The U.S. Navy commissioned its newest Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship USS Savannah (LCS 28) Feb. 5, 2022, in Brunswick, Georgia. Remarks will be provided by the Honorable Earl L. “Buddy” Carter, U. S. Representative, Georgia’s First District; the Honorable Meredith Berger, Performing the Duties of the Under Secretary of the Navy; Vice Adm. Carl Chebi, Commander, Naval Air Systems Command; the Honorable Van Johnson, Mayor of Savannah; the Honorable Cosby Johnson, Mayor of Brunswick; and Larry Ryder, Vice President of Business Development and External Affairs, Austal USA. The ship’s sponsor is Mrs. Dianne Davison Isakson, wife of the late Honorable Johnny Isakson, former Senator from Georgia. USS Savannah will homeport at Naval Base San Diego, California.
“The city of Savannah, Georgia, has played an important role in our nation’s naval history,” said Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro. “I have no doubt the Sailors of USS Savannah (LCS 28) will carry on the fighting spirit of this city and will play an important role in the defense of our nation and maritime freedom.”
“The USS Savannah is poised to represent its motto across the globe, not for self but for others. Today as we commission her as an operating force of the U.S. Navy. The ship and her crew will carry on the legacy of the five other ships that had the honor to bear the name Savannah since 1798. They participated in the Mexican War, the Civil War, World War I, World War II, and the Vietnam War. ,” said Naval Air Systems Command Vice Adm. Carl Chebi.
Austal USA delivered its 14th Independence-class Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) to the U.S. Navy from its shipyard in Mobile, Alabama. Achieving significant gains in production efficiency, the future USS Savannah (LCS 28) was completed by Austal USA in just under three years, a full twelve months earlier than previous ships delivered under the same program. It is designed to defeat asymmetric “anti-access” threats, such as mines, quiet diesel submarines, and fast surface craft. The 127-meter high-speed trimaran hull warship integrates new technology to support current and future mission capability from deep water to the littoral zone.
The LCS class consists of two variants, the Freedom and the Independence, designed and built by two industry teams. Lockheed Martin leads the Freedom-variant team, or odd-numbered hulls, constructed in Marinette, Wisconsin. Austal USA leads the Independence-variant team in Mobile, Alabama for LCS 2 and the subsequent even-numbered hulls. Savannah is the 14th Independence-variant LCS and the sixth ship to bear its name. LCS is a fast, agile, mission-focused platform designed to operate in near-shore environments, winning against 21st-century coastal threats. The platform is capable of supporting forward presence, maritime security, sea control, and deterrence.
