A Florida firm is hoping to find investors for its unique $10 billion project, a 1.4-kilometre-long floating city. The ship, named “Freedom Ship”, should become the largest ever built by mankind and has no analogues. It is designed to be a completely self-contained place to live, heal, work, study, relax and have fun.
The project involves equipping on board the Freedom Ship apartments, clubs, art galleries, a park, a circus, ponds with waterfalls, large marine aquariums and many other various places for entertainment and relaxation. This will be the largest duty free shopping area with a giant shopping mall. The ship's superstructure, consisting of 25 decks, will provide space for libraries and schools, sports sections and fitness centers, hospitals and medical centers, shops and banks, offices and light industrial enterprises.
While remaining a cruise ship, Freedom Ship will continuously follow the same route around the globe, visiting most coastal areas around the world. Equipped with a runway and airport on its upper deck for meeting and servicing helicopters and small private aircraft, as well as its own fleet of yachts, boats and submarines, it would help passengers easily transfer from shore to shore.
According to the plan, the city will have a length of 1,370 meters, a maximum width of 229 meters, a height of 107 meters and a displacement of about 2.5 million tons. It will accommodate 100,000 people, including 80,000 passengers and guests, as well as 20,000 crew and service personnel. The hotels will provide permanent accommodation for 10,000 people.
The developers believe that the whole idea of an autonomous floating city project should be based on four main components. First of all, it is a commercial area with the necessary number of jobs, capable of satisfying the needs and interests of the entire population on board the ship. The second is adequate transport infrastructure to ensure the daily movement of goods and people. Third, a powerful all-level educational sector with highly qualified professionals. Finally, there must be a healthcare system on board the floating city with a sufficient number of medical centers and clinics. If the Freedom Ship territory receives these four "keys", the city will live and prosper, and the value of business and housing in it will increase exponentially.
Speaking about the safety of a vessel of such unprecedented dimensions, the developers assure that, thanks to a flat hull of 1,370 meters long and 229 meters wide, Freedom Ship will have unrivaled stability, ensuring a smooth ride in the roughest seas. As additional measures, it is planned to equip about 600 isolated and individually controlled sections with water and air inside the building.
Having completed a multi-year design phase, the Freedom Ship team is currently trying to find investors for this extraordinary project. “This will be a very difficult project to capitalize, and the world economy has not been very interested in unproven progressive projects like ours for the last few years,” said Freedom Ship project manager Roger M. Gooch. “[But] over the last six months we have seen a lot of interest in the project, and we hope to raise US$1 billion to begin construction.” The total cost of the project is estimated at US$10 billion.
© Text: Egor Lanin, ruYachts Magazine, 2014
© Photo source: press materials
The Freedom Ship has everything you need for life and recreation. After the grandiose project saw the light of day, some began to seriously argue that with the construction of a floating ship-city, a gradual resettlement from land to water could begin.
The idea of a floating ship came to the mind of engineer Norman Nixon, who himself obtained a license to build a “steel structure intended for civilian use.” Nixon's Florida-based company, Engineering Solutions, is managing the calculations. The same company owns the plant that makes all the parts of the “Freedom Ship”. Previously, the company was located in one of the cities of Japan, but now it has been relocated to Saudi Arabia.
At first, Nixon planned to build just a floating recreation center, but the project later grew into a metropolis.
According to the company's estimates, the entire construction should take 40 months, and the interior finishing will take another 12 months. Thus, the floating city should enter the ocean as early as 2006.
The ship is being built in Honduras. More than 15,000 workers are involved in the construction, working in shifts, so work goes on around the clock.
According to the plan, the Freedom Ship should be very large: more than a kilometer long, approximately 300 meters wide. It is planned to place at least 25 decks here. The weight of the floating city is 3 million tons. The record displacement of the future giant is 2.7 million tons.
According to the calculations of the creators, at least 100,000 people will “live” in the city on the water, of which 20,000 are service personnel and a small army that will have to maintain order on the ship.
It is planned that 80% of the residents will have their own “apartments”, and the remaining 20% will rent rooms in hotels on the ship. The entire ship will represent a city, similar to a settlement on land.
