The Navy has begun conducting “shock” tests for its new Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) to ensure they can survive underwater explosions.
On July 16, the USS Jackson (LCS-6), an Independence-class ship built by Austal USA [ASB], underwent its third and final underwater blast off the coast of Florida. “The ship performed exceptionally well, sustaining minimal damage, and returned to port under her own power,” Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) said in a statement July 19.
The tests, or full ship shock trials (FSST), began for LCS-6 in June, and each test involved subjecting the ship to a 10,000-pound explosive charge. NAVSEA said it collected “a large amount of data” during the FSST and plans to analyze the information “over the next several months.”
The USS Milwaukee (LCS-5), a Freedom-class ship built by a Lockheed Martin [LMT] team, will begin its own FSST later this summer off the Florida coast, NAVSEA said.
Separately, the Freedom-variant team held a keel-laying ceremony July 18 at Fincantieri Marinette Marine in Marinette, Wis., to formally kick off construction of the future USS Indianapolis (LCS-17). Three Freedom-class ships have been delivered to the Navy, and a total of seven are in various stages of construction, Lockheed Martin said.
Austal held a keel-laying ceremony for the USS Charleston (LCS-18) in late June. It has delivered four Independence-class ships to the Navy and has six more under construction in Mobile, Ala.