The U.S. Navy has commissioned the USS Manchester, or LCS 14, at a ceremony Saturday in Portsmouth, N.H., USNI News reported Monday.
The addition of the newest Independence-class littoral combat ship raises the Navy’s LCS count to 12.
The Austal USA-built ship departed from its maker’s Alabama shipyard on May 5 for the ceremony.
Adm. Bill Moran, vice chief of naval operations, delivered the commissioning’s principal address; while Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., ordered USS Manchester’s activation as the ship’s sponsor.
The ship entered construction in 2015 and was christened the following year.
LCS 14 is the second Navy ship named after Manchester, N.H., following a light cruiser used during the Korean conflict.
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