(MOBILE, Ala.) July 2 - The littoral combat ship Independence set out Thursday morning for sea-worthiness trials in the Gulf of Mexico.
The Austal-built ship was supposed to set sail earlier this week, but officials say problems with the propulsion system delayed the launch.
A similar littoral ship, the Freedom, was built and delivered to the U.S. Navy by Lockheed Martin.
Lockheed Martin and Austal hope to add a combination of 55 ships to the Navy's Fleet.
