USS Nantucket Combat Ship Delivered To Navy After Sea Trial

The U.S. Navy has accepted delivery of the new combat ship that bears Nantucket's name after the vessel and its crew completed acceptance trials that began in December 2023.

The USS Nantucket, a freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), was accepted by the Navy Monday at the Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyard in Marinette, Wisconsin. The vessel will be commissioned later this year and will be homeported in Mayport, Florida.

At 378 feet long and drawing around fourteen feet of water, the USS Nantucket is designed to navigate coastal waters that bigger vessels cannot. Armed with Rolling Airframe Missiles and a Mark 110 gun that fires 220 rounds per minute, the vessel will be as lethal as it is agile.

“It was built as a multi-mission-capable unit with the ability to quickly swap between surface warfare, mine warfare, and anti-submarine warfare,” the USS Nantucket's commander Kari Yakubisin told N Magazine in 2021. “With a crew of 73 personnel, missions range from countering drug operations utilizing SH-60S helicopters and UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles] to countering small boat attacks with 30 mm guns.”

While plans are in the works to have the vessel visit Nantucket waters at some point after it is commissioned, nothing has been finalized yet for a visit to the island. 

"Nantucket is a testament to the enduring connection between the ship’s namesake city in Massachusetts and the Navy, honoring the rich heritage of the people of Nantucket and the maritime legacy that the island represents," the Navy announced on Monday. "Nantucket is the fourth Navy ship to be named in honor of the island."

The USS Nantucket was christened in August 2021 during a ceremony at the Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyard that was attended by town manager Libby Gibson and Harbormaster Sheila Lucey, as well as summer resident Polly Spencer, the ship's sponsor who is married to Richard V. Spencer who served as the U.S. Navy Secretary from 2017 to 2019. 

The LCS-class supports forward presence, maritime security, sea control, and deterrence, and can operate independently or in high-threat environments as part of a "networked battle force" that includes larger, multi-mission surface combatants.

“The future USS Nantucket serves as a shining example of the perseverance of the United States maritime industrial base and shows that the partnership we have with industry is built to last,” said Capt. Matthew Lehmann, program manager of the Littoral Combat Ship program office. “Together, the Navy and industry will continue our work to prepare her for commissioning and Fleet operations, delivering combat capability across the globe."

Former N Magazine editor Robert Cocuzzo contributed reporting.