US Navy to commission last Independence-variant LCS this November

August 25, 2025, by Fatima Bahtić

The US Navy will commission the future USS Pierre (LCS 38), an Independence-variant littoral combat ship (LCS), in Panama City, Florida, on November 15, 2025.

USS Pierre is the 19th and final Independence-variant littoral combat ship constructed. The naming of LCS 38 honors the legacy of the citizens of Pierre and the state of South Dakota and their support of the US Navy and the US Marine Corps.

LCS 38 is the third ship named in honor of South Dakota’s capital city, and the second US Navy warship to bear the name.

According to the navy, the SS Pierre Victory (VC2-S-AP3), a Victory-class cargo ship, distinguished itself during World War II by shooting down a kamikaze plane near Okinawa. The first navy warship named USS Pierre was a PC-461-class submarine chaser, PC-1141, commissioned in 1943, renamed in 1946, and decommissioned in 1958.

To remind, the vessel was delivered by the shipbuilder Austal USA in July this year. USS Pierre will transit to its new homeport in San Diego following commissioning.

Austal delivers USS Pierre, last Independence-variant LCS

Vessels

LCSs are a class of small surface combatants armed with capabilities to conduct missions in the world’s littorals. They can operate independently or in high-threat scenarios as part of a networked battle force that includes larger, multi-mission surface combatants such as cruisers and destroyers supporting forward presence, maritime security, sea control, and deterrence in key operational theaters.

LCS variant is playing a key role in advancing the US Navy’s unmanned programs, with USS Oakland (LCS 24) having recently served as a mothership for unmanned surface vessels and large flight decks supporting unmanned drones during an 18-month deployment to the US 7th Fleet.

USS Tulsa (LCS 16), USS Canberra (LCS 30) and USS Santa Barbara (LCS 32) have deployed with the mine countermeasures (MCM) mission package, which features airborne and unmanned systems, enhancing littoral capabilities.