US Navy takes delivery of Freedom variant LCS USS Cooperstown.

According to information published by the US DoD on September 23, 2022, the Navy accepted delivery of the future USS Cooperstown (LCS 23) at the Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyard in Marinette, Wisconsin.
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Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ship USS Cooperstown (Picture source: Lockheed Martin)

The ship is the 12th Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) designed and delivered by the Lockheed Martin-led industry team. Delivery marks the official transfer of the ship from the shipbuilder to the Navy. Following delivery, the ship will sail away for a commissioning ceremony in New York City before transiting to its homeport in Mayport, Florida.

LCS 23 is the second Freedom-variant ship outfitted with the combining gear correction that will allow unrestricted operations. The correction addresses a class-wide flaw that was identified as the Fleet deployed these ships in greater numbers.

The future USS Cooperstown will be the first naval ship to honor the Village of Cooperstown in Otsego County, New York. The village is located at the southern end of the historic Otsego Lake in the central region of the state.

Cooperstown, New York, is the home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, which is the source of the ship’s motto, “America’s Away Team.”

Several more Freedom variant ships are under construction at the Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyard in Marinette, Wisconsin. The future USS Marinette (LCS 25) is scheduled for delivery in early 2023.

Additional ships in various stages of construction include the future ships USS Nantucket (LCS 27), USS Beloit (LCS 29), and USS Cleveland (LCS 31). LCS 31 will be the final Freedom-variant LCS.

The LCS class is now the second-largest surface ship class in production. The future USS Cooperstown is the fourth LCS delivered in Fiscal Year 2022, following the deliveries of the Freedom-variant USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul (LCS 21), Independence-variant USS Canberra (LCS 30), and Independence-variant USS Santa Barbara (LCS 32).

The LCS is a fast, agile, mission-focused platform designed to operate in near-shore and open ocean environments, capable of winning against 21st-century coastal threats such as mines and swarming small craft. The ships are capable of supporting forward presence, maritime security, sea control and deterrence.

The ship is a semi-planing steel monohull with an aluminum superstructure. It is 377 ft (115 m) in length, displaces 3,500 metric tons (3,400 long tons), and can achieve 47 knots (87 km/h; 54 mph).