US Navy’s next Independence variant littoral combat ship will carry the name of USS Kansas City (LCS 22), the Secretary of the United States Navy Ray Mabus announced.
LCS 22 will be the second commissioned naval ship to bear the name Kansas City. The first was a replenishment oiler (AOR 3) which served a 25-year career and included service during the Vietnam War and Operation Desert Storm.
A fast, agile surface combatant, the LCS provides the required war fighting capabilities and operational flexibility to execute a variety of missions in areas such as mine warfare, anti-submarine warfare and surface warfare.
The ship will be built with modular design incorporating mission packages that can be changed out quickly as combat needs change in a region. These mission packages are supported by detachments that deploy both manned and unmanned vehicles, and sensors in support of mine, undersea, and surface warfare missions.
Kansas City will be built by Austal USA in Mobile, Alabama. It will be 419 feet long and be capable of operating at speeds in excess of 40 knots.
Image: US Navy