Photo: Austal
Despite its friendly-sounding name, the beautiful ship you are seeing is meant to play an active role in future U.S. Navy combat missions. The most recent addition to the littoral combat ship (LCS) fleet, the Oakland was officially introduced during a U.S. Navy ceremony in California.
Oakland is now the 22nd LCS and the 12th of the Independence-variant ships in the U.S. Navy fleet.
The LCS program was first introduced in 2002 and it focuses on two types of LCS categories, the Freedom variant and the Independence variant. The Independence variant LCS are being built by Austal USA in their Alabama-based shipyard, while the Freedom LCS are manufactured by Lockheed Martin, in Wisconsin.
A littoral combat ship, designed to take part mainly in near-shore operations (hence the name), is described as being “fast and agile”. And, according to the Navy official presentation, it’s capable of combating various types of threats, including quiet submarines and mines.
The historic Oakland name already has a long tradition within the U.S. Navy. The first ship that was named after the Californian city dates back to 1918 and was used for cargo transport. The second USS Oakland began its career in 1943 and was involved in several important anti-aircraft missions, including ones in Okinawa and Iwo Jima, earning nine battle stars.
With such an interesting history behind it, this “young” combat ship certainly has to live up to its name.
“This ship will play an essential role in carrying out our nation’s future maritime strategy.”, said LCS program manager Capt. Mike Taylor, when the Oakland was first delivered.
While Oakland will be joining the other 11 Independence LCS, back in San Diego, there are still more ships set up to join the fleet. Four others in this variant are still under construction, namely Mobile (LCS 26), Savannah (LCS 28), Canberra (LCS 30) and Santa Barbara (LCS 32), and three more will begin construction later on.
The LCS program was first introduced in 2002 and it focuses on two types of LCS categories, the Freedom variant and the Independence variant. The Independence variant LCS are being built by Austal USA in their Alabama-based shipyard, while the Freedom LCS are manufactured by Lockheed Martin, in Wisconsin.
A littoral combat ship, designed to take part mainly in near-shore operations (hence the name), is described as being “fast and agile”. And, according to the Navy official presentation, it’s capable of combating various types of threats, including quiet submarines and mines.
The historic Oakland name already has a long tradition within the U.S. Navy. The first ship that was named after the Californian city dates back to 1918 and was used for cargo transport. The second USS Oakland began its career in 1943 and was involved in several important anti-aircraft missions, including ones in Okinawa and Iwo Jima, earning nine battle stars.
With such an interesting history behind it, this “young” combat ship certainly has to live up to its name.
“This ship will play an essential role in carrying out our nation’s future maritime strategy.”, said LCS program manager Capt. Mike Taylor, when the Oakland was first delivered.
While Oakland will be joining the other 11 Independence LCS, back in San Diego, there are still more ships set up to join the fleet. Four others in this variant are still under construction, namely Mobile (LCS 26), Savannah (LCS 28), Canberra (LCS 30) and Santa Barbara (LCS 32), and three more will begin construction later on.
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