Despite the fact that the ship has not yet completed a single route, the advertising campaign is in full swing - the creators accurately describe the upcoming journey and sell apartments. The owners promise that all living spaces will be completely different - each buyer can choose an apartment to suit their taste.
Although the ship is positioned as a city in which anyone can live, the pleasure is not cheap. The simplest apartment on Freedom Ship costs approximately $800,000. Although the construction of a giant floating city is an expensive undertaking. More than $9 billion was allocated for the project, of which $22 million was spent on the construction of the construction site alone. But investors who have invested so much money in the project are confident that all these costs will pay off in full. There is no doubt about it: the city ship has not yet been launched, but 20,000 residential premises on the “Liberty Ship” have already been sold (most of the buyers are residents of the British Isles).
There is an opinion that interest in living space will increase 10 times after the ship sails. The owners think that the demand for apartments on the ship will even exceed supply. They are even going to hold auctions, so that buyers will still bargain for a place on the ship.
If you wish, you can live on the Freedom Ship without returning to land. There will be libraries, shops, cinemas, computer rooms with Internet access, colleges, universities and hospitals where qualified specialists will work. The decks will house banks, restaurants, casinos, swimming pools and stadiums. The company promises that the most famous people in the world will be invited to give concerts. In general, you won't be bored.
The floating city will not only have its own army, but even factories and workshops. 200 acres of “land” are given over to parks, gardens and woodlands. Dog breeders will walk with their pets, which they can take with them to the new “city,” in specially designated areas.
If, for some reason, someone urgently needs to go ashore, there is no need to wait for the nearest stop: a small airport will be equipped on the ship.
Small trams will travel along the decks. In addition, the ship's residents will have boats and submarines at their disposal.
In addition to the “locals”, there will also be tourists on the ship. They will be accommodated in hotels, and special excursions on the decks will be held for them.
The ship must make at least two cruises throughout the year. Throughout the journey, the ship will stop many times near cities on land, where residents of the floating city can reach by boat. Each stay will last up to 4 days.
At first, the project aroused distrust among environmentalists. However, the creators promise that the floating city will be environmentally friendly: natural fibers are used in construction. On the ship itself, waste-free production will be practiced: paper, glass, metal and plastic will be recycled, and materials that are not available for recycling will be burned. The combustion energy will be used to operate the generators, and the water will circulate in a circle. Electrostatic filters will be located throughout, destroying dust, bacteria and viruses.
It goes without saying that the giant ship project also has opponents. In particular, many believe that the “Freedom Ship” can repeat the fate of the “Titanic”, which at one time was also advertised as an unsinkable city on the water. The fact is that the Freedom Ship is based on the technology used on floating oil rigs. It is considered reliable, but these towers do not float at high speed, but are located in one place. True, the ship's designers say that everything was precisely calculated. Even if the supporting elements fail, the vessel will not sink deeper than one foot into the water. The repair work will be carried out immediately, so there is nothing to worry about. The owners even note that the “Freedom Ship” will be almost the most reliable place on our land. After all, he is not at all afraid of fires - powerful sprayers are placed throughout the entire area, and his staff includes its own firefighters. In addition, the ship is equipped with a stabilization system, which allows you to not worry at all about strong ocean waves and hurricanes.
Some opponents of the “Freedom Ship” project say that once this floating city is torn off from land, absolute anarchy could be established here. The company has the opposite opinion on this: there will be one guard for every fifteen passengers, all apartments will be under 24-hour surveillance, and there will be a private prison on board. Mike Bluestone, a security consultant from London, argues that it will be even harder for criminals on a ship than on land, since in a floating city there is no chance of hiding - everything is in plain sight.
The floating city project has many defenders. Firstly, theoretically this is beneficial, since the ship will sail almost all over the globe, here anyone can easily engage in commerce. Living in a city-ship, you do not need to pay any taxes (but people on the ship can work, that is, have income), which becomes very attractive for many businessmen. Secondly, the best conditions are created on the ship. The owners even say that perhaps some people will live on the ship for more than one year. Consequently, the “Freedom Ship” can be considered an attempt to test the surface of the water as a new habitat.
