Keel laying at Austal

MOBILE, Ala. -- Austal USA held a keel laying ceremony Tuesday to mark start of construction on a new Littoral Combat Ship. The LCS is the future USS Montgomery, and is expected to be delivered to the U.S. Navy in 2016. The Navy's LCS class ships are optimized for missions in coastal waters. Montgomery is one of the Independence-class variants of the LCS being built by Austal USA at its Mobile River yard. (Sources: multiple, including al.com, 06/25/13, UPI, 06/26/13)