January 6, 2010 - 11:32AMA new shore-hugging warship developed by US and Australian shipbuilders will be commissioned next week - and fighting pirates could be one of its first missions.
"It is a jet ski," said US Navy Commander Curt Renshaw.
Built for use in coastal or littoral waters, the 128-metre trimaran can reach sprint speeds of more than 45 knots (83 km/h).
"The faster you go, the more stable it tends to get," said Renshaw, who previously commanded the USS Patriot, a mine-clearing ship, off the coast of Japan.
He said the size, speed and stability of USS Independence make it ideal for chasing down modern-day pirates.
The ship has an advanced computer system that allows the engines, weapons and other systems to be operated from anywhere on board, even from a laptop in Renshaw's stateroom.
The Independence will be commissioned on January 16, almost exactly four years after General Dynamics and its subcontractor, Australia's Austal Ltd , began work on the craft, called a Littoral Combat Ship.
Renshaw and a crew of 40 will move on board about two weeks after the commissioning, when the ship enters active service.
Accepted by the Navy last month, Independence is one of two rival designs for a new class of more agile, cheaper warships.
Lockheed Martin Corp's (LMT.N) first LCS ship, a more traditional monohull, went into service in late 2008 and has sailed more than 8000 nautical miles. The USS Freedom is due to deploy for the first time this year, in the Caribbean and then in the East Pacific, two years earlier than planned.
Lockheed and General Dynamics are now locked in competition for 10 more ships after the Navy decided last year to proceed with just one version of the new ship.
The LCS ships were designed for three main missions -- detecting mines, fighting smaller surface craft, and anti-submarine warfare. But the idea was always to make the ships more able to respond to changing military needs, such as anti-piracy, counter-narcotics and even disaster relief.
Both LCS models operate with far fewer crew members than earlier warships. They use satellite broadband connections to allow certain tasks -- like keeping track of food stores on board -- to be done more efficiently from shore.
The reduced crew size will be a major change for the Navy in coming years, and means that everyone on an LCS must essentially be able to do any job on board, Renshaw said.
It has also prompted some unusual ideas, he said, such as possibly using robotic vacuums like those built by iRobot (IRBT.O), freeing sailors for more important jobs.
http://www.smh.com.au/world/jetski-warship-set-to-tackle-pirates-20100106-lt2u.html?autostart=1