Nixon has repeated more than once that if the city-ship is popular, then it can subsequently be transformed into a floating state, with its own symbols, flag, anthem, currency, where it will be possible to elect its own president and create its own constitution.
There are still disputes over which country the “Freedom Ship” will report to. The company's owners note that it will definitely not be the United States; most likely, the ship will sail under the flags of two European countries, which ones are still being decided.
The owners of Freedom Ship themselves have no doubt about success. Despite the fact that the first city ship has not yet been launched, there is already talk that by 2010 5 more similar floating cities will be built.
P.S. December 4, 2013.
Freedom Ship International has announced the resumption of its project to build a “floating city”. We are talking about the largest ship in the world, on which up to 50 thousand people can live. Work will begin after the authors of the idea manage to find at least $1 billion.
Captain 1st Rank V. Spirin,
captain 2nd rank D. Vasilevsky,
Captain-Lieutenant E. Leonov
It outlined the background of the Program for the creation of multi-purpose ships of the coastal sea zone for the American fleet - frigates (FR) of the LCS class, which was preceded in the mid-90s of the last century and in the early 2000s by two others - “Surface Ship of the 21st Century” (SC-21 ) and "Future Surface Ship" (FSC) for the construction of destroyers and guided missile cruisers, respectively. However, due to severe cost savings and budget cuts for the Navy, they were curtailed or only partially implemented.
The latest program (LCS) was also not ignored by foreign media due to the extreme high cost of the project, numerous design problems, and inconsistencies during construction, especially at the initial stage. Foreign experts express concern about the ship’s low survivability, its weak weapons, etc.
Readers may first of all be interested in the analysis of the cost of the program at various stages of its implementation, carried out by the authors of the article, as well as the strategy of the leadership of the Navy Ministry for the acquisition
Basic LCS Projects
This project, which involves the construction of the first 24 ships, is known as LCS mod. 0+. However, two of them were built according to the previous one - LCS mod. 0, not much different from the last one.
| Basic design of the Freedom-class frigate (LCS-1) from Lockheed-Martin: 1 - aft ramp for launching and receiving delivery vehicles; 2 - runway; 3 - compartment for placing payload modules; 4 - RAM anti-aircraft missile system; 5 - hangar; 6 - 30-mm artillery mount Mk 50; 7 - radar; 8 - GKP; 9 - 57-mm artillery mount Mk 110; 16 - crew cabins; 11 - gas turbine unit MT30; 12 - diesel engines; 13 - main gearboxes; 14 - water jet propulsors |
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| Basic design of the Independence-class frigate (LCS-2) from General Dynamics: 1 - launching and receiving system for delivery vehicles; 2 - take-off and landing pad for two H-60 helicopters or one H-53; 3 - compartment for placing payload modules; 4 - air defense missile system "Si RAM"; 5 - hangar to accommodate two N-60 helicopters; 6 - antenna devices of radio-electronic equipment; 7-nose 57 mm - AU; 8 - mine detection sonar; 9 - wheelhouse; 10 - crew cabins; 11 - compartment lift for placing payload modules; 12 - auxiliary equipment of the payload module (containers, standard interface systems, hardware); 13 - ramp for loading payload; 14 - two 12.7 mm aft machine guns on the left and right sides |
The basic LCS is a relatively inexpensive ship. Unlike other multi-purpose ships with their inherent capabilities, it was conceived as a ship with interchangeable weapons and REV modules, including uninhabited underwater vehicles (UUV). One functional module can be replaced in a short time by another depending on the task at hand in order to solve it as efficiently as possible. This approach, according to foreign experts, is the most promising, given that equipment and weapons, as practice shows, become obsolete faster than the established service life of ships ends.
It is assumed that the main tasks of LCS-type frigates will be carried out in the coastal zone - combating low-noise diesel-electric submarines, conducting mine action operations, and combating fast boats, including those operating in large groups. They can also be involved in reconnaissance, ensuring the safety of navigation (including the fight against terrorism and piracy), supporting operations carried out by the Marine Corps and special operations forces, and protecting territorial waters. LCS can perform secondary tasks without the use of special weapon modules and REVs, however, some of them can be more effectively solved only with their help.
