The nation’s 26th littoral combat ship (LCS) will be named USS Mobile, the U.S. Navy announced during a ceremony in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 22.
“It is such an honor for a future littoral combat ship to be named after the city of Mobile,” said U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne of Alabama’s 1st Congressional District. “Our area takes such pride in building these fine ships, just the latest vessel in Mobile’s long history of shipbuilding. I know the spirit and patriotism of Mobile will be encapsulated in this ship.”
USS Mobile (LCS 26) will be the fifth ship named after the city, which also is home to the ship’s manufacturer,Austal USA.
“We’re so excited to build a great warship named after our hometown,” said Austal USA President Craig Perciavalle. “The hard work and dedication of thousands of Mobilians, along with the support from this great city, made this possible, something everyone should be so very proud of. We can’t wait to get the future USS Mobileinto the fleet to help defend our freedom across the globe.”
Navy officials also announced Rebecca Byrne, wife of Congressman Byrne, will be the ship’s sponsor.
“The Navy has selected a tremendous woman to sponsor this ship. The work that Rebecca Byrne does for the community here in Mobile is unsurpassed,” Perciavalle said. “On a regular basis, she’s at the forefront of community development, transformation and charitable giving.”
Austal is a global defense prime contractor and a designer and manufacturer of defense and commercial ships. For more than 27 years, Austal has designed, built and maintained revolutionary ships for governments, navies and ferry operators around the world. More than 255 vessels have been delivered in that time.
Defense vessels designed and built by Austal include multimission combatants, such as the LCS for the U.S. Navy and military high-speed vessels for transport and humanitarian relief, such as the expeditionary fast transport (EPF) ships for the Navy, and high-speed support vessel (HSSV) for the Royal Navy of Oman.
Austal also designs, constructs, integrates and maintains an extensive range of patrol and auxiliary vessels for government agencies globally, including the Cape Class Patrol Boat Program for Australian Border Force. Defense vessels are designed and constructed in Mobile and in Henderson, Western Australia.
[Source:-Albama news centre]
