USS Independence (LCS-2) is the lead ship of the Independence-class of littoral combat ships. It is the sixth ship of the United States Navy to be named for the concept of independence. The design was produced by the General Dynamics consortium for the Navy's LCS program, and competes with the Lockheed Martin–designed Freedom variant.

Independence, delivered to the Navy at the end of 2009, was a high-speed, small-crew corvette, although the U.S. Navy does not use the term, intended to operate in littoral waters. It can swap out various systems to take on various missions, including finding and destroying mines, hunting submarines in and near shallow water, and fighting small boats (it is not intended to fight warships). The ship is a trimaran design with a wide beam above the waterline that supports a larger flight deck than those of the Navy's much larger destroyers and cruisers, as well as a large hangar and a similarly large mission bay below. The trimaran hull also exhibits low hydrodynamic drag, allowing efficient operation on two diesel-powered water jets at speeds up to 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph), and high-speed operation on two gas turbine–powered water jets at a sustainable 44 knots (81 km/h; 51 mph) and even faster for short periods.

On 29 July 2021, the Navy decommissioned Independence during a private ceremony at Naval Base San Diego, California.

The design for Independence is based on a high-speed trimaran (Benchijigua Express) hull built by Austal (Henderson, Australia). The 418-foot (127 m) surface combatant design requires a crew of 43 sailors.

With 11,000 cubic meters (390,000 cu ft) of payload volume, it was designed to carry two mission modules, allowing the ship to do multiple missions without having to be refitted. The flight deck, at 1,030 m² (11,100 sq ft), can support two SH-60 Seahawk helicopters, multiple unmanned aerial vehicles, or one CH-53 Sea Stallion-class helicopter. The trimaran aluminum hull will allow flight operations up to sea state 5.

Independence carries a default armament for self-defense. Unlike traditional combatants with fixed armament such as guns and missiles, tailored mission modules can be configured for one mission package at a time. Modules may consist of manned aircraft, unmanned vehicles, offboard sensors, or mission manning detachments.

The interior volume and payload is greater than some destroyers, allowing the ship to serve as a high-speed transport-and-maneuver platform. The 15,200-square-foot (1,410 m²) mission bay takes up most of the deck below the hangar and flight deck. Packages the size of a 20-foot-long (6.1 m) shipping container can be airlifted onto the deck at sea, then moved by an elevator into the mission bay.

In addition to cargo or container-sized mission modules, the bay can carry four lanes of multiple Strykers, armored Humvees, and their associated troops. A side ramp allows vehicle roll-on/roll-off loading to a dock and would have allowed the ship to transport the cancelled Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle.