Austal USA Hosts Christening for the Future USS Cincinnati (LCS 20)
MOBILE, Ala. – Austal USA celebrated the christening of Littoral Combat Ship 20 (LCS 20), the future USS Cincinnati, with a ceremony at its state-of-the-art ship manufacturing facility this morning. Cincinnati is the tenth of 15 Independence-variant LCS Austal USA has under contract with the U.S. Navy at a combined value of over $4.5 billion.
“We’re so excited to christen this awesome ship here at Austal USA,” said Austal USA President Craig Perciavalle. “The future USS Cincinnati will set another benchmark for cost, schedule, quality and capability for the LCS program thanks to the incredible work of our shipbuilding team.”
He continued, “Austal USA remains laser focused on providing the most cost-effective and capable small surface combatants in the world to our great Navy. We stand 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.”
Rear Adm. John P. Neagley, U.S. Navy, Program Executive Officer for Unmanned and Small Combatants, spoke at today’s event. He was joined by Mr. Frederick J. Stefany III, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Ship Programs, Vice Admiral Walter “Ted” Carter, U.S. Navy, Superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy and, representing the city of Cincinnati, The Honorable David Mann, Council Member and former U.S. Congressman from Ohio.
The ship’s sponsor, The Honorable Penny Pritzker – 38th U.S. Secretary of Commerce, headlined the group of officials, naval guests, civic leaders, community members and Austal USA employees who attended the ceremony beneath the hull of the ship in Austal USA’s final assembly bay. Ms. Pritzker was chosen to fulfil this prestigious honor by former Secretary of the Navy, Ray Mabus.
“It is a great honor to be associated with this incredible vessel and the amazing people who built it,” commented Ms. Pritzker. “I wish the crew well as the Cincinnati becomes an integral part of the U.S. naval fleet protecting our nation.”
With a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Harvard University and a Juris Doctor and Master of Business Administration degree from Stanford University, Penny Pritzker is an entrepreneur, civic leader, and philanthropist with more than 30 years of experience in numerous industries. Not only did she serve as U.S. Secretary of Commerce in the Obama Administration, she also served on President Obama’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness and his Economic Recovery Advisory Board. She is the Founder and Chairman of PSP Partners, a global private investment firm, and she is a member of the board of numerous distinguished organizations including, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Microsoft, and the Obama Foundation.
The Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship is a high-speed, agile, shallow draft, focused-mission surface combatant designed to conduct Surface Warfare, Anti-Submarine Warfare, and Mine Countermeasures missions in the littoral region. With its open architecture design, the LCS can support modular weapons, sensor systems and a variety of manned and unmanned vehicles to capture and sustain littoral maritime supremacy.
Austal has delivered two LCS to the Navy in 2018 while another five are under construction. LCS 18 is preparing for sea trials as LCS 20, 22, 24 and LCS 26 are following close behind. Additionally, Austal has two more LCS in a pre-construction phase, LCS 28 and LCS 30.
In addition to being in full rate production for the LCS program, Austal is also the Navy’s prime contractor for the Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF) program. Austal has delivered nine EPF vessels, while an additional three are in various stages of construction.
