SECNAV Spencer: LCS Build Rate ‘Not Optimal’ But ‘Good‘ for Sustaining Yards Ahead of FFG(X)

Article Courtesy USNI.org By: Sam LaGrone

March 8, 2018 12:30 PM • Updated: March 9, 2018 10:42 AM

CAPITOL HILL — Navy leaders are committed to buying a single Littoral Combat Ship in Fiscal Year 2019 despite increasing concern the rate would put shipbuilders at a disadvantage in the upcoming frigate competition.

Wednesday, Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer told the House Appropriations subcommittee on defense the service determined the best course of action ahead of the frigate was the single LCS buy in the Fiscal Year 2019 budget.

“We believe that between [FY] ‘18 and ‘19 that four LCSs in the line for the yards will provide them, granted not optimal, … a good sustaining rate for both yards as we move into what will be a very robust competition for the frigate,” Spencer said.
“As you read in the 30-year shipbuilding plan, one of the key attributes that we want to make everyone aware of is: Yes, we want to increase our capacity but we also need to understand what the industrial base can absorb and how we can work as partners with the industrial base while purchasing our assets at the most effective and efficient rate. “

Spencer’s comments come days after a USNI News report in which LCS builders Austal USA and Lockheed Martin expressed concern that the Navy’s build plan would leave the yards at a disadvantage in the coming frigate competition.

Both yards argue that while they’ll have work for some of their shipbuilders, workers in the early part of the process will be underutilized and could risk being let go.

Austal and Lockheed both said losing those employees early in the process would make them less competitive for the FFG(X) since they wouldn’t have so-called hot production lines for the work.

The Navy’s current stance on LCS construction is a break from its previous stance that three LCS a year was the minimum build rate to fully sustain both yards.

“It’s like building a house. You have guys who do the foundation, and you have guys that’ll hang the drywall. So if you don’t have ships coming in for the guys who do the foundation, then those guys have to go find other work. So it’s not only the timing and the number of the ships but it’s the sequencing of work that provides the efficiency,” Program Executive Officer Littoral Combat Ships Rear Adm. John Neagley told USNI News last year.
“The shipyards invested to do two ships a year on six-month centers, and so about one-and-a-half is an efficient build for me. Below that, we can certainly build ships, but I would expect to see impact to schedule and cost.”

Austal and Lockheed are two of five bidders for the Navy’s planned program of 20 next-generation guided missile frigates at an estimated cost of about $850 to 950 million a hull.

The two LCS builders, General Dynamics Bath Iron Works, Fincantieri Marine and Huntington Ingalls Industries were each awarded $15 million contracts for the work in mid-February.

The Navy will spend the next 16 months evaluating the proposals and award the final design contract in FY 2020.

LCS 9 : USS Little Rock Sea Trials

BYNAVAL STRATEGYON 4 MARCH 2018 • ( 2 COMMENTS )

The future USS Little Rock’s (LCS 9) acceptance trials were completed in Marinette, Wisconsin. The five-day, U.S. Navy-led trials featured a comprehensive array of tests designed to demonstrate performance of the ship’s propulsion plant, handling and auxiliary systems. Completion of the trials marks the last major milestone before LCS 9 is delivered to the Navy (Courtesy of Lockheed Martin)

Shipbuilders Worried About Navy Plan for 1 LCS in 2019 Ahead of Frigate Transition

Courtesy USNI.ORG By: Megan Eckstein

March 2, 2018 5:08 PM • Updated: March 2, 2018 8:58 PM

The Navy’s plan to buy just one Littoral Combat Ship in Fiscal Year 2019 has the two LCS shipbuilders uneasy, just a year before the program is set to transition to a guided-missile frigate and downselect to a single contractor.

Last year Navy leadership was vocal about the need to maintain a three-a-year minimum LCS acquisition rate until the next-generation frigate transition to ensure both builders remained viable competitors for the upcoming frigate work. But a year later, new leadership is confident in the single-ship purchase – which would leave one builder without a 2019 ship at all.

“There will be 21 LCSs under construction or planned for award across two shipbuilders,” Navy spokesman Capt. Danny Hernandez told USNI News. That 21-ship figure includes two LCSs the Navy requested in FY 2018 and the one in 2019, though the FY 2018 purchase has not been finalized yet due to Congress not passing a defense appropriations bill.
“This provides a sufficient workload, allowing both shipbuilders to maintain stability and be competitive for the FFG(X) award in FY 2020. Additionally, the budget requests for ‘18 and ‘19 will meet the LCS component (32) of the Navy’s requirement for 52 Small Surface Combatants (SSC) as outlined in the 2016 Force Structure Assessment,” he added. The Navy previously planned to buy 52 LCSs but then broke up the Small Surface Combatant requirement into 32 LCSs and 20 follow-on frigates.

