USS Cincinnati (LCS-20)

For other ships with the same name, see USS Cincinnati.

USS Cincinnati (LCS-20) is an Independence-class littoral combat ship of the United States Navy.^[1] She is the fifth ship to be named after Cincinnati, Ohio.^[6]

USS Cincinnati in the Gulf of Mexico on 10 February 2019
History
United States
Name	Cincinnati
Namesake	Cincinnati
Awarded	29 December 2010[1]
Builder	Austal USA[1]
Laid down	10 April 2017[2]
Launched	22 May 2018
Sponsored by	Penny Pritzker
Christened	6 May 2018[3]
Acquired	21 June 2019[4]
Commissioned	5 October 2019[5]
Homeport	San Diego
Identification	MMSI number: 368926 Hull number: LCS-20
Motto	Strength in Unity
Status	Active
Badge
General characteristics
Class & 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 & 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

Design

In 2002, the United States Navy initiated a program to develop the first of a fleet of littoral combat ships.^[7] The Navy initially ordered two trimaran hulled ships from General Dynamics, which became known as the Independence-class littoral combat ship after the first ship of the class, USS Independence.^[7] 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.^[7] The initial order of littoral combat ships involved a total of four ships, including two of the Independence-class design.^[7] On 29 December 2010, the Navy announced that it was awarding Austal USA a contract to build ten additional Independence-class littoral combat ships.^[8][9] Cincinnati has a crew of up to 40 sailors and can hold two MH-60R/S Seahawk helicopters.^[10]

Construction and career

Cincinnati was christened on 7 May 2018 by former Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker^[11] and commissioned on 5 October 2019.^[5] She has been assigned to Littoral Combat Ship Squadron One.^[12] Cincinnati is currently stationed in San Diego, CA.^[13]

Awards

• Battle "E" – (2019)