Austal USA laid the keel of the future US Navy littoral combat ship (LCS) USS Santa Barbara on Tuesday, October 27.
The Independence-class LCS will be the third US Navy vessel to honour the city of Santa Barbara in California.
The future Santa Barbara will have a length of 127.4 metres, a beam of 31.6 metres, a draught of 4.27 metres, and a speed of 40 knots.