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US Navy - Littoral Combat Ship LCS 2 - USS Independence |
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| 04/23 | ||
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Type, class:
Littoral Combat Ship - LCS; Independence class Builder: Austal-USA, Mobile, Alabama, USA STATUS: Awarded: October 14, 2005 Laid down: January 19, 2006 Launched: April 26, 2008 Commissioned: January 16, 2010 Decommissioned: July 29, 2021 Fate: in reserve at Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility Bremerton, Washington Namesake: INDEPENDENCE! Ships Motto: LIBERTAS PER LABOREM AUDENTIUM (independence through bold action) Technical Data: see: INFO > Independence class Littoral Combat Ship - LCS |
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| images | ||
 ex USS Independence is towed from San Diego, California to Bremerton, Washington - July 31, 2021  decommissioning ceremony - San Diego, California - July 29, 2021  Portland, Oregon - June 2019  arriving for the Portland Rose Festival Fleet Week - June 2019  arriving for the Portland Rose Festival Fleet Week - June 2019  Pacific Ocean - February 2019  Pacific Ocean - February 2019  Pacific Ocean - February 2019  Pacific Ocean - February 2019  Pacific Ocean - February 2019  Pacific Ocean - February 2019  Pacific Ocean - February 2019  Pacific Ocean - February 2019  Pacific Ocean - February 2019  San Diego, California - May 2018  San Diego, California - October 2017  Pacific Ocean - December 2016  Pacific Ocean - December 2016  Pacific Ocean - December 2016  remote minehunting system (RMS), part of the mine countermeasures (MCM) mission package - January 2016  Pensacola, Florida - April 2015  Pacific Ocean - January 2015  San Diego, California - January 2015  San Diego, California - January 2015  Pacific Ocean - July 2014  Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - July 2014  Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - July 2014  Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - July 2014  Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - July 2014  Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - July 2014  Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - July 2014  during exercise RIMPAC 14 - Pacific Ocean - July 2014  during exercise RIMPAC 14 - Pacific Ocean - July 2014  during exercise RIMPAC 14 - Pacific Ocean - July 2014  during exercise RIMPAC 14 - Pacific Ocean - July 2014  during exercise RIMPAC 14 - Pacific Ocean - July 2014  during exercise RIMPAC 14 - Pacific Ocean - July 2014  during exercise RIMPAC 14 - Pacific Ocean - July 2014  July 2014  San Diego, California - April 2014  San Diego, California - April 2014  Pacific Ocean - April 2014  San Diego, California - February 2014  San Diego, California - February 2014  San Diego, California - February 2014  San Diego, California - February 2014  San Diego, California - February 2014  mission bay - August 2013  August 2013  hangar - August 2013  USS Independence (LCS 2) deploys a remote multi-mission vehicle (RMMV) while testing the ship's mine countermeasures mission package (MCM) - August 2013 (US Navy photo courtesy of Austal USA)  off California - July 2013  July 2013  cutout - Mk.15 Mod.31 SeaRAM CIWS  San Diego - July 2012  San Diego - May 2012  San Diego - May 2012  San Diego - May 2012  San Diego - May 2012  April 2012  Manzanillo, Mexico - April 2012  Manzanillo, Mexico - April 2012  Manzanillo, Mexico - April 2012  Panama Canal - April 2012  Panama Canal - April 2012  Atlantic Ocean - April 2012  Atlantic Ocean - April 2012  Atlantic Ocean - April 2012  Atlantic Ocean - April 2012  Mayport, Florida - April 2012  Mayport, Florida - April 2012  Mayport, Florida - April 2012  Mayport, Florida - April 2012  The Remote Minehunting System (RMS) and an AN/AQS-20 mine hunting sonar are brought aboard USS Independence (LCS 2) during developmental testing of the mine warfare mission module package - Gulf of Mexico - January 2012  The Remote Minehunting System (RMS) and an AN/AQS-20 mine hunting sonar are brought aboard USS Independence (LCS 2) during developmental testing of the mine warfare mission module package - Gulf of Mexico - January 2012  Newport, Rhode Island - October 2011  Newport, Rhode Island - October 2011  Pensacola, Florida - September 2011  St. Petersburg, Florida - September 2011  Norfolk, Virginia - May 2010  Port Everglades, Florida - April 2010  Norfolk, Virginia - April 2010  Mayport, Florida - April 2010  Mayport, Florida - April 2010  Mayport, Florida - April 2010  Mayport, Florida - April 2010  Mayport, Florida - April 2010  Key West, Florida - March 2010  Key West, Florida - March 2010  Key West, Florida - March 2010  Key West, Florida - March 2010  Key West, Florida - March 2010  Key West, Florida - March 2010  commissioning ceremony - Mobile, Alabama - January 16, 2010  Mobile, Alabama - November 2009  Mobile, Alabama - November 2009  builders trials - Gulf of Mexico - July 2009 (General Dynamics photo via USN)  builders trials - Gulf of Mexico - July 2009 (General Dynamics photo via USN)  builders trials - Gulf of Mexico - July 2009 (General Dynamics photo via USN)  builders trials - Gulf of Mexico - July 2009 (General Dynamics photo via USN)  builders trials - Gulf of Mexico - July 2009 (General Dynamics photo via USN)  builders trials - Gulf of Mexico - July 2009 (General Dynamics photo via USN)  builders trials - Gulf of Mexico - July 2009 (General Dynamics photo via USN)  builders trials - Gulf of Mexico - July 2009 (General Dynamics photo via USN)  builders trials - Gulf of Mexico - July 2009 (General Dynamics photo via USN)  builders trials - Gulf of Mexico - July 2009 (General Dynamics photo via USN)  builders trials - Gulf of Mexico - July 2009 (General Dynamics photo via USN)  at Austal-USA shipbuilding yard - Mobile, Alabama - July 2009 (General Dynamics photo via USN)  Mobile, Alabama - July 2009 (General Dynamics photo via USN)  outfitting at Austal-USA shipbuilding yard - Mobile, Alabama - May 2008  during construction - Mobile, Alabama - August 2007  during construction - Mobile, Alabama - August 2007  during construction - Mobile, Alabama - March 2007 |
