Banner year for LCS rollouts

Both variants of the Navy’s Littoral Combat Ships are being cranked out in an anticipated 2015 banner-year fashion. On Aug. 5, the Mobile, Ala.-based Austal USA Shipyard rolled out its Independence-class Montgomery (LCS 8) from its building shed onto a Mobile River barge. The LCS was then moved up river and transferred to a floating drydock. The LCS was launched Aug. 6 when the drydock was taken to deeper water and flooded. In Marinette, Wis., Lockheed Martin’s shipbuilding partner at Fincantieri Marinette Marine rolled out Freedom-class’ Detroit (LCS 7) back on June 27. The launch won’t take place until sometime the fall. Marinette is one of the few builders to use the sideways-launch. Each shipyard plans to deliver two LCS for the in 2015. It will mark the first time four LCSs will be delivered in a single calendar year, according to a Defense News blog. (Source: Defense News 08/07/14.)