USN commissions Freedom-variant LCS 21
Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ship USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul. (Photo: USN)
USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul will be based at Naval Station Mayport in Florida.
The USN on 21 May commissioned the Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ship USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul (LCS 21), which is the first vessel in the class to receive a fix to a long-running combining gear problem.
The USN accepted delivery of Minneapolis-Saint Paul in November 2021 following rigorous testing of a modification to the Freedom-variant’s combining gear.
The USN had paused deliveries of the Freedom-variant due to a class-wide design flaw.
The commissioning comes as the USN has requested the retirement of nine other ships of the variant as part of the US DoD’s Fiscal Year 2023 budget request.
The US said the decision to retire the nine Freedom-variant LCS was partly due to it scrapping the LCS ASW mission package.
One of the Freedom-variant LCS the USN wants to retire in 2023, USS St Louis (LCS 19), was only commissioned in 2020, meaning it will have served for three years in the USN fleet.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Naval Warfare
-
![Russia’s uncrewed boat portfolio hints at future naval demand]()
Russia’s uncrewed boat portfolio hints at future naval demand
Ukrainian intelligence has catalogued more than 20 Russian uncrewed surface vessels, revealing a portfolio weighted towards mine warfare and logistics, with implications for Western naval investment.
-
![Ukraine’s new long-range 12m autonomous vessel can deploy other drones]()
Ukraine’s new long-range 12m autonomous vessel can deploy other drones
Ukraine’s UForce unveiled the MV11 uncrewed surface vessel, designed to launch and support other naval drones at sea, fuelling debate over the future of autonomous maritime task groups.
-
![Global submarine suppliers compete for a rapidly shrinking market]()
Global submarine suppliers compete for a rapidly shrinking market
Diminishing submarine competitions worldwide are leaving fewer acquisition opportunities, pushing contractors toward alternatives.
