US Navy commissions littoral combat ship Nantucket

The US Navy commissioned its newest Freedom-class littoral combat ship (LCS) in a ceremony in Boston, Massachusetts, on Saturday, November 16.

The 378-foot (115-metre) USS Nantucket is the 14th Freedom-class LCS to be built by Fincantieri Marinette Marine under the Lockheed Martin-led shipbuilding team as well as the third US Navy ship to be named after Nantucket Island in Massachusetts. The ship will be homeported in Mayport, Florida.

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, anti-submarine warfare, and surface warfare missions.

LCS class ships like Nantucket will be equipped with Over the Horizon – Weapons System (OTH-WS) Naval Strike Missile (NSM). The OTH NSM provides the US and its allies with long-range, anti-surface offensive strike capability as well as increased coastline defense, deterrence, and interoperability.

Following Nantucket, two more Freedom-class ships will be commissioned into service with the US Navy: the future USS Beloit, which was delivered in September, and the future USS Cleveland, which is still under construction.