SAN DIEGO (CNS) – The USS Independence, part of a new class of vessel built for combat in coastal waters, is scheduled to arrive at its home port of Naval Station San Diego for the first time Wednesday, the Navy announced Tuesday.
The ship departed its shipyard in Mississippi last month, went through the Panama Canal, made a stop in Mexico and completed a mine detection and clearing exercise.
“We are proud to be pulling into San Diego and bringing our ship to her homeport for the first time,” said Cmdr. Gerald R. Olin, commanding officer of Independence’s Gold Crew. “This is the culmination of two years of testing and hard work by this crew since commissioning, and it feels great to be almost home.”
Littoral combat ships, all of which are scheduled to be based in San Diego, have a modular system that allows them to be fitted out for different types of missions, and they can have alternating crews — identified by colors. The gold crew will turn the Independence over to the blue crew upon arrival in San Diego, according to the Navy.
The vessels have been plagued by cracks and corrosion, but the Navy
Article source: http://www.sandiego6.com/news/local/USS-Independence-Scheduled-to-Arrive-at-Home-Port-in-San-Diego-149774175.html posted in Panama Canal
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