Austal hosts christening of new Littoral Combat Ship
LCS 10 is the third U.S. Navy vessel to be christened at Austal’s Mobile, Alabama shipyard in 2015.
Austal joined the Honorable Gabrielle Giffords, her husband, retired Navy captain Mark Kelly, and ship’s sponsor Dr. Jill Biden in celebrating the christening of the future USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10) today in Mobile, Alabama. This is the third littoral combat ship (LCS) in Austal’s 10-ship, $3.5 billion block-buy contract.
Christening Ceremony of USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10)
The Independence-variant littoral combat ship is a 127-meter (419-foot) aluminum trimaran, capable of being outfitted with reconfigurable payloads (mission packages) which can be changed to support mine countermeasure, anti-submarine and surface warfare missions. It is named Gabrielle Giffords after the former Congresswoman from Tuscon, Arizona. This is only the sixteenth U.S. naval ship to be named for a woman and the thirteenth since 1850 to be named for a living person.
"The Navy motto is Semper Fortis, Always Courageous," said Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus during a ceremony held at the Pentagon in February 2012 where he officially announced the name of the ship. "Unwavering courage has defined the Navy for 236 years and it is what we expect and what we demand of our sailors every single day. So it is very appropriate that LCS 10 be named for someone who has become synonymous with courage and who has inspired a nation with remarkable resiliency and showed the possibilities of the human spirit.”
Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, is a mother and grandmother, a lifelong educator, and an active member of her community. As Second Lady, she works tirelessly to bring attention to the sacrifices made by military families, to highlight the importance of community colleges to America’s future, and to raise awareness around areas of particular importance to women, including breast cancer prevention. She also continues to teach English full-time at a community college in nearby Virginia.
Dr. Biden’s is the author of a children’s book, Don’t Forget, God Bless Our Troops, released in June 2012. In Delaware, she was active with a nonprofit organization called Delaware Boots on the Ground, which helps families during times of military deployment by organizing community events to raise awareness and support. Through their Joining Forces initiative, First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Biden have issued a national challenge to all Americans to take action and find ways to support and engage our military families in their own communities.
Dr. Biden has been an educator for more than three decades. Prior to moving to Washington, D.C., she taught English at a community college in Delaware, at a public high school and at a psychiatric hospital for adolescents. She earned her Doctorate in Education from the University of Delaware in January of 2007. Her dissertation focused on maximizing student retention in community colleges. She also has two Master's degrees — both of which she earned while working and raising a family.
Austal USA president Craig Perciavalle remarked, “I think I speak for Austal’s entire shipbuilding team when I say that we are excited to be building a ship named after such an amazing person. Gabrielle Giffords’ courage and tenacity in the face of adversity is well-represented in the short history of the Littoral Combat Ship program.” He praised the shipbuilders, saying “I’m proud to say that Austal’s workforce shows the same commitment and dedication that both of these women representing this ship have demonstrated throughout their careers, growing exponentially in a short period of time completing milestone after milestone making Austal highly successful and the largest private employer in south Alabama.”
The vessel has a maximum speed of more than 40 knots. The Independence-variant combines superior seakeeping, endurance, and speed with the volume and payload capacity needed to support emerging missions – today and in the future. The ship was launched in February and is making preparations for trials and delivery in 2016.
Navy tradition dictates that each ship constructed for the service be honored on four historic ceremonial occasions: keel-laying, christening, commissioning, and decommissioning. When a Navy ship is christened, the recently constructed ship is solemnly dedicated, named, and committed to the sea.
Over 400 naval and shipyard guests attended the ceremony, which was held on the east bank of the Mobile River at Austal’s waterfront facility. The Honorable Dennis V. McGinn, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy, Installations and Environment was the principal speaker at the event.
The LCS program is in full swing at Austal USA with seven ships under construction at this time. Jackson (LCS 6) is preparing for acceptance trials the week of June 22. Montgomery (LCS 8) is preparing for trials and delivery later this year. Final assembly is well underway on Omaha (LCS 12) and Manchester (LCS 14). Modules for Tulsa (LCS 16) and Charleston (LCS 18) are under construction in Austal’s Module Manufacturing Facility.
Austal has also been contracted by the U.S. Navy to build ten 103-meter (338-foot) Joint High Speed Vessels (JHSV) under a ten-ship, $1.6 billion contract, five of which have already been delivered.
Austal USA is a full-service shipyard offering design, construction and high-speed vessel service and repair. As Austal USA continues to expand its service and repair capabilities, the company is well-positioned for new business with engineering, test and trials capabilities, a new west coast operations office in San Diego, Calif., and a new
ENDS
About Austal
Austal is a global defense prime contractor and a designer and manufacturer of defense and commercial ships. For more than 25 years Austal has been a leader in the design, construction and maintenance of revolutionary ships for Governments, Navies and Ferry operators around the world. More than 250 vessels have been delivered in that time.
Ships
Defense vessels designed and built by Austal include multi-mission combatants, such as the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) for the United States Navy and military high speed vessels for transport and humanitarian relief, such as the Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV) for the United States Navy and High Speed Support Vessel (HSSV) for the Royal Navy of Oman. Austal also designs, constructs, integrates and maintains an extensive range of patrol and auxiliary vessels for government agencies globally, including the Cape Class Patrol Boat Program for Australian Customs and Border Protection. Defense vessels are designed and constructed in Mobile, Alabama and in Henderson, Western Australia.
Austal has been at the forefront of the high speed ferry market since the early days of the industry. Our market leading designs of high performance aluminum vessels have long been at the heart of Austal’s research and development. Today, commercial ship construction is centered on our shipyard in Balamban, Philippines.
Systems
Austal has expertise in integrating complex systems into its ships, including ride control, ship management, and communication, sensors and weapon systems.
Support
Austal provides a wide range of support services, including through life support, integrated logistics support, vessel sustainment and systems support. These services are delivered through our global support network in the USA, Australia, Asia, and the Middle East together with partner shipyards worldwide.
ENDS
Contact:
Michelle Bowden, Manager, Media and Marketing
251-445-7304
Please visit our Flickr page for event photos
@Austal_USA
Further Information
| Contact: | Austal |
|---|---|
| Phone: | 61 8 9410 1111 |
| Fax: | 61 8 9410 2564 |
| Email: | media@austal.com |
