USS Canberra docks at Fagatogo Port

The USS Canberra, an Independence-variant combat ship, holds the designation USS Canberra (LCS 30), with its homeport in Naval Base San Diego, California, USA, and has docked at the Port in Fagatogo.

With a top speed of around 50 mph, it is one of the fastest ships in the US Navy, armed with Naval Strike Missile, a sea-skimming cruise missile that is difficult to spot on radar and can manoeuvre to avoid enemy defences.

The ship is the second US Navy vessel to bear the Canberra name.

The ship was laid down on 10 March 2020 and launched on 30 March 2021.

It is the second ship in the history of the United States Navy that has held the name ‘Canberra’, per the order of wartime President Franklin D. Roosevelt, to honour the courage of the HMAS Canberra, a heavy cruiser in the Royal Australian Navy in the Battle of Savo during the Second World War.

Governor Lemanu Palepoi Sialega Mauga will host the Navy Officers at his mansion for a reception to honour their visit to the territory.