Austal USA Delivers Last Independence-Variant LCS to USN

 

Austal USA reports the U.S. Navy officially took delivery today, July 11, of the future USS Pierre, the final ship of the Independence program. LCS 38 is the 19th Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) delivered by the company in a program that dates back to the early 2000s.

Delivery documents were signed on board following the successful completion of acceptance trials held the week of June 9, 2025. The trials tested the ship’s major systems and equipment to demonstrate their successful operation and mission readiness. The ships’ pre-commissioning unit will now begin preparations for fleet introduction.

Austal USA highlights the Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) as fast and agile, a platform designed for near-shore operations, supporting forward presence, maritime security, sea control, and deterrence. The trimaran hull was reputed to be fast and at 413 feet in length was just over 3,000 tons displacement with the use of aluminum. 

“The delivery of the future USS Pierre will be one of our most memorable milestone achievements as it marks the conclusion of Austal USA’s Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship program,” said Austal USA President Michelle Kruger. “Our shipbuilding team has poured years of dedication, innovation, and manufacturing excellence into this ship, and the results are evident. Though USS Pierre is the last LCS Austal USA will deliver, we remain committed to supporting the U.S. Navy with innovative maritime solutions and the highest standards of quality.”

The company highlights that it delivered 19 vessels in just 15 years. The first of the vessels, USS Independence, was commissioned in 2010, with the flow of ships building starting in 2014. In pear years, 2018 and again in 2021, the USN commissioned three ships of the class in a single year. The final order or the last two ships came in 2018, as the Navy had soured on aluminum and started to move back to steel.

Observers criticized the ships and their multiple problems. Early on, there were reports of excessive corrosion due to galvanic corrosion, the joining of two metals. Austal USA said it was able to address the issue with an "array of tested corrosion-management tools and processes."

The next challenge came in 2019 when the Navy began identifying cracks in the structure that seemed to come about when the ships operated at higher speeds in moderate or worse seas. By 2022, the Navy said it had found cracks on six of the first 13 ships, and in an unusual move, decommissioned the first two ships of the class in 2021 and 2022. The prior administration had said two additional hulls were scheduled to be decommissioned, but the new Trump administration has not confirmed the plans as it seeks to enhance naval operations. 

Austal USA made the pivot to steel and conducted its first steel cutting for the Navy in 2022. Last month, USNS Billy Frank Jr. was rolled out from the construction hall as Austal USA’s first steel vessel for the USN. The company highlights that it has nine U.S. Navy vessels and one U.S. Coast Guard cutter under construction, with construction scheduled to begin on a second cutter in early August.