The contract was awarded to General Dynamics in July 2003.
The contract to build her was then awarded to Austal USA of Mobile, Alabama, on 14 October 2005 and her keel was laid down on 19 January 2006.
Delivery to the United States Navy was scheduled for December 2008.

The originally planned second General Dynamics ship (LCS-4) was canceled on 1 November 2007.

On 1 May 2009, a second vessel was reordered by the Navy, USS Coronado.
The keel was laid on 17 December 2009, with delivery scheduled for May 2012.
It was delivered 27 September 2013.

For fiscal year 2010, the Navy planned a competition between Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics for the next three littoral combat ships, with the winner building two ships and the loser only one.
Independence was christened 5 October 2008 by Doreen Scott, wife of 10th Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Terry D. Scott.

Navy leaders said that the fixed price competition offered the Austal design an equal shot, in spite of its excess size and cost and limited service.
In June 2009, the development and construction of Independence was 220% over-budget.
 The total projected cost for the ship was $704 million.
The Navy had originally projected the cost at $220 million.
 Independence began builder's trials near Mobile, Alabama on 2 July 2009, three days behind schedule because of maintenance issues.

In response to problems with the propulsion plant (the port gas turbine shaft seal sprang a leak), General Dynamics rearranged builder's trials to test other systems until this was fixed.
 The ship completed builder's trials on 21 October 2009 and acceptance trials on 19 November 2009.

On 9 December 2009, the Navy announced that the ship had completed its first INSURV inspection.
 The inspection found 2,080 discrepancies, including 39 high-priority deficiencies, but concluded that all could be resolved before the Navy accepts the ship as scheduled.
The ship was delivered to the Navy on 17 December 2009, and the service officially accepted it the next day.
However, the ship was found to be incomplete and a second round of acceptance trials was scheduled for 2011.

The ship was commissioned on 16 January 2010 at Mobile, Alabama and completed her maiden voyage in April 2010.

In 2010, the Navy asked for an additional $5.3 million to correct problems found in the sea trials.
 Galvanic corrosion caused by an aluminum hull in contact with the stainless steel propulsion system with sea water acting as an electrolyte, and electrical currents not fully isolated, caused "aggressive corrosion."
Prior to the discovery of corrosion, Austal and General Dynamics had both agreed to dissolve their relationship with each other and agree to act as competitors in March.
 The cause of the split was due to the planned competition between Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics.
 Prior to the split, General Dynamics was to continue maintenance on the ship after it entered service.
 In 2011 the corrosion problem was found to be even worse than expected and repair would require time in a drydock to completely remove the water jets.
In response, Austal blamed the U.S. Navy for not properly maintaining the ship.
However the Navy replied that the electrical insulation had been improperly installed during construction.
Later Austal said it had found a fix for the problem that would be tested on the third Austal LCS ship.
 In 2011, seven U.S. senators sent a letter to the Department of Defense questioning the management of the corrosion problems of Independence.
In July 2011, Navy Public Information Officer Christopher G. Johnson said that a "cathodic protection system" would be installed on the ship.
Such systems generally consist of strategically located deposits of "sacrificial metals" which act as an anode to reduce corrosion of the metal being protected.

On 2 May 2012, Independence completed her maiden voyage to her homeport, Naval Base San Diego, California, where she was assigned to Littoral Combat Ship Squadron One
In 2013, U.S. Navy sources described early documents that showed that the ship was to be named Libert
The contract was awarded to General Dynamics in July 2003. The contract to build her was then awarded to Austal USA of Mobile, Alabama, on 14 October 2005 and her keel was laid down on 19 January 2006. Delivery to the United States Navy was scheduled for December 2008.
The originally planned second General Dynamics ship (LCS-4) was canceled on 1 November 2007.
On 1 May 2009, a second vessel was reordered by the Navy, USS Coronado. The keel was laid on 17 December 2009, with delivery scheduled for May 2012. It was delivered 27 September 2013.
For fiscal year 2010, the Navy planned a competition between Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics for the next three littoral combat ships, with the winner building two ships and the loser only one. Independence was christened 5 October 2008 by Doreen Scott, wife of 10th Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Terry D. Scott.
Navy leaders said that the fixed price competition offered the Austal design an equal shot, in spite of its excess size and cost and limited service. In June 2009, the development and construction of Independence was 220% over-budget.  The total projected cost for the ship was $704 million. The Navy had originally projected the cost at $220 million.  Independence began builder's trials near Mobile, Alabama on 2 July 2009, three days behind schedule because of maintenance issues.
In response to problems with the propulsion plant (the port gas turbine shaft seal sprang a leak), General Dynamics rearranged builder's trials to test other systems until this was fixed.  The ship completed builder's trials on 21 October 2009 and acceptance trials on 19 November 2009.
On 9 December 2009, the Navy announced that the ship had completed its first INSURV inspection.  The inspection found 2,080 discrepancies, including 39 high-priority deficiencies, but concluded that all could be resolved before the Navy accepts the ship as scheduled. The ship was delivered to the Navy on 17 December 2009, and the service officially accepted it the next day. However, the ship was found to be incomplete and a second round of acceptance trials was scheduled for 2011.
The ship was commissioned on 16 January 2010 at Mobile, Alabama and completed her maiden voyage in April 2010.
In 2010, the Navy asked for an additional $5.3 million to correct problems found in the sea trials.  Galvanic corrosion caused by an aluminum hull in contact with the stainless steel propulsion system with sea water acting as an electrolyte, and electrical currents not fully isolated, caused "aggressive corrosion." Prior to the discovery of corrosion, Austal and General Dynamics had both agreed to dissolve their relationship with each other and agree to act as competitors in March.  The cause of the split was due to the planned competition between Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics.  Prior to the split, General Dynamics was to continue maintenance on the ship after it entered service.  In 2011 the corrosion problem was found to be even worse than expected and repair would require time in a drydock to completely remove the water jets. In response, Austal blamed the U.S. Navy for not properly maintaining the ship. However the Navy replied that the electrical insulation had been improperly installed during construction. Later Austal said it had found a fix for the problem that would be tested on the third Austal LCS ship.  In 2011, seven U.S. senators sent a letter to the Department of Defense questioning the management of the corrosion problems of Independence. In July 2011, Navy Public Information Officer Christopher G. Johnson said that a "cathodic protection system" would be installed on the ship. Such systems generally consist of strategically located deposits of "sacrificial metals" which act as an anode to reduce corrosion of the metal being protected.
On 2 May 2012, Independence completed her maiden voyage to her homeport, Naval Base San Diego, California, where she was assigned to Littoral Combat Ship Squadron One
In 2013, U.S. Navy sources described early documents that showed that the ship was to be named Libert
USS Independence (LCS-2)