The U.S. Navy has commissioned the nation's third Littoral Combat Ship - USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) - in Galveston, Texas - officially placing the ship designed and constructed by a Lockheed Martin-led team into active service.

Fort Worth, the second of the Freedom-variant in the LCS class, successfully passed Acceptance Trials in May and was delivered to the U.S. Navy in June, two months ahead of schedule.

"Today's global security challenges demand new and improved solutions, and the Littoral Combat Ship represents the innovation that is needed to respond to this dynamic environment," said Bob Stevens, Lockheed Martin Chairman and CEO.

"We are incredibly proud of the men and women on our team who helped design and build Fort Worth and honored to serve those that will rely on this ship to support U.S. security goals."

Now formally commissioned, Fort Worth will transit to its homeport in San Diego, Calif., where it will be integrated into the fleet and the industry-Navy team will conduct additional program testing and crew training.

This ship class will support the Navy in defeating growing littoral, or close-to-shore, threats and provide access and dominance in coastal waters, helping keep critical commercial shipping lanes open worldwide.

The Lockheed Martin-led LCS team includes ship builder Marinette Marine Corporation (MMC), a Fincantieri company, and naval architect Gibbs and Cox, as well as hundreds of teammates worldwide.

Milwaukee (LCS 5) and Detroit (LCS 7) are under construction at MMC's shipyard. Little Rock (LCS 9) and Sioux City (LCS 11) were awarded in March 2012 and are in the early stages of procuring long-lead materials.