USS Tulsa Launched In Alabama Shipyard

The construction of the USS Tulsa in an Alabama shipyard reached a milestone Wednesday.

The shipbuilder, Austal USA, launched the ship Wednesday morning.

The Tulsa is now moored to a dock, where its bridge tower, deck arsenal and other systems will be loaded and tested. Once that's complete, in about a year, the Tulsa will spend another year in sea trials, where all of the $450 million-ship's systems will be tested.

The new USS Tulsa is a littoral combat ships, or LCS. The LCS is designed to be fast and agile and able to execute missions close to shore.

The USS Tulsa will become the second ship that has been named for Oklahoma's second largest city.

2/11/2017 Related Story: USS Tulsa Christened In Mobile, Alabama

USS Tulsa is an Independence-variant of the LCS. It's 419 feet long with a beam length of 103.7 feet and will be capable of operating at speeds in excess of 40 knots, according to the Pentagon.

6/6/2013 Related Story: Navy: New Combat Ship To Be Named USS Tulsa

The first Navy ship named after Tulsa was decommissioned in 1946. It was a gunship that began service in 1924, eventually serving during World War II off China, the Philippines and Australia. It became known as the Galloping Ghost of the South China Coast. 

Another USS Tulsa, a cruiser, was scheduled to be built during World War II but the war ended and it was canceled before its keel was laid.