The displacement of the LCS is about 3000 tons, which is more consistent with the characteristics of a corvette (or light frigate), as well as a coast guard ship. The full speed is more than 40 knots, which exceeds the same indicator for the missile launcher and EM missile launcher of the American Navy by an average of 10 knots. The shallow draft compared to them allows the FR to operate in shallow waters in close proximity to the enemy’s coast and to use ports with shallow depths.
Fridam-class frigates (LCS-1)
The lead ship of Lockheed Martin, Freedom (LCS-1), was laid down on June 2, 2005, launched on September 23, 2006, and commissioned into the US Navy on November 8, 2008. In February 2010, he went on his first campaign, which took place 2 years later than planned.
The ship's hull is a semi-planing type and provides high seaworthiness. It is made of steel. The superstructure is made of aluminum alloy. When designing the ship, stealth technology was widely used.
Equipment for Freedom FR was purchased, among other things, from European countries. Its combined diesel-gas turbine power plant includes two MT-30 gas turbines from Rolls-Royce (Great Britain), two diesel engines jointly produced by Fairbanks Morse and Colt-Pilstick, brand 16PA6BSTC, as well as four gearboxes MAAG company (Switzerland).
To ensure survivability, gas turbine engines are located in different compartments on board. The main gearbox (MGG) and diesel engines (DM) are located in the following two compartments of the main mechanisms on the left and right sides, separate from the gas turbine engine. Gearboxes are located in the auxiliary mechanism compartments, which are also located aft of the main mechanism compartments.
The port and starboard main engines operate on the port and starboard hydraulic fracturing. Next, the energy is transmitted along the shaft lines to the left and right side gearboxes, which drive two groups of propulsors. Each group includes two water-jet propulsors: with an adjustable direction of the jet stream and an accelerator. There are no rudders on the ship. The course change is carried out by means of water-jet propulsors with controlled direction of the jet stream.
The power plant is combined, with the joint operation of sustainer diesel and afterburning gas turbine engines at full speed. The power of the power plant is about 100 thousand liters. With. The ship's EPS includes four electric power generators driven by DD produced by the Isotta Frascini company, brand V1708. The power plant control and protection system was developed by DRS Technologies (USA). Four water jets of the SII series from Kameva, part of the Rolls-Royce company, were chosen as propulsion. The selected hull architecture and the layout of the power plant allow it to reach speeds of more than 40 knots and provide high maneuverability.
Ship weapons
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| Weapon placement on a Freedom-class frigate |
The armament of the Freedom-class frigate includes: a RAM Mk 31 air defense system with a Mk 49 launcher, developed by Raytheon, and a 57-mm Mk110 launcher manufactured by United Defense (USA), which can hit targets at a range of up to 17 km. Also on the side in the bow of the superstructure there are platforms for large-caliber 12.7-mm machine guns. Two more will be located in the runway area.
In addition, the Freedom-class ship will be based on an MH-60R or MH-60S mod. 2A (B), as well as two MQ-8B Firescout unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The UAV is equipped with television cameras, an infrared detection system, a laser range finder, data transmission equipment, a Lynx synthetic aperture radar, and may also have electronic warfare, radio-technical reconnaissance and relay equipment. "Firescout" provides reconnaissance to a depth of more than 200 km (range of action). In the MQ-8B variant, it can be armed with Stinger and Hellfire air-to-air guided missiles, as well as Lokaas or Viper Strike submunitions.
The aircraft takeoff and landing system was developed by Mac Taggart Scott (Great Britain). The area of the runway is 1.7 times larger than that of O. Burke-class destroyers and 1.5 times larger than that of Perry-class guided missile frigates.
There are spaces in the aft part of the superstructure, and under the hangar and runway there is a compartment where interchangeable payload modules with weapons and the systems that support their functioning will be located. Depending on the nature of the tasks performed, these may be: 30-mm AU Mk 46, towed antennas of the hydroacoustic complex 2087, helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles and mine-resistant uninhabited underwater vehicles, launching and receiving devices for boats (including those without crew "Spartan" type) , as well as other systems included in the payload modules.
