Future US Navy littoral combat ship Canberra hits the water

Austal USA launched the future US Navy Independence-class littoral combat ship (LCS) Canberra at its Mobile, Alabama facilities on Tuesday, March 30.

The future USS Canberra is the 15th of 19 Independence-class ships being built by Austal USA for the US Navy as well as the 30th LCS overall to be constructed.

The 2,300-tonne, 127-metre ship will have a draught of 4.27 metres and will be capable of reaching speeds of up to 40 knots. Armament will include a BAE Systems 57-millimetre naval gun, four 12.7-millimetre machine guns, and RIM-116 surface-to-air missiles.