Littoral combat ship completes final contract trials
NewsMarch 23, 2017
WASHINGTON. Littoral Combat Ship USS Montgomery (LCS-8) completed final contract trials this month. This marks the completion of the construction and initial operating testing of the Navy?s eighth LCS, officials say.
The Navy's Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) oversees and administers the trails. They are a part of a series of post-delivery test and trial events through which the ship and its major systems are exercised. The five-day trials began with pre-underway and material condition checks followed by at-sea demonstrations.
Trial highlights included combat systems air and surface detect-to-engage scenarios, 57mm gun firing exercises, maneuvering testing and operation of the twin boom extendable crane.
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Lt. j.g. John Homola demonstrates the ship control console functionality to a Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) inspector during final contract trials for littoral combat ship USS Montgomery (LCS 8). Photo by U.S. Navy/ Electronics Technician 1st Class Adam Ross. "]
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“I am exceptionally proud of the USS Montgomery team and the combined efforts of the blue and gold crews, Program Executive Office Littoral Combat Ship (PEO LCS), Littoral Combat Ship Squadron ONE, and all of the other contributors who worked to create this successful outcome,” says Commander Mark Stefanik, Montgomery’s commanding officer. “Montgomery has continued to raise the bar and we are looking forward to her next challenge and a successful introduction to fleet operations.”
Several government and private agencies supported the trials led by PEO LCS; industry partners included Austal USA and General Dynamics Mission Systems, and logistical support was provided by Southwest Regional Maintenance Center. Additionally, in a move to the blue and gold crewing construct, Montgomery Blue Crew, currently in an off-hull status, successfully demonstrated the support a Blue-Gold model provides.
Constructed by Austal USA in Mobile, Alabama, the Independence-class vessel is the fourth vessel of the trimaran design. Montgomery is preceded by USS Independence (LCS2), USS Coronado (LCS 4), and USS Jackson (LCS 6). Montgomery was christened November 8, 2014, and commissioned on September 10, 2016, in Mobile, Alabama.
