The US Navy took delivery of a new Freedom-class littoral combat ship (LCS) from Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM) of Wisconsin on Monday, July 29. The delivery of the future USS Nantucket follows the successful completion of Acceptance Trials in December 2023.
The 378-foot (115-metre) vessel is the 14th Freedom-class LCS to be built by FMM under the Lockheed Martin-led shipbuilding team and the third US Navy ship to be named after Nantucket Island in Massachusetts. The ship will be commissioned later this year and will be homeported in Mayport, Florida.
The future Nantucket is capable of speeds in excess of 40 knots and is equipped with surface-to-air missiles and a BAE Systems Mk 110 57mm naval gun. The LCS will be used to support mine countermeasures (MCM), anti-submarine warfare (ASW), and surface warfare missions.
Following Nantucket, two more Freedom-variant ships are under construction at FMM. The future USS Beloit is scheduled for delivery in the summer of 2024 while the future USS Cleveland, the final Freedom-variant LCS, is in its final stages of construction alongside Beloit.