The USS Santa Barbara, the latest example in a controversial line of littoral class combat (LCS) ships, is finally heading to sea after weathering years of doubts over whether its design is ready to face enemies.

The LCS 32 was recently commissioned at Port Hueneme in Ventura County, California. Like others in its class, the new ship is meant to operate near shores and offer flexibility to mission planners. Its home port is in San Diego, along with the rest of Littoral Combat Ship Squadron 1.

“Littoral Combat Ships are versatile platforms,” said Adm. Samuel Paparo, the commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, during the commissioning ceremony. “A successor in heritage to the escort fleets of the Second World War. They are fast, agile, and mission-tailored to operate in near-shore and open-ocean environments. They are ideal for integrating into joint, combined, manned, and unmanned teams to support maritime security operations and humanitarian missions around the globe.”

Unusual Design and Abilities

The USS Santa Barbara’s Independence-class design looks strikingly different from other U.S. Navy ships, with its trimaran hull that is meant to reduce its radar signature. The ship can sustain speeds of about 50 knots, with a range of 10,000 nautical miles. Builder Austal claims that the design will use a third less fuel than the competing Freedom class, but the Congressional Budget Office found that fuel would account for 18 percent or less of the total lifetime cost of Freedom.

Santa Barbara’s look isn’t the only thing that makes it unusual. The LCS can be configured for various roles by changing mission packages, including mission module equipment carried by craft and mission crews. Modules include Anti-submarine warfare, mine countermeasures, surface warfare, and special warfare missions.

The ship also packs a punch, although critics say it lacks much in the way of offensive weaponry. There’s a Raytheon SeaRAM missile defense system installed on the hangar roof. A SeaRAM ship defense system combines the sensors of the Phalanx 1B close-in weapon system with an 11-missile launcher for the RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile.

The ship’s flight deck can support the operation of two SH-60 Seahawk helicopters, multiple uncrewed aerial vehicles, or one CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopter. H-60 series helicopters provide airlift, rescue, anti-submarine, radar picket, and anti-ship capabilities with torpedoes and missiles.

Surviving Doubts

While the littoral combat ships haven’t yet seen combat, they’ve been under fire from critics. A 2019 report from the Congressional Research Service found that the LCS class was “controversial” due to “past cost growth, design, and construction issues with the first LCSs,” with “concerns” about the class’s survivability, armament, and whether it would be able to carry out its mission effectively. Due to costs and technical challenges, the Navy’s FY ’23 budget request included plans to retire eight Freedom-class LCSs.

“Operational testing has found several significant challenges, including the ship’s ability to defend itself if attacked and failure rates of mission-essential equipment,” wrote the authors of a General Accounting Office report last year. “The Navy is also behind schedule in developing the various mission modules—different configurations of key systems for different missions, such as mine countermeasures—for the LCS.”