The U.S. Navy's second Constellation-class guided missile frigate will be named USS Congress, Navy Secretary Kenneth J. Braithwaite announced on Friday.

It will follow the USS Constellation, whose name Braithwaite announced in October, and is expected to be delivered in 2026.

The ships are the first two of the Navy's new Guided Missile Frigate class of ships, referred to as FFG(X).

Earlier this year, the Navy awarded Marinette Marine Corp. with a $795.1 million contract to begin construction of 10 planned examples of the class.

The Navy seeks 20 guided missile frigates by Fiscal Year 2030, a 2019 Navy report to the U.S. Congress said.

Braithwaite made the announcement regarding the new ship's name during a Senate hearing.

The design of the ships is based on current ship architecture to lower costs, known as the parent-design approach.

The ships must fully integrate with a carrier strike group, hunt submarines and fire at ships over the horizon. They will also carry at least 32 Mark 41 vertical launch tubes system tube for missile-firing, as outlined in a 2019 Navy report to Congress.

The future USS Congress, currently designated FFG63, will be the sixth Navy vessel to carry the name. The first was among six ships authorized by the Naval Act of 1794, forming the U.S. Navy.

Related Links
Naval Warfare in the 21st Century

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

USS Donald Cook returns from Black Sea exercises
Washington DC (UPI) Dec 02, 2020
The USS Donald Cook returned from its patrol of the Black Sea, the Navy said Wednesday, the seventh U.S. warship to conduct exercises in the sea this year. The Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer entered the Black Sea, a strategically important waterway bordered by six countries, including Russia and three NATO members, on Nov. 23. It returned to the Aegean Sea, an arm of the Mediterranean Sea, through the straits near Istanbul after conducting exercises with the NATO Air Comman ... read more