USS Freedom : The coolest thing you'll see today

I'l be honest she doesn't look like a good looking ship to me :|

Add in a set of 16" Guns then she might look ok.

[fatty]

Originally Posted by Rilder

I'l be honest she doesn't look like a good looking ship to me :|

Add in a set of 16" Guns then she might look ok.

Hmm, could it be the sound of $400 million beyond the original baseline delivery price being crammed into the shipbuilding budgetary vacuum?

[ekempey]

Originally Posted by SteamWake

Nice shots, is it just me or does she seem a bit down by the bow?

She probably isn't fully loaded with ordinance or the Multi-Mission-Modules yet.

[August]

Originally Posted by fatty

Hmm, could it be the sound of $400 million beyond the original baseline delivery price being crammed into the shipbuilding budgetary vacuum?

A large, rather useless, but hugely expensive target is what my sources tell me...

[CDR Resser]

Thanks for the pictures. Must have been interesting to see in person.

[Molon Labe]

Originally Posted by August

A large, rather useless, but hugely expensive target is what my sources tell me...

Like everything else these days, we tried to do too much with a single platform. We would have been better off making a frigate/corvette with mission modules and a large mothership instead of trying to do everything with this one hull.

The reason it's so fast, I think, is because they sacrificed durability. Although it's meant to operate like a combattant, it's has the survivability rating of a rear-echelon ship.

[Sailor Steve]

It's fast because it's not a ship, it's a great great GREAT big boat!

I wonder how it handles in rough weather?

I supose it could be retro fitted into a fishing vessel.

[August]

It'd make a great Coast Guard cutter.

[Orion2012]

Nice pics!

[Sonarman]

They should send her into action against the pirate speedboats of Somalia ASAP.

[fatty]

Originally Posted by August

A large, rather useless, but hugely expensive target is what my sources tell me...

Something we agree on An excellent idea on paper, and a void in the fleet structure that needs filling. The modularity concept is a good one as well, and one that has been pioneered in similar application to some success by the Danes. But I am told that the LCS classes were simply overengineered; like Molon said, they attempted to throw in everything but the kitchen sink, and the designs were constantly being altered during the build phase. The product is a coastal patrol ship that is almost as long as a FFG-7 and in fact two metres wider!

[August]

Originally Posted by fatty

Something we agree on An excellent idea on paper, and a void in the fleet structure that needs filling. The modularity concept is a good one as well, and one that has been pioneered in similar application to some success by the Danes. But I am told that the LCS classes were simply overengineered; like Molon said, they attempted to throw in everything but the kitchen sink, and the designs were constantly being altered during the build phase. The product is a coastal patrol ship that is almost as long as a FFG-7 and in fact two metres wider!

Not to mention highly vulnerable to land based artillery and missiles. An anti-tank platoon would put that thing in a world of hurt. Too big, not fast enough.

[Molon Labe]

I'm at a loss to understand how a ship supposedly designed to fight in the littorals can have practically zero air/missile defense capability. Coastal areas are kind of known for being in range of land based aircraft (Stark) and coastal missile batteries (Hanit). I think the lack of ESSM on this thing is just inexcusable.

[fatty]

Originally Posted by Molon Labe

I'm at a loss to understand how a ship supposedly designed to fight in the littorals can have practically zero air/missile defense capability. Coastal areas are kind of known for being in range of land based aircraft (Stark) and coastal missile batteries (Hanit). I think the lack of ESSM on this thing is just inexcusable.

Yup. As a matter of fact a commander once told me that the 'reach' of the littorals - that is to say, how far water can be from the shore for it to be considered littoral - is in part defined by the reach of shore-based weapons. Through the Age of Sail the narrow effective range of cannons in forts meant the littoral was defined in terms of hundreds of metres. By the World Wars coastal artillery extended that to thousands of metres. Now, the littorals are essentially defined by shore-based missiles and aircraft. It is foolish to ignore them.