The US Navy’s next littoral combat ship, the Independence-variant LCS 30, will be named USS Canberra, US president Donald Trump announced in a White House news conference with Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull on Friday, February 23.
The LCS will be the only US Navy vessel named for a city outside the US and the second to bear the name.
The first USS Canberra was a US Navy cruiser named after Australian cruiser HMAS Canberra which sunk during the Battle of Savo Island.
“Our Secretary of the Navy has chosen Australian Minister of Defence Marise Payne to be her sponsor. I know that the USS Canberra will be a worthy successor to her Australian namesake and her American predecessor the former US Navy Baltimore-class heavy cruiser, USS Canberra,” Trump said. ” As she sails the open sea, the new USS Canberra will symbolise to all who cross her path the enduring friendship between the United States and Australia. There is no closer friendship.”
The 127-meter vessel will be built by Australian-based shipbuilder Austal at its US shipyard in Mobile, Alabama.