The US Navy commissioned its newest littoral combat ship (LCS), USS Charleston, in a ceremony on Saturday, March 2.
The 16th LCS to join the fleet and the ninth of the Independence-class is also the sixth US Navy ship to be named after South Carolina's largest city.
The 127- by 31-metre Charleston was delivered to the navy by Austal USA on August 31, 2018, for acceptance trials.
It is set to join the 10 other vessels of Littoral Combat Ship Squadron 1 homeported at Naval Base San Diego.
