USS Manchester becomes 12th littoral combat ship in U.S. Navy fleet
NewsMay 29, 2018
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. The USS Manchester, the U.S. Navy's latest Independence-class littoral combat ship (LCS), was commissioned on Saturday, May 26, at the New Hampshire State Pier.
During the commissioning ceremony, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), the senior U.S. senator from New Hampshire and the ship’s sponsor, gave the traditional order: "Man our ship and bring her to life!” Cmdr. Emily Bassett, the USS Manchester's commanding officer, was set to deliver control of the ship the following day to Cmdr. Kurt Braeckel, who was tasked with bringing the ship to its home port in San Diego, California.
According to information from the U.S. Navy, LCS are a type of modular, reconfigurable ship designed to meet validated fleet requirements for surface warfare, antisubmarine warfare, and mine countermeasures missions in the littoral -- or close in to the shore -- region. Each LCS is fitted with an interchangeable mission package and provides the primary mission systems in one of these warfare areas. The LCS design uses an open architecture design, modular weapons, sensor systems, and a variety of manned and unmanned vehicles to gain, sustain, and exploit littoral maritime supremacy for the U.S. joint forces. Manchester is the seventh littoral combat ship built by Austal USA to enter the fleet.
