The US Navy will christen its new littoral combat ship (LCS), the Fort Worth, on 4 December at Marinette Marine Corp. shipyard in Marinette, Wisconsin, US.

The Fort Worth has been designed to operate in shallow-water environments to counter challenging threats in coastal regions such as mines, submarines and fast-surface craft.

The innovative combatant is capable of cruising at speeds in excess of 40kt and can operate in water less than 20ft deep.

The fast, agile and high-technology surface combatant will also serve as a platform for the launch and recovery of manned and unmanned vehicles.

The ship’s modular design allows it to be reconfigured for anti-submarine warfare, mine countermeasures or surface warfare missions whenever required.

The LCS features an advanced networking capability to share tactical information with other navy aircraft, ships, submarines and joint units, will be manned by two rotational crews and will be homeported in San Diego, California, US.