Navy to christen attack sub Oregon, commission LCS Cincinnati

Oct. 3 (UPI) -- The Navy will welcome two new vessels this Saturday, the Virginia-class submarine USS Oregon and the Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Cincinnati.

The Oregon will be christened at General Dynamics Electric Boat's facility in Groton, Conn., at 10 a.m., while the Cincinnati will be commissioned at the same time on the west pier in Gulfport, Miss.

The principle speaker at the Cincinnati's commissioning will be Rep. Brad Wenstrup of Ohio, with former Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker serving as ship's sponsor for the fifth vessel to honor the third-largest city in Ohio, the Navy said in a statement.

The LCS is a reconfigurable ship that uses interchangeable mission packages for fleet requirements of surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare and mine countermeasures missions in the littoral regions.

As a result of the interchangeable packages, as well as open architecture design, the vessels can exploit littoral maritime areas using a variety of manned and unmanned vehicles, sensor systems and modular weapons.

Rep. Greg Walden of Oregon will deliver the keynote address for the Oregon's christening and break a bottle of sparkling wine across the bow to formally christen the ship, which is "a time-honored Navy tradition," the Navy said in a statement. Dana Richardson is the submarine's sponsor.

Construction of the future USS Oregon began in the fall of 2014, and delivery is set for fall of 2020.

The future Virginia-class attack submarine USS Oregon will be the third U.S. Navy ship named for the state. The first USS Oregon was bought as a brigantine ship and used for exploration from 1841-1845. The second was commissioned in 1896 and was used in Spanish-American War.

The Virginia-class attack submarines are replacing the Los Angeles class submarines as they retire.