USS Kingsville

Commissioning of USS Kingsville at the Port of Corpus Christi in Texas.
History
United States
Name	Kingsville
Namesake	Kingsville
Awarded	14 December 2018 [1]
Builder	Austal USA
Laid down	23 February 2022 [2]
Launched	23 March 2023 [3]
Sponsored by	Katherine L. Kline
Christened	22 April 2023 [4]
Acquired	1 March 2024 [5]
Commissioned	24 August 2024
Identification	Hull number: LCS-36
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	Sea Giraffe 3D Surface/Air RADAR Bridgemaster-E Navigational RADAR AN/KAX-2 EO/IR sensor for GFC
Electronic warfare & decoys	EDO ES-3601 ESM 4× SRBOC rapid bloom chaff launchers
Armament	BAE Systems Mk 110 57 mm gun 4× .50 cal (12.7 mm) guns (2 aft, 2 forward) Evolved SeaRAM 11 cell missile launcher Mission modules
Aircraft carried	2× MH-60R/S Seahawks

USS Kingsville (LCS-36) is an Independence-class littoral combat ship of the United States Navy. ^{[1] [6]} She will be the first ship to be named for Kingsville, Texas, which is home to Naval Air Station Kingsville. ^[6]

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]} The Kingsville is designed to travel upwards of 45mph, making it one of the fastest vessels in the navy. ^[10]

Construction and career

Kingsville was constructed in Mobile, Alabama by Austal USA. The Navy accepted delivery of the vessel on 1 March 2024, with commissioning expected to follow in mid-2024. ^[5] Homeport will be San Diego, California where it will travel to after being commissioned in Corpus Christi, Texas on August 24, 2024. ^[10]

References

1. "Kingsville (LCS-36)". Naval Vessel Register . Retrieved 26 October 2020.
2. "Austal USA hosts keel laying ceremony for future USS Kingsville (LCS 36)" (Press release). Austal USA. 23 February 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
3. "Austal USA launches USNS Cody (EPF 14) and Kingsville (LCS 36)" (Press release). Austal USA. 29 March 2023. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
4. "Austal USA christens future USS Kingsville (LCS 36)" (Press release). Austal USA. 22 April 2023. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
5. "U.S. Navy Accepts Delivery of Future USS Kingsville (LCS 36)". Naval Sea Systems Command. 1 March 2024. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
6. "Secretary of the Navy Names Independence-Variant Littoral Combat Ship USS Kingsville" (Press release). United States Navy. 4 February 2019. NNS190204-10. Archived from the original on 7 February 2019. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
7. "US Navy Fact File: Littoral Combat Ship Class – LCS". US Navy. Archived from the original on 12 June 2007. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
8. Special from Navy Office of Information (29 December 2010). "Littoral Combat Ship Contract Award Announced" (Press release). Navy News Service. NNS101229-09. Archived from the original on 20 September 2012. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
9. Osborn, Kris (27 June 2014). "Navy Engineers LCS Changes". www.dodbuzz.com. Monster. Archived from the original on 29 April 2015. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
10. Robbins, Gary (22 August 2024). "San Diego-bound warship USS Kingsville to be commissioned Saturday". San Diego Union-Tribune . Retrieved 22 August 2024.

•  This article incorporates public domain material from Kingsville (LCS-36) at the Naval Vessel Register .