Nantucket was accepted from Lockheed Martin at the Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyard in Marinette, Wisconsin.