Lockheed-Led Group Unveils 9th Navy Littoral Combat Ship; Joe North Comments

The USS Little Rock, the second combat ship to be named after the Arkansas capital, was side launched into the Meniminee River in Marinette on Saturday.

Ray Mabus, secretary of the U.S. Navy, announced Sunday the newest littoral combat ship to be built in Austal USA’s Mobile shipyard will be named the USS Cincinnati, making it the fifth warship to honor the locale.

“A fast, agile surface combatant, the LCS provides the required war fighting capabilities and operational flexibility to execute a variety of missions in areas such as mine warfare, anti-submarine warfare and surface warfare”, according to the Department of Defense.

LCS vessels come in two variants, the monohull Freedom class and the trimaran Independence class. Freedom-class ships hold odd hull numbers. Cincinnati is home to the headquarters of GE Aviation, which builds and manages the engines for several of our ships and aircraft. “Deployment of multiple LCSs to Southeast Asia underscores the importance of this “region on the rise” and the value persistent presence brings”, Capt. Fred Kacher, commodore of the Navy’s Destroyer Squadron 7, said in a press release.

Rear Admiral Brian Antonio, executive officer of the LCS programme, said the Navy will have four LCS vessels based out of Singapore by 2018 as it focuses on the Asia-Pacific region.

Following christening and launch, Little Rock will continue to undergo outfitting and testing before delivery to the Navy later this year.

Of course while that giant splash definitely looks a little scary-like Little Rock might actually be in danger of tipping over-slide launches like this are done all the time.

Another USS Kansas City was to have been a heavy cruiser in World War II.

It is now in a museum in Buffalo, New York, after it was decommissioned in 1976.