Pirates Beware: A new breed of warship

USS Freedom: Quicker, High-Tech and Pirate-Proofed
by Vera H-C Chan

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.

Scary, I don't even want to know what they do to pirates.

not a party i'd want to be at, especially if they are in a bad mood.

If there were in a bad mood, I'd run for my life.

hmm i wonder what this beast has for armerment?

mgunner564 wrote:

hmm i wonder what this beast has for armerment?

Packs Raytheon RAM missiles, .50 Field guns, and decoy launching systems. Small arms will also be employed.
I'm sure 99% of future armament systems are still being devoloped and built for the ship though. You've gotta start somewhere I guess.

Can it hold a 0.30 mini gun I wonder . Most of these Navy ships now days are being made smaller .

TheOneNamedMike wrote:

If there were in a bad mood, I'd run for my life.

unfortunatley, i don't think you'd get far. with their armament you would be lucky if you finished turning around.

you go------------------------->

the missile got there faster

Shiver me timbers!!!!! Haha i'd like to see those pirates mess with us now! GET SOME!!

yeah. before long, Somalia will be picking up the bits and pieces left of their pirates...

BullettheBlueSkky wrote:

yeah. before long, Somalia will be picking up the bits and pieces left of their pirates...

i don't think they would be big enough to actually be pieces, more like little pieces of debris.

Ok first off everyone...the USS Freedom is a peacekeeping vessel.
Firing upon a target is VERY rare by Naval standards.
I think you're all getting carried away...

Alabama:
Yes from what I understand, the USS Freedom has .30 Mini capability, although in maritime warfare, precision caps firepower anyday.

White Wolf:
You don't use "missiles" against seacraft generally. The ranges and rules involved in enforcing maritime laws make them almost useless. You have to be able to see the perps. The RAM systems will likely never and should never, in my opinion, be deployed.

I'm hoping to see the Freedom or one of it's sister ships down in San Diego sometime.
I assume it'll be moored at Coranado Naval Center, not too far from where the USS Ronald Reagan is now.

Party Boat baby!

yeah, but it would be interesting


La la la la la BOOM!

I figured that the mini gun would show up on one of them . After all they are even mounting them on Apache LongBow and Black Hawk Helecopters now .

JEEZ, that will PWN(wow thats the first time I used that word WOOOO HOOOOO!

Alabama_Sniper wrote:

I figured that the mini gun would show up on one of them . After all they are even mounting them on Apache LongBow and Black Hawk Helecopters now .

Tecnically, the fire systems on the Longbow are called "vulcan" machine guns. They are not, by military definition, "mini-guns".
Blackhawks, on the other hand, DO carry the infamous "mini-gun"...but its rare. Blackhawks are primarily for transport and operate with Apache escorts. they are rarely surfaced as attack or strike craft.

Ah I have been corrected . Well anyway back to the topic of the Freedom . I think that with a loadout like that it is outstanding that we have the research and the resorses to build something like this .

and the time.......(sorry war is 1134