USS Independence (LCS-2)

USS Independence at Key West on 29 March 2010
History
United States
Name	Independence
Namesake	Independence
Awarded	14 October 2005[1]
Builder	Austal USA[1]
Laid down	19 January 2006[1]
Launched	26 April 2008[1]
Christened	4 October 2008
Commissioned	16 January 2010[2]
Decommissioned	29 July 2021[3]
Homeport	San Diego[1]
Identification	Hull number: LCS-2
Motto	Libertas Per Laborum Audentium (Independence Through Bold Action)
Status	Decommissioned
Badge
General characteristics
Class and type	Independence-class littoral combat ship
Displacement	2,271 long tons (2,307 t) light 3,055 long tons (3,104 t) full 784 long tons (797 t) deadweight[1]
Length	128.4 m (421 ft)[1]
Beam	31.6 m (104 ft)[1]
Draft	14 ft (4.27 m)[1]
Propulsion	2× MTU Friedrichshafen 20V 8000 Series diesel engines, 2× General Electric LM2500 gas turbines,[4] 2× American VULKAN light weight multiple-section carbon fiber propulsion shaft lines, 4× Wärtsilä waterjets,[5] retractable bow-mounted azimuth thruster, 4× diesel generators
Speed	44 knots (51 mph; 81 km/h)[6]
Range	4,300 nm at 18 knots[7]
Capacity	210 t (210 long tons; 230 short tons)
Complement	43 core crew (11 officers, 32 enlisted) plus up to 35 mission crew
Sensors and processing systems	SAAB Sea GIRAFFE 3D air and surface search radar[8] Sperry Marine BridgeMaster E navigational radar AN/KAX-2 electro-optical sensor with TV and FLIR Northrop Grumman ICMS (Integrated Combat Management System)[8]
Electronic warfare & decoys	ITT Corporation ES-3601 ESM system[8] 4× SRBOC decoy launchers for chaff and infrared decoys[8] BAE Systems NULKA active radar decoy system[8]
Armament	1× BAE Systems Mk 110 57 mm gun[9] 4× .50 cal (12.7 mm) guns (2 aft, 2 forward) 1× Raytheon SeaRAM CIWS[8] Other weapons as part of mission modules
Aircraft carried	2× MH-60R/S Seahawk MQ-8 Fire Scout

USS Independence (LCS-2) is the lead ship of the Independence-class of littoral combat ships. She is the sixth ship of the United States Navy to be named for the concept of independence. The design was produced by the General Dynamics consortium for the Navy's LCS program, and competes with the Lockheed Martin–designed Freedom variant.^[10]

Independence, delivered to the Navy at the end of 2009, was a high-speed, small-crew corvette, although the U.S. Navy does not use the term, intended to operate littoral waters. She can swap out various systems to take on various missions, including finding and destroying mines, hunting submarines in and near shallow water, and fighting small boats (she is not intended to fight warships). The ship is a trimaran design with a wide beam above the waterline that supports a larger flight deck than those of the Navy's much larger destroyers and cruisers, as well as a large hangar and a similarly large mission bay below. The trimaran hull also exhibits low hydrodynamic drag, allowing efficient operation on two diesel-powered water jets at speeds up to 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph), and high-speed operation on two gas turbine–powered water jets at a sustainable 44 knots (81 km/h; 51 mph) and even faster for short periods.

On 29 July 2021, the Navy decommissioned Independence during a private ceremony at Naval Base San Diego, California.^[3]