The beginning of construction of the Desert Ship coincided with the start of testing of the RIM-8 Talos missile. Although there was a mock christening upon completion of the building, the Desert Ship has never been commissioned and special permission from Congress was required to name the building USS Desert Ship. The designation "LLS" stands for "Land Locked Ship".
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The Desert Ship is one of two 'Land-Locked Ships' operated by the U.S. Navy. The other being the USS Rancocas in New Jersey.