Austal announces completion of LCS 6 full ship shock trials

Full Ship Shock Trials by USS JACKSON  (LCS 6) was successfully completed on 16th July 2016, Austal Limited (Austal) said in its media release.

The U.S. Navy stated that USS JACKSON (LCS 6) “performed exceptionally well” during her third and final underwater explosion as part of her Full Ship Shock Trials (FSST). This is a significant milestone for the LCS program and Independence variant warship.

Last month, the U.S. Navy commenced FSST on USS JACKSON to validate her operational survivability after exposure to underwater shock.

Austal Chief Executive Officer David Singleton said this test now completes the physical shock trials for the LCS program and noted the positive reaction by the United States Navy, following the trial. “We’re very pleased with the performance of the USS JACKSON during these Full Ship Shock Trials, following the extensive work program that has been implemented on the ship to meet this standard. Whilst the Navy will continue to assess the results for several months the final test appears to validate the ability of our aluminum trimaran to operate and survive after exposure to underwater shock.”

Austal delivered the USS JACKSON (LCS 6) to the U.S. Navy, on the 11th August 2015 and delivered the future USS MONTGOMERY (LCS 8) to the U.S. Navy in June 2016. Six additional Independence variant LCS remain under construction at Austal USA in Mobile, Alabama - as part of an 11-ship contract worth over US$3.5 billion from the U.S. Navy. GABRIELLE GIFFORDS (LCS 10), OMAHA (LCS 12) and MANCHESTER (LCS 14) are all preparing for sea trials, whilst assembly is well underway on TULSA (LCS 16) and CHARLESTON (LCS 18). Modules for CINCINNATI (LCS 20) are under construction in Austal’s module manufacturing facility (MMF).

Austal is a global defence prime contractor and a designer and manufacturer of defence and commercial ships. For more than 27 years Austal has been a leader in the design, construction and maintenance of revolutionary ships for governments, navies and ferry operators around the world. More than 255 vessels have been delivered in that time.