USS Independence ( LCS - 2 ) USS " Independence " ( LCS - 2 ) is the lead ship of the " Independence " - class littoral combat ship . 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 . " Independence " , delivered to the Navy at the end of 2009 , is a modular high speed corvette , not known by that term in U . S . Navy service , intended for operation in the littoral zone with a small crew . It is optimized for deploying and tending off - board systems , manned and unmanned ; and takes on various capability profiles with the installation of a mission package , missions to include finding and destroying mines , hunting submarines in and near shallow water , and engaging in surface combat against boats , but not against warships . The ship is a trimaran design with a wide beam above the waterline , which provides the space needed for it to have a larger flight deck than is found on any of the much larger destroyers and cruisers in the US Navy , as well as a large hangar and a similarly large mission bay below . The trimaran hull configuration also exhibits low hydrodynamic drag , allowing efficient operation on two diesel powered water jets at speeds up to , and high speed operation on two gas turbine powered water jets at speeds up to a sustainable , with speed crests exceeding that . Description . The design for " Independence " ( LCS 2 ) is based on a high - speed trimaran ( " Benchijigua Express " ) hull built by Austal ( Henderson , Australia ) . The 418 - foot ( 127 - meter ) surface combatant design requires a crew of 40 sailors . With 11 , 000 cubic meters of payload volume , it was designed with enough payload and volume to carry out one mission with a separate mission module in reserve , allowing the ship to do multiple missions without having to be refitted . The flight deck , , can support the operation of two SH - 60 Seahawk helicopters , multiple UAVs , or one CH - 53 Sea Stallion - class helicopter . The trimaran hull will allow flight operations up to sea state 5 . The Independence carries a default armament for self - defense , and command and control . Unlike traditional combatants with fixed armament such as guns and missiles , tailored mission modules can be configured for one mission package at a time . Modules may consist of manned aircraft , unmanned vehicles , off - board sensors , or mission - manning detachments . The interior volume and payload is greater than some destroyers and is sufficient to serve as a high - speed transport and maneuver platform . The mission bay is , and takes up most of the deck below the hangar and flight deck . In addition to cargo or container - sized mission modules , the bay can carry four lanes of multiple Strykers , armored Humvee s , and their associated troops . An elevator allows air transport of packages the size of a shipping container that can be moved into the mission bay while at sea . A side access ramp allows for vehicle roll - on / roll - off loading to a dock and allows the ship to transport the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle . The habitability area is located under the bridge where bunks for ships personnel are situated . The helm is controlled by joysticks instead of traditional steering wheels . The " Independence " also has an integrated LOS Mast , Sea Giraffe 3D Radar and SeaStar Safire FLIR . Side and forward surfaces are angled for reduced radar profile . In addition , H - 60 series helicopters provide airlift , rescue , anti - submarine , radar picket and anti - ship capabilities with torpedoes and missiles . The Raytheon Evolved SeaRAM missile defense system is installed on the hangar roof . The SeaRAM combines the sensors of the Phalanx 1B close - in weapon system with an 11 - missile launcher for the Rolling Airframe Missile ( RAM ) , creating an autonomous system . Northrop Grumman has demonstrated sensor fusion of on and off - board systems in the Integrated Combat Management System ( ICMS ) used on " Independence " . " Independence " has an Interior Communications Center that can be curtained off from the rest of bridge instead of the heavily protected Combat Information Center found on Navy warships . Austal claims that the " Independence " will use a third less fuel than " Freedom " , but the Congressional Budget Office found that fuel would account for 18 percent or less of the total lifetime cost of " Freedom " . While it was unable to judge the fuel usage of " Independence " , the higher purchase price of " Independence " would dominate its lifetime costs . History . The contract was awarded to General Dynamics in July 2003 . The contract to build her was then awarded to Austal USA of Mobile , Alabama , on 14 October 2005 and her keel was laid down on 19 January 2006 . Delivery to the United States Navy was scheduled for December 2008 . The originally planned second General Dynamics ship ( LCS - 4 ) was canceled on 1 November 2007 . On 1 May 2009 , a second vessel was reordered by the Navy , the . The keel was laid on 17 December 2009 , with delivery scheduled for May 2012 . The Navy currently plans a new bidding process with the FY2010 budget between Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics for the next three littoral combat ships , with the winner building two ships and the loser only one . " USS Independence " was christened 5 October 2008 by Doreen Scott , wife of 10th Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Terry D . Scott . Austal has proposed a much smaller and slower trimaran , called the Multi - Role Vessel or Multi - Role Corvette . Though it is only half the size of their LCS design , it would still be useful for border protection and counter piracy operations . Navy leaders said that the fixed price competition offered the Austal design an equal shot , in spite of its excess size and cost and limited service . The development and construction of " Independence " as of June 2009 was running at 220 % over - budget . The total projected cost for the ship is $ 704 million . The Navy had originally projected the cost at $ 220 million . " Independence " began builder ' s trials near Mobile , Alabama on 2 July 2009 , three days behind schedule because of maintenance issues . In response to problems with the propulsion plant ( the ship experienced a leak in the port gas turbine shaft seal ) , General Dynamics resequenced the builder ' s trials to test other systems until this was fixed . The ship completed builder ' s trials on 21 October 2009 and acceptance trials on 19 November 2009 . On 9 December 2009 the Navy announced that the ship had completed its first INSURV inspection . The inspection found 2 , 080 discrepancies , including 39 high - priority deficiencies , but concluded that all could be resolved before the Navy accepts the ship as scheduled . The ship was delivered to the Navy on 17 December 2009 . On 18 December , the Navy officially accepted custody of the ship . However the ship was found to be incomplete and a second round of acceptance trials was scheduled for 2011 . The ship was commissioned on 16 January 2010 in Mobile , Alabama and completed her maiden voyage in April 2010 . In 2010 the Navy asked for an additional $ 5 . 3 million to correct problems found in the sea trials . Galvanic corrosion caused by an aluminum hull in contact with the stainless steel propulsion system with sea water acting as an electrolyte , and electrical currents not fully isolated , caused " aggresive corrosion . " In 2011 the corrosion problem was found to be even worse than expected and repair would require time in a drydock to completely remove the water jets . In response Austal blamed the US Navy for not properly maintaining the ship . However the Navy replied that the electrical insulation had been improperly installed during construction . Later Austal said it had found a fix for the problem that would be tested on the third Austal LCS ship . Seven United State Senators have sent a letter to the Department of Defense questioning the management of the corrosion problems of " Independence " . In July 2011 , Navy Public Information Officer Christopher G . Johnson said that a " cathodic protection system " would be installed on the ship . Such systems generally consist of strategically located deposits of " sacrificial metals " which act as an anode to reduce corrosion of the metal being protected . On 2 May 2012 the Independence completed her maiden voyage to her homeport , Naval Base San Diego , California . In 2013 US Navy sources described early documents that showed that the ship was to be named Liberty was a mistake .