U.S. Navy to Commission Cooperstown Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship

The U.S. Navy will commission the future USS Cooperstown (LCS 23) as the newest Independence- variant littoral combat ship (LCS) during a 10:00 a.m. EDT ceremony on Saturday, May 6, in New York City.

LCS 23 is the 12th Freedom-variant LCS, the 23rd in the class. It is the first ship to bear the name of Cooperstown, New York. Cooperstown received its name on July 25, 2015, during a ceremony at the National Baseball Hall of Fame, which is located in Cooperstown.

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, the odd-numbered hulls, in Marinette, Wis.  Austal USA leads the Independence-variant team in Mobile, Al., for LCS 6 and the subsequent even-numbered hulls.

Littoral Combat Ships are fast, optimally-manned, mission-tailored surface combatants that operate in near-shore and open-ocean environments. LCS integrate with joint, combined, manned and unmanned teams to support forward-presence, maritime security, sea control and deterrence missions around the globe.