Navy's newest badass aluminum warship: USS Independence (LCS 2)

[Exterous]

Why do we need this exactly?

It seems like it is a vessel along the lines of the Stryker vehicle design:
General Purpose, capable of filling multiple roles based on it's load out. I would imagine the idea is to allow greater flexibility with lower cost

It looks like it can carry boats, troops, cargo, helicopters and small UAVs and provide shallow water offload capacity

 

[MarkXIX]

This ship seems a bit like sending Usain Bolt to a bar fight. Sure, he can get there fast, but can he really change the tide of battle when he arrives?

The only effective use I can come up with is to scare the shit out of Somali pirates. Other than that, it looks awesome!

 

[Bignate603]

That might be important, but I don't really see how all these new toys are justified when we're spending billions of dollars on two wars and running up an ever-increasing deficit. I know that the Navy has been planning this stuff for years, but it still seems silly and completely unnecessary given the problems we're currently facing.

This is allowing them to replace and retire their current aging fleet that is becoming less effective and more costly to keep afloat.

 

[IronWing]

I like the tennis court and movie theater on the back deck. Is it dolphin friendly?

 

[Schadenfroh]

What are you yanks compensating for, hmm? :hmm:

Lack of numbers, without the latest bad ass warships, our navy would be easily overwhelmed by semi-naked Chinese sailors using anything from small boats to aqua noodles.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/03/09/us.navy.china/index.html

"The Chinese crewmembers disrobed to their underwear and continued closing to within 25 feet."

 

[Hacp]

Why do we need this when we can just nuke our enemies?

 

[Oceandevi]

It looks funny. Also has a very wide profile from the front. And 1 tiny gun... I need to see 19 giant penis.... I mean guns.

 

[Red Squirrel]

nice! I remember seeing a similar design for a cruise ship on discovery. It pretty much "glides" and ignores the waves. Not sure about that particular ship but the one I seen had "pontoons" submerged below the wave level and the ship is kept more stable that way even in high wave situations.

I like how the video is almost like a commercial. "buy now!"

 

[El Guaraguao]

waste of the american tax payers money. make love, not war. :awe:

 

[GodlessAstronomer]

waste of the american tax payers money. make love, not war. :awe:

The American military doesn't need such fancy and expensive equipment.

 

[Number1]

would be awesome to see if sea shephard got their hands on one of these

It's made of aluminum. I don't think it would be very good in the ice or against steel ships.

 

[Oceandevi]

When can we start using icebergs as floating deathstars?

 

[SirCyber]

just an FYI it's cost a cost effective multilateral warship capable of handling a large assortment of armaments and missions. these type of boats will replace the battleship fleet, and are much more practical for todays maritime force

being that it's LCS 2, it is actually the second of its type

 

[l0cke]

After reading the story of the Sea Shadow I never thought that the Navy would be willing to have a ship like this.

Of course, the sea shadow only had 4 crew :awe:

 

[0roo0roo]

What is the point of the design of that ship?

near shore operations i guess.

 

[dennilfloss]

Mmm... Didn't the USS Belknap fire and the Falklands (Malvinas) War show the danger of having a ship superstructure made of aluminium when there's a fire? It conducts heat very well (four times more than steel) and can spread the fire. On the other hand, it's lighter and more rigid than steel, less susceptible to corrosion too.

 

[shortylickens]

Almost makes me sad I got out.









YEAH RIGHT!

 

[Fenixgoon]

Missiles can solve a lot of problems. Why do you think most battleships are retired? If not all of them.

actually, a few Iowa class battleships remain in reserve because no modern armaments are able to replace the 16" cannons featured on the Iowa. There's just nothing that's as capable as the Iowa class ships for offshore artillery/support platform.

 

[Patranus]

Propelled by four water jets in addition to two diesel and two gas turbine engines, the ship boasts a range of over 3,500 nautical miles.

That sucks. Too bad we have to use yesterdays technology.

 

[iGas]

How many hours of operation before it have to be dry dock for hull repair?

 

[Schadenfroh]

That sucks. Too bad we have to use yesterdays technology.

I do not think that a nuclear reactor would be good for this kind of ship...

 

[Fenixgoon]

How many hours of operation before it have to be dry dock for hull repair?

aluminum tends to be fairly corrosion resistant by itself due to the formation of a passivating oxide layer almost immediately upon exposure to air.

secondly, the navy has all sorts of coatings, paints, and other material requirements designed to mitigate corrosion as much as possible. it's not like they're just tossing a giant block of aluminum into the ocean and hoping for the best.

 

[Gulzakar]

"actually, a few Iowa class battleships remain in reserve because no modern armaments are able to replace the 16" cannons featured on the Iowa. There's just nothing that's as capable as the Iowa class ships for offshore artillery/support platform."

In reserve, perhaps, but not in service. The Iowa class ships are part of musesums or mothball fleets.


Carpet shelling/bombing is being replaced with precision.

 

[Eli]

Aluminum doesnt seem like a good material for something that might face small arms fire.

lol

Do you have any idea what you're talking about?

 

[adairusmc]

would be awesome to see if Japanese research fleet got their hands on one of these

Fixed that for you.

That 57mm cannon would be perfect for hippies.