The Navy has accepted the delivery of the future USS Kansas City (LCS-22) in a ceremony this week at Austal USA’s facilities in Mobile, Ala.
LCS-22 will be the 21st Littoral Combat Ship delivered to the Navy and the 11th Independence variant. It is slated for commissioning later this year.
Austal USA is in the process of building four other ships right now: Oakland (LCS-24), Mobile (LCS-26), Savannah (LCS-28), and Canberra (LCS-30). Another four ships are awaiting the start of construction.
The first ship to be named USS Kansas City was a heavy cruiser in World War II that was never completed. The second was an oiler that operated from 1967 to 1994 and participated in both the Vietnam War and Operation Desert Storm.
In addition to the USS Kansas City, the Navy will also take delivery of the USS St. Louis (LCS-19), Minneapolis-St. Paul (LCS-21), Oakland (LCS-24), and Mobile (LCS-26) this year.