I was reading up on the two classes of Littoral Combat Ships the US Navy has already put into production and I was wondering something. Are those ships a good idea?
I have been aboard one of them, the USS Fort Worth, and I was pretty impressed at the amount of firepower the little ships can pack onto their hulls. They have the ability to be an anti-surface, anti-submarine, and anti-air platform depending on what modules they have mounted. They also serve the purpose of having the ability to become the Navy's replacement minesweeper vessels and are the planned ship to phase out the Frigates. All of that within a very shallow draft and very fast vessel with quite a stinger in its tail.
The ships also have an air wing, they can carry a chopper, a Sea King I think, correct me if I'm wrong, and a few different UAV's. So this ship also can reach out and touch you from a distance
These ships also have another advantage, they are not very crew intensive, aout forty to sixty people are needed to man it and for the Navy that is a huge boon with the budget crisis nowadays. But with all their advanced metalworking and technology as well as the sheer numbers of the ships the Navy has ordered are they a viable option for the Navy?
I personally believe so, with the threat of Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz the Navy needs a ship that can combat small attack craft in shallow water and be able to detect and dispose of mines which the Iranians have planned to and have used in the past. Along with escort potential in the form of ASW capability with helicopters and a good sonar system the Littoral Combat ship could also see a convoy of merchantmen through a contested area given enough support from aerial assets and warning from intelligence sources. That's my argument for the idea of Littoral Combat Ships, anyone have anything else to add or dispute?
I have been aboard one of them, the USS Fort Worth, and I was pretty impressed at the amount of firepower the little ships can pack onto their hulls. They have the ability to be an anti-surface, anti-submarine, and anti-air platform depending on what modules they have mounted. They also serve the purpose of having the ability to become the Navy's replacement minesweeper vessels and are the planned ship to phase out the Frigates. All of that within a very shallow draft and very fast vessel with quite a stinger in its tail.
The ships also have an air wing, they can carry a chopper, a Sea King I think, correct me if I'm wrong, and a few different UAV's. So this ship also can reach out and touch you from a distance
These ships also have another advantage, they are not very crew intensive, aout forty to sixty people are needed to man it and for the Navy that is a huge boon with the budget crisis nowadays. But with all their advanced metalworking and technology as well as the sheer numbers of the ships the Navy has ordered are they a viable option for the Navy?
I personally believe so, with the threat of Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz the Navy needs a ship that can combat small attack craft in shallow water and be able to detect and dispose of mines which the Iranians have planned to and have used in the past. Along with escort potential in the form of ASW capability with helicopters and a good sonar system the Littoral Combat ship could also see a convoy of merchantmen through a contested area given enough support from aerial assets and warning from intelligence sources. That's my argument for the idea of Littoral Combat Ships, anyone have anything else to add or dispute?
