The following is the text of a news release from the U.S. Navy:
(MARINETTE, Wis.) — The Navy accepted delivery of future USS Detroit (LCS 7) during a ceremony at the Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyard on Friday. Detroit is the eighth littoral combat ship (LCS) to be delivered to the Navy and the fourth Freedom variant to join the fleet.
Capt. Warren R. Buller II, commander, LCS Squadron (COMLCSRON) 1, welcomed Detroit to the fleet.
Delivery marks the official transfer of LCS 7 from the shipbuilder, part of a Lockheed Martin-led team, to the Navy. It is the final milestone prior to commissioning, which is planned for October in the ship's namesake city, Detroit.
Several more ships of the variant are under construction at Fincantieri Marinette Marine in Marinette, Wis. Future USS Little Rock (LCS 9) is preparing for trials in 2016. Future USS Sioux City (LCS 11) was christened in January and is currently conducting system testing in preparation for trials in 2017. Future USS Wichita (LCS 13) is preparing for launch this fall, while future USS Billings (LCS 15) had its keel laid November 2015. Indianapolis (LCS 17) started fabrication August 2015 and is preparing to have its keel laid this summer. Additional ships in the pre-production phase include St. Louis (LCS 19), Minneapolis-St. Paul (LCS 21), Cooperstown (LCS 23) and unnamed LCS 25.
The LCS class consists of the Freedom variant and Independence variant, designed and built by two industry teams. The Freedom-variant team is led by Lockheed Martin for odd-numbered hulls, e.g. LCS 1. The Independence-variant team is led by Austal USA, for LCS 6 and follow-on even-numbered hulls. There are 12 ships currently under construction purchased under the Navy's 22 ship block-buy acquisition strategy.
LCS is a modular, reconfigurable ship, with three types of mission packages including surface warfare, mine countermeasures, and anti-submarine warfare. The Program Executive Office for Littoral Combat Ships (PEO LCS) is responsible for delivering and sustaining littoral mission capabilities to the fleet.