Ahead of the Navy buying its first frigates in FY 2020, five companies are working with the Navy on maturing their designs – and three of the five have ties to the current LCS production lines. Austal USA is pitching a derivative of its Independence-variant LCS, Lockheed Martin and subcontractor Fincantieri Marine are pitching a derivative of the Freedom-class LCS, and Fincantieri as the prime contractor and Lockheed Martin as the subcontractor are pitching the Italian FREMM design. Disrupting hot production lines, therefore, could put the LCS builders at a disadvantage or risk the Navy starting the frigate program with less-than-optimal efficiency.

Given that having a hot production line is part of Austal’s and Lockheed Martin’s pitch in the frigate contest, they worry that the Navy buying just one ship in 2019 puts that at risk for them just ahead of a frigate downselect.

“Funding one LCS in the FY19 budget is not sufficient to support the Shipbuilding Industrial Base. Austal is efficiently delivering on average four ships per year to the Navy (two LCS and two EPF). Any reduction in volume would negatively impact the shipbuilding industrial base, including our suppliers (local and national), as well as the ability to efficiently transition to Frigate,” Austal USA told USNI News this week in a statement.
“Austal stands ready with capacity now to efficiently build the Navy our nation needs while being able to support an aggressive growth plan to a 355 ship fleet.”

“Over the past 10 years, the Freedom-variant industry team invested over $120 million to modernize the shipyard, hire more than 1,000 people and train a new workforce. This private investment optimized the shipyard for serial production at a rate of two Littoral Combat Ships per year. At this rate, our current production backlog is insufficient to maintain the employment and efficiency levels required for our team to remain competitive for Frigate,” Lockheed Martin told USNI News in a statement.
“If additional LCSs are not awarded in 2018 and 2019, the Freedom-variant LCS serial production line will experience a gap in construction, which would negatively impact the trained workforce and reduce the efficiencies that make both Lockheed Martin and Fincantieri’s FFG(X) offerings so compelling to U.S. Navy. Keeping LCS production stable is vital to preserving our shipyard workforce and efficient production at all stages of the construction process.”

Hernandez told USNI News that, though he couldn’t comment on private conversations between the shipbuilders and Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition James Geurts, “I can tell you Mr. Geurts speaks with industry members on a regular basis and he believes there is sufficient workload to sustain the industrial base. Navy leadership recognizes the critical nature of maintaining the shipbuilding industrial base while transitioning from LCS to the Frigate. The LCSs in our budget plan allows Navy to mature the Frigate design, better understand the cost drivers across the various design options and also preserves viability of the current small surface combatant industrial base in the near term, allowing them to be competitive for the Frigate design in FY-20.”

Navy officials in recent years have stressed the need for continuous, predictable work at shipyards to maintain hot production lines that meet or exceed cost and schedule goals. Whatever the size of the backlog of work, officials have warned, not putting new ships on contract can still disrupt the supply chain and production line and create cost and schedule consequences.

Program Executive Officer for LCS Rear Adm. John Neagley told USNI News last year that three LCSs a year – one and a half per year per shipyard – was the minimum buying rate needed to keep the production lines healthy ahead of the frigate transition.

“It’s like building a house. You have guys who do the foundation, and you have guys that’ll hang the drywall. So if you don’t have ships coming in for the guys who do the foundation, then those guys have to go find other work. So it’s not only the timing and the number of the ships but it’s the sequencing of work that provides the efficiency. The shipyards invested to do two ships a year on six-month centers, and so about one-and-a-half is an efficient build for me. Below that, we can certainly build ships, but I would expect to see impact to schedule and cost,” Neagley said.

Last year the Pentagon requested just one LCS in its 2018 request but the next day added in a second hull. Lawmakers pushed back – especially the Wisconsin and Alabama delegations – and the FY 2018 National Defense Authorization Act ultimately included three LCSs. It is unclear yet, though, if the Navy will be able to buy all three, since an FY 2018 appropriations bill is still pending.

Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) wrote to President Donald Trump last spring, warning that “including fewer than three LCS in your FY18 budget request would result in layoffs of highly-skilled manufacturing workers in the Midwest beginning next summer. … Only one LCS in FY18 could result in up to 800 layoffs at the shipyard, or 36 percent of the workforce, and a total of 1,850 jobs lost across the state.”

