Former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle “Gabby” Giffords waves to a crowd in front of the littoral combat ship, USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10), named for her. Photo courtesy Austal USA/U.S. Navy
The U.S. Navy has taken delivery of its ninth Littoral Combat Ship, named after former Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle “Gabby” Giffords.
The future USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10) was handed over to the Navy on Friday during a ceremony at the Austal USA shipyard in Mobile, Alabama. It is the ninth littoral combat ship to be delivered to the Navy overall and the fifth Independence variant delivered by Austal since 2009.
“We are pleased to receive the future USS Gabrielle Giffords into the LCS class,” said Capt. Harrison, commander, LCS Squadron (COMLCSRON) 1. “Gabrielle Giffords will join her sister littoral combat ships in their homeport of San Diego in 2017, commencing testing and training for deployed operations upon arrival.”
The selection of Gabrielle Giffords for the ship’s namesake honors the former U.S. Representative from Tucson, Arizona who is known for supporting and advocating for the military and veterans, gun control, renewable energy and border security. She is a survivor of an assassination attempt in 2011 which left her with a brain injury after she was shot during a shooting rampage that left six people dead and more than a dozen injured. Giffords was on stage as Dr. Jill Biden christened the ship in June 2015.
The USS Gabrielle Giffords is notable because it’s the 16th U.S. naval ship to be named for a woman and only the 13th since 1850 to be named for a living person. Following commissioning the vessel will be homeported in San Diego, California.
The Independence variant of the LCS class, noted for its trimaran hull and large large deck, is designed and built by two by Austal USA at their shipyard in Mobile, Alabama. The vessel is the fifth ship under an 11-ship contract worth approximately $4 billion.
The USS Gabrielle Giffords will be homeported in San Diego along with USS Freedom (LCS 1), USS Independence (LCS 2), USS Fort Worth (LCS 3), USS Coronado (LCS 4), USS Jackson (LCS 6) and USS Montgomery (LCS 8).
In 2016 Austal USA has delivered four vessels to the U.S. Navy, including two Littoral Combat Ships and two Expeditionary Fast Transport ships.
Dr. Jill Biden christens the future littoral combat ship USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10) at Austal USA in Mobile, Alabama in 2015. U.S. Navy Photo(U.S. Navy photo/Released)
Israel’s overnight airstrikes on Iran drove up freight rates and tanker stocks Friday as traders and investors priced in the prospect of disruption to a large swath of the global oil-shipping fleet.
Finnish prosecutors are considering pressing charges against three senior officers of an oil tanker suspected of damaging undersea power and telecommunications cables in the Baltic Sea in December, police and the prosecutor said on Friday.
The Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC) has issued an advisory about potential maritime security impacts in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, and Northern Arabian Sea after Israeli authorities reportedly...
June 12, 2025
Total Views: 2101
Get The Industry’s Go-To News
Subscribe to gCaptain Daily and stay informed with the latest global maritime and offshore news
— just like 109,289 professionals
Secure Your Spot
on the gCaptain Crew
Stay informed with the latest maritime and offshore news, delivered daily straight to your inbox
— trusted by our 109,289 members
Your Gateway to the Maritime World!
Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.