PACIFIC OCEAN - The littoral combat ship USS Independence (LCS 2) is scheduled to arrive at Naval Base San Diego May 2, marking the completion of the ship's maiden voyage to her homeport.

Independence is the first Independence-variant of the new LCS class to transit the Panama Canal, conduct a foreign port visit and arrive in San Diego.

"We are proud to be pulling into San Diego and bringing our ship to her homeport for the first time," said Cmdr. Gerald R. Olin, commanding officer of Independence's Gold Crew. "This is the culmination of two years of testing and hard work by this crew since commissioning, and it feels great to be almost home."

The 23-day transit, lead by the ship's Gold Crew, included a port visit to Manzanillo, Mexico, and marks the successful completion of testing the ability of the ship's Mine Countermeasures (MCM) mission package to detect, localize, and destroy mines in a tactical environment.

Upon arrival in San Diego, Gold Crew will begin the process of turnover with the ship's Blue Crew, including a custody inspection of parts and an exchange of command.

LCS is a fast, agile, networked surface combatant designed to operate in the near-shore environment, while capable of open-ocean tasking, and win against 21st-century coastal threats such as submarines, mines, and swarming small craft. LCS' modular, focused-mission design provides combatant commanders the required warfighting capabilities and operational flexibility to ensure maritime dominance and access for the joint force.

Indepencence is assigned to U.S. Third Fleet, which leads naval forces in the Eastern Pacific from the west coast of North America to the International Date Line.