Electronic weapons
The ship is equipped with a TRS-3D radar station (EADS, Germany), which can automatically detect and track up to 300 air and surface targets.
The radio-electronic equipment will also include the COMBATSS-21 automated combat control system (Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, USA) and a jamming and decoy system (Therma, Denmark).
Independence-class frigates (LCS-2)
The second hull of this ship was planned to be completed in April 2008, but this actually happened in December 2009. The FR was introduced into combat service on January 16, 2010.
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| Schematic diagram of the power plant of the Independence-class frigate (LCS-2): 1 - water-jet propulsion with variable direction of the jet stream; 2 - reduction gear; 3 - watertight bulkhead; 4-pin coupling; 5 - diesel engine; 6 - water supply; 7 - reduction gear; 8 - gas turbine engine |
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| Weapon placement on an Independence-class frigate (LCS-2) |
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| The composition of weapons and electronic weapons LCS-2 of the basic design of the Independence-class frigate (LCS-2) from General Dynamics: 1 - launching and receiving system for delivery vehicles; 2 - take-off and landing pad for two MH-60 helicopters or one MH-53; 3 - hangar to accommodate two MH-60 helicopters; 4 - SeaRAM air defense system; 5 - placement of radio-electronic equipment on the mast (a - satellite communication system antenna (3-30 GHz); b, n - satellite communication system antennas (0.3-3 GHz); c, d - communication system antenna (range 3-30 MHz); /SQR-4; k - optoelectronic system; l - antenna for detecting air/surface targets "Sea Giraffe"; m - antenna for the SINCGARS radio communication system (30-300 MHz); o - antenna for the navigation radar; - spotlight; c - antenna of the INMARSAT satellite communication system); 6 - bow 57-mm AU; 7 - mine detection sonar; 8 - two 12.7 mm machine guns on the left and right sides; 9 - PU system for setting false targets SRBOC; 10 - PU system for setting false targets "Nulka"; 11 - two stern 12.7 mm machine guns on the left and right sides; 12 - anti-torpedo defense system |
During the construction of the Independence-class frigate (LCS-2), General Dynamics paid considerable attention to increasing its speed. Extensive research was carried out to determine optimal hull contours with improved hydrodynamic characteristics.
All General Dynamics LCS-class frigates will be built at the Austal USA shipyard. The following companies are involved in the creation of this ship: General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems of Orlington; "Arma-ment and technical product"; "Electric Boat Division"; General Dynamics Canada; "SAE of Leesburg"; BIA Systems; Marytime Applied Physics, and Northrop-Grumman Electronic Systems. As in the Lockheed Martin LCS-1 project, steel was chosen for the ship's hull and aluminum alloys for the superstructure.
When creating the trimaran "Independence", the project of a cargo-passenger ferry of the Australian company "Austal" was taken as a basis. The selected architectural and structural type provides improved seaworthiness and increased capacity of the ship. Thus, the area of the helipad and hangar (about 1,450 m2) is almost 2 times larger than that of the Freedom-type LCS. This allows it to accommodate two medium MH-60R/S helicopters and up to three MQ-8B Firescout UAVs at the same time (on a Freedom-type LCS, UAVs can only be installed instead of one of the two helicopters).
Ship power plant
The main propulsion system of Independence-class ships includes: two LM2500 gas turbine engines manufactured by General Electric with a total power of 52,500 hp. With; two 20-cylinder V-shaped engines from MTU brand 20V 8000 with a total power of 22,298 hp. With; four water-jet propulsors with variable direction of the jet stream of the LJ-E series, developed by the Vyartsila-Lips company. To improve the maneuverability of the ship when mooring, a thruster is used. All power plant units are located in the middle hull of the trimaran - in compartments separated by waterproof bulkheads. This installation layout and hull architecture will allow the LCS to reach a full speed of over 40 knots.
Ship weapons
The armament includes: a 57-mm Mk 110 gun (in the bow of the ship), a SeaRAM air defense system (above the hangar), as well as four 12.7-mm machine guns (on the port and starboard sides).
