Independence's Day: Austal Warship Christened

Team Infidel

Forum Spin Doctor
Mobile Press-Register
October 5, 2008
By Kaija Wilkinson, Business Reporter
Independence, the first U.S. Navy combat ship to be built in Mobile since World War II, was christened Saturday as part of an event that drew about 1,500 people from around the nation and world to Austal USA on the Mobile River.
Doreen Scott, wife of 10th Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Terry D. Scott, broke the champagne bottle on an upper rail of Independence on her first try as a U.S. Coast Guard patrol boat spouted celebratory streams of water and a military propeller plane whizzed overhead.
The christening was preceded by a ceremony in the cavernous Austal ship shed, during which members of a General Dynamics Corp.-led team that includes Austal USA and Bath Iron Works joined dignitaries in celebrating what Dugan Shipway, president of Bath Iron Works, called "a historic day" for the city of Mobile.
"Independence is the U.S.' first trimaran warship, an innovative ship that will bring anew dimension of Navy warfare to the fleet," Shipway said.
Shipway, along with other officials, pointed to the hard work involved in bringing such a project from concept to reality.
"It takes sweat, determination, persistence, commitment and even a little bit of luck," he said. "Our team's efforts have been flush with challenges, a few setbacks, as well as successes. We've learned many lessons and have put them to good use by moving forward with renewed commitment and enthusiasm."
The General Dynamics team and a Lockheed Martin Corp.-led team were selected several years ago by the Navy to build the first two prototypes of the littoral combat ship — a new breed of warship designed to move quickly in shallow, or littoral, waters.
The Lockheed vessel, Freedom, has a traditional steel monohull and was delivered to the Navy last month. The Austal-built aluminum-hulled ship has an innovative trimaran design — essentially a long, slender monohull flanked by a pair of smaller side hulls.
The ship is scheduled to perform sea trials early next year in the Gulf of Mexico and be delivered to the Navy shortly thereafter.
After an initial cost estimate of about $220 million, both vessels ended up with price tags that exceeded a half-billion dollars, prompting U.S. Sen. John McCain during the recent presidential debate to hold up the LCS program as an example of wasteful government spending.
U.S. Secretary of the Navy Donald Winter on Saturday called the initial cost projections "overly optimistic," and said he still has faith that, in the long run, the LCS will be a "cost-effective and mission-capable ship that will make a major contribution to our fleet."
Winter said a defense authorization bill signed Saturday morning includes about $1 billion for the Navy to acquire two LCSs in 2009. Both contracting teams are anxiously awaiting the announcement of further contract awards, but Winter declined to say when the Navy would award them.
"We're proceeding as fast as we can, but since we're in a solicitation phase right now, it would be inappropriate for me to comment on any of the details," Winter said.
Austal, which is also competing to built up to 10 U.S. military vessels built on a fast-ferry platform, has expressed confidence in being able to fulfill the Navy's needs.
Bob Browning, Austal Ltd. president, said the company's role in naval shipbuilding "has only just begun."
He reminded the crowd that Austal is building a $254 million, 750,000-square-foot manufacturing facility just a quarter-mile south of the company's current operations. That facility, he said, will have a footprint that covers 17 acres. It will be capable of producing six ships the size of the LCS per year, he said.
"With capacity and efficiency come cost savings," Browning told the crowd.
Winter said the Navy is still developing its acquisition strategy, but ultimately wants to buy 55 LCSs. He said its speed and agility combined with multiple weapons modules will make it particularly useful in thwarting terrorist and pirate attacks. It can also be used in humanitarian efforts, he said.
"The next, most important step, particularly with this vessel, is to get her out to trials and be able to see what she does," Winter said. "We are looking forward to being able to conduct those trials and commission this ship."
Independence is expected to be commissioned, or put into service, early next year.
 
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