CHARLESTON, S.C. — The US Navy plans to commission the future USS Charleston on Saturday. The ship is the Navy's newest Independence-variant littoral combat ship.
Senator Tim Scott and Charlotte Riley, wife of former Charleston mayor Joe Riley, will attend the commissioning ceremony. Riley will give the traditional first order to "man our ship and bring her to life."
The USS Charleston will be the sixth ship named after the coastal city. It is the navy's sixteenth littoral combat ship. The USS Charleston will be homeported at Naval Base San Diego.
70 officers and enlisted personnel will be on the ship's crew. The USS Charleston is 3,200 tons, 421 feet in length, has a beam of 103 feet, and a navigational draft of 15 feet. It will reach speeds up to 40-plus knots.
The navy says the ship "is designed to defeat asymmetric 'anti-access' threats such as mines, quiet diesel submarines and fast surface craft." The ships are designed for near-shore missions but capable of open-ocean operations as well. The navy says the LCS ships are built to support "maritime security, sea control and deterrence."
Saturday's commissioning ceremony will take place at 10 a.m. a the Columbus Street Terminal in Charleston. The event is open to the public, but tickets are required.