The FR armament will also include various modules for solving PM and ASW missions and combating high-speed small-sized surface targets. Weapon modules include a sonar system, helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles and uninhabited underwater vehicles in a mine-resistant or anti-submarine version and a number of other systems.
Modernized LCS project (for the last 12 ships, from LCS-33 to - 44).
Having analyzed possible threats in the theater until 2025, the command of the US Navy put forward additional requirements for an improved project, which is planned to be used for the construction of the last 12 units in the series. Despite the fact that work on the creation of ships of the basic project continues, there are plans for their phased modernization.
Starting from the 2017 fiscal year, this project should include additional technical means (fixed, not replaceable modules) or improved existing ones to combat high-speed small surface targets, enemy diesel-electric submarines, as well as to provide air defense. In addition, the visibility and resistance of the ship to combat damage should be reduced. Its displacement will most likely increase slightly, and its full speed will decrease.
To compensate for these negative aspects, it is proposed to reduce the weight of a number of ship systems, and first of all, to reduce the area of compartments for accommodating the payload (previously reserved for weapons and electronic warfare modules) compared to the basic design. In this regard, it is not planned to use the last 12 ships for anti-aircraft defense, and their main tasks will be: combating high-speed small-sized surface targets and low-noise diesel-electric submarines in shallow waters. In addition, the upgraded LCS will be able to perform secondary tasks inherent in ships built according to the basic design.
According to preliminary estimates, increasing LCS capabilities will not lead to an increase in purchase costs by more than 20%
Thus, the modernization of the existing basic LCS project will be carried out in the following areas:
- installation of a modernized three-coordinate OVC radar;
- increasing the ship’s air defense capabilities, including the SeaRAM air defense system;
- installation of additional anti-ship missiles (ASM) to combat small, high-speed surface targets;
With the beginning of the 21st century, the world's major powers began a secret competition to build the most advanced warship in the world. Of course, American shipbuilders are setting a special pace.
Not long ago it was developed in the USA and has already passed sea trials. coastal ship new generation " Independence" - the lead ship of the second type, created under the program of littoral combat ships (Littoral Combat Ship or LCS). However, tests revealed a number of shortcomings. But first things first.
The program for building littoral combat ships is one of the main ones being implemented by the US Navy today. Its goal is the serial construction and commissioning of more than fifty high-speed and highly maneuverable warships equipped with the most modern strike, defensive and radio-technical weapons systems. The main task of coastal zone ships is to fight enemy forces and means in coastal waters that are unconventional for the American nuclear missile fleet in coastal waters, not their own, but the enemy’s.
The program was brought to life at the suggestion of the Chief of Naval Operations of the US Navy, Admiral Verne Clark. In his opinion, ships in the coastal zone should occupy the zone of naval operations where the use of ships in the ocean zone is either too risky or too expensive.
We are talking about the so-called littoral zone. However, the use of the term “littoral zone combat ship” or “littoral combat ship” in Russian naval literature is not entirely consistent with Russian practice and represents a forced step - the so-called tracing translation. The fact is that in Russian science, the term “littoral” is understood as a zone of the seabed that is flooded at high tide and drained at low tide, and is thus located between the water levels at the lowest ebb and highest tide.” As we can see, this zone is not of such great importance, from the point of view of naval strategy, that a very large series of surface ships of the main class should be built for operations in it. If we take into account the foreign interpretation of the term “littoral zone,” then we get a zone of interaction between sea and land, consisting of the seashore, coastline and coastal underwater slope and capable of reaching a width from several meters to several kilometers. If we take this description into account, then in domestic naval terminology one can find a corresponding term - “coastal sea zone - (by the way, one of the meanings of the word “littoral” is precisely “coastal”). So the American ships of the LCS family (classes " Freedom" And " Independence") should be called "ships of the near sea zone". Although - this is all a matter of taste, by and large.
littoral ship concept
According to the Americans, littoral warships should become an organic complement to powerful strike forces, and their main enemies are low-noise non-nuclear submarines, surface ships of medium and small displacement, mines and mine complexes exposed in mined positions, as well as objects of the enemy’s coastal defense system. The task of the developers of this project was to create a small, fast, maneuverable and fairly inexpensive ship in the DD(X) family of warships, which would have the ability to quickly reconfigure - depending on the specific combat mission, up to supporting the launches of cruise missiles and the actions of special forces operations.
