Austal USA hands over USS Augusta (LCS 34) to US Navy

The future USS Augusta (LCS 34) has been delivered to the United States Navy by shipbuilder Austal USA.

The delivery of Augusta happened just five months after the vessel was christened in December 2022, the shipbuilder said.

The future USS Augusta will be homeported at Naval Base San Diego, adjacent to Austal USA’s new waterfront repair and maintenance facility, which features a floating dry dock capable of servicing Littoral Combat Ships, Frigates and other similar sized surface combatants and auxiliary ships.

The Independence-variant LCS is a high-speed, shallow-draft surface combatant with an aluminium trimaran hull that provides class leading, multi-mission capability. These ships are designed to defeat growing littoral threats and provide access and dominance along coastal waters.

LCS provides the required warfighting capabilities and operational flexibility to execute surface warfare, mine warfare and anti-submarine warfare missions.

“Already in 2023, Austal USA has delivered EPF-13, the autonomous-capable USNS Apalachicola and opened a huge new service facility in San Diego. Now, with the delivery of the future USS Augusta, we congratulate Austal USA on their continued focus on quality and efficiency and thank the team for another outstanding capability for the US Navy,” Austal Limited Chief Executive Officer Paddy Gregg said.

Austal USA’s Independence-variant LCS program is nearing completion, with only two ships of a total 19 to be delivered remaining under construction: the future USS Kingsville (LCS 36) and USS Pierre (LCS 38).

Austal USA is also delivering the Spearhead-class Expeditionary Fast Transport (T-EPF) program for the United States Navy and has delivered 13 of a total of 16 vessels ordered to date. The last EPF, the USNS Apalachicola was the first EPF (and the largest surface vessel in the US Navy fleet) to have autonomous capability for unmanned missions.

In addition to the LCS and EPF programs, Austal USA is contracted to deliver four Towing, Salvage and Rescue (T-ATS) steel hull ships for the US Navy and has a US$3.3 billion contract for up to 11 Offshore Patrol Cutters for the United States Coast Guard.