LCS 14 begins long voyage 'home'

The Independence class Littoral Combat Ship USS Manchester (LCS-14) was commissioned May 26 in Portsmouth, N.H. It is the 12th LCS in the fleet. Seven LCS, including Manchester, have been built by Austal USA’s shipyard in Mobile, Ala. The ship has begun its long voyage to a new homeport in San Diego. On the way, USS Manchester is expected to conduct training, equipment, and systems checks of the new ships. It is expected to visit several ports before transiting the Panama Canal on its way to California. Much of the crew had been in Mobile since August before construction was completed. “We are proud to take full ownership of our new ship, but we also thoroughly enjoyed our time here in Mobile, Alabama, and were welcomed with open arms by the local community,” Cmdr. Emily Bassett, Manchester’s commanding officer, said in the release. (Source: USNI News 05/28/18)