The main feature of the new warships is their modular construction principle: depending on the assigned mission and theater of operations, various combat systems and auxiliary systems can be installed on board littoral warships. In addition, the design was carried out using the “open architecture principle”, which will allow in the future to quickly and easily introduce new technical means and use the most modern ones. As a result, a fleet of littoral ships will be able to become a powerful and universal force, characterized by high combat potential, maneuverability and stealth actions.
Initially, six companies showed interest in the tender announced by the US Navy command for the coastal zone ship program, and in 2002 they received contracts of $500 thousand each to carry out preliminary design design. After evaluating the results of their work, the US Navy in July 2003 identified three consortia to participate in the tender for littoral ships, consisting of: “ General Dynamics», « Lockheed Martin», « Raytheon».
The consortiums were awarded contracts to carry out preliminary design - the first received a contract for $8.9 million, and the remaining two for $10 million. The following year they presented their preliminary designs to the American Navy.
The first group developed a middle-class surface ship according to the design that was chosen - “ General Dynamics"After analyzing the results of a study conducted by specialists from a shipbuilding company" Bath Iron Works", and based on the trial operation of trimarans previously built by the company " Austral" Among other things, the trimaran’s ability to reach a full speed of more than 50 knots and the ability to effectively operate the ship with a crew of only 25-30 people were proven. One of the significant advantages is their high performance, especially stability, buoyancy, propulsion and controllability. On the other hand, this should be especially emphasized; unlike its competitors, it was initially planned with a lesser degree of versatility than its competitors, and, according to the developers, it should solve the following problems:
- counteracting terrorists (today, many foreign experts and anti-piracy specialists see littoral warships of the “Independence” type as the main potential means of combating sea robbers);
- combating high-speed boats, especially if they use the method of attack in a “dismembered” formation;
- search and destruction of non-nuclear submarines;
- implementation of mine action operations;
- transfer of personnel and cargo, including disembarkation and reception of special forces on board.
A group of companies led by the concern " Lockheed Martin» first unveiled its littoral ship design in April 2004, during a naval exhibition in Washington, DC. A distinctive feature of the ship was the use of a semi-planing hull shape during the design process - Western experts call it a “sea blade”. A similar hull shape was first used on high-speed seagoing vessels that won speed records on transatlantic lines, and today it is used in an adapted form on larger high-speed military and civilian transport vessels.
In order to increase their chances of winning, the developers from this consortium took into account all the requirements of the US Navy to the greatest extent possible - especially in matters of versatility, modularity and interchangeability of individual blocks and modules of weapons and various equipment.
And finally, the last group, the leader of which was the company “ Raytheon", proposed a project developed on the basis of the Norwegian small. The main contractor was responsible for the development of individual systems and the integration of all components on board the ship, while the John Mullen Association acted as an expert group on the design of the ship. It should be especially noted that this modification was designed as a “skeg-type hovercraft” (in Western terminology - “surface-effect-ship”), according to which Project 1239 was designed “ Bora" However, this project was ultimately rejected by the US Navy in May 2004.
ship with a small waterline area "Sea Fighter"
While the Pentagon, Congress and shipbuilders worked out preliminary issues toward the official start of the program, admirals tested the concept of high-speed and maneuverable warships designed using unconventional designs and a modular construction principle.
The design of ships in the coastal zone was based on the design of a ship with a small waterline area " Sea Fighter", providing high seaworthiness - in near and far sea zones, in simple and stormy conditions. At the same time, one of the main conditions that the developers had to provide was the modular principle of building the ship - depending on the assigned combat missions and the theater of military operations, the ship had to ensure the integration of certain specialized replaceable combat modules. Besides " Sea Fighter“- it was mandatory to ensure the reception/release of aircraft, as well as small boats, including uninhabited ones.
