The fate of the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Independent Class does not seem to be as lucky as the LCS Freedom Class, which was just launched by its 15th unit on 7 May. With a stealth trimaran design, the Independence Class is indeed more eye-catching, however, behind its futuristic design, it seems that the Independence Class has serious problems with the ship's structure.
And the problem of 'defects' in the structure of the ship eventually resulted in the operation of the LCS, which had visited Indonesia several times.
Quoted from TheDrive.com (11/5/2022), the US Navy (US Navy) has limited the operational capacity of one of the LCS Independence Class, namely USS Omaha (LCS-12). This is after detecting structural damage. At least six Independence Class units were impacted around this issue, which has been determined to be a design flaw, though it's unclear if the others faced operational restrictions like the USS Omaha.
In a report published by Senior Military Times Journalist Geoff Ziezulewicz, it is said that the US Navy's LCS fleet is facing a recent issue that is affecting their performance.
In previously undisclosed documentation obtained by Ziezulewicz from the Navy, it was found that nearly half of the 13 LCS Independence Class units currently in service have had cracks in their hulls over the past few years.
The cracks in question are caused by design defects in higher-stress areas of the ship structure. However, the Navy stated that the defect "does not pose a risk to the safety of Sailors on board." The shipbuilder, Austal USA, has introduced a revised configuration on all LCS Independence Class currently under warranty.
Alan Baribeau, a spokesman for Naval Sea Systems Command stated that "analysis of the bow structure with combined vertical and lateral loads did not identify a 'hot spot' below the waterline, and this specific detail did not occur below the waterline." Affected Independence Classes will require replacement of the deck plate and shell plate with a thicker material.
The added weight of the thicker material could pose problems of its own, potentially slowing the ship down even further, despite the many design tradeoffs that were originally intended to ensure a high speed ship.
Baribeau also highlighted the frequency with which cracks appeared in the hull of the LCS Independence Class. This was first seen in a “high pressure” area on the USS Coronado in 2019, with at least five additional LCS of this type suffering from similar problems.
The impact of the crack was so great that the Navy issued a provisional order for the USS Omaha. That the Ship is no longer permitted to travel at speeds above 15 knots (27 km per hour). The USS Omaha is currently the only ship confirmed to operate under these restrictions.
The order also states that the USS Omaha cannot operate in sea state 4, which means in waters with a maximum wave height of 2.5 meters. An interim analysis of the USS Omaha indicates that the crack may have been caused by an "inadequately designed structural defect" in the hulls 36 and 45, although this has yet to be confirmed by the Navy.
Unlike the LCS Freedom Class, which adopts a steel Double Chine Advanced Semi-Planing Monohull, the LCS Independence Class adopts an aluminum hull and trimaran design. The choice of aluminum was clearly intended to increase the maneuverability and speed of the Independence Class, and is also related to the type's origins as a high-speed ship design.
However, they all have the potential to make them more susceptible to damage, as well as structural fatigue and corrosion.
The LCS Independence Class has a length of 127.6 meters, a width of 31.6 meters, a draft of 6 meters, and a weight of 8,800 tons, and has a maximum speed of 44 knots (81 km per hour). In one voyage fully equipped, this ship can roam as far as 7,964 km at a cruising speed of 18 knots (33 km per hour).
This ship has a fairly wide helicopter deck, making this littoral warship capable of landing heavy transport helicopters in the CH-53 Super Stallion class. During a visit to Indonesia, the USS Coronado was seen carrying one MH-60R/S Seahawk. In addition, this warship also carries two MQ-8B Fire Scouts or MQ-8C Fire Scout drone helicopters.
From the armament aspect, despite the presence of CIWS (Close In Weapon Systems) and the RGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missile, the main draw on the bow is the 57mm Bofors MK110, which is none other than the more advanced variant of the Bofors 57 MK2 used on the FPB- 57 Indonesian Navy.
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