PALUBA

Mislim da je bolji naslov ovoga: "Kako je američka mornarica izblamirala sebe do daske!"

Da ne ulazim u raspravu da li je u današnje vreme potreban priobalni bojni brod, ali ono što se dešavalo oko ovog tendera je sramota na kvadrat kako za američku mornaricu, tako i za sve američke vojne kontraktore! Prvo, van svake logike i veze sa stvarnošću, dozvoljeno je dvema konkurentskim kompanijama da urade prototipove priobalnih brodova nove generacije. Ne govorim o takmičenju za dizajn i daljim tehničkim analizama, već će se ocene davati tek po izgradnji oba broda! U finale tendera su ušli Dženeral Dajnamiks sa LCS-2 USS Independence i Lokid sa LCS-1 USS Freedom. Da, da, Lokid koji nikad nije pravio bojni brod, ali ajde ko te pita kad se troše državne pare ::)

Izvini,da li bi mogao da pojasniš ono o bojnom brodu?Prema oznaci se radi o desantnim brodovima LCS (Landing Craft Support)

Ja sam se uvek divio americkim nazivima brodova... Al ovaj je neprocenjiv.

Ne da se izblamirala nego je ovo......

The U.S. Navy authorized the first cutting of aluminum for the sixth littoral combat ship at Austal USA's modular manufacturing facility in Alabama.

The "first cut" signifies the ship's progression from design drawings to the beginning of a tangible form.

"The littoral combat ship is a key part of our future fleet and demands the very best skill and effort from government and industry teams," said Program Executive Officer for Littoral Combat Ships Navy Rear Adm. James Murdoch.

"The commencement of production of LCS 6 marks another significant milestone in the program, and demonstrates the efficiency benefits of our 'block buy' arrangements with the ship builders.

"These fixed-price contracts ensure cost efficiency in the program and best value for the taxpayer."

The LCS is a new breed of U.S. Navy warship. It's fast, agile and modular to operate with focused-mission packages and deploy manned and unmanned vehicles to execute missions as assigned by combatant commanders.

PEO LCS was established July 11 and is an affiliated program executive office of U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command. It provides a single program executive responsible for acquiring and maintaining the littoral mission capabilities of the littoral combat ship class, beginning with procurement and ending with fleet employment and sustainment.

Ovdje dobro izgleda.....valjda ce se saznati sto se dogodilo, mozda neki jeftini dijelovi...iz iskustva znam da nisu Amerikanci tome neskloni; pogotovo ako je veci sicar u pitanju.
https://youtu.be/y2C3YobsN1o

USS Jackson (LCS 6) Full Ship Shock Trials

Took a licking, kept on ticking. In June, the Navy began conducting Full Ship Shock Trials (FSST) for the Independence variant Littoral Combat Ship USS Jackson (LCS 6) off the coast of Florida. The purpose of FSST is to validate the operational survivability of new construction ships after exposure to underwater shock.

The Navy Now Wants To Retire The First Four Of Its Troublesome Littoral Combat Ships
These are exceptionally young ships to be pulled from service, underlining just how problematic and useless they truly are.
BY TYLER ROGOWAY   FEBRUARY 10, 2020

It was something many of us saw as a near-certain eventuality, the Navy has formally announced that it wants to retire its first four Littoral Combat Ships. Split evenly across both the Freedom and Independence classes of the failed Littoral Combat Ship concept, the oldest of the vessels was commissioned just 12 years ago, the youngest a mere six years ago. Yes, you read that right—six years ago! The troublesome fleet within a fleet has been serving as a training and test force, a dubious role from the start that the Navy says isn't even needed anymore. Giving up on the vessels as front line ships began a few years ago as part of a restructuring plan that was initiated as the program became increasingly mired in technological and logistical turmoil.

It can't be overstated just how stunning an admission this is for a service that is desperately trying to find a way to reach its 355 ship fleet goal in the coming years. Retiring four youthful vessels does not vibe with this strategy, at least on paper. It serves as a clear indication of just how bad the first four of these vessels truly are and it serves as another reminder of how the Navy is coming to terms with the LCS debacle after years of being in denial.

