Sunday, April 18, 2010
USS Independence
What once required hundreds of sailors may soon need only dozens as the U.S. Navy moves to a new fleet of high-tech, innovative coastal vessels known as littoral ships. Naval commanders are deciding between two different designs of littorals—one by Lockheed Martin (Freedom) and the other by General Dynamics (Independence)—both of which are intended to carry out close-to-shore missions while needing only about 40 sailors, but banks of computers to operate.
Costing around $700 million per vessel, littoral ships can maneuver in less than 15 feet of water and travel at speeds up to 40 knots. They will be used to perform a variety of different missions, such as anti-submarine warfare or hunting down pirates, which can change quickly because of the ships’ advanced equipment and technology. On the General Dynamics version, computers and robots will take care of everything from fire suppression to engineering to combat to vacuuming floors.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
Revolutionary Combat Ship Could Change Face of Navy (by Corinne Reilly, Norfolk Virginian-Pilot)
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