The littoral combat ship to be named USS Savannah successfully concluded its acceptance trials this month, the Naval Sea Systems Command announced on Wednesday.

The trials, completed May 14 in the Gulf of Mexico, are the final step in testing the Independence-variant ship before it is formally delivered to the Navy in a ceremony planned for late June.

System trials included main propulsion, auxiliaries and electrical systems, a full-power demonstration, steering and quick reversal, anchor drop test and combat system detect-to-engage sequence, the statement on Wednesday said.

The ship is currently known as LCS 28, and was christened in August 2020 at the Austal USA shipyards in Mobile, Ala.

It is a "high-speed, agile, shallow draft, focused-mission surface combatant" designed to "conduct surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, and mine countermeasures missions in the littoral near-shore region, while also possessing the capability for deep-water operations," an Austal USA statement at the time said.

At about 422 feet in length, Freedom- and Independence-class LCS vessels are relatively small, but carry helicopters as well as Mk 110 57 mm guns and RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missiles as armaments.

Although the four earliest ships, which entered service in 2010, are scheduled for decommissioning, U.S. Navy plans include 35 LCS vessels.

With the exception of the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer program, the LCS program is the Navy's largest surface-ship class in production.

The future USS Savannah will be homeported in San Diego after its commissioning.

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