U.S. Navy to Decommission First Littoral Combat Ships This Year Independence and USS Freedom, the Navy’s first two Littoral Combat Ships (LCS), will be decommissioned in July and September of this year, respectively. Both ships are only halfway through their originally projected service lifespans of 25 years. The LCS program has been dogged by criticism of its cost and effectiveness since its inception. USNI News on Tuesday quoted Navy officials suggesting the first four LCSs should be regarded as prototypes or “test ships,” so the decommissioning of LCS-1 and LCS-2 is not unusual or an indication that the entire class of ships could be retired.