Freedom & Independence Class
The Freedom class
The Freedom class is one of two classes of the littoral combat ship program, built for the United States Navy.
The Freedom class was proposed by Lockheed Martin as a contender for a fleet of small, multipurpose warships to operate in the littoral zone. Two ships were approved, to compete with the Independence-class design offered by General Dynamics and Austal for a construction contract of up to 55 vessels.
Despite initial plans to only accept two of the Freedom and Independence variants[clarification needed], the U.S. Navy has since announced plans to order up to ten additional ships of each class, for a total twelve ships per class.[18] As of 2016, five ships are active and an additional nine are either on order, under construction or fitting out. Starting in 2019, ships of this class will be designated as fast frigates (FF) which will include increased firepower and heavier armor.
It was announced in early September 2016 that the first four vessels of the LCS program would be used as test ships rather than being deployed with the fleet. This includes Freedom and Fort Worth.
The Independence Class
The Independence Class is a class of littoral combat ships built for the United States Navy. The hull design evolved from a project at Austal to design a 40 knot cruise ship.
Propulsion: 2 Rolls-Royce MT30 36 MW gas turbines, 2 Colt-Pielstick diesel engines, 4 Rolls-Royce waterjets
Built: 2005–present
Cost: $362 million
Building: 8
Boats & landing craft carried: 11 m (36 ft) RHIB, 40 ft (12 m) high-speed boats
Speed: 47 knots (87 km/h; 54 mph) (sea state 3)
Length: 378 ft (115 m)