“Layoffs of this magnitude would have dire impacts on the ability of the Marinette shipyard and supply chain to compete for the Navy’s Frigate, which will soon follow the LCS,” Baldwin continued.
“That would result in reduced competition in the Frigate acquisition, driving up costs to the taxpayer, and harm to our national security by undercutting the strength of our domestic industrial base.”

U.S. Navy’s next Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship (LCS 30) to be named USS Canberra

 February 23, 2018 DP Press Releases  0 Comments Australia, HMAS Canberra (I33/D33), Independence-class LCS, Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), Royal Australian Navy (RAN), U.S. Navy (USN), USA, USS Canberra (CA-70/CAG-2), USS Canberra (LCS-30)

The U.S. Navy’s next Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship (LCS 30) will be named as USS Canberra, Donald Trump, the President of the US, announced.

Trump made the announcement Friday as he opened a White House news conference with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull after a day of meetings. The President said that a U.S. combat ship will be named in honor of an Australian cruiser that was lost fighting alongside the U.S. Navy in World War II.

Trump said that Australia’s defense minister will sponsor the ship and that the ship will be a worthy successor to both her Australian namesake and her American predecessor. He added that the ship will symbolize the enduring friendship between the two countries, adding that “there is no closer friendship.”

LCS 30 will be the second U.S. Navy ship to be named USS Canberra. The first one was USS Canberra (CA-70/CAG-2), a Baltimore-class cruiser and later a Boston-class guided missile cruiser.

Originally to be named USS Pittsburgh, the ship was renamed before launch to honor the loss of the Australian cruiser HMAS Canberra during the Battle of Savo Island. USS Canberra was the only USN warship named for a foreign warship or a foreign capital city.

HMAS Canberra (I33/D33)

HMAS Canberra (I33/D33), named after the Australian capital city of Canberra, was a Royal Australian Navy (RAN) heavy cruiser of the Kent sub-class of County-class cruisers.

Constructed in Scotland during the mid-1920s, the ship was commissioned in 1928, and spent the first part of her career primarily operating in Australian waters, with some deployments to the China Station.

At the start of World War II, Canberra was initially used for patrols and convoy escort around Australia. In July 1940, she was reassigned as a convoy escort between Western Australia, Sri Lanka, and South Africa. During this deployment, which ended in mid-1941, Canberra was involved in the hunt for several German auxiliary cruisers. The cruiser resumed operations in Australian waters, but when Japan entered the war, she was quickly reassigned to convoy duties around New Guinea, interspersed with operations in Malaysian and Javanese waters. Canberra later joined Task Force 44, and was involved in the Guadalcanal Campaign and the Tulagi landings.

On 9 August 1942, Canberra was struck by the opening Japanese shots of the Battle of Savo Island, and was quickly damaged. Unable to propel herself, the cruiser was evacuated and sunk in Ironbottom Sound by two American destroyers.

By: DP Press Release (DefPost)

Fincantieri FREMM evolving into US Navy FFG(X)

BYNAVAL STRATEGYON 21 FEBRUARY 2018 • ( 1 COMMENT )

The US Navy awarded to Fincantieri’s subsidiary Marinette Marine a $15M contract to evolve its FREMM-design into the next-generation frigate of the FFG(X) program.

Currently, 6 FREMM frigates are in service with the Italian Navy and have successfully completed multi-role missions world-wide. The units of the FREMM class have also been chosen in Australia for the final stage of the SEA5000 tender to acquire 9 Anti-Submarine Warfare Frigates for the Royal Australian Navy.

According to Fincantieri press release; Fincantieri Marinette Marine has teamed with Gibbs & Cox and Trident Maritime Systems to evolve FREMM to U.S. design standards. This wholly American team will develop a ship design, which, in case of award of the construction contract, would be built at Fincantieri shipyards in the US, where, over the past 9 years the company has developed a highly skilled workforce, an extensive supply chain and expertise in building ships to US Navy standards.

Navy awards design contracts for future frigate

A rendering of Lockheed Martin's concept for FFG(X), debuted at Surface Navy Association's National Symposium in January. (Courtesy of Lockheed Martin)

WASHINGTON —The Navy has awarded $15 million contracts to five companies for conceptual designs for the FFG(X) program.

Huntington Ingalls, Lockheed Martin, Austal USA, General Dynamics Bath Iron Works, and Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri have all been asked to submit mature designs over the next 16 months before the Navy drops down to a single detailed design and construction contract.

