16 January 2010

Navy Commissions LCS-2 Today

US Navy to Littoral Combat Ship Independence: Welcome to the Fleet

The Navy will commission Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Independence, Saturday, Jan. 16, 2010, during an 11 a.m. CST ceremony at Cooper Riverside Park in Mobile, Ala.

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead will deliver the ceremony’s principal address. Doreen Scott, wife of the former Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Terry Scott, will serve as ship’s sponsor. In the time-honored Navy tradition, she will give the first order to "man our ship and bring her to life!"

Five previous ships have been named Independence, which recognizes the cornerstone of our nation’s foundation that many Americans have sacrificed to ensure. The first Independence was a 10-gun sloop that served during the War of Independence. The second Independence, the first ship of the line in the Navy, was launched in 1814 as a 74-gun ship, but later refitted to a 54-gun frigate. The third Independence served with the Naval Overseas Transportation Service following the end of World War I. The fourth Independence (CVL 22), a small aircraft carrier commissioned in 1943, earned eight battle stars during World War II. The fifth Independence (CV 62) was an aircraft carrier commissioned in 1959 and decommissioned in 1998.

The Navy officially accepted delivery of the future USS Independence (LCS 2) Dec. 18, 2009, in Mobile. Independence is the second of two sea frames being produced, and the first LCS of the General Dynamics variant. USS Freedom (LCS 1), the Lockheed Martin variant, was commissioned Nov. 8, 2008.


More on the Littoral combat ship

By: Brant

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