Navy christens LCS 15

The Navy christened and launched a new Littoral Combat Ship, USS Billings (LCS 15), named for Montana's largest city. The ship was christened July 2 at the Marinette, Wis., shipyard, which builds one of two LCS variants. Sharla Tester, wife of U.S. Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), broke the ceremonial champagne bottle over the ship's bow before it slid into Lake Michigan. It is the first Navy ship to bear the city’s namesake. (Source: The AP 07/02/17) Gulf Coast Note: Austal USA’s shipyard in Mobile, Ala., builds the Independence variant of LCS. In February, Austal USA christened the nation’s LCS 16, the future USS Tulsa. It was the sixth LCS in Austal’s 11-ship contract.