Page 108: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (November 2012)

108Maritime Reporter & Engineering News GE LM2500 Gas Turbines to Power Jackson (LCS 6)GE Marine delivered two LM2500 ma- rine aeroderivative gas turbines to Austal USA?s Mobile, Ala., shipyard to power the U.S. Navy?s Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship Jackson (LCS 6).In total, GE will provide 20 LM2500 gas turbines for the Austal USA LCS pro- gram, part of a contract for up to 10 shipsover a five-year period. Similar to the previous two Austal-built LCS Independ- ence and Coronado, Jackson will be pow- ered by two LM2500s arranged in a CODAG configuration with two diesel engines. The 127-m aluminum trimaran LCS isan agile surface combatant that can be de- ployed independently to overseas littoral regions, can remain on station for an ex- tended period either with a battle groupor through a forward-basing arrange- ment, and is capable of underway replen- ishment.All the LM2500 gas turbines for the Austal LCS program were or will bemanufactured at GE?s Evendale, Ohio, facility. Shown is USS Inde-pendence (LCS 2)dur-ing sea trials in the Gulf ofMexico. Two LM2500 aeroderivative gas tur- bines arranged in a COm-bined Diesel and Gasturbine (CODAG) configu-ration with two diesel en-gines power theAustal-built LCS.MR#11 (106-113):MR Template 11/6/2012 10:49 AM Page 108