American Navy facility in New Mexico
USS Desert Ship (LLS-1) is a concrete blockhouse providing assembly and launch facilities simulating shipboard conditions for Navy surface-to-air weapons testing at the Naval Air Warfare Center (NAWC) Weapons Division – White Sands.
Origin.
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".
History.
Desert Ship was originally used to test the Talos missile. Subsequent uses have included testing the Standard Missile, Aegis Weapons System, and, in mid-2008, the Standard Missile 6.
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.