Austal USA, Mobile, Ala., has successfully launched future USS Pierre (LCS 38), the last ship of the Navy’s Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program. Following launch, Austal USA’s test and activation team will spend the next several months preparing her for sea trials later this year.
The 421'6"x103.7' LCS is designed to be an agile, mission-focused platform designed to operate in near-shore environments, winning against 21st-century coastal threats.
Each aluminum trimaran LCS has a displacement of 3,200 MT, a 15.1' draft, and is powered by a pair of 12,200-hp Rolls-Royce 20V8000 diesel engines and two 29,500-hp GE LM2500 gas turbines.
This is the 23rd LCS launched at Austal USA using the multi-step method of rolling the ship onto a moored deck barge and then transferring the ship from the barge to a floating dry dock. The dry dock is submerged enabling the ship to float for the first time and then removed from the dry dock and moored pier side to get ready for engine light-off and trials.
“Meeting this ship milestone in such a safe and timely manner demonstrates how well our Austal USA launch team, transporter operators and tug pilots have learned to work together over the last 13 years, seamlessly executing this technical launch process,” stated Austal USA Vice President of New Construction, Dave Growden. “Our industry teams work methodically alongside our Navy partners to improve this innovative process with each launch evolution, guaranteeing the Navy a quality product delivered on time and on budget.”
LCS 38 is the second ship named in honor of the capital city of South Dakota. The first USS Pierre, a World War II PC class submarine chaser, was commissioned in 1943 and decommissioned in 1958. Pierre (LCS 38) is the Navy’s 19th and final Independence-variant LCS to be christened. Following delivery, the new LCS will join her sister ships homeported in San Diego and deploying to the INDO-PACOM region. There she will support forward presence, maritime security, sea control, and deterrence. She is the second U.S. Navy ship launched at Austal USA this year.
