USS Pierre (LCS-38)

For other ships with the same name, see USS Pierre.

Sister ship USS Independence
History
United States
Name	Pierre
Namesake	Pierre
Awarded	17 December 2018[1]
Builder	Austal USA
Laid down	16 June 2023[2]
Launched	5 August 2024[3]
Sponsored by	Larissa Thune Hargens
Christened	18 May 2024[4]
Identification	Hull number: LCS-38
Status	Under construction
Badge
General characteristics
Class and type	Independence-class littoral combat ship
Displacement	2,307 metric tons light, 3,104 metric tons full, 797 metric tons deadweight
Length	127.4 m (418 ft)
Beam	31.6 m (104 ft)
Draft	14 ft (4.27 m)
Propulsion	2× gas turbines, 2× diesel, 4× waterjets, retractable Azimuth thruster, 4× diesel generators
Speed	40 knots (74 km/h; 46 mph)+, 47 knots (87 km/h; 54 mph) sprint
Range	4,300 nautical miles (8,000 km; 4,900 mi) at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)+
Capacity	210 tonnes
Complement	40 core crew (8 officers, 32 enlisted) plus up to 35 mission crew
Sensors and processing systems	Sea Giraffe 3D Surface/Air RADAR Bridgemaster-E Navigational RADAR AN/KAX-2 EO/IR sensor for GFC
Electronic warfare & decoys	EDO ES-3601 ESM 4× SRBOC rapid bloom chaff launchers
Armament	BAE Systems Mk 110 57 mm gun 4× .50 cal (12.7 mm) guns (2 aft, 2 forward) Evolved SeaRAM 11 cell missile launcher Mission modules
Aircraft carried	2× MH-60R/S Seahawks

USS Pierre (LCS-38) will be an Independence-class littoral combat ship of the United States Navy.[1][5] She will be the second ship to be named for Pierre, South Dakota, the first being USS Pierre (PC-1141), a PC-461-class submarine chaser from World War II.[5]

Design and construction

In 2002, the United States Navy initiated a program to develop the first of a fleet of littoral combat ships.[6] The Navy initially ordered two trimaran hulled ships from General Dynamics, which became known as the Independence-class littoral combat ship after the first ship of the class, USS Independence.[6] Even-numbered US Navy littoral combat ships are built using the Independence-class trimaran design, while odd-numbered ships are based on a competing design, the conventional monohull Freedom-class littoral combat ship.[6] The initial order of littoral combat ships involved a total of four ships, including two of the Independence-class design.[6] On 29 December 2010, the Navy announced that it was awarding Austal USA a contract to build ten additional Independence-class littoral combat ships.[7][8]

Pierre is being built in Mobile, Alabama by Austal USA.[2]

References

1. "Pierre (LCS-38)". Naval Vessel Register. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
2. "Austal USA celebrates keel laying for the future USS Pierre (LCS 38) - the final Independence LCS" (Press release). Austal USA. 19 June 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
3. "Austal USA Launches Final Littoral Combat Ship - Future USS Pierre (LCS 38)" (Press release). Austal USA. 5 August 2024. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
4. "Austal USA Christens 19th LCS - Future USS Pierre (LCS 38)" (Press release). Austal USA. 18 May 2024. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
5. "Secretary of the Navy Names Independence-Variant Littoral Combat Ship After South Dakota's Capital" (Press release). United States Navy. 5 February 2019. NNS190205-08. Archived from the original on 7 February 2019. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
6. "US Navy Fact File: Littoral Combat Ship Class – LCS". US Navy. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
7. Special from Navy Office of Information (29 December 2010). "Littoral Combat Ship Contract Award Announced" (Press release). Navy News Service. NNS101229-09. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
8. Osborn, Kris (27 June 2014). "Navy Engineers LCS Changes". www.dodbuzz.com. Monster. Retrieved 12 July 2014.

•  This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here.