The news of the planned divestiture came as part of the Pentagon's briefings on the department's 2021 Fiscal Year budget request. The justification behind the move reads as such in the Navy's budget highlights briefing book:

Navy decommission the first four LCS ships. These ships have been test articles and training assets, and were key in developing the operational concepts leading to the current deployment of LCS ships today. But cancelling their modernization allows us to prioritize lethality and survivability where we need it and in the mission packages assigned ships that will fill the roles of Surface Warfare (SUW), Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), and Mine Countermeasures (MCM) going forward...

I have set up a clip in which you can watch Rear Admiral Randy Crites' comments on what is bound to be a very controversial new plan to flush LCS-1 through LCS-4 out of the fleet by clicking here (https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4854237/user-clip-lcs-1-4-retirement).

Now that the Navy is admitting that it isn't even worth keeping the four ships, which are uniquely configured and problem-prone, around for training and experimentation duties, where they will end up is anyone's guess. At this point, they could be mothballed, picked for parts, and eventually meet the scrapper's torch. On the other hand, maybe an ally will be willing to take one or two of them on for a very good price. A lot of you are probably saying "give them to the Coast Guard!" I would bet heavily that the Coast Guard doesn't want them and that service is already cash-strapped as it is. Adding these anchors to their bottom line would be a move in the wrong direction.

Using one for a SINKEX drill would be quite interesting as both types' survivability has long been in question, especially due to the widespread use of aluminum in their construction and their overall lower design standards than their more hardy dock mates. Seeing what real weaponry does to either of the designs could be beneficial, but doing so may be a bit too ironic and damning of a pill for the Navy swallow.

Keep in mind that Congress still has to approve this remarkably frank choice by the Navy. We will keep you informed as more information on the early demise of these four vessels that have sucked up billions of dollars becomes available.

Another littoral combat ship breaks down on deployment
By: David B. Larter October 29, 2020

WASHINGTON – The littoral combat ship Detroit is limping back to Mayport, Florida from a deployment to South America in a move that marks the latest setback for the Freedom variant’s complicated propulsion system.

Three sources familiar with the situation told Defense News the casualty is in Detroit’s combining gear, which is a complex transmission that connects power from two large gas turbine engines and two main propulsion diesel engines to the ship’s propulsion shafts, which propels the ship through the water with water jets. Detroit will redeploy to Southern Command when repairs are completed, U.S. 4th Fleet Commander Rear Adm. Don Gabrielson said in a statement.

“USS Detroit (LCS 7) experienced an engineering casualty during routine operations, and a technical evaluation determined that in-port repairs would be required,” the statement read. “USS Detroit has been a vital and productive asset and will be redeployed as soon as possible.”

Detroit’s Freedom-class sister ship Sioux City and the trimaran Independence-class LCS Gabrielle Giffords remain on station, Gabrielson said. The Freedom-class LCS has been bedeviled by issues with its combining gear, which is an imperfect solution engineered to meet the 40-knot-plus speed requirement. The ship can make between 10 and 12 knots with just its diesel engines, but to go any faster it must engage the gas turbine engines. The combining gear fuses and transmits the power to the propulsion shafts, but is a system with a lot of moving parts and has proven unreliable.

The string of combining gear casualties dating back to at least late 2015, when the LCS Milwaukee broke down on its maiden voyage to its home port in Mayport, Florida, and had to be towed into Little Creek amphibious base in Hampton Roads, Virginia. Early the next year, the littoral combat ship Fort Worth suffered a casualty to the combining gear in port when sailors accidentally ran the system without lube oil running through it.

The trimaran Independence-class also suffered breakdowns in 2016, including a serious casualty on the Montgomery and the Coronado. The Navy has proposed decommissioning the first four littoral combat ships, citing misalignment with the rest of the fleet. The Navy has procured 35 littoral combat ships. Several sources familiar with the issue who spoke to Defense News said the Freedom variant’s propulsion train has proven generally unreliable when the combining gear needs to be engaged.

