Austal, Navy lays keel of LCS 22

MOBILE, Ala. - The Navy held a keel-laying and authentication ceremony for the future Littoral Combat Ship USS Kansas City (LCS 22) at Austal USA’s shipyard in Mobile on Nov. 15, according to a Nov. 30 media release from Naval Sea Systems Command. The ship’s sponsor, Tracy Davidson, wife of Adm. Philip Davidson, commander of Fleet Forces Command, authenticated the keel for the 11th Independence-variant during the ceremony. Keel-laying symbolically recognizes the joining of the ship’s components and ceremonial start of the ship. The Navy’s LCS program consists of two variants. The Independence variant ships is built at Austal USA; the second at built at Marinette(Wis.) Marine. The two variants are purchased under a block-buy acquisition strategy. There are currently 13 LCSs under construction overall at the two shipyards. The Freedom Class USS Little Rock (LCS 9) is scheduled to be commissioned Dec. 16 in Wisconsin. (Source: Sea Power magazine 11/30/17)