The Navy just launched a brand new ship it doesn’t even want
Another of the troubled Littoral Combat Ships takes to the water
BY MAX HAUPTMAN | PUBLISHED MAY 11, 2022 2:00 PM
According to a Lockheed Martin press release, the company “is confident that the sailors of Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) 29, the future USS Beloit, will play a critical role in supporting maritime security and deterrence. The LCS Freedom-variant, operationally deployed today, is an unmatched and highly adaptable warship, designed to outpace the growing threat of our adversaries and fulfill the dynamic missions of the U.S. Navy.”
The Beloit is the latest Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ship to take to the seas, although just how long the vessel will be cruising remains in question. While the Navy has planned for 35 Independence and Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ships, a Government Accountability Office report published in February found that the LCS still “has not demonstrated the operational capabilities it needs to perform its mission.”
And even as this Littoral Combat Ship is commissioning, the class overall seems to be on its way out. The ship that gave the class its name, the USS Freedom, was decommissioned last year after only 13 years of service. The Navy’s latest budget proposal includes decommissioning nine of the so-called “little crappy ships,” even though they’re among the newest ships in the fleet.
https://taskandpurpose.com/news/navy-launched-new-lcs-ship-doesnt-want/
