SASEBO NAVAL BASE, Japan — For the second time in three weeks, the heavily scrutinized USS Freedom has been unable to perform scheduled tasks due to technical difficulties.
Repairs are under way on the littoral combat ship’s port steerable water-jet feedback cable, which stopped sending signals to indicate the jet’s position during steering checks Sunday, 7th Fleet spokesman Lt. David Levy said in a statement Tuesday. The problem was discovered as the crew prepared to depart the following day for Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training Brunei, the last major exercise of the ship’s debut deployment abroad.
“Until repairs are accomplished, the crew cannot steer the port water-jet remotely from the bridge,” Levy said. “The Freedom is still scheduled to participate in CARAT Brunei.”
The steering issue is the latest hiccup for the $500 million first-in-class vessel. It was sidelined Oct. 24 due to seawater contamination in one of its steerable water-jet hydraulic systems and in July with generator and computer issues.
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The LCS Mission
The Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program began in 2002 with the U.S. Navy’s pursuit of a new class of small and stealthy ships for multi-mission support.
The LCS is envisioned to be a networked, agile, stealthy surface combatant capable of defeating anti-access and asymmetric threats in the littorals. This relatively small, high-speed combatant will complement the U.S. Navy’s Aegis Fleet, DDG 1000 and CG(X) by operating in environments where it is less desirable to employ larger, multi-mission ships. It will have the capability to deploy independently to overseas littoral regions, remain on station for extended periods of time either with a battle group or through a forward-basing arrangement and will be capable of underway replenishment. It will operate with Carrier Strike Groups, Surface Action Groups, in groups of other similar ships, or independently for diplomatic and presence missions. Additionally, it will have the capability to operate cooperatively with the U.S. Coast Guard and Allies.
LCS will be a “Network-Centric,” Advanced Technology Ship: The LCS will rely heavily on manned and unmanned vehicles to execute assigned missions and operate as part of a netted, distributed force. In order to conduct successful combat operations in an adverse littoral environment, it will employ technologically advanced weapons, sensors, data fusion, C4ISR, hullform, propulsion, optimal manning concepts, smart control systems and self-defense systems.
LCS will be a “small, fast, affordable ship: Speed and agility will be critical for efficient and effective conduct of the littoral missions. The LCS must be capable of operating at low speeds for littoral mission operations, transit at economical speeds, and high-speed sprints, which may be necessary to avoid/prosecute a small boat or submarine threat, conduct intercept operations over the horizon, or for insertion or extraction missions.
The LCS class consists of two variants, the Freedom variant and Independence variant – designed and built by two industry teams, respectively led by Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics, Bath Iron Works. These seaframes will be outfitted with reconfigurable payloads, called Mission Packages, which can be changed out quickly. Mission packages are supported by special detachments that will deploy manned and unmanned vehicles and sensors in support of mine, undersea and surface warfare missions.
| General Characteristics, Freedom variant |
| Builder: Lockheed Martin |
| Length: 378 ft. (115.3 meters) |
| Beam: 57.4 ft. (17.5 meters) |
| Displacement: approximately 3,000 MT full load |
| Draft: 12.8 ft. (3.9 meters) |
| Speed: 40+ knots |
| Ships: |
| USS Freedom (LCS 1), San Diego, CA. |
| USS Fort Worth (LCS 3), San Diego, CA. |
| PCU Milwaukee (LCS 5) – under construction |
| PCU Detroit (LCS 7) – under construction |
| General Characteristics, Independence variant |
| Builder: General Dynamics (LCS 4 and follow Austal USA) |
| Length: 419 ft. (127.6 meters) |
| Beam: 103.7 ft. (31.6 meters) |
| Displacement: approximately 3,000 MT full load |
| Draft: 14.1 ft (4.3 meters) |
| Speed: 40+ knots |
| Ships: |
| USS Independence (LCS 2), San Diego, CA. |
| PCU Coronado (LCS 4), San Diego, CA. (future) – under construction |
| PCU Jackson (LCS 6) – under construction |
| PCU Montgomery (LCS 8) – under construction |
Source: Navy.mil
Recent News: LCS Sidelined Again by Maintenance Issue – November 13, 2013
LCS Freedom suffers propulsion loss at sea – July 22, 2013
New Waterjets Could Propel LCS to Greater Speeds – February 5, 2013
Upgraded LCS Starts Certification Trials – January 28, 2013
Navy Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Program: Background, Issues and Options for Congress August 10, 2012
Fort Worth Sails through Trials – May 7, 2012
U.S. Navy Issues Lockheed Martin $715 Million Contract Modification to Construct Two Littoral Combat Ships – March 16, 2012
Picking Up the Pace for LCS Deployment – January 12, 2012
Remote Minehunting Systems Passes First – December 30, 2012
Full Speed Ahead for LCS 3 – October 24, 2012
