On Feb. 13, Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer announced the next Freedom and Independence variant Littoral Combat Ships will be named USS Savannah (LCS 28) and USS Nantucket (LCS 27).

"The future USS Savannah (LCS 28), an Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship, is the sixth ship to bear the name of the oldest city in Georgia," says a Navy spokesperson.

The nuclear-powered merchant vessel NS Savannah was also named for the city.

The USS Savannah will be built by Austal USA in Mobile, Alabama.

The future USS Nantucket (LCS 27), a Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ship, will be the third commissioned U.S. Navy ship to honor the maritime history of Nantucket. Nantucket will be built by Fincantieri Marinette Marine in Marinette, Wisconsin.

The Navy describes the Littoral Combat Ship as "a modular, reconfigurable ship, designed to meet validated fleet requirements for surface warfare (SUW), anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and mine countermeasures (MCM) missions in the littoral region," i.e. along coasts and in coastal waters.