Last week at the Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyard, the Navy accepted delivery of the future USS Marinette (LCS 25) from Lockheed Martin. The ship completed her acceptance trial in November 2022, which is the last milestone before they deliver the ship to the Navy. During the trial, the Navy conducted comprehensive tests of LCS 25s systems, which spanned multiple function areas essential to a ship being able to perform at sea. Because of these successful trials, the Navy accepted delivery and will continue post-delivery certifications and qualifications to prepare her for Fleet operations. They outfitted LCS 25 with the combining gear correction that will allow for unrestricted operations. The correction addresses a class-wide flaw that was identified as the Fleet deployed these ships in greater numbers. After her commissioning, planned for June 2023, Marinette will be home ported in Mayport, Florida. Three additional Freedom-Variant ships are under construction at Fincantieri Marinette Marine. The future USS Nantucket (LCS 27) is scheduled for delivery in the summer of 2023. Additional ships in various stages of construction include the future ships USS Beloit (LCS 29) and USS Cleveland (LCS 31). LCS 31 will be the final Freedom – Variant LCS.
The LCS class is now the second-largest surface ship class in production. LCS is a highly maneuverable, lethal, and adaptable ship designed to support focused mine countermeasures and surface warfare missions. The Freedom and Independence-variant LCS integrates new technologies and capabilities to support current and future operational missions, from deep water to the littorals.
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