The ship was designed by a British company. BMT Nidel Gee Ltd", and its construction was carried out at the shipyard of the company " Nichols Bros. Boat Builders» (Freeland, Washington). The order for it was placed on February 15, 2003, the keel was laid on June 5, 2003, the ship was launched on February 5, 2005, and was accepted into service with the US Navy on May 31 of the same year.
Technical characteristics of the ship "Sea Fighter":
Displacement - 950 tons;
Length - 79.9 m;
Width - 21.9 m;
Draft - 3.5 m;
Cruising range - 4400 miles;
Crew - 26 people;
The power plant is a combined diesel-gas turbine power plant consisting of two diesel MTU 595 and two gas turbine LM2500 units: diesel engines are used at cruising speed, and turbines are used for high speeds.
Two rotary ones are used as propulsors, placed one at a time in two catamaran hulls. The successful combination of the power plant and propulsion allows the ship to reach speeds of up to 50 knots.
There are two helicopter flight decks on board the ship, providing for the reception and release of helicopters at speeds up to full speed; the crew has at their disposal a stern device that allows them to launch and receive on board boats or underwater sabotage or mine-anti-mine vehicles up to 11 m long.
According to the US Navy command, the ship " Sea Fighter“was supposed to allow the fleet to solve two main problems: to study the potential capabilities of ships of this design, and also to work out the modular principle of forming the ship’s onboard weapons. In the latter case, it was possible to install various container-like modules into the ship's hull, allowing, depending on the module, to solve the problems of anti-submarine defense, mine defense, combat against enemy surface ships, participation in amphibious operations, as well as solve problems of transporting troops and military cargo by sea and launch sea-based cruise missiles. A distinctive feature of the ship " Sea Fighter"is the presence of a through cargo deck - similar to the type of Ro-Ro class vessels.
The first tests of the ship " Sea Fighter» brought positive results. The data obtained was actively used by developers within the LCS program of both types. It is worth especially noting, however, that recently the command of the US Navy and Coast Guard has been increasingly exploring the possibility of preferential use of ships of the " Sea Fighter"as warships of the fleet, and to ensure security and law and order in their internal waters, as well as to protect national interests in the exclusive economic zone of the United States. If it is necessary to build up the forces and means of the fleet far from their own coast, ships of this type due to their high speed and cruising ranges can be quickly transferred to the designated area.
In February 2004, the Joint Military Design Compliance Review Board gave final approval to the US Navy's document justifying the purchase of littoral combat ships, and on May 27, the US Department of the Navy announced that two groups of companies led by " General Dynamics" And " Lockheed Martin", received contracts worth $78.8 million and $46.5 million, respectively, to complete design work, after which they will begin building prototype ships of the zero series Flight 0: " Lockheed Martin"will build LCS 1 and LCS 3 ships, and " General Dynamics"- LCS 2 and LCS 4. Moreover, it was announced that, together with the costs of building coastal ships, the cost of contracts could increase to 536 million and 423 million dollars, respectively. This is precisely the amount that the Navy command proposed to include in the budgets of the 2005-2007 fiscal years (about $4 billion was planned for the construction of nine littoral ships for the period up to 2009 inclusive).
littoral combat ship "Freedom" LCS 1
Finally, on June 2, 2005, the head coastal ship first type LCS 1 " Freedom" - was laid down at the shipyard " Marinette Marine", in Marinette, Wisconsin, and on September 23, 2006, it was launched with pomp. The ship was handed over to the fleet on November 8, 2008.
littoral combat ship "Independence" LCS 2
The consortium led by " General Dynamics» On January 19, 2006, he began building his trimaran « Independence" - the shipyard was chosen for this " Austral USA Shipyards» in Mobile, Alabama. On April 30, 2008, the ship was launched and accepted into service in the fleet on January 16, 2010.
However, the Americans' complacent mood soon came to an end. The reason, as is the case with many other Pentagon programs, was an uncontrolled rise in prices. As a result, all work on the construction of the second class " Freedom» LCS 3 and class « Independence» LCS 4 have been suspended. But the result was the cancellation of the contract for their construction.
It should also be noted that during the sea trials of both built lead ships, a lot of shortcomings and serious technical omissions were identified.