The LCS was built to be fast and modular, able to swap between mine warfare systems, surface warfare systems and anti-submarine warfare systems during short port visits. But the Navy ditched that system in the Fall of 2016, after a string of breakdowns and accidents, and decided it was going to make each ship single-mission: Either ASW, mine warfare or surface warfare, and the systems would be semi-permanently attached to the ships.

The Navy also backed off a three-crew system where three crews would rotate between two hulls to maximize how much time each ship could spend underway. But the ships have not proven reliable enough to support such a system. Operating unreliable ships prone to needing emergent repairs will put an increasing burden on already strained surface ship maintenance budgets and, depending on how extensive the repairs, ship repair facilities. The reliability issues should force the Navy into significant changes in how it deploys the ships, said Bryan Clark, a retired submarine officer and senior fellow at the Hudson Institute.

“You have to fall back and do essentially what the Navy has done, and say, ‘We’re going to do sub-frigate missions,’” Clark said. Part of that may mean that ships that were designed to go fast will need to travel below 16 knots all the time so as not to incur damage to a fragile propulsion train.

It also means that the Navy will have to make a decision about whether it wants to spend the money on systems that are being designed for the hulls, such as the mine warfare and anti-submarine mission modules, which are both years late. The issues with LCS reliability are not lost on the Navy’s senior leaders.

In a July interview with Defense News, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday said he was committed to addressing the reliability issues with the platform.

“There are things in the near term that I have to deliver, that I’m putting heat on now, and one of them is LCS,” Gilday said. “One part is sustainability and reliability. We know enough about that platform and the problems that we have that plague us with regard to reliability and sustainability, and I need them resolved."

“That requires a campaign plan to get after it and have it reviewed by me frequently enough so that I can be sighted on it. Those platforms have been around since 2008 — we need to get on with it. We’ve done five deployments since I’ve been on the job, we’re going to ramp that up two-and-a-half times over the next couple of years, but we have got to get after it,” he added. “LCS for me is something, on my watch, I’ve got to get right.”

The Navy has already begun to try some new approaches to boosting reliability, said Gabrielson, the Fourth Fleet commander. The Navy deployed the expeditionary fast transport ship Burlington, operated by Military Sealift Command, along with the Gabriel Giffords, Sioux City and, until lately, the Detroit to act as a kind of tender for the ships to conduct repairs and maintenance as needed.

“USNS Burlington (T-EPF-10) is deployed to test her utility as an afloat staging base supporting the Planned Maintenance Availabilities (PMAV) for deployed LCS ships, showing real promise,” his statement said.

As for operations in Latin America, the show will go on without Detroit until it is able to return, Gabrielson said, with the annual “Unity in the Americas” exercise preparing to kick off.

“Both Gabrielle Giffords and Burlington will participate in the upcoming UNITAS exercise hosted by Ecuador, joined by 8 other partner nations contributing 10 ships, along with U.S. Marines, naval aircraft, as well as U.S. Air Force aircraft, a U.S. Coast Guard Cutter, and a U.S. Army ship, building and exercising regional maritime readiness,” the statement reads.

For Gilday, the continued reliability issues on LCS are a lesson the Navy needs to learn as it pushes forward with new classes of ships and unmanned surface vessels as part of a push to grow the Navy, he told Defense News.

“I go back to: Do I really need a littoral combat ship to go 40 knots?” Gilday mused. “That’s going to drive the entire design of the ship, not just the engineering plant but how it’s built. That becomes a critical factor. So if you take your eye off the ball with respect to requirements, you can find yourself drifting."

Littoral combat ship Detroit is being towed into port after another engineering failure
By: David B. Larter November 7, 2020

WASHINGTON — The littoral combat ship Detroit suffered another engineering casualty on its return trip to its home port in Florida and is being towed into Port Canaveral, the U.S. Navy confirmed Friday.

The ship lost power on its return journey from a deployment in Latin America, which it was forced to depart after a casualty to its combining gear. It is being towed back to port by the tug and supply vessel Gary Chouest, according to U.S. 2nd Fleet spokesperson Cmdr. Ashley Hockycko.

