USS Jackson (LCS-6)
USS Jackson (LCS-6) is an Independence-class littoral combat ship of the United States Navy, and the first ship to be named for Jackson, the capital of Mississippi.[1][4]
USS Jackson on 18 October 2021 | |
History | |
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United States | |
Name | Jackson |
Namesake | Jackson[1] |
Awarded | 29 December 2010[2] |
Builder | Austal USA[2] |
Laid down | 18 October 2012[2] |
Launched | 14 December 2013[2] |
Sponsored by | Dr. Kate Cochran[1] |
Acquired | 11 August 2015[2] |
Commissioned | 5 December 2015[1] |
Homeport | San Diego[2] |
Identification |
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Motto |
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Status | Active |
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[2] |
Length | 127.4 m (418 ft)[2] |
Beam | 31.6 m (104 ft)[2] |
Draft | 14 ft (4.27 m)[2] |
Propulsion |
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Speed | 40+ knots, 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 |
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Electronic warfare & decoys | |
Armament |
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Aircraft carried | 2 × MH-60R/S Seahawks |
Design
In 2002, the U.S. Navy initiated a program to develop the first of a fleet of littoral combat ships. The Navy initially ordered two trimaran hulled ships from General Dynamics, which became known as the Independence-class littoral combat ships after the first ship of the class, USS Independence. Even-numbered U.S. 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. The initial order of littoral combat ships involved a total of four ships, including two of the Independence-class design. On 29 December 2010, the Navy announced that it was awarding Austal USA a contract to build ten additional Independence-class littoral combat ships.[6][7]
Jackson is the third Independence-class littoral combat ship to be built. Jackson was built by Austal USA in Mobile, Alabama.[1] Jackson is the second Independence-class ship to carry standard 7 metres (23 ft) long rigid-hulled inflatable boats and improvements in corrosion protection and propulsion over the original Independence (LCS-2) design.[7]
History
Construction of Jackson began on 1 August 2011 with the first cutting of aluminum at Austal USA's Modular Manufacturing facility in Mobile, Alabama.[8] The name of the ship was announced on 5 October 2011.[9] The ship was launched on 14 December 2013.[2] Jackson was delivered to the Navy on 11 August 2015 and placed into service that day.[2] The ship was commissioned in a 5 December 2015 ceremony at Gulfport, Mississippi.[1][10] She has been assigned to Littoral Combat Ship Squadron One[11]
Jackson underwent the first of three shock trials[12] in waters off Florida on 16 June 2016, and the last being reported having been completed the week prior to 20 July 2016.[13] A charge of 10,000 pounds (4,500 kg) was set off at around 100 yards (91 m) with the ship wired with around 260 instruments to record the effects.[14]
On 23 May 2022, Jackson participated in the 28th Annual CARAT exercise with the Royal Thai Navy as a part of the Combined Task Force (CTF) 72. Jackson is attached to DESRON 7 and the US 7th Fleet. The MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopter was recently deployed on the ship.[15]
Jackson is scheduled to be decommissioned sometime in 2024.[16]
References
- Church, Kathleen (7 December 2015). "USS Jackson (LCS 6) Commissioned" (Press release). Navy News Service. NNS151207-02. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
- "USS Jackson (LCS 6)". Naval Vessel Register. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
- "GE Marine's LM2500 gas turbines to power USS Jackson (LCS 6)". naval-technology.com. 1 November 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
- "Navy Names Littoral Combat Ships Jackson and Montgomery" (Press release). U.S. Department of Defense. 25 March 2011. 243-11. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
- Special from Navy Office of Information (29 December 2010). "Littoral Combat Ship Contract Award Announced" (Press release). Navy News Service. NNS101229-09. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
- Osborn, Kris (27 June 2014). "Navy Engineers LCS Changes". www.dodbuzz.com. Monster. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
- "Building of LCS moves forward". UPI. 5 August 2011. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
- "U.S. Navy Christens Independence-Class Littoral Combat Ship USS Jackson". Shipbuilding Tribune. 6 October 2011. Archived from the original on 31 March 2012. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
- "Littoral combat ship USS Jackson commissioned in Gulfport". The Clarion Ledger. USA Today Network. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
- "LCS Squadron 1". public.navy.mil. Archived from the original on 26 February 2018. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
- "Simulated Ship Shock Tests/Trials". Institute for Defense Analyses. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.579.171.
- Ziezulewicz, Geoff (20 July 2016). "USS Jackson completes full ship shock trials". United Press International. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
- LCS Survives First Shock Test, Preps For More, Christopher P. Cavas, Defense News, 17 June 2016, accessed 20 June 2016
- Bahtić, Fatima (26 May 2022). "US Navy and Royal Thai Navy conduct CARAT exercise". Navaltoday.com. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
- Mongilio, Heather (27 September 2023). "Navy to Decommission Littoral Combat Ships USS Little Rock, USS Detroit This Week". USNI News. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
- 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.