Nichols Martin
Austal‘s U.S. business arm delivered the future USS Canberra Independence-class littoral combat ship to the U.S. Navy on Dec. 21, marking the service branch’s 26th LCS acceptance.
The new Canberra or LCS 30, which honors an Australian cruiser of the same name, completed acceptance trials in November under the supervision of the Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey, Austal USA said Wednesday.
LCS units are designed to take part in near-shore and coastal operations including mine hunting and anti-submarine warfare and maritime security.
USS Canberra is scheduled for Navy commissioning in summer 2022.
“I look forward to celebrating the commissioning of Canberra and commemorating the heritage of her namesake forbearers after she departs from Austal and embarks upon her post-delivery test and trials period,” said Capt. Andy Gold, LCS program manager at the Navy.
Aside from USS Canberra, the Kingsville, Augusta, Santa Barbara and Pierre LCS vessels are currently under construction at Austal USA locations.
