US Navy Builds 384 foot, 52 mph Anti-Pirate Warship

[TWiley]

Picture of the new ship: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Freedom_(LCS-1) (click on the photo of the ship for a big picture)

USS Freedom: Quicker, High-Tech and Pirate-Proofed
by Vera H-C Chan
May 5, 2009 11:52:12 AM

Pirates, quiver in your skiffs. Put down your rocket launchers and run. The USS Freedom has just landed. Or launched. Whatever, just be afraid.

The high-seas bandits' advantage had long been in their nimbleness in a huge ocean. Now, however, the United States Navy is touting the USS Freedom, the lead mothership in its class of Littoral Combat Ships (LCS, and littoral means coastal).

Specifically designed for the "Global War on Terrorism," the 378-foot craft aims at pirates and oh so much more. According to a fact sheet, Freedom can also defy "asymmetric 'anti-access threats such as mines, quiet diesel submarines and fast surface crafts." So seafaring villains thinking of trading in the crafts for submersible diesels, forget about it.

The rip-roaring Freedom has been called the Navy's corvette, but it runs on Rolls-Royce MT turbines, as pictured here. Other Freedom factoids:

3,000 tons
45 knots (52 mph)
Staffs smaller crews (Blue and Gold crews, 40 members each)
Has a helicopter launch pad
Feels like a submarine.
Can discharge manned or unmanned boats attached to its sides. Yeah, kind of like Transformers...but not really.
Packs Raytheon RAM missiles, guns, and decoy launching systems

Its success isn't just the boat itself, but a faster shipbuilding process (by about half) and lower materials cost. That may have helped stave off 300 planned or considered layoffs for Marinette Marine: The shipyard that built Freedom received a contract for a second LCS ship.

When it's not cruising around Somalia or any other dangerous waters, USS Freedom will be hanging in San Diego. So beware, beach bums... Dude, don't even think about boarding without an invite

Story: http://buzz.yahoo.com/buzzlog/92536/uss-freedom-quicker-high-tech-and-pirate-proofed

[tomreedtoon]

1. Why does this sound like the Hummer of naval defense?

This sounds like a PR puff piece. Let this ship actually see pirates - not in the safe waters of America, but off in Somalia - and some of this stuff might be believable.

Not only does this sound like the Hummer announcement (an expensive, pointless vehicle that's a waste of money) but also like the brave announcements made about suppressing Communism in Vietnam. I can see this ship being punctured and sent to the bottom by a nice shoulder-mounted RPG, in which case it would not feel like a submarine; it would go to the bottom like one.

[leveymg]

3. It is a PR piece. Lockheed-Martin has the thing at the DC Naval Yard. Test Drive, Congressman?

How much does it cost? Who cares, it has Rolls Royce engines! If you have to ask . . .

[muriel_volestrangler]

7. The rest of the PR puff around the web is even worse

Also on Google News for this:

"The USS Freedom is a US naval ship built to fight pirates, islamic extremists and other terrorists. "
"The US Navy unveiled USS Freedom, a ship designed to stand up against massive enemy fleets, including fighting pirates"
"the USS Freedom, a revolution in ship customization"

I'm sure it has special anti-Islamic features built in. :sarcasm: And pirates aren't "massive enemy fleets".

And what's this: "The rip-roaring Freedom has been called the Navy's corvette"? Look, either it's a corvette, or it's not. Navies have had corvettes since 1636.

[leveymg]

9. If you live in the DC area you get used to the defense industry hype. They sell warships like SUVs

and wiretapping systems like cell phones around here. There are placard ads posted on Metro buses for weapons systems - it's really bizarre.

Who grinds out this sort of junk advertising? Third-rate copywriters.

One would think the pirate thing was ramped up to sell Corvettes. Personally, I think $440 mil is a bit much for a Corvette, even if it does have a Rolls Royce engine and seats 40.

[Captain Hilts]

6. It is. 'Pirate' duty is probably the only thing it's good for. It's the kind of thing we've

traditionally built and sold to foreign navies.

Aluminum burns. The HMS Sheffield taught us that.

GWB nearly destroyed the navy. The USN has the lowest number of hulls since BEFORE the First World War.

The LCS is an effort to get hull numbers up.

[leveymg]

2. So much information, except for one thing: how much does it cost?

This is the only reference to that. Guess the pricetag doesn't matter, as using this thing to chase pirate trawlers is like entering a Rolls Royce in a demolition derby.

Cost overruns during Freedom's construction combined with projected future overruns led the government to issue a "Stop-work" in January 2007 and ultimately led to the cancellation of construction of LCS-3 (the second Lockheed Martin ship) on April 13, 2007.<13> On 25 April 2008 the New York Times ran a highly critical article, arguing that both Freedom and competitor Independence demonstrated a failure of the Navy's littoral combat ship program.

Speaking of Rolls Royces, it appears that every major component on this thing is Euro-sourced, including the Rolls Royce engines and BAE gun. Seems cars aren't the only thing America doesn't make any more.

[GeorgeGist]

4. cah ching, cah ching, ca ching,

let Freedom roar.

[Captain Hilts]

5. It's too much ship for pirates, not enough for ocean duty. All aluminum, it will burn nicely. nt

[Canuckistanian]

8. Hey (pirate), it's (pirate) an anti-pirate ship (pirate)!

Sounds like an attempt to re-brand or justify the cost of these vessels.

The Wiki entry for the ship mentions NOTHING about using the ship for anti piracy.