Scott Nicholas
A Lockheed Martin-led industry team, which includes naval architect Gibbs & Cox and more than 800 suppliers, has laid the keel for a U.S. Navy littoral combat ship at a Fincantieri Marinette Marine facility in Wisconsin.
The future USS St Louis, dubbed LCS 19, is one of seven ships in various construction stages at Fincantieri Marinette Marine, Lockheed Martin said Wednesday.
Lockheed noted that LCS 19 will be the seventh ship to bear the St. Louis name.
The initials of ship sponsor Barbara Broadhurst Taylor were engraved onto a steel plate that will be placed onto the ship hull as part of the keel authentication ceremony.
“The keel-laying ceremony is a great milestone, and I look forward to supporting the ship and its crew throughout the building process,” said Taylor.
“We look forward to working with the U.S. Navy to continue building and delivering highly capable and adaptable Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ships to the fleet,” said Joe North, vice president and general manager of littoral ships and systems.
