Third littoral ship, Fort Worth, poised to be delivered

The future Fort Worth, LCS 3, successfully completed acceptance trials May 4 on Lake Michigan. The ship's major systems and equipment were tested prior to the Navy accepting the ship. — Lockheed Martin

Written by Jeanette Steele

The future littoral combat ship Fort Worth, LCS 3, on Friday completed sea trials that are its last significant milestone before the ship is delivered to the Navy.

The Fort Worth is the second in the Freedom class of littoral ships, a new breed for the Navy. The ships, which come in two versions, are intended to be fast, light vessels that can operate in shallow coastal waters.

The Freedom arrived in its home port of San Diego in April 2010, and the second-in-line Independence sailed into San Diego Bay on May 2. Up to 16 littorals will call San Diego home, including the Fort Worth.

During the Fort Worth’s four-day trial on Lake Michigan, the Navy conducted tests intended to demonstrate the performance of the engine, ship handling and auxiliary systems.

“Fort Worth performed extremely well during its trials," said LCS Program Manager Capt. John Neagley in a Navy news release. "The ship's level of completion coupled with Marinette Marine's excellent craftsmanship resulted in relatively few material deficiencies."

The Fort Worth is scheduled to be commissioned Sept. 22 in Galveston, Texas.

The fourth littoral ship, the Coronado, and the Jackson, LCS 6, are under construction at the Austal USA shipyard in Mobile, Ala. The Milwaukee, LCS 5, is under construction at the Marinette Marine Corp. shipyard in Marinette, Wis., where the Fort Worth was also built.

The littoral class of ships has been criticized for cost increases and early performance problems.

 http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/may/07/third-littoral-ship-fort-worth-poised-be-delivered/