“While conducting routine operations in the U.S. Fourth Fleet area of responsibility, the USS Detroit (LCS 7) experienced an engineering casualty. After a thorough technical evaluation, it was determined that repairs would need to be made in port,” Hockycko said in a statement.

“During the ship’s return transit to her homeport of Mayport, Fl., the ship lost electrical power. The ship is currently being towed to Port Canaveral by MV Gary Chouest. Due to deteriorating weather in the area, the ship was towed to Port Canaveral, Fl., the closest port out of an abundance of caution and for the safety and comfort of the crew,” the officer added.

The ship was scheduled to arrive this afternoon, Hockycko said. Online vessel trackers showed Chouest arriving in Port Canaveral around 2:15 p.m.

Detroit is a mono-hulled Freedom variant of the littoral combat ship, designed by Lockheed Martin and built at Marinette Marine in Wisconsin.

Defense News first reported the combining gear casualty in late October. The combining gear is a complex transmission that connects power from two large gas turbine engines and two main propulsion diesel engines to the ship’s propulsion shafts, which propels the ship through the water with water jets.

Detroit will redeploy to Southern Command when repairs are completed, U.S. 4th Fleet Commander Rear Adm. Don Gabrielson said in an Oct. 28 statement.

“USS Detroit (LCS 7) experienced an engineering casualty during routine operations, and a technical evaluation determined that in-port repairs would be required,” the statement read. “USS Detroit has been a vital and productive asset and will be redeployed as soon as possible.”

The incident was reminiscent of one in late 2015 with Detroit’s sister ship, the Milwaukee, was forced to shut down its engines and be towed into port on its maiden voyage from the shipyard to its home port in Mayport, Florida, after suffering a similar combining gear casualty.

Broken littoral combat ship Detroit returns to sea on its own power
By: David B. Larter November 18, 2020

WASHINGTON – After suffering a total breakdown and being towed into port earlier this month, the littoral combat ship Detroit returned to sea Tuesday and is heading back to its home port in Mayport, Florida, under its own power, U.S. 2nd Fleet confirmed.

The ship lost power on its return journey from a deployment in Latin America, which it was forced to depart after a casualty to its combining gear.

“USS Detroit (LCS 7) departed Port Canaveral today under ship’s power to return to its home port of Naval Station Mayport, after making repairs in port,” 2nd Fleet spokesperson Lt. Marycate Walsh said Tuesday.

A source familiar with the Detroit’s casualties said the repairs to the electrical system were relatively minor, but that the issue with the combining gear remains unresolved. The Detroit is the latest Freedom-variant LCS to suffer a major engineering casualty, but the alarming frequency of the problems with the littoral combat ships have spurred a major effort by the service to find ways of operating them more reliably.

The Freedom-class LCS has been bedeviled by issues with its combining gear, which is an imperfect solution engineered to meet the 40-knot-plus speed requirement. The ship can make between 10 and 12 knots with just its diesel engines, but to go any faster it must engage the gas turbine engines. The combining gear fuses and transmits the power to the propulsion shafts but has a lot of moving parts and has proven unreliable.

The string of combining gear casualties dates back to at least late 2015, when the LCS Milwaukee broke down on its maiden voyage to its home port in Mayport and had to be towed into the Little Creek base in Hampton Roads, Virginia. Early the next year, the LCS Fort Worth suffered a casualty to the combining gear in port when sailors accidentally ran the system without lube oil running through it.

The issues with LCS reliability are not lost on the Navy’s senior leaders. In a July interview with Defense News, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday said he is committed to addressing the reliability issues with the platform.

“There are things in the near term that I have to deliver, that I’m putting heat on now, and one of them is LCS,” Gilday said. “One part is sustainability and reliability. We know enough about that platform and the problems that we have that plague us with regard to reliability and sustainability, and I need them resolved.”

“That requires a campaign plan to get after it and have it reviewed by me frequently enough so that I can be sighted on it. Those platforms have been around since 2008 — we need to get on with it. We’ve done five deployments since I’ve been on the job, we’re going to ramp that up two-and-a-half times over the next couple of years, but we have got to get after it,” he added. “LCS for me is something, on my watch, I’ve got to get right.”