LCS Jackson completes shock trials

The Navy wrapped up Full Ship Shock Trials (FSST) for the Littoral Combat Ship Jackson (LCS-6) this past weekend, Naval Sea Systems Command announced today.

On Saturday, July 16, the Navy detonated the third and final 10,000-pound, underwater explosive near the Jackson off the coast of Florida, NAVSEA said in an emailed statement. The Navy began shock trials for the Jackson on June 10. The tests are used to assess the ability of new ship classes to withstand underwater explosions.

"The ship performed exceptionally well, sustaining minimal damage and returned to port under her own power," NAVSEA spokesman Dale Eng wrote in the statement. "A large amount of data was collected during FSST on the majority of shipboard systems and the Navy will compile and analyze the data over the next several months."

Before the Jackson, the last time the Navy conducted FSST was in 2008 for the amphibious transport dock Mesa Verde (LPD-19), according to Eng.

While the Jackson, an Independence-variant LCS, has completed shock trials, the Navy is now preparing to begin FSST for a Freedom-variant ship, the Milwaukee (LCS-5). Those tests will be conducted later this summer, Eng said, also off the coast of Florida.