LCS named for Australian cruiser

WASHINGTON - President Donald J. Trump has chosen to name a U.S. Navy Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) in honor of a Royal Australian Navy ship, HMAS Canberra, which fought alongside the U.S. during WWII. “What a great symbol of our shared alliance,” said Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull while visiting the White House, noting that the Independence-class LCS will be built by Austal USA, a Mobile, Ala.-based unit of the Australian shipbuilder, Austal. The heavy cruiser HMAS Canberra was defending a beachhead at Guadalcanal on Aug. 9, 1942, when it – and three U.S. cruisers - was sunk by a Japanese task force during a night engagement at the Battle of Savo Island. It will be the second U.S. Navy ship to carry the name Canberra - Baltimore-class heavy cruiser (CA 70). The ship served in the Pacific theater from 1943-45. The ship was decommissioned in 1970 after service off Vietnam. (Source: Seapower Magazine 02/26/18)