Article Posted on : - May 08, 2012

The future USS Fort Worth (LCS 3). Photo: Lockheed Martin.

MARINETTE, WISCONSIN (BNS): The third Littoral Combat Ship, USS Fort Worth (LCS 3), has successfully completed acceptance trials and will be delivered to the US Navy this summer.

'Fort Worth' is the second surface combatant designed and built by Lockheed Martin led industry team. The trials, conducted in Lake Michigan from 30 April to 4 May, included a four-hour full-power run and both surface and air detect-to-engage demonstrations of the ship's combat management system.

Major systems and features were demonstrated, including aviation support, small boat launch handling and recovery, and ride control, Lockheed said.

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

Other Freedom-variant LCSs include USS Freedom (LCS 1), which is being prepared for her second deployment; Milwaukee (LCS 5), and Detroit (LCS 7), which are under construction.

The team also is currently in the early stages of planning and material procurement for Little Rock (LCS 9) and Sioux City (LCS 11), which were funded in March 2012.

The Lockheed Martin-led LCS team includes ship builder Marinette Marine Corporation, a Fincantieri company, naval architect Gibbs & Cox, as well as domestic and international teammates.