Independence-class LCS

With its proven trimaran hull, superior maneuverability and stability, endurance to travel 4,300 miles at 18kts, three weapon module zones, capacity to carry any two mission packages simultaneously, and a flight deck larger than any other surface combatant, the Independence (LCS 2) is the littoral combat ship that excels anytime, anywhere.

	January 16, 2010 Nearly 500 guests attended the commissioning of USS Independence (LCS 2), the first of its design in the surface fleet. "LCS is the future of our surface Navy," said Vice Adm. D.C. Curtis, Commander, Naval Surface Forces. "This program will complement the strengths of larger warships. LCS will be a deterrent of green and brown water threats; the flexibility, versatility, and smart design of Independence make it well suited for joint operations."
	December 18, 2009 The General Dynamics Littoral Combat Ship Team today delivered Independence (LCS 2) to the United States Navy. Captain Dean Krestos, USN, Commanding Officer Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion and Repair, Bath, Maine, officially accepted custody of Independence (LCS 2), the Navy’s first warship configured with a trimaran hull form.
	November 19, 2009 The future USS Independence (LCS 2) successfully completed acceptance trials, after completing a series of graded in-port and underway demonstrations for the Navy's Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV). During two days underway, the ship completed demonstrations of the combat systems suite, steering, anchoring and propulsion. The ship achieved a top speed of almost 45 knots during the full power demonstration.
	October 18, 2009 Independence (LCS 2) completed Builder’s Trials, including more than 50 demonstration events that rigorously test the ship and all of its systems in preparation for final inspection by the Navy before delivery. Independence reached a sustained speed of 44 knots during the required four-hour full-power run, with a top speed in excess of 45 knots.
	June 7, 2009 The General Dynamics Littoral Combat Ship Team completed testing of the main propulsion system for Independence (LCS 2) in preparation for the ship’s builder’s at-sea trials. All components of the combined diesel and gas turbine (CODAG) main propulsion system which drive the ship’s four independent steerable water jets have been tested.
	October 3, 2008 The first Littoral Combat Ship built by the General Dynamics Team, Independence, was christened at the Austal USA shipyard in Mobile Bay. Doreen A. Scott, wife of former Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) Terry Scott, ceremonially named the ship by breaking the traditional bottle of champagne against its hull.
	March 17, 2008 General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems and the U.S. Navy successfully integrated the mission package computing environment aboard Independence (LCS 2).The mission package computing environment (MPCE), designed using the General Dynamics open computing infrastructure (OPEN CI),allows the crew the versatility to electronically reconfigure the bridge area and detect, engage and eliminate long-range threats.
	January 5, 2007 General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems delivered the LCS Open Data Model to the U.S. Navy for inclusion in the Software Hardware Asset Reuse Enterprise (SHARE) repository with unrestricted rights for re-use by any other Navy program. This system offers a versatile computing backbone that is open and flexible, allowing the Navy to take advantage of rapidly changing advancements in the marketplace, deploy technology upgrades, and adapt to new and more complex missions—faster and at lower costs.
	January 19, 2006 General Dynamics and the U.S. Navy participated in a keel laying ceremony for Independence 2 (LCS 2) at Austal USA shipyards in Mobile. Senator Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) said, "Today marks an important milestone as the U.S. Navy embarks on the construction of a new vessel that will carry it to the littorals worldwide. The General Dynamics-Austal partnership returns to Alabama the finest elements of advanced shipbuilding, and I am immensely pleased that we in Alabama are part of this new endeavor."
	October 13, 2005 The U.S. Navy today awarded a Bath Iron Works-led team a $223 million contract for the detailed design and construction of an innovative, trimaran-hull Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) as part of its newest ship class. The team will complete the design and construct a high-speed surface combatant ship.
	May 26, 2004 The U.S. Navy awarded the General Dynamics Littoral Combat Ship Team a $79 million option to an existing contract to continue development of its proposed solution for the U.S. Navy's newest class of ships, the Littoral Combat Ship. The General Dynamics approach features an innovative trimaran hull that enables the ship to reach sustainable speeds of nearly 50 knots with an unmatched interior volume and payload.
	July 16, 2003 General Dynamics Bath Iron Works was awareded a $9 million contract to develop a preliminary design for the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). The flexibility, speed, endurance, volume, seakeeping, payload capacity, and maneuvering characteristics of the trimaran, coupled with modular mission packages and other modifications to address military-specific requirements, provide an optimal solution for the Navy's LCS requirements.