The Navy's first Littoral Combat Ship, the Freedom (LCS 1), left its pier for the first time July 28 and will spend the next two weeks conducting builder's trials in Lake Michigan, said Lockheed Martin spokesman Chip Eschenfelder.


First Littoral Combat Ship gets underway
By Christopher P. Cavas - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Jul 29, 2008 5:55:11 EDT

The Navy’s first Littoral Combat Ship, the Freedom (LCS 1), left its pier for the first time Monday and moved into Lake Michigan to begin a series of underway builder’s trials.

“Freedom is now under way,” Joe North, director of Lockheed Martin’s LCS program, said in a statement.

The 378-foot long ship will spend the next two weeks conducting the trials, said Lockheed spokesman Chip Eschenfelder. During that time, engineers from Lockheed Martin, its shipbuilder, Marinette Marine, and other subcontractors will check out the ship’s propulsion, communications, navigation and mission systems, as well as other ship systems, Eschenfelder said. The ship will not remain underway for the entire period, but will return to harbor or anchor for most nights.

~snip~

The LCS program, which originally envisioned a two-year construction period for the ships, has experienced multiple design and production difficulties, and Freedom is more than a year behind schedule. The ship’s keel-laying was held in June 2005, and it was launched in September 2006.

Costs for the first-of-its-kind ship have risen dramatically. Projected in 2004 at $220 million, the price tag has more than doubled. Navy and Lockheed officials won’t reveal current numbers, but sources have said the price for the first ship is at least $500 million.


Rest of article at: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/07/navy... /



uhc comment: $500 million my ass.

On Friday Feb 15, 2008, Christopher P. Cavas (same guy) , staff writer for the Navy times said:

A $3.3 billion price tag is attached to each of the new ships, although the Navy hopes the cost will drop as further ships are ordered. Independent government analysts, however, routinely forecast a much higher cost, with some estimates topping $5 billion and more. --> http://www.democraticunderground.com/discu...