The US Navy's fifth Freedom-variant littoral combat ship (LCS) USS Little Rock has been commissioned after a Buffalo River ceremony.
Designed and built by Lockheed Martin and Fincantieri Marinette Marine, the shallow-draught USS Little Rock (LCS 9) joins USS Freedom (LCS 1), USS Fort Worth (LCS 3), USS Milwaukee (LCS 5) and USS Detroit (LCS 7) in the fleet.
The LCS class, which collectively have sailed more than 250,000 nautical miles, consists of the Freedom variant and Independence variant.
The Freedom team is led by Lockheed Martin (for odd-numbered ships). The Independence team is led by Austal USA (for even-numbered ships).
Twenty-nine LCS ships have been awarded to date: 11 have been delivered to the navy, five are in various stages of construction, and three are in pre-production states.
Little Rock is the second warship named after the Arkansas state capital and was commissioned alongside the first USS Little Rock (CLG 4). The Galveston-class guided missile cruiser serves as a museum at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park.