All the contracts contain options that could grow the value to between $22 million and $23 million, according to the contract announcement. The work is expected to be complete by June, 2019. 

Experts question the US Navy’s ideas for a new frigate

Analysts question whether the Navy actually knows what it wants from its littoral combat ship replacement.

The U.S. Navy intends to award the contract for the first FFG(X) in 2020. It will buy one in 2020 and one in 2021, followed by two each year after that, according to the Navy’s most recent 30-year shipbuilding plan. The U.S. Navy’s requirement is for 52 small-surface combatants, the bulk of which will be LCS. 

Both Austal and Lockheed Martin are competing amped up versions of their littoral combat ships. Huntington Ingalls is offering a version of the Coast Guard’s National Security Cutter. Fincantieri is offering its FREMM design. General Dynamics is offering a patrnership with Spanish shipbuilding Navantia, for its F100 frigate.

The Navy is looking for builders to balance value and capabilities, according to a statement, the Naval Sea Systems Command. 

“Throughout the accelerated acquisition process for FFG(X), the Navy will incentivize industry to balance cost and capability and achieve the best value solution for the American taxpayer,” the statement reads.

Article Courtesy of:  David Larter

Navy Picks Five Contenders for Next Generation Frigate FFG(X) Program

Five ship designs will compete in the Navy’s bid for 20 next-generation guided-missile frigates (FFG(X)) that will follow the Littoral Combat Ship, the service announced on Friday.

Five shipbuilders were awarded contracts for conceptual design of the frigates, which the Navy will evaluate over the next 16 months ahead of a final request for proposal in 2019 and a contract award in 2020.

Austal USA, Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics Bath Iron Works, Fincantieri Marine and Huntington Ingalls Industries were each awarded $15 million contracts for the work.

“These conceptual designs will reduce FFG(X) risk by enabling industry to mature designs to meet the approved FFG(X) capability requirements,” read a late Friday statement from Naval Sea Systems Command.
“The contracts based on these requirements will facilitate maturing multiple designs during the 16 months of the conceptual design phase, and will allow the Navy to better understand the cost and capability drivers across the various design options. Furthermore, this will inform the final specifications for a full and open competition with a single source award in FY20 for Detail Design and Construction (DD&C) of the FFG(X).”

Each design the Navy selected was based on a “mature” parent design that is already in production for the U.S. or foreign navies and that could incorporate a laundry list of systems the Navy will require for the FFG(X). Foreign designs required a partnership with a U.S. shipyard for construction. The Navy expects to pay anywhere from $800 to $950 million per hull for the next-generation frigate.

The Navy would not confirm how many groups bid for the work. At least one U.S.-German team that was not selected for a design contract, Atlas USA and ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, told USNI News they had submitted for the competition.

In July the Navy released many details of the government-furnished equipment side of the frigate design, when it released a request for information that would inform the conceptual design phase request for proposal. Whereas the LCS has been criticized for not having enough offensive firepower to contribute to a naval battle in a meaningful way, the FFG(X) will be outfitted with equipment to succeed in “complex electronic warfare and anti-ship missile threat environments” as both an independent-deployer and as part of a larger battle group.

Though the Navy had not settled on a final solution regarding how many Vertical Launching System (VLS) cells the ship would have and what balance of VLS-compatible missiles it might use, the RFI made clear VLS would be an important part of the frigate’s punching power.

Aside from the VLS, though, the RFI in many ways resembled the Navy’s previous frigate requirements — the Navy has evolved from an upgunned LCS to a frigate to a guided-missile frigate over the past few years in an attempt to figure out how to address criticisms of the Flight I LCSs being built, fielded and deployed today.

“Many of the required weapons systems are pulled from the previous FF requirements: the COMBATSS-21 Combat Management System, which pulls software from the same common source library as the Aegis Combat System on large surface combatants; the SeaRAM anti-ship missile defense system; a canister-launched over-the-horizon missile; the surface-to-surface Longbow Hellfire missile; the Mk53 Nulka decoy launching system; the Surface Electron Warfare Improvement Program (SEWIP) Block 2 program with SLQ-32(V)6; and a slew of undersea warfare tools such as the AN/SLQ-61 light weight tow, AN/SQS-62 variable depth sonar and AN/SQQ-89F undersea warfare/anti-submarine warfare combat system. It also requires use of the MK 110 57mm gun with the Advanced Low Cost Munition Ordnance (ALaMO) projectile being developed for the LCS and frigate,” USNI News reported last summer.

