U.S. Navy's 'Death Star' Warship Arrives in Key West

Originally posted by ProtoplasmicTraveler
Maybe one day it’s putting a squad of marines quickly ashore in Somalia with light armor and helicopter tactical support in a precision raid on pirates or terrorist groups, the next day it could function as a stand off and attack missile platform 20 miles to sea instead of 20 miles off shore.

She isn't designed to operate with armored forces.

Of course their speed and shallow water capability makes them great for the war on drugs too.

Which is where the other LCS is right now.

I wonder how long it will be to the Coast Guard gets one of these.

Never, the Coast Guard does not want them. They are too busy with all of their new ships to want another one from the Navy.

Might want to look into the Deepwater program, but then again that would require you to do research. We all know how much of that goes on around here.

Originally posted by COOL HAND

Originally posted by ProtoplasmicTraveler
It represents the next generation of Navy Ship building and eventually they envision a fleet of over 400 of them!

Check your facts lady.

The Navy wants no more than 50 of them (maybe). She is a test ship and is in competition with LCS-1 (FREEDOM). Whoever produced the winner gets to build the rest of them.

That would be Sir to you!

Might want to check your own facts.

Initial build is 55. However according to my sources at the Pentagon they are planning a fleet of thousands!

Some say millions!

Dare I say they will not be satisfied until they have a veritible land bridge of billions of these ships so one could literally walk across the ocean ship to ship to shore!

reply to post by PuterMan


I was on the Indy CV-62 (83-85). At that time there wasn't much holding some spots of her hull together. In 1983 an underwater hull inspection found a rusted out hole almost 200 feet long. One of her propeller shafts was bent so when she went over 20 knots the stern vibrated like an old hotel bed. At that time my bunk was almost right over that shaft. When she entered SLEP (Service Life Extension Program) in Philadelphia in 1985 it was determined that she had about ten years of life left. Due to operational committments they went past that ten year mark.

She was a tired ship. Long deployments and little time and money for maintaince took it's toll. I'm not to thrilled with the name "Independence" going to some tinkertoy experimental boat. It is a name for a carrier or barring that at least a cruiser.

Originally posted by ProtoplasmicTraveler
That would be Sir to you!

I don't think so.

Might want to check your own facts.

Initial build is 55. However according to my sources at the Pentagon they are planning a fleet of thousands!

Some say millions!

Really?

What program office does your source work for? If you can name it I might believe you.

I am fairly certain that my info is a little more accurate than yours. I have had to sit through more briefs on the subject than I care to remember.

reply to post by COOL HAND

I am fairly certain that my info is a little more accurate than yours. I have had to sit through more briefs on the subject than I care to remember.

You should see what I have to endure at the legally nude beach here in Miami every day in the way of gossip if you think that's bad!

We of course see the ships sailing by from there. For some reason they always like to come in close! Go figure huh?

Without a valid Defense Department Source to back up your contentions which seem largely based on...? Well Freud mentioned something about the Ego and the Id!

Some people drive an expensive sport's car to over compensate.

Some people seem to come to ATS!

Will wonders never cease.

If you ever turn up a real source on anything I can tutor you on how to post Hyper Links and External Sources!

reply to post by COOL HAND

I am fairly certain that my info is a little more accurate than yours. I have had to sit through more briefs on the subject than I care to remember.

Really? This is great. When you were at those briefs did they mention anything about where the funding was coming from for these advanced killing platforms? Did they mention how much it would cost to maintain, arm and deploy them? Just wondering because the last time I checked we were hurting financially.

Just think about how many people who can barely feed their families right now will be able to look at this exotic killing device and feel all warm and fuzzy knowing that their government has the resources to build these weapons. I'm sure they've justified the cost some how though and you seem to be the guy to ask about that.

Originally posted by Romans 10:9
Umm, i'm no star wars nerd, but i think they should have said it resembles an 'imperial cruiser', not the 'death star'.

Hah!

True, the Imperial Cruiser or Star Destroyer is what this ship resembles more.

- Lee

Originally posted by jackflap
Just think about how many people who can barely feed their families right now will be able to look at this exotic killing device and feel all warm and fuzzy knowing that their government has the resources to build these weapons. I'm sure they've justified the cost some how though and you seem to be the guy to ask about that.

Just think about the numbers of people who ARE feeding their families BECAUSE of this project. The people who manufacture the components that these ships are made from and the people who build the ship itself.
Then you have the people who provide goods and services to those people, the cities and municipalities that those people pay their taxes to and their employees. Then you have the charities that these people support, not to mention the amount that the FEDERAL government gets BACK in taxes.

This is why the stimulus bill was such a joke. If they really wanted to boost the economy they should have spent the money on things like this. If you don't care for the military, what about NASA? There was a significant economic boost created by honoring Kennedy's promise to put a man on the Moon. How about taking a shot at Mars or Saturn?

reply to post by JIMC5499


You do understand it is an Australian Company building these ships. Yes they are building them in the United States but two facts remain the same, not that many people are directly employed domestically in Defense/Aerospace technologies and those companies that are in the Defense/Aerospace industry would rather make the Pentagon wait 10 years for delivery of backordered equipment than open new plants or factories and hire workers.

Rosie the Riveter was a few life times ago my friend.

Two is that a with an 11 trillion dollar deficit everything that the Defense Department spends, which by the way should be renamed the Offense Department, is in fact borrowed money that not only do we need to continue to pay interest on, (we are still paying off Rosie’s salary from 1943 by the way) but produces no cyclical revenue for the economy.

