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Littoral combat ship USS Charleston (LCS-18)

Littoral combat ship USS Charleston (LCS-18) 0Littoral combat ship USS Charleston (LCS-18) 1Littoral combat ship USS Charleston (LCS-18) 2Littoral combat ship USS Charleston (LCS-18) 3Littoral combat ship USS Charleston (LCS-18) 4Littoral combat ship USS Charleston (LCS-18) 5

Classification

Ship class:
Independence-class littoral combat ship
Type:
Littoral combat ship

Basic information

Namesake:
Charleston is the oldest and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston–Summerville Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Operator:
United States NavyUnited States Navy
Country of build:
Builder:
Austal USA
Ordered:
Laid down:
Launched:
Commissioned (service):
Status:
Active

Ship measurements

Displacement:
3,104 t
Length:
127.4 m
Beam (waterline):
31.6 m
Draft:
4.27 m

Machine

Propulsion:
  • 2 * MTU Friedrichshafen 20V 8000 Series diesel engines
  • 2 * General Electric LM2500 gas turbines
  • 2 * American VULKAN light weight multiple-section carbon fiber propulsion shaft lines
  • 4 * Wärtsilä waterjets, retractable bow-mounted azimuth thruster
  • 4 * diesel generators
Speed:
44 knots
Range:
4,300 nautical miles (8,000 km; 4,900 mi) at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)

Personnel

Complement:
75
Ship's company:
40
Mission crew:
35

Combat assets

Boats & landing craft:

2 * 7 metres (23 ft) long rigid-hulled inflatable boats

Electronics:
  • SAAB Sea GIRAFFE 3D air and surface search radar
  • Sperry Marine BridgeMaster E navigational radar
  • AN/KAX-2 electro-optical sensor with TV and FLIR
  • Northrop Grumman ICMS (Integrated Combat Management System)
  • ITT Corporation ES-3601 ESM system
  • 4 * SRBOC decoy launchers for chaff and infrared decoys
  • BAE Systems NULKA active radar decoy system
Armament:
  • 1 * BAE Systems Mk 110 57 mm gun
  • 4 * .50 cal (12.7 mm) guns (2 aft, 2 forward)
  • 1 * 11 cell Raytheon SeaRAM CIWS
  • Other weapons as part of mission modules
Aircraft:
  • 2 * MH-60R/S Seahawk
  • MQ-8 Fire Scout

USS Charleston (LCS-18) is an Independence-class littoral combat ship of the United States Navy. She is the sixth ship to be named for Charleston, the oldest and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina.

Charleston is under construction by Austal USA in Mobile, Alabama. A ceremonial laying of the keel was held at the Austal USA shipyards in Mobile on 28 June 2016. The ship's sponsor, U.S. Representative Bradley Byrne, welded his initials into the keel of Charleston as part of the ceremony.

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