During last month’s Surface Navy Association, several shipbuilders outlined their designs for the FFG(X) competition.

Fincantieri Marine Group

Shipyard: Fincantieri Marinette Marine in Marinette, Wisc.
Parent Design: Fincantieri Italian FREMM
As part of the stipulations of the FFG(X) programs, a contractor can offer just one design in the competition as a prime contractor but may also support a second bid as a subcontractor. Fincantieri elected to offer its 6,700-ton Italian Fregata europea multi-missione (FREMM) design for construction in its Wisconsin Marinette Marine shipyard, as well as partner with Lockheed Martin on its Freedom-class pitch as a subcontractor. The Italian FREMM design features a 16-cell VLS as well as space for deck-launched anti-ship missiles.

Lockheed Martin

Shipyard: Fincantieri Marinette Marine in Marinette, Wisc.
Parent Design: Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ship
Of the two LCS builders, Lockheed Martin is the first to have secured a foreign military sale with its design. The company’s FFG(X) bid will have much in common with its offering for the Royal Saudi Navy’s 4,000-ton multi-mission surface combatant. The new Saudi ships will be built around an eight-cell Mk-41 vertical launch system and a 4D air search radar. Lockheed has pitched several other variants of the hull that include more VLS cells.
“We are proud of our 15-year partnership with the U.S. Navy on the Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ship and look forward to extending it to FFG(X),” said Joe DePietro, Lockheed Martin vice president of small combatants and ship systems in a Friday evening statement.
“Our frigate design offers an affordable, low-risk answer to meeting the Navy’s goals of a larger and more capable fleet.”

The following is the Feb. 16, 2018 contract annoucement from Naval Sea Systems Command.

Lockheed Martin Inc., Baltimore, Maryland, is being awarded a $14,999,889 firm-fixed-price contract for Guided Missile Frigate (FFG(X)) conceptual design. Lockheed Martin Incorporated will be maturing their proposed ship design to meet the FFG(X) system specification. The conceptual design effort will inform the final specifications that will be used for the detail design and construction request for proposal that will deliver the required capability for FFG(X). The conceptual design phase will reduce cost, schedule, and performance risk for the follow-on detail design and construction contract. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $21,972,630. Work will be performed in Baltimore, Maryland (39 percent); Arlington, Virginia (23 percent); Moorestown, New Jersey (13 percent); New York, New York (12 percent), Newport News, Virginia (12 percent); and Marinette, Wisconsin (1 percent), and is expected to be complete by June 2019. Fiscal 2018 research, development, test and evaluation; and fiscal 2017 research, development, test and evaluation funding in the amounts of $11,000,000 and $1,200,000 respectively will be obligated at time of award and funds in the amount of $1,200,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with six offers received. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. (N00024-18-C-2329)

Marinette Marine Corp., doing business as Fincantieri Marinette Marine, Marinette, Wisconsin, is being awarded a $14,994,626 firm-fixed-price contract for Guided Missile Frigate (FFG(X)) conceptual design. Fincantieri Marinette Marine will be maturing their proposed ship design to meet the FFG(X) system specification. The conceptual design effort will inform the final specifications that will be used for the detail design and construction request for proposal that will deliver the required capability for FFG(X). The conceptual design phase will reduce cost, schedule, and performance risk for the follow-on detail design and construction contract. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $22,977,617. Work will be performed in Arlington, Virginia (40 percent); Marinette, Wisconsin (25 percent); Moorestown, New Jersey (18 percent); Iron Mountain, Michigan (7 percent); Crozet, Virginia (5 percent); and Metairie, Louisiana (5 percent), and is expected to be complete by June 2019. Fiscal 2018 research, development, test and evaluation; and fiscal 2017 research, development, test and evaluation funding in the amounts of $11,000,000 and $1,200,000 respectively will be obligated at time of award and funds in the amount of $1,200,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with six offers received. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. (N00024-18-C-2328)

Article By: Sam LaGrone and Megan Eckstein

Get your first look at the new USS Nantucket (LCS-27)

USS Savannah and USS Nantucket

On Tuesday, Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer announced the next Freedom and Independence variant Littoral Combat Ships will be named USS Nantucket and USS Savannah.

The future USS Savannah (LCS 28), an Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship, is the sixth ship to bear the name of the oldest city in Georgia.

The future USS Nantucket (LCS 27), a Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ship, will be the third commissioned U.S. Navy ship to bear the name, said Lt. Joshua Kelsey.

