Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus will host a ship naming ceremony in honor of the littoral combat ship (LCS) USS Omaha, June 25, at 10 a.m. CDT at Louis and Clark Landing, 515 North Riverfront Drive in Omaha, Neb.
The future USS Omaha (LCS 12) is the fourth Navy vessel to bear the name. Omaha, an Independence variant of the LCS class, was named to honor the patriotic, hard-working citizens of Omaha and the state of Nebraska for their support of and contributions to the military.
Littoral combat ships are fast, agile, focused-mission platforms designed for successful operations in near-shore and open-ocean environments. They are designed to defeat threats such as mines, quiet diesel submarines and fast surface craft.
Omaha will be outfitted with reconfigurable payloads, called mission packages, which can be changed out quickly as combat needs demand. These mission packages are supported by special detachments that will deploy manned and unmanned vehicles and sensors in support of mine, undersea and surface warfare missions.
Austal USA in Mobile, Ala., will build the USS Omaha, which will be 419 feet in length, have a waterline beam of 103 feet, displace approximately 3,000 tons, and operate at speeds in excess of 40 knots.
[mappress] Naval Today Staff , June 22, 2012; Image: US Navy