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Trials successful for 2nd LCS hull

The Navy’s second Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) successfully completed its acceptance trials Thursday, paving the way for the ship to be transferred from its shipbuilder and enter naval service.

“Independence performed extremely well during trials,” Rear Adm. James Murdoch, LCS program manager, said in a Navy statement released late Thursday. “LCS 2 conducted two outstanding days at sea. We look forward to delivering this critical asset to the fleet.”

The Independence left its builder’s yard at Austal USA in Mobile, Ala., on Monday, running at speeds up to 45 knots and demonstrating its systems to a team from the Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV). Like most new ships on sea trials, the ship was crewed by workers from the builder, along with test-and-evaluation teams from prime contractor General Dynamics and several subcontractors. Sailors from the ship’s future Navy crew were also on board as observers and to operate weapons.

According to the statement released by the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), Independence “was presented to INSURV with high levels of completion in production and test. The official results of the trials, including the type and number of trial cards, are currently being reviewed by the Navy.”

Construction of the Independence began in November 2005. The ship, like the Freedom from LCS competitor Lockheed Martin, was originally programmed to take two years to build at a cost of $223 million. But a series of miscalculations by the Navy and its contractors, design adjustments and other technical issues doubled the construction time, and the cost for the first-of-class ship has gone over the $700 million mark.

Delivery of the Independence is expected in mid-December, with a formal commissioning ceremony scheduled for Jan. 16 at Mobile.

Lockheed’s Freedom, commissioned a year ago, is now conducting warfare tests, and is expected to carry out its first operational missions next year.

In addition to the first two ships, Lockheed and General Dynamics each are working on their second ship. The Navy plans to pick one design in mid-2010 on which to base another 51 LCS hulls.