
The Austal USA-built future USS Manchester (LCS-14) Littoral Combat Ship finished acceptance trials on December 15, the Navy said Dec. 27.The trials for the seventh Independence-variant LCS included intense comprehensive tests by Austal’s industry team while the ship was in-port and underway in the Gulf of Mexico. This demonstrated the successful operation of the ship’s major systems and equipment including the propulsion plant, ship handling abilities, and auxiliary systems.When underway LCS-14 also performed launch and recovery operations of the 11-meter…