Future LCS 24 launched from Austal

WASHINGTON -The future USS Oakland (LCS 24) was launched July 21 from Austal USA’s shipbuilding facility in Mobile, Ala., according to the Naval Sea System Command’s Program Executive Office-Ships Unmanned and Small Combatants. This marked the first time the ship floated in water as it is prepared for delivery in 2020. Oakland is the 12th of 19 Independence-variant littoral combat ships that will join the fleet. Ship sponsor Kate Brandt, Google’s sustainability officer, christened the vessel in Mobile on June 29. She previously welded her initials onto a steel plate included in Oakland’s hull during a keel-laying ceremony last July. Brandt is a recipient of the Distinguished Public Service Award, the highest award the U.S. Navy can give to a civilian. Four additional LCSs are under various stages of construction at Austal’s Alabama shipyard. The future USS Kansas City (LCS 22) is preparing for sea trials. The future USS Mobile (LCS 26), Savannah (LCS 28) and Canberra (LCS 30) are under construction, and Austal has four more LCSs under contract. (Source: Seapower 07/22/19)