Nantucket will be built by Fincantieri Marinette Marine in Marinette, Wisc. Savannah will be built by Austal USA in Mobile, Ala., Kelsey said.

LCS is a modular, reconfigurable ship, designed to meet validated fleet requirements for surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare and mine countermeasures missions in the littoral region. An interchangeable mission package is embarked on each LCS and provides the primary mission systems in one of these warfare areas.

Courtesy of the Savannah Morning News: Savannah Now and MarineLink.com

January 25th, 2018 CS Marine LLC's employees receive The Bull Rider Award

CS Marine LLC's Employees Receive The Bull Rider Award.

The Bull Rider Award was developed by the US Navy to recognize individuals and teams who have shown exceptional services, above and beyond, supporting the LCS program. MMC recognizes the following teams and individuals who have earned this award and thank them for their dedication to MMC and the success of the LCS program.

• Nominated by: John Hansen/Eric Nicholson
• Nominee: LCS-13 Alignment Team:

1. Bill Fecych - 2nd time nominee
2. Bill Kegley - 1st time nominee
3. Jason Wilkie - 1st time nominee
4. Guy Schletty - 2nd time nominee
5. Steve Nabours - 1st time nominee
6. Dave Kieke - 1st time nominee
7. Matt McGowan - 1st time nominee
8. Dan Nesberg - 1st time nominee
9. Andrew Nesberg - 1st time nominee
10. Mark Hayward - 4th time nominee
11. Kyle Hawley – 1st time nominee
12. Bob Demerath - 2nd time nominee
13. Ryan Larson - 3rd time nominee
14. Lance Posey - 1st time nominee
15. John Horvath - 1st time nominee
16. Carol Junak - 1st time nominee
17. Paul Hubbard - 2nd time nominee
18. Jeff Doboy - 1st time nominee
19. James VanHese - 1st time nominee
20. Mike Babic - 1st time nominee
21. John Christianson - 1st time nominee
22. Jeremy Demerath - 1st time nominee
23. Schaun Dixon - 1st time nominee
24. Jason Dolliver - 1st time nominee
25. William Harris - 3rd time nominee
26. Scott Jones - 3rd time nominee
27. Stuart Robison - 6th time nominee
28. Matt Friend = (LM Proj Eng)

• Justification: The LCS 13 Alignment Team, a few of which were new to the alignment work over previous hulls, were key in defining with high quality fidelity an accurate and repeatable alignment process covering all BLDG 10 activity and post-launch activity through the sell of final alignment. This process led to the executable alignment schedule and laid the frame work for alignment process innovation on future hulls. The alignment team significantly stream-lined alignment project rotational phases. By using a single alignment team to cover all hulls, as well as using (CS Marine provided) PLS units during rotation, execution of the strain gauge process was greatly improved. The Alignment team earned the confidence of Lamalo (vendor for providing strain gauge data) enough to allow multiple simultaneous moves of LSBs which further decreased the schedule time to achieve shaft alignment and completion of shaft rotational project phases.

United States Navy Fact File: LITTORAL COMBAT SHIP CLASS - LCS

Description
LCS is a fast, agile, mission-focused- platform designed for operation in near-shore environments yet capable of open-ocean operation. It is designed to defeat asymmetric "anti-access" threats such as mines, quiet diesel submarines and fast surface craft...

• General Characteristics, Freedom variant
• Builder: Lockheed Martin
• Length: 387.6 feet (118.1 meters)
• Beam: 57.7 feet (17.6 meters) 
• Displacement: approximately 3,450 MT full load
• Draft: 14.1 feet (4.3 meters) 
• Speed: 40+ knots
• Ships:

1. USS Freedom (LCS 1), San Diego
2. PCU Sioux City (LCS 11) - under construction
3. PCU Wichita (LCS 13) - under construction
4. PCU Billings (LCS 15) - under construction 
5. PCU Indianapolis (LCS 17) - under construction
6. PCU St. Louis (LCS 19) - under construction 
7. PCU Minneapolis-St. Paul (LCS 21) - under construction
8. PCU Cooperstown (LCS 23) - in pre-production phase
9. PCU Marinette (LCS 25) - in pre-production phase
10. PCU TBD (LCS 27) - awarded and in pre-production phase
11. USS Fort Worth (LCS 3), San Diego
12. USS Milwaukee (LCS 5) - Mayport, Florida
13. USS Detroit (LCS 7) - Mayport, Florida
14. PCU Little Rock (LCS 9) - delivered; in post delivery