USS Charleston (LCS-18)

USS Charleston (LCS-18) is an Independence-class littoral combat ship of the United States Navy. She is the sixth ship to be named for Charleston, the oldest and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina.[6]

Charleston in San Diego Bay on 19 April 2019
History
United States
Name:	USS Charleston
Namesake:	Charleston, South Carolina
Awarded:	29 December 2010[1]
Builder:	Austal USA[1]
Laid down:	28 June 2016[1][2]
Launched:	14 September 2017[1]
Sponsored by:	Bradley Byrne and Charlotte Riley
Christened:	26 August 2017[3]
Acquired:	31 August 2018[4]
Commissioned:	2 March 2019[5]
Homeport:	San Diego, California
Identification:	MMSI number: 368926271
Motto:	"While We Breathe, We Fight"
Status:	In active service
Badge:
General characteristics
Class and 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 and 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 MQ-8 Fire Scout

Charleston was built by Austal USA in Mobile, Alabama. A ceremonial laying of the keel was held at the Austal USA shipyards in Mobile on 28 June 2016. The ship's sponsor, U.S. Representative Bradley Byrne, welded his initials into the keel of Charleston as part of the ceremony.[2]

Charleston was commissioned on 2 March 2019[5] and she has been assigned to Littoral Combat Ship Squadron One[7] at her homeport of San Diego .

References

1. "Charleston (LCS-18)". Naval Vessel Register. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
2. "Austal USA Hosts Keel Laying Ceremony for LCS 18" (Press release). Austal USA. 28 June 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
3. "Austal USA Christens Charleston (LCS 18)" (Press release). Austal USA. 26 August 2017. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
4. "Navy Takes Delivery of Future USS Charleston (LCS 18)" (Press release). United States Navy. 4 September 2018. NNS180904-17. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
5. "Commissioning Ceremony Breathes Life into USS Charleston" (Press release). United States Navy. 3 March 2019. NNS190303-01. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
6. "Navy secretary to visit Charleston Friday for USS Charleston ship-naming". The Post and Courier. 6 January 2015. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
7. "LCS Squadron 1". public.navy.mil. Retrieved 25 February 2018.

• This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here.