USS Oakland (LCS-24)

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

USS Oakland (LCS-24) is an Independence-class littoral combat ship of the United States Navy.^[1] She is the third ship to be named for the City of Oakland, California.^[6][7]

USS Oakland in 8 March 2021
History
United States
Name	Oakland
Namesake	Oakland
Awarded	29 December 2010[1]
Builder	Austal USA[1]
Laid down	20 July 2018
Launched	21 July 2019[2]
Sponsored by	Kate Brandt[3]
Christened	29 June 2019[3]
Acquired	26 June 2020[4]
Commissioned	17 April 2021[5]
Homeport	San Diego[5]
Identification	Hull number: LCS-24
Motto	Fortitude, Determination, Communication
Status	Active
Badge
General characteristics
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 (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

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 littoral combat ship after the first 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 littoral combat ship.^[8] The initial order of littoral combat ships involved a total of four ships, including two of the Independence-class design.^[8] On 29 December 2010, the Navy announced that it was awarding Austal USA a contract to build ten additional Independence-class littoral combat ships.^[9][10]

Construction and career

Oakland was built by Austal USA in Mobile, Alabama. A ceremonial laying of the keel was held at the Austal USA shipyards in Mobile on 20 July 2018. The ship was christened on 29 June 2019^[3] and then launched on 21 July 2019.^[2] She was delivered to the Navy on 26 June 2020,^[4] and was commissioned on 17 April 2021.^[5] The ship was in Honiara, Solomon Islands on 7 August 2022 for ceremonies marking the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Guadalcanal.^[11]

References

1. "Oakland (LCS-24)". Naval Vessel Register. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
2. "Future USS Oakland Launched" (Press release). United States Navy. 22 July 2019. NNS190722-19. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
3. "AUSTAL USA CELEBRATES THE CHRISTENING OF OAKLAND (LCS 24)". usa.austal.com. 29 June 2019. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
4. "Navy Accepts Delivery of Future USS Oakland (LCS 24)" (Press release). United States Navy. 26 June 2020. NNS200626-10. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
5. "Navy to Commission USS Oakland This Weekend". usni.org. 17 April 2021. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
6. "Secretary of the Navy Names Littoral Combat Ship" (Press release). U.S. Department of Defense. 20 August 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
7. Myers, Meghann (19 August 2015). "SECNAV dubs next littoral combat ship Oakland". Navy Times. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
8. "US Navy Fact File: Littoral Combat Ship Class – LCS". US Navy. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
9. 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.
10. Osborn, Kris (27 June 2014). "Navy Engineers LCS Changes". www.dodbuzz.com. Monster. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
11. Cave, Damien (7 August 2022). "A U.S. Return to Guadalcanal, in Another Tense Historical Moment". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 7 August 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.