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USS Independence (LCS 2): The contract was awarded to General Dynamics in July 2003. The contract to build her was then awarded to Austal USA of Mobile, Alabama, on 14 October 2005 and her keel was laid down on 19 January 2006. Delivery to the United States Navy was scheduled for December 2008. The originally planned second General Dynamics ship (LCS-4) was canceled on 1 November 2007. On 1 May 2009, a second vessel was reordered by the Navy, USS Coronado. The keel was laid on 17 December 2009, with delivery scheduled for May 2012. It was delivered 27 September 2013. For fiscal year 2010, the Navy planned a competition between Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics for the next three littoral combat ships, with the winner building two ships and the loser only one. Independence was christened 5 October 2008 by Doreen Scott, wife of 10th Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Terry D. Scott. Navy leaders said that the fixed price competition offered the Austal design an equal shot, in spite of its excess size and cost and limited service. In June 2009, the development and construction of Independence was 220% over-budget. The total projected cost for the ship was $704 million. The Navy had originally projected the cost at $220 million. Independence began builder's trials near Mobile, Alabama on 2 July 2009, three days behind schedule because of maintenance issues. In response to problems with the propulsion plant (the port gas turbine shaft seal sprang a leak), General Dynamics rearranged builder's trials to test other systems until this was fixed. The ship completed builder's trials on 21 October 2009 and acceptance trials on 19 November 2009. On 9 December 2009, the Navy announced that the ship had completed its first INSURV inspection. The inspection found 2,080 discrepancies, including 39 high-priority deficiencies, but concluded that all could be resolved before the Navy accepts the ship as scheduled. The ship was delivered to the Navy on 17 December 2009, and the service officially accepted it the next day. However, the ship was found to be incomplete and a second round of acceptance trials was scheduled for 2011. The ship was commissioned on 16 January 2010 at Mobile, Alabama and completed her maiden voyage in April 2010. In 2010, the Navy asked for an additional $5.3 million to correct problems found in the sea trials. Galvanic corrosion caused by an aluminum hull in contact with the stainless steel propulsion system with sea water acting as an electrolyte, and electrical currents not fully isolated, caused "aggressive corrosion." Prior to the discovery of corrosion, Austal and General Dynamics had both agreed to dissolve their relationship with each other and agree to act as competitors in March. The cause of the split was due to the planned competition between Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics. Prior to the split, General Dynamics was to continue maintenance on the ship after it entered service. In 2011 the corrosion problem was found to be even worse than expected and repair would require time in a drydock to completely remove the water jets. In response, Austal blamed the U.S. Navy for not properly maintaining the ship. However the Navy replied that the electrical insulation had been improperly installed during construction. Later Austal said it had found a fix for the problem that would be tested on the third Austal LCS ship. In 2011, seven U.S. senators sent a letter to the Department of Defense questioning the management of the corrosion problems of Independence. In July 2011, Navy Public Information Officer Christopher G. Johnson said that a "cathodic protection system" would be installed on the ship. Such systems generally consist of strategically located deposits of "sacrificial metals" which act as an anode to reduce corrosion of the metal being protected. On 2 May 2012, Independence completed her maiden voyage to her homeport, Naval Base San Diego, California, where she was assigned to Littoral Combat Ship Squadron One. In 2013, U.S. Navy sources described early documents that showed that the ship was to be named Liberty was a mistake. On 19 May 2014, a spokesman for the U.S. Pacific Fleet confirmed that Independence would take part in RIMPAC 2014, reversing an earlier decision to keep littoral combat ships in southern California to carry out tests and various exercises. The ship would join more than two dozen foreign ships and a similar number of Navy ships in exercises off Hawaii from 6–25 July 2014. Independence was operating out of San Diego testing its MCM package when it was decided that it would take part in RIMPAC 2014, so the ship returned to port and switched it out for the surface warfare package in 96 hours. The first RIMPAC scenario was acting as plane guard for the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, for which it received "Bravo Zulu" (well done) from the strike group commander. In a four-hour event, the ship played opposition force alone against four other vessels, going nearly two hours without being located. Independence performed its first joint combined operations, acting as an afloat forward staging base for Navy and foreign fast-roping helicopter operating teams, and operated two helicopters near simultaneously while launching and recovering boats. The ship performed two to three tasks per day and completed them all while not needing to pull into port and being refueled twice. RIMPAC exercises were at a much higher operating tempo than previous tests, and Independence accomplished its tasks without experiencing any major difficulties. Independence tested the MCM and ASW mission modules for the littoral combat ship designs during the summer of 2014. It was the first time the ship had conducted end-to-end missions, and the crew successfully performed at the high operational tempos. When moving through a mock minefield twice, the suite of counter-mine technologies detected mines each instance and completed search, detect, and destroy phases; it was also the first time all three components of the MCM package had been integrated on board the ship. Testing of the ASW package was conducted in September, where for the first time both the active and passive sonars were towed at once to make sure the two systems did not cross. In February 2020 it was announced that the Navy plans to retire Independence and its sister ship Coronado after 10 and 6 years of service respectively. She is scheduled to be decommissioned 31 March 2021. source: wikipedia |
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