Navy Set to Launch Cutting-Edge Littoral Combat Ship ‘Kingsville’

The Honorable Russell Rumbaugh, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Financial Management and Comptroller, will deliver the principal address at the commissioning ceremony. Additional remarks will be provided by the Honorable Vicente Gonzalez, U.S. Representative, Texas’ 34th District; the Honorable Michael Cloud, U.S. Representative, Texas’ 27th District; Vice Admiral Brad Skillman, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Integration of Capabilities and Resources; the Honorable Paulette Guajardo, Mayor of Corpus Christi, Texas; the Honorable Sam Fugate, Mayor of Kingsville, Texas; and Michelle Kruger, President of Austal USA. Katherine Kline, a descendant of the King Ranch family, will serve as the ship’s sponsor.

Kingsville is the 18th Independence-variant littoral combat ship (LCS) commissioned by the U.S. Navy and the first to bear this name. USS Kingsville represents not only Kingsville and Naval Air Station Kingsville but also showcases the collaboration between these two communities.

The LCS class includes two variants: the Freedom and the Independence. Lockheed Martin leads the Freedom-variant team, handling the odd-numbered hulls, while Austal USA leads the Independence-variant team, constructing the even-numbered hulls.

Littoral combat ships are rapid, optimally manned, and mission-tailored surface combatants designed to operate in both near-shore and open-ocean environments. These ships integrate with joint, combined, manned, and unmanned teams to support forward presence, maritime security, sea control, and deterrence missions globally. The commissioning ceremony will be live-streamed at www.dvidshub.net/webcast/34091, starting approximately ten minutes before the event at 09:50 a.m. CDT.

Media inquiries can be directed to the Navy Office of Information at (703) 697-5342. Further information about the littoral combat ship program is available on Arizonanews.org.