Austal USA christened the 18th littoral combat ship (LCS), the USS Charleston, at its Mobile, Ala., shipyard in August.
The 419'x99' Charleston (LCS 18) is the seventh of 12 LCSes Austal has under contract with the Navy. The total order value is over $3.5 billion. Seven LCSes are currently under construction at Austal. Omaha (LCS 12) will be delivered in the coming weeks, Manchester (LCS 14) is preparing for trials, and Tulsa (LCS 16) will begin trials at the end of the year. Final assembly is underway on Cincinnati (LCS 20). Modules for Kansas City (LCS 22) and Oakland (LCS 24) are under construction.
“Today marks another major milestone with the christening of this remarkable war ship,” said Austal USA president Craig Perciavalle in a prepared statement. “Our talented shipbuilding team is honored to provide our Navy with an extraordinarily capable vessel that will honor the great city of Charleston as she operates around the world.”
