The U.S. Navy will commission its newest Independence-variant littoral combat ship (LCS), the future USS Canberra (LCS 30), during an international commissioning ceremony, at 10:00 a.m. AEST on Saturday, July 22 (8:00 p.m. EDT on Friday, July 21) at the Royal Australian Navy Fleet Base East in Sydney, Australia.
The Honorable Carlos del Toro U.S. Secretary of the Navy, will deliver the commissioning ceremony’s principal address. Remarks will also be provided by His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley, AD, DSC, Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia; the Honourable Richard Marles, MP, Deputy Prime Minister of Australia; the Honorable Caroline Kennedy, U.S. Ambassador to Australia; Adm. Michael Gilday, U.S. Chief of Naval Operations; Vice Adm. Mark Hammond, Royal Australian Chief of Navy; and Mr. Larry Ryder, Vice President of Business Development and External Affairs, Austal USA. The ship’s sponsor is Australian Senator, the Honourable Marise Payne, the former Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs who attended the ship’s keel laying ceremony at Austal USA’s shipyard in Mobile, Alabama, in 2020.
Independence-variant LCS are fast, optimally-manned, mission-tailored, surface combatants that operate both close to shore and in open-ocean environments. LCS integrate with joint, combined, crewed, and unmanned systems to support forward-presence, maritime security, sea control, and deterrence missions around the globe. The USS Canberra’s sister ships, USS Jackson (LCS 6), USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10), USS Manchester (LCS 14), and USS Mobile (LCS 26) are all currently on deployment in the Indo-Pacific.
LCS 30 will be the 16th commissioned Independence-variant LCS. It is the second ship named in honor of the city of Canberra, and commemorates the more than 100 years of mateship between the U.S. and Australian allies. The first USS Canberra (CA 70) was named in remembrance of the Australian heavy cruiser HMAS Canberra that sank during the Battle of Savo Island while fighting side-by-side with U.S. naval forces. CA 70 was the first U.S. Navy ship named for a foreign capital.
The first USS Canberra (CA 70) received seven battle stars for her service in World War II. In May 1958, Canberra served as the ceremonial flagship for the selection of the Unknown Serviceman of World War II and Korea. Canberra was decommissioned in a ceremony on Feb. 2, 1970, at the San Francisco Bay Naval Shipyard. One of her propellers is preserved at the Los Angeles Maritime Museum, while the ship’s bell is on display at the Australian National Maritime Museum.
| Name | Canberra |
| Namesake | HMAS Canberra |
| Awarded | 6 October 2017[2] |
| Builder | Austal USA[2] |
| Laid down | 10 March 2020 |
| Launched | 30 March 2021 |
| Sponsored by | Marise Payne[2] |
| Christened | 5 June 2021[4] |
| Acquired | 21 December 2021[1] |
| Homeport | San Diego |
| Identification | Hull number: LCS-30 |
| Motto | Can Do! [3] |
| Status | Pre-Commissioning |
| 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 RADARBridgemaster-E Navigational RADARAN/KAX-2 EO/IR sensor for GFC |
| Electronic warfare & decoys | EDO ES-3601 ESM4× SRBOC rapid bloom chaff launchers |
| Armament | BAE Systems Mk 110 57 mm gun4× .50 cal (12.7 mm) guns (2 aft, 2 forward)Evolved SeaRAM 11 cell missile launcherMission modules |
| Aircraft carried | 2× MH-60R/S SeahawksMQ-8 Fire Scout |