 Pierre arriving in Panama City, Florida ahead of her commissioning in November 2025 | |
| Career (United States) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | Pierre |
| Namesake: | Pierre |
| Awarded: | 17 December 2018[1] |
| Builder: | Austal USA |
| Laid down: | 16 June 2023[2] |
| Launched: | 5 August 2024[3] |
| Sponsored by: | Larissa Thune Hargens |
| Christened: | 18 May 2024[4] |
| Commissioned: | 16 November 2025 |
| Identification: | Hull number: LCS-38 |
| Status: | in active service |
| Badge: |
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| General characteristics | |
| Class & 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× gas turbines, 2× diesel, 4× waterjets, retractable Azimuth thruster, 4× diesel generators |
| Speed: | 40 knots (74 km/h; 46 mph)+, 47 knots (87 km/h; 54 mph) 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: |
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| Electronic warfare & decoys: |
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| Armament: |
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| Aircraft carried: |
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USS Pierre (LCS-38) is an Independence-class littoral combat ship of the United States Navy.[1][5] She is the second ship to be named for Pierre, South Dakota, the first being USS Pierre (PC-1141), a PC-461-class submarine chaser from World War II.[5]
Design and construction[]
In 2002, the United States Navy initiated a program to develop the first of a fleet of littoral combat ships.[6] 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.[6] 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.[6] The initial order of littoral combat ships involved a total of four ships, including two of the Independence-class design.[6] On 29 December 2010, the Navy announced that it was awarding Austal USA a contract to build ten additional Independence-class littoral combat ships.[7][8]
On November 16, 2025, Pierre was commissioned in Panama City, Florida.[9]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Pierre (LCS-38)". Naval Vessel Register. http://www.nvr.navy.mil/NVRSHIPS/DETAILS/LCS38.HTM.
- ↑ "Austal USA celebrates keel laying for the future USS Pierre (LCS 38) - the final Independence LCS". Austal USA. 19 June 2023. https://usa.austal.com/news/LCS-38-KLC. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
- ↑ "Austal USA Launches Final Littoral Combat Ship - Future USS Pierre (LCS 38)". Austal USA. 5 August 2024. https://usa.austal.com/news/LCS-38-Launch.
- ↑ "Austal USA Christens 19th LCS - Future USS Pierre (LCS 38)". Austal USA. 18 May 2024. https://usa.austal.com/news/LCS-38-Christening.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Secretary of the Navy Names Independence-Variant Littoral Combat Ship After South Dakota's Capital". United States Navy. 5 February 2019. NNS190205-08. https://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=108512.
- ↑ Special from Navy Office of Information (29 December 2010). "Littoral Combat Ship Contract Award Announced". Navy News Service. NNS101229-09. http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=57917.
- ↑ Osborn, Kris (27 June 2014). "Navy Engineers LCS Changes". Monster. http://www.dodbuzz.com/2014/06/27/navy-engineers-lcs-changes/.
- ↑ Administrator. "U.S. Navy Commissions USS Pierre Littoral Combat Ship in Florida as Final Independence-Variant Joins Fleet" (in en-us). https://www.armyrecognition.com/news/navy-news/2025/u-s-navy-commissions-uss-pierre-littoral-combat-ship-in-florida-as-final-independence-variant-joins-fleet.
- This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain.
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