The U.S. Navy's 10th Freedom-class littoral combat ship has entered into active service. Dubbed LCS 19, USS St. Louis is the 22nd littoral combat ship to join the service branch and the seventh vessel to bear the name, the Department of Defense (DoD) said Saturday.
The Navy held a private event to commission the vessel in response to restrictions in line with the COVID-19 pandemic. USS St. Louis is a networked surface combatant platform built to repel littoral mine, diesel submarine and surface threats.
It can rapidly incorporate interchangeable mission packages to perform specific missions. The ship can also work with the MH-60R helicopter to carry out communications relay, combat search and rescue, naval gunfire support, logistics and surveillance operations.