Navy christens USS Gabrielle Giffords
The US Navy has christened the future USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10) Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) in a ceremony at the Austal USA shipyard in Mobile, Alabama on 13 June. This is the tenth LCS of the navy.
The LCS is an Independent-class vessel being built by Austal USA, which is building all even-numbered hulls after LCS 2 and 4.
The LCS class also includes the Freedom variant, which is being built by an industry team led by Lockheed Martin. The Freedom-class vessels have odd-numbered hulls. At present, a total 12 ships are under construction.
The LCS can operate in coastal waters as shallow as 20 feet deep, at speeds of over 40 knots.
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