US Navy To Commission Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Kingsville

The U.S. Navy will commission the future USS Kingsville (LCS 36), an Independence-variant littoral combat ship, on August 24 in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Kingsville is the 18th Independence-variant littoral combat ship (LCS) commissioned in the United States Navy, and the first U.S. Navy ship to bear this namesake.

The naming of LCS 36 honors the town of Kingsville, Texas, as well as the King Ranch.

Katherine Kline, the ship’s sponsor, is a member of the sixth generation of the King Ranch family, descendants of steamboat captain Richard King who founded the King Ranch, located in Kingsville.

Littoral combat ships are fast, optimally manned, mission-tailored surface combatants that operate in near-shore and open-ocean environments, winning against 21st-century coastal threats.

LCS ships integrate with joint, combined, manned, and unmanned teams to support forward presence, maritime security, sea control, and deterrence missions around the globe.