At long last the U.S. Navy’s latest ship has come into view in the Mobile River. It took hours for the ship to be floated after hours of delays – a lot like the entire LCS project. Even more like the LCS project as a whole, the launching was massively expensive. The cost of moving the Independence from shed to water is about $1 million. That’s right, $1,000,000.00 just to get this ship wet. You see, they did so very gently, lowering the ship inch-by-inch into the river. The Bull has to seriously wonder why. Why not side-launch the Independence just like so many hundreds of ships before her? If a side-launch is somehow a danger to this aluminum-hulled vessel, do we really want our sons and daughters serving on her in a time of war?
The aluminum-hulled Independence, or LCS-2, is a 417-foot vessel that boasts an unusual trimaran design, essentially a long, slender monohull flanked by a pair of smaller side hulls. Austal officials said the design offers the stability to support an “enormous” flight deck capable of supporting the Navy’s largest helicopter, the H-53, and provides excellent seakeeping, the ability to hold steady in rough seas, at speeds of more than 40 knots. Austal also says that one of the key advantages of a trimaran design is that it offers stability that allows helicopters to land and passengers to avoid seasickness, even in very high seas. The Bull says that time will tell.
The Independence will be docked alongside Austal, visible from Cooper Riverside Park, as it undergoes activation and testing. Other milestones christening, crew arrival and delivery are scheduled to take place later this year.
For further reading on the Independence read here.
Bull, out.
