In 2004, Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics and Raytheon submitted preliminary designs to the U.S. Navy for a design and production of the new Lockheed Martin design (LCS-1) On 9 May 2005, Secretary of the Navy Gordon England announced that the first LCS would be named USS Freedom (LCS-1).
The Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) is the first design of the U.S. Navy's next-generation surface combatants. Intended as a relatively small surface vessel for operations in the littoral region (close to shore), the LCS is smaller than the Navy's guided missile frigates, and has been compared to the corvette of international usage.
The agile 378-foot Freedom is powered by an innovative, combined diesel and gas turbine propulsion plant, with steerable water jet propulsion. This system will power the ship at cruise speeds out to ranges exceeding 3,500 nautical miles and will also allow the ship to sustain sprint speeds over 40 knots. It is powered by four 750-kilowatt Fincantieri Isotta Fraschini diesel generators and its three-megawatt electrical power plant was successfully tested. In March and April, initial testing of the two Fairbanks Morse diesel engines occurred. The two Rolls-Royce MT30 gas turbine engines -- the largest and most powerful ever installed on a Navy ship -- were successfully lit off and tested in May, as were the steerable Rolls-Royce Kamewa water jets.
For additional information, visit this website: http://www.lmlcsteam.com
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