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USS Canberra (LCS-30)

2021 MODERN NAVY MINE COUNTERMEASURES MARITIME SURVEILLANCE LITTORAL COMBAT SHIP

History

USS Canberra (LCS-30) is an Independence-class littoral combat ship of the United States Navy. Built by Austal USA in Mobile, Alabama, the ship is the second U.S. Navy vessel named Canberra and honors the Australian capital and the World War II service of the Australian cruiser HMAS Canberra.

Canberra was launched in 2021, delivered to the U.S. Navy later that year, and commissioned in Sydney, Australia, on 22 July 2023. The ceremony was the first commissioning of a U.S. Navy warship held in Australia.

The ship has subsequently been used for mine countermeasures, regional maritime security, multinational exercises, and distributed operations in the Indo-Pacific and Middle East. Its deployments have included the first regional employment of an Independence-variant littoral combat ship carrying the complete U.S. Navy mine countermeasures mission package.

Construction and commissioning

The U.S. Navy awarded the contract for Canberra on 6 October 2017. Austal USA laid the keel at Mobile on 10 March 2020. The ship was launched on 30 March 2021 and christened on 5 June 2021, with Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne serving as sponsor.

Builder's sea trials were conducted in the Gulf of Mexico in November 2021. The U.S. Navy accepted delivery at Austal USA's facilities on 21 December 2021. Canberra arrived at Naval Base San Diego, its assigned home port, on 22 June 2022 and continued post-delivery trials and preparations for fleet service.

Canberra departed San Diego in June 2023 for Australia, with calls in the South Pacific during the transit. The ship arrived in Sydney on 18 July and was commissioned at Royal Australian Navy Fleet Base East on 22 July 2023. On the following day, personnel from USS Canberra and HMAS Canberra participated in a ceremonial Freedom of Entry event in the city of Canberra. The U.S. ship returned to San Diego in August 2023.

Design

USS Canberra is an Independence-class littoral combat ship designed for high-speed operations and adaptable mission configurations. Its propulsion system combines two LM2500 gas turbines and two diesel engines driving four waterjets.

The ship is 127.5 m (418 ft) long, has a beam of 31.5 m (104 ft), and draws about 4 m (13 ft). Full-load displacement is approximately 3,104 tons. Its stated maximum speed is 47 knots.

Weapons and aviation

Canberra's listed fixed armament includes one Mk 110 57 mm naval gun and one SeaRAM close-in weapon system. The ship can operate two MH-60 helicopters.

Mine countermeasures configuration

Canberra became an important platform for the U.S. Navy's transition to littoral combat ship-based mine countermeasures. On 18 April 2024, the Navy embarked the first complete LCS Mine Countermeasures Mission Package aboard the ship. The package included an unmanned surface vehicle, towed and airborne mine-hunting systems, and associated support equipment.

This modular arrangement allows the ship to support mine detection and clearance operations without relying solely on permanently installed systems. Canberra subsequently trained with the package during its preparations for operational deployment.

Operational history

During 2024, Canberra conducted an intensive workup focused on mine countermeasures operations. The ship continued systems qualification, mission-package integration, and crew preparation before its first operational deployment with the complete MCM package.

In March 2025, Canberra departed San Diego with its mine countermeasures equipment, sailing with USS Santa Barbara (LCS-32), another MCM-configured littoral combat ship. During the transit, Canberra refueled in Hawaii, called at Majuro and Guam, passed through the Philippines, and visited Kochi, India, on 7-8 May 2025.

Canberra arrived at Naval Support Activity Bahrain on 22 May 2025. It became the first Independence-variant littoral combat ship to deploy to the region with the complete MCM mission package and was the lead ship in a planned rotation of four vessels intended to introduce the capability to U.S. Fifth Fleet operations. During 2025, the ship operated from Bahrain in support of regional maritime security and mine countermeasures readiness.

On 20 September 2026, Canberra participated in an ADMM-Plus Experts' Working Group on Maritime Security Joint Cooperative Activity centered on Subic Bay in the Philippines. The exercise was co-hosted by Japan and the Philippines and involved naval forces from Australia, Brunei, India, Japan, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, and the United States.

For this activity, Canberra operated alongside a U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft and a multinational group of surface ships. The exercise emphasized maritime cooperation, interoperability, surveillance, coordination, and humanitarian-assistance procedures in waters connected to the South China Sea.

Operators

United States Navy: USS Canberra serves as an Independence-class littoral combat ship and has operated with mine countermeasures mission equipment in the Indo-Pacific and U.S. Fifth Fleet areas.