Austal keel laying for USS Mobile

MOBILE, Ala. - The Navy held a keel laying and authentication ceremony for the future USS Mobile (LCS 26) here at Austal USA's shipyard on Dec. 14. The ship's sponsor, Rebecca Byrne, wife of Rep. Bradley Byrne (R-Ala.), authenticated the keel for the 13th Independence variant of the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) to be built in Mobile during the ceremony. While keel-laying traditionally represents the formal start of a ship's construction, fabrication of the ship begins months in advance. Today, keel-laying continues to symbolically recognize the joining of the ship's components and the ceremonial beginning of the ship. There are currently four other Independence variants undergoing construction at Austal with three additional ships in pre-production planning. (Source: DoD 12/17/18)