USS Manchester (LCS-14)

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

USS Manchester (LCS-14) is an Independence-class littoral combat ship in the United States Navy. She is the second ship to be named for Manchester, New Hampshire.^[7][8]

USS Manchester on 5 December 2017
History
United States
Name	Manchester
Namesake	Manchester
Awarded	29 December 2010[1]
Builder	Austal USA[1]
Laid down	29 June 2015[2]
Launched	12 May 2016[3]
Sponsored by	Jeanne Shaheen[2]
Christened	7 May 2016[4]
Acquired	28 February 2018[5]
Commissioned	26 May 2018[6]
Homeport	San Diego
Motto	Labor Vincit (Work Wins)
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	53 core crew (11 officers, 42 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.^[9] 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.^[9] 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.^[9] The initial order of littoral combat ships involved a total of four ships, including two of the Independence-class design.^[9] On 29 December 2010, the Navy announced that it was awarding Austal USA a contract to build ten additional Independence-class littoral combat ships.^[10][11]

Construction and career

The ship's keel was laid on 29 June 2015, at Mobile, Alabama.^[2] The initials of New Hampshire senator Jeanne Shaheen, the ship's sponsor, were welded into the hull of Manchester during the traditional keel laying ceremony. Manchester was christened on 7 May 2016 and she was launched on 12 May 2016.^[3][4] Manchester was commissioned on 26 May 2018.^[6]

She is assigned to Littoral Combat Ship Squadron One.^[12]

From March 2023 to 26 August 2023 a clandestine Wi-Fi network was operated for the benefit of the chiefs mess using a Starlink satellite dish.^[13]

Awards

• Battle "E" – (2019)