Austal keel-laying for LCS 28

Austal USA shipyard held a keel-laying and authentication ceremony for the Navy’s future USS Savannah (LCS 28) at its Mobile, Ala., yard on Sept. 20. Ship’s sponsor, Dianne Isakson, wife of U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), authenticated the keel for the 14th Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship during the ceremony. While the keel laying traditionally represents the formal start of a ship’s construction, fabrication of the ship began months ago. Keel-layings continue to symbolically recognize the joining of the ship’s components and the ceremonial beginning of the ship. There are four other Independence variants undergoing construction at Austal USA, with five additional ships in pre-production planning. (Source: Naval News 09/22/19) https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2019/09/austal-laid-keel-of-future-uss-savannah-28th-u-s-navy-littoral-combat-ship/