First Littoral Combat Ship With Uncrewed MCM Package Arrives In Gulf

U.S. Navy littoral combat ship USS Canberra has arrived in Bahrain’s capital Manama to begin her maiden deployment.

The Independence-class vessel is the first of four such ships scheduled to begin operating in the region. The LCS ships are set to replace the Avenger-class mine countermeasures (MCM) ships which have previously been based there.

Her area of operations includes critical choke points at the Strait of Hormuz, Suez Canal and Bab al-Mandeb, as well as the wider Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea, and parts of the Indian Ocean.

The mission represents the maiden deployment of the trimaran-hulled ship, which has been specially designed to be able to operate at high speeds close to shore. She is the first to carry the MCM package, an integrated suite of unmanned maritime systems and sensors which can autonomously locate, identify, and destroy mines.

Commanding officer of USS Canberra’s Blue Crew, Cmdr. Bill Golden, has previously served on USS Gladiator, an MCM ship operating out of Bahrain. He commented: “To see the differences between that platform and what Canberra offers is incredible.”

He added: “Canberra’s arrival in Bahrain signifies our commitment to delivering advanced capabilities to further regional maritime security and maintaining our robust partnership with the Royal Bahrain Naval Force.”

• You can read more details on the U.S. Navy website