USS Gabrielle Giffords

USS Gabrielle Giffords in San Diego on 20 October 2017
History
United States
NameGabrielle Giffords
NamesakeGabby Giffords
Awarded16 March 2012[4]
BuilderAustal USA[5]
CostUS$475 million[6][7][8]
Laid down16 April 2014[4]
Launched25 February 2015[9]
Sponsored by
Christened13 June 2015[10]
Acquired23 December 2016[11]
Commissioned10 June 2017[12]
HomeportSan Diego[7][13]
Identification
Motto
  • Je Suis Prest
  • (I Am Ready)
StatusActive[13]
Badge
General characteristics
Class and typeIndependence-class littoral combat ship
Displacement2,307 tonnes light, 3,104 tonnes full, 797 tonnes deadweight[4]
Length127.4 m (418 ft)[4]
Beam31.6 m (104 ft)[4]
Draft14 ft (4.27 m)[4]
Propulsion2× gas turbines, 2× diesel, 4× waterjets, retractable Azimuth thruster, 4× diesel generators
Speed40 kn + (46 mph; 74 km/h), 47 knots (54 mph; 87 km/h) sprint
Range4,300 nmi (8,000 km; 4,900 mi) at 20 kn + (23 mph; 37 km/h)
Capacity210 tonnes (230 short tons)
Complement70, blue / gold 112 if single crewed.
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
Armament
Aircraft carried2× MH-60R/S Seahawks

USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS-10) is an Independence-class littoral combat ship of the United States Navy.[4] The ship is named after former United States Representative Gabby Giffords, who was shot along with eighteen other people during a 2011 shooting in Tucson, Arizona.[1] The ship's name was announced by then-Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus on 10 February 2012.[1][2][16] Gabrielle Giffords is the 16th U.S. naval ship to be named for a woman by the United States Navy, and the 13th U.S. naval ship since 1850 to be named after a living person.[17]

Construction on Gabrielle Giffords began with her keel laying on 16 April 2014, at the Austal USA shipyard in Mobile, Alabama.[18] Rep. Giffords, still recovering from injuries sustained in the 2011 assassination attempt, attended the ship's keel-laying ceremony,[18][19] and with the assistance of an Austal welder, welded her initials into a plate that would become part of the ship's hull.[19] Gabrielle Giffords was launched, and then moved from her construction facility to drydock, on 26 February 2015.[20] The ship was christened in a ceremony held at the Austal USA shipyard on 13 June 2015,[3][10] and Second Lady of the United States Jill Biden served as ship sponsor at the christening.[3] The ship was delivered to the U.S. Navy on 23 December 2016,[11] and commissioned the following spring on 10 June 2017, in Galveston, Texas.[6][13]

  1. ^ a b c Cavas, Christopher P. (11 February 2012). "New LCS named for Gabrielle Giffords". Navy Times. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
  2. ^ a b Freking, Kevin (10 February 2012). "Navy names ship for former congresswoman Giffords". Yahoo! News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 28 September 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  3. ^ a b c "Navy ship christened for former Arizona Rep. Giffords". The Arizona Republic. 13 June 2015. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10)". Naval Vessel Register. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
  5. ^ Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from Navy Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Program: Background and Issues for Congress (PDF). Congressional Research Service.
  6. ^ a b Steven Romo (10 June 2017). "USS Gabrielle Giffords commissioned in Galveston". ABC 13 Eyewitness News (KTRK-TV Houston). Archived from the original on 10 June 2017. Retrieved 10 June 2017. Woodley said the $475 million ship has limited crew of about 70.
  7. ^ a b "US Navy to commission future USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10) on 10 June". Naval-technology.com. 16 May 2017. Archived from the original on 10 June 2017. Retrieved 10 June 2017. Gabrielle Giffords will join her sister LCSs in their homeport of San Diego in July and continue testing and training for future deployed operations.
  8. ^ "Warship USS Gabrielle Giffords Commissioned in Texas". New York Times. 10 June 2017. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  9. ^ PEO LCS Public Affairs (27 February 2015). "Future USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10) Launches" (Press release). Navy News Service. NNS150227-21. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  10. ^ a b "Navy Christens Littoral Combat Ship Gabrielle Giffords" (Press release). U.S. Department of Defense. 11 June 2015. NR-228-15. Archived from the original on 14 June 2015. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
  11. ^ a b "Navy Accepts Delivery of Future USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10)" (Press release). Naval Sea Systems Command. 23 December 2016. Archived from the original on 26 December 2016. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  12. ^ Naval Surface Forces Public Affairs (10 June 2017). "USS Gabrielle Giffords Commissioned in Galveston" (Press release). Navy News Service. NNS170610-01. Archived from the original on 11 June 2017. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  13. ^ a b c Juan A. Lozano (10 June 2017). "Warship USS Gabrielle Giffords Commissioned in Texas". The Associated Press. Archived from the original on 10 June 2017. Retrieved 10 June 2017. A new warship named after former Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was wounded during a deadly 2011 shooting, has been put into active service following a commissioning ceremony in Texas.
  14. ^ "General Dynamics Enhances LCS 10 with New Anti-ship and Land Attack Cruise Missile System". General Dynamics Corporation. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  15. ^ "NSM – Naval Strike Missile – Now Has a U.S. Navy Designation". Naval News. 4 October 2019. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  16. ^ Martinez, Luis (10 February 2012). "Navy Announces USS Gabrielle Giffords". ABC News. American Broadcasting Company. Archived from the original on 28 September 2015. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  17. ^ Olson, Wyatt (19 June 2015). "From Hope to Giffords: The Navy's long history of unconventional ship names". Stars and Stripes. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  18. ^ a b Program Executive Office Littoral Combat Ships (16 April 2014). "Keel Laid for Future USS Gabrielle Giffords" (Press release). Navy News Service. NNS140416-23. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
  19. ^ a b Finch II, Michael (16 April 2014). "Gabrielle Giffords signs initials onto future littoral combat ship bearing her name". AL.com. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  20. ^ Blindner, Rachelle (26 February 2015). "Navy ship named for Gabby Giffords hits water in Alabama". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on 10 July 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2015.