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NavSource Online: Littoral Warship Photo Archive

Pierre (LCS 38)

Specifications - LCS Littoral Combat Ship, Independence Class (Variant 2, Flight 0, first generation):
Hull Type: Stabilized Trimaran Monohull
Displacement: 2176 tons (light), 2784 tons (full)
Dead Weight: 608 tons
Length: 418' (oa)
Beam: 93.2' (extreme)
Draft: 13' (Maximum Navigational Draft)
Propulsion: Two gas turbine engines, two propulsion diesels, two waterjets
Speed: 47 kts (sprint), 50+ kts (top speed)
Armament: Bofors 57mm naval gun; Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) launcher; 4 - .50 caliber machine gun mounts
Combat Management System: Northrup Grumman ICMS
Electronics: Ericsson Sea Giraffe (air / surface surveillance, weapon assignment);
Decoy System: 3 - Super RBOC; 2 - Nulka Decoy launchers
Complement: 26
Pierre (LCS 38) Building and Operational Data:
  • 14 December 2018: Contract Awarded to General Dynamics Corp.
  • 05 February 2019: Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer announced that LCS 38 will be named USS Pierre
  • 04 October 2021: Construction commenced at Austal USA, Mobile, Ala. with a "First Cut" Ceremony, when the first sheet for hull fabrication was machined
  • 16 June 2023: Keel-laying and authentication ceremony held at Austal USA, Mobile, Ala; keel authenticated by sponsor Larissa Thune Hargens, daughter of Senator John Thune

    Note:
    1.) The contract option awarded to Lockheed Martin Corporation is managed by Lockheed Martin's Maritime Systems and Sensors division in Moorestown NJ. The Lockheed Martin team includes: Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyard, Bollinger Shipyards, Gibbs and Cox naval architects, Izar of Spain and Blohm & Voss naval shipbuilders.

    2.) The contract option awarded to General Dynamics is managed by Bath Iron Works at Bath, Me. The major members of General Dynamics team are: Austal USA, based in Mobile, Ala.; BAE Systems, Rockville, Md; Maritime Applied Physics Corporation, Baltimore, Md; CAE Marine Systems, Leesburg, Va.; Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems, Baltimore, Md; General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products, Burlington, Vt.; General Dynamics Electric Boat, Groton, Conn.; General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, Washington, D.C.; and General Dynamics Canada, Ottawa, Ontario.

    "Pierre, The Ship"     -    "Pierre, The People"
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		Size Image Description Contributed
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    Independence
    1502001a    		 102k 27 May 2004: Washington DC - The U.S. Navy announced today that General Dynamics - Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine, will be one of two defense contracting teams awarded contract options for final system design with options for detail design and construction of up to two Flight 0 Littoral Combat Ships (LCS). The LCS is an entirely new breed of U.S. Navy warship. A fast, agile, and networked surface combatant, LCS's modular, focused-mission design will provide Combatant Commanders the required warfighting capabilities and operational flexibility to ensure maritime dominance and access for the joint force. LCS will operate with focused-mission packages that deploy manned and unmanned vehicles to execute missions including, Special Operations Forces (SOF) support, high-speed transit, Maritime Interdiction Operations (MIO), Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), and Anti-Terrorism/Force Protection (AT/FP).

    (Artist concept provided to the U.S. Navy courtesy of General Dynamics, Photo #040527-O-0000G-004, from the Navy Newstand)    		 Mike Smolinski
    Clifton, N.J.

    Navsource DE/FF/LCS
    Archive Manager
    Independence
    1502001b    		 492k undated: Mobile, Ala. - An aerial view of the Austal USA shipyard, the American branch of operations for Australian shipbuilder Austal. Founded in 1999 along the west bank of Blakely Island on the Mobile River in Mobile, Alabama. The shipyard was initially engaged in building high-speed aluminum ferries, such as the Lake Express for service across Lake Michigan, and the Alakai for Hawaii Superferry. Construction on the first Littoral Combat Ship of the USS Independence variant was begun in 2006. In conjunction with the General Dynamics Corp., all of the planned Independence Class LCS's will be built here.

    (Photo courtesy of AUSTAL, USA)

    Pierre  274k       Pierre  269k       Pierre  155k

    Tuesday, 05 January 2021: Mobile, Ala.
    Prior to the cutting of the first sheet of medal for the construction of the future USS Pierre (LCS 38), AUSTAL USA shipyard workers prepare for the "First Cut" ceremony.
    Afterward, the button is pushed for the cutting machine to start and construction actually begins. Pierre will be the second ship named after Pierre, South Dakota to serve the
    U.S. Navy. The first was USS Pierre (PC-1141), a PC-461 class 173 foot submarine chaser from World War II. She served from 23 December 1943 to 28 October 1958.

    (Photos courtesy of  Austal USA)

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    		 Mike Smolinski
    Clifton, N.J.

    Manager, Navsource
    DE / FF / LCS Archive

    Pierre  311k       Pierre  420k       Pierre  218k       Pierre  233k       Pierre  282k       Pierre  288k

    Friday, 16 June 2023: Mobile, Ala.
    Austal USA celebrated the keel laying of the future littoral combat ship USS Pierre (LCS 38) at its ship manufacturing facility. Pierre will be an Independence-variant LCS, one of 18 the Navy has contracted Austal to build. The ship is the second U. S. Navy ship named for the city of Pierre, South Dakota. A keel laying ceremony is the formal recognition of the start of a ship’s construction. At Austal USA, the keel laying symbolically recognizes module erection in final assembly and the ceremonial beginning of a ship. The ship’s sponsor is Larissa Thune Hargens. Hargens, a native of South Dakota, graduated from Bethel University. The call to serve runs deep in her family, and she is involved with a non-profit incentive program that helps limited-income pregnant women in Sioux Falls. Her father is U.S. Senator John Thune and her grandfather was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight in Fighting Squadron 18 (VF-18) on the USS Intrepid (CV 11) during World War II. As the keel authenticator, Hargens welded her initials onto an aluminum keel plate with the assistance of Austal USA A-class welder, Hon Tran.

    “I am so honored and grateful for this incredible opportunity to sponsor the future USS Pierre,” stated Hargens. “It is a privilege to be a part of this time-honored tradition and to have my initials welded to a plate that will become a part of the ship’s keel. I look forward to participating in the important milestones throughout the life of the USS Pierre, and to building a lifelong relationship with the ship and the sailors that will make up her crew. May God bless the USS Pierre.”

    (Photos courtesy of  Austal USA)

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    		 S. Dale Hargrave
    Newport News, Va.

    "Pierre, The Ship"     -    "Pierre, The People"
    There is no DANFS History currently available for Pierre (LCS 38) at Navsource
    Additional Resources
    Tin Can Sailors
    The U.S. Navy Memorial
    The Destroyer Escort Historical Museum
    The Destroyer History Foundation
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    This page created on 21 December 2018,
    and is maintained by Mike Smolinski

    by Paul R. Yarnall, All Rights Reserved.
    Page Last Updated: 27 October 2023