The U.S. Navy commissioned the USS Cincinnati (LCS-20) in a ceremony in Gulfport, Mississippi on 5 October. The tenth Freedom-class littoral combat ship (LCS), Cincinnati was laid down on 10 April 2017 in Mobile, Alabama, by Austal USA. Two combined diesel-electric and gas turbines and high-powered water jets provide a top speed of more than 40 knots. The 3,200-ton LCS has a 421-foot, 6-inch length, a 104-foot beam, and a 15-foot draft. Each is armed with 1 Mk 110 57-mm gun, 4 .50-caliber machine guns, and a SeaRAM antiship missile defense system for launching RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missiles. Freedom-class LCSs are fitted with a hangar that can accommodate two MH-60R/S Seahawk helicopters and a single Northrop Grumman MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The Cincinnati is the fifth U.S. Navy ship to be named after the Ohio city. Previous ships named Cincinnati include a Civil War ironclad river gunboat; the lead ship of the Cincinnati-class of protected cruiser, Cruiser No. 7; the interwar-period Omaha-class light cruiser, CL-6, and a Los Angeles–class fast-attack submarine, SSN-693. Christened on 5 May 2018, the Cincinnati was sponsored by former Secretary of Commerce Penny S. Pritzker.
The USS Indianapolis (LCS-17) was commissioned on 26 October in Burns Harbor, Indiana. The ninth Independence-class LCS, Indianapolis was laid down on 18 July 2016 in Marinette, Wisconsin, by Fincantieri Marinette Marine and was launched on 18 April 2018. The 3,450-ton warship has a 387-foot, 6-inch length, a 58-foot beam, and a 14-foot draft. A core crew of 45 can be augmented with additional personnel, including aviation and Coast Guard law enforcement detachments and those associated with the maritime security modular mission package. Independence-class LCSs are operated by a core crew of 40, augmented based on the modular mission package installed, and are fitted with a hangar for a single MH-60R/S Seahawk helicopter and an MQ-8B Fire Scout. They are armed with similar weapons as the Freedom-class, with 2 Mk 44 30-mm Bushmaster II chain guns in addition. The Indianapolis is the fourth U.S. Navy ship named for the capital of Indiana. Previous ships include a cargo ship (ID-3865) taken over by the Naval Overseas Transportation Service during and after World War I; the heavy cruiser CA-35, which was sunk on 30 July 1945; and a Cold War–era Los Angeles–class fast-attack submarine, SSN-697. The ship is sponsored by Jill T. Donnelly, a Director of Development at Notre Dame University, and wife of former Senator Joseph S. Donnelly, Jr. (D-IN).
— Jim Dolbow
The U.S. Coast Guard held a dual commissioning ceremony for the Legend-class National Security Cutters Kimball (WMSL-756) and Midgett (WMSL-757) in Honolulu, Hawaii, on 26 August. The Kimball, seventh of the class, was launched on 17 December 2016 and delivered 19 September 2018; it is the first cutter to be named for Sumner Increase Kimball, who organized the United States Life-Saving Service, one of predecessor organizations of the Coast Guard. Christened on 4 March 2017, the ship is sponsored by Kay Webber Cochran, wife of the late Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS).
The Midgett, eighth of the class, was launched on 22 November 2017 and delivered 1 May 2019; it is named for more than 200 members of the Midgett family who have served in the U.S Coast Guard and its predecessor agencies since the late 18th century—an unprecedented legacy among the sea services. Christened on 9 December 2017, the Midgett is sponsored by Jazania H. O’Neal, granddaughter of John Allen Midgett, who was renowned for his rescue of 42 sailors aboard the British tanker Mirlo after it had been torpedoed by the German submarine U-117 off Cape Hatteras on 16 August 1918. The Hamilton-class high-endurance cutter previously named Midgett (WHEC-726), launched in 1971, has been renamed John Midgett in his honor.
The 4,500-ton Legend-class cutters. have a 418-foot length, a 54-foot beam, and a 22-foot, 6-inch draft and are operated by a crew of 148. They are fitted with a landing deck and dual helicopter hangars. Their armament includes one 20-mm Phalanx Block 1B close-in weapon system and a single 57-mm Mk 110 dual-purpose gun. Legend-class cutters have a top speed of 28 knots, an endurance of up to 90 days, and a range of 12,000 nautical miles. At least three additional Legend-class cutters are planned to enter service by the mid-2020s.
—Eric Wertheim