USS Santa Barbara (LCS-32)

For other ships with the same name, see USS Santa Barbara.

USS Santa Barbara (LCS-32) is an Independence-class littoral combat ship of the United States Navy.^[1][7] She is the 32nd ship of the type, and 16th of the class, which is inter-numbered with the Freedom-class littoral combat ships. With 35 LCSs now active or planned, the type is the Navy's second largest number of surface warfare ships in production, next only to its guided missile destroyers.^[4] She is the third US Navy ship to be named for the city of Santa Barbara, California.^[7]

USS Santa Barbara, January 2023
History
United States
Name	Santa Barbara
Namesake	Santa Barbara
Awarded	18 September 2018[1]
Laid down	27 October 2020[2]
Launched	13 November 2021
Sponsored by	Lolita Zinke
Christened	16 October 2021[3]
Acquired	21 July 2022[4]
Commissioned	1 April 2023[5]
Identification	Hull number: LCS-32
Motto	Resilient and Determined[6]
Status	in active service
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× General Electric LM2500 gas turbines, 2× diesel, 4× waterjets, retractable Azimuth thruster, 4× diesel generators
Speed	40 knots (74 km/h; 46 mph)+, 47 knots (54 mph; 87 km/h) 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

Design and construction

In 2002, the United States Navy initiated a program to develop the first of a fleet of littoral combat ships.^[8] The Navy initially ordered two trimaran hulled ships from General Dynamics, which became known as the Independence-class after the lead ship of the class, USS Independence.^[8] 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.^[8] The initial order of littoral combat ships involved a total of four ships, including two of the Independence-class design.^[8]

Santa Barbara was built in Mobile, Alabama by Austal USA.^[7] Her keel was laid down on 27 October 2020, she was christened on 16 October 2021 and launched on 13 November 2021.^[9][1] Following the completion of sea trials on 3 June 2022, the ship was accepted by the Navy on 21 July 2022. She was commissioned in a ceremony at Port Hueneme, California on 1 April 2023.^[5]

References

1. "Santa Barbara (LCS-32)". Naval Vessel Register. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
2. "U.S. Navy Lays Keel of Future USS Santa Barbara" (Press release). Naval Sea Systems Command. 30 October 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
3. "Ship sponsor Lolita Zinke christens the future USS Santa Barbara (LCS 32)" (Press release). Austal USA. 16 October 2021. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
4. "Future USS Santa Barbara (LCS 32) Delivered to the Navy" (Press release). Naval Sea Systems Command. 21 July 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
5. "USS Santa Barbara (LCS 32) Commissions in Namesake State" (Press release). United States Navy. 2 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
6. "Santa Barbara (LCS 32)". The Institute of Heraldry. United States Army. 28 August 2022. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
7. "Secretary of the Navy Names Newest Independence Variant Littoral Combat Ship" (Press release). United States Navy. 9 October 2018. NNS181009-28. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
8. "US Navy Fact File: Littoral Combat Ship Class – LCS". United States Navy. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
9. Bahtić, Fatima (18 October 2021). "US Navy christens newest littoral combat ship". Naval Today. Retrieved 2 June 2022.

•  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.