The US Navy has commissioned its newest Independence-class littoral combat ship (LCS), USS Omaha (LCS 12), during a ceremony at the Broadway pier in San Diego, California.
The 421.5ft-long vessel is the sixth Independence-variant ship and represents the 11th LCS to enter into service with the US Navy, as well as the fourth warship to be named for the US city of Nebraska.
US Navy secretary Richard V. Spencer said: “Omaha and her sister ships represent an investment in our nation, the result of the partnership between the Department of the Navy and our shipbuilding industry.
“American craftsmen in Mississippi, Alabama, around the country, have made USS Omaha possible.
“The LCS fills a unique mission for the US Navy and as these remarkable ships continue to be produced out of our shipyards, they represent an increase in our readiness and lethality.”
USS Omaha was initially launched on 20 November 2015 and completed her acceptance trials on 12 May 2017, before being delivered to the navy on 15 September the same year.
The navy vessel features a displacement of 3,200t and is able to travel at a speed of more than 40k.
It is equipped with one Mk 110 57mm gun, one RIM-116 Evolved SeaRAM system and 4.50-calibre machine guns.
The ship can accommodate two Sikorsky MH-60R / S Seahawk helicopters or one Northrop Grumman MQ-8B Fire Scout aircraft.
The navy’s LCS is a modular, reconfigurable vessel that has been built to meet validated fleet requirements for surface warfare (SUW), anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and mine countermeasures (MCM) operations in the littoral region.
