US Navy commissions new Independence-variant LCS USS Oakland 19 Apr 2021 (Last Updated April 19th, 2021 12:29)
The US Navy has commissioned its newest Independence-variant littoral combat ship (LCS) USS Oakland (LCS 24) into service during a private event on 17 April.
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The US Navy has commissioned its newest Independence-variant littoral combat ship (LCS) USS Oakland (LCS 24) into service during a private event on 17 April.
LCS 24 is the 12th Independence-variant LCS and the third US Navy ship to be named in honour of the Californian city.
US Navy Acting Secretary Thomas Harker said: “We now have a finished warship behind us that is ready to be placed into commission.
USS Oakland (LCS 24) moored pierside during its commissioning ceremony on 17 April. (Photo: US Navy/ Chief Mass Communication Specialist John Pearl)
Littoral Combat Ship USS Oakland is newly commissioned into the USN.
USS Oakland has been commissioned into the USN after Austal USA completed construction of the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS).
Senior DoD and USN officials were present at a 17 April ceremony for the ship, which will be homeported at Naval Base San Diego.
As the 12th
Oakland will join its 11 predecessors already in service at San Diego.
The LCS is a fast, agile, mission-focused platform optimised to operate in near-shore environments while also capable of open-ocean operations.
The ceremony will be highlighted by a time-honored Navy tradition when Ms.
Brandt gives the order to “man our ship and bring her to life!”
Francisco X.
Garza, a native of Phoenix, Arizona, is the ship’s commanding officer and leads a crew of 70 officers and enlisted personnel.
The 3,200-ton Oakland was built by General Dynamics/Austal USA in Mobile, Alabama.
The ship is 421 feet in length, has a beam of 103 feet, and a navigational draft of 15 feet.
The ship is powered by two gas turbine engines, two main propulsion diesel engines, and four waterjets to reach speeds up to 40-plus knots.
USNI News
Navy to Commission USS Oakland This Weekend
USS Oakland (LCS-24) departs for acceptance trials in the Gulf of Mexico. Austal USA Photo
The Navy over the weekend will commission a new Littoral Combat Ship, the Pentagon announced.
On Saturday the service will commission the future USS
Oakland (LCS-24), an Independence-class LCS, in a virtual ceremony broadcast from Oakland, Calif., according to a Defense Department news release.
“
Oakland is the third ship to bear the name. She is the 12th Independence-variant LCS,” the Pentagon said in the release.
“The littoral combat ship is a fast, agile, focused-mission platform designed to operate in near-shore environments, while capable of open-ocean tasking and winning against 21st-century coastal threats such as submarines, mines, and swarming small craft,” it continued. “The LCS is capable of supporting forward presence, maritime security, sea control, and deterrence.”
Littoral Combat Ship Case Study
Littoral Combat Ship Case Study
849 Words4 Pages
Since being commissioned in November 2008, the Littoral Combat Ship has received a mixed reception. The Navy, select lawmakers and the shipâs producersâAustal USA and Lockheed Martinâhave thrown support behind the ship, while the Pentagon has been more than critical toward the produced models.
Voyages marred by cracked hulls, technical failures and rusting are only a selection of the shipâs issues. The ship has also faced criticism of how vulnerable it is to an attack, and during testing on one ship, some of the engines responsible for propelling the ship forward were unusable for 45 days. As the Pentagonâs test and evaluation director bluntly put it in January, âThe ship is not reliable.â