USS Augusta (LCS-34)
Independence-class littoral combat ship of the United States Navy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
USS Augusta (LCS-34) is an Independence-class littoral combat ship of the United States Navy.[1][6] She is the second ship to be named for Augusta, Maine.[6]
USS Augusta being launched at Austal Shipyards. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Augusta |
| Namesake | Augusta |
| Awarded | 18 September 2018[1] |
| Builder | Austal USA |
| Laid down | 30 July 2021[2] |
| Launched | 23 May 2022 |
| Sponsored by | Leigh Ingalls Saufley |
| Christened | 17 December 2022[3] |
| Acquired | 12 May 2023[4] |
| Commissioned | 30 September 2023[2] |
| Home port | San Diego |
| Identification | Hull number: LCS-34 |
| Motto | Protecting the Frontier[5] |
| Status | In active service |
| Badge |  |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Independence-class littoral combat ship |
| Displacement | 2,307 metric tons light, 3,104 metric tons full, 797 metric tons deadweight |
| Length | 127.4 m (418 ft) |
| Beam | 31.6 m (104 ft) |
| Draft | 14 ft (4.27 m) |
| Propulsion | 2× gas turbines, 2× diesel, 4× waterjets, retractable Azimuth thruster, 4× diesel generators |
| Speed | 40 knots (74 km/h; 46 mph)+, 47 knots (54 mph; 87 km/h) sprint |
| Range | 4,300 nautical miles (8,000 km; 4,900 mi) at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)+ |
| Capacity | 210 tonnes |
| Complement | 40 core crew (8 officers, 32 enlisted) plus up to 35 mission crew |
| Sensors & processing systems |
|
| Electronic warfare & decoys | |
| Armament |
|
| Aircraft carried | 2× MH-60R/S Seahawks |
Design
In 2002, the United States Navy initiated a program to develop the first of a fleet of littoral combat ships.[7] The Navy initially ordered two trimaran hulled ships from General Dynamics, which became known as the Independence-class littoral combat ship after the first ship of the class, USS Independence.[7] Even-numbered US Navy littoral combat ships are built using the Independence-class trimaran design, while odd-numbered ships are based on a competing design, the conventional monohull Freedom-class littoral combat ship.[7] The initial order of littoral combat ships involved a total of four ships, including two of the Independence-class design.[7] On 29 December 2010, the Navy announced that it was awarding Austal USA a contract to build ten additional Independence-class littoral combat ships.[8][9]
Construction and career
Augusta was built in Mobile, Alabama by Austal USA.[10] Austal USA delivered the ship to the Navy, in Mobile on 12 May 2023.[4] She joined the active fleet with a commissioning ceremony in Eastport, Maine on 30 September 2023.[11] Augusta arrived at her homeport of San Diego on 30 October 2023.[12]
The U.S. Navy announced[13] that USS Augusta (LCS-34) "...will undergo a $33.5 million overhaul at a San Diego shipyard", investigating potential for hull cracks and propulsion system problems frequently experienced by this class of small surface combatant ships.[14]