Neither does NASA by the way. These are money holes, money goes in, and generates no future revenue. The same is true with almost all government building projects.

Cyclical industries take an investment and produce a real product that people (not just government workers) need, and create ongoing revenues and ongoing jobs.

Warships produce no revenue; the Space Shuttle doesn’t even produce enough revenue to fund itself.

Charmin toilet paper on the other hand, that’s a cyclical product, not only does it literally comes off a roll, people will keep buying it, and the jobs it creates aren’t temporary but steady.

I can appreciate as someone employed by the government doing things but not producing things and taking revenue and not producing revenue you might have a hard time dealing with these economic concepts and principles.

The Military Industrial Complex and the Associated Bankers that lend the money for these non-revenue producing items have literally and figuratively bankrupted America financially, morally and obviously intellectually as well.

Thanks for posting!

Originally posted by ProtoplasmicTraveler
We of course see the ships sailing by from there. For some reason they always like to come in close! Go figure huh?

They're called channels and ships often have to use them to get out of port.

Without a valid Defense Department Source to back up your contentions which seem largely based on...? Well Freud mentioned something about the Ego and the Id!

There are all kinds of docs on the internet now that talk about buying roughly 50 of them. Where's your proof of the 400 number?

If you ever turn up a real source on anything I can tutor you on how to post Hyper Links and External Sources!

Kind of like this?
LINK

That is one awesome ship! 50 knots! have you seen the 4 massive jets it uses i assume for thrust great. i want to know the weapons capability any stealthiness?

I like the look of it for sure. there web site has some good info and photos.
we in the UK should have one or two that would be nice.

She looks great on paper, but I really have to wonder if the 45-50 knot speed is worth the trade-offs to get it. I also wonder how that hull form will deal with asymmetric flooding, or how that small a crew is going to deal with combat casualties and with damage control.

Originally posted by Brother Stormhammer
She looks great on paper, but I really have to wonder if the 45-50 knot speed is worth the trade-offs to get it. I also wonder how that hull form will deal with asymmetric flooding, or how that small a crew is going to deal with combat casualties and with damage control.

I would imagine it has automatic fire supression systems built into it and most of the components of the ships are simply modules that if damaged can just be exchanged for a pre-formed, pre-fabbed replacement.

Of course when it absolutely, positively has to be there on time, it pays to call Fed-Ex! Few ships except spy vessels and submarines operate outside of a larger support battle group.

They are bound to get all the logistics worked out sooner or later, but if anyone plans on sailing on one of these vessels to check the Vehicle Identification Number to make sure it didn't roll off the assembly line on a Friday or Monday!

Thanks for posting.

reply to post by JIMC5499

Then you have the people who provide goods and services to those people, the cities and municipalities that those people pay their taxes to and their employees. Then you have the charities that these people support, not to mention the amount that the FEDERAL government gets BACK in taxes. This is why the stimulus bill was such a joke. If they really wanted to boost the economy they should have spent the money on things like this. If you don't care for the military, what about NASA? There was a significant economic boost created by honoring Kennedy's promise to put a man on the Moon. How about taking a shot at Mars or Saturn?

The problem with all of this is that these exotic killing platforms are being used to enforce a barbaric foreign relations agenda that has nothing at all to do with the will of the American people. They want to show those 'rogue' countries that we mean business and that our 'friends' mean it too. Is this how we want to extend our hand in friendship? At the end of a cannon.

I believe Nasa is being phased out and the era of privatized space exploration will take over. This is so that whatever needs to be done is not scrutinized by the public. The private companies will have their privacy you see and what they do not want us to know will be kept very secret indeed. Again, not stuff that the American public would agree with but they are doing all of this for our own good supposedly because we know no better. Silly us.

reply to post by ProtoplasmicTraveler


It's a good week for a little military presence at the Southern-most tip of the Republic of America.

Originally posted by Toot Sweet
reply to post by ProtoplasmicTraveler

 

It's a good week for a little military presence at the Southern-most tip of the Republic of America.

Actually I feel sorry for the New World Order when it comes to South Florida.

We have gobs of Cuban Exile Militias some of them who have been training for decades.

We have spies from every major power around the globe, who flock to South Florida because its a major shipping gateway and the weather is so inviting.

On top of that, I can't hardly think of a Mayor or City Commissioner who didn't end up drawing their pension check to their Federal Penitentiary Commissary Account!

That's not even considering the well armed and organized Narcotics Traffickers or the Illegal Immigrant Smugglers.

They are really going to have to expand the military if they want to take over the Republic of South Florida!

Thanks for posting.

Wow that looks sexy! i can imagine this side buy side with the new type 45s

Second line..

reply to post by Lichter daraus


Not true, the USS Enterprise CV-6 was the only one of her class to survive the war. She went on to be one of the most decorated ships to ever serve in the US Navy.

Star & Flag..
Now is this ship going to be equipped with rail guns, just curious what this ship is packin

Originally posted by Romans 10:9
Umm, i'm no star wars nerd, but i think they should have said it resembles an 'imperial cruiser', not the 'death star'.

The death star is round.

Yeah but Imperial cruiser is too close to the mark, especially if they have a fleet of did I read 2 or 400!!! Damn cool ship though. I think the UK is working on some radical trimaran types, no doubt they'll be cut to pay for the Afghan experience or MP's expenses.