GAO Continues its Criticism of Littoral Combat Ships better known in Obama's PC Navy, the Little Crappy Ship. "and we're figuring our what it can do" ??? Who is this RAdm. Peter Fanta ? Lets build a crappy little ship, then send it to sea then will figure out what it's mission will be. Only in Obama's PC Navy do you have thinking like that.
Well, the ships were designed during the GW Bush administration. The problem is that the compromises needed for a fast light ship don't make for a very survivable ship. I've been on one. The crew complained about a lot of problems with them--the one I noticed was the A/C.
And that is a problem with the contractors. We need to start putting military contractors in prison when they fail to turn out quality products.
Looking at an old "All Hands" magazines from the early 1990's the research and developments of the "Little Crappy Ships" began right after the end of the Cold War/Desert Storm and the R&D continued through the Clinton administration. The actual building of the LCS's began during the G.W. Bush administration. Why not a corvette class of a warships ? The LCS was designed not to be a warship but just an oversize patrol boat to take on other enemy small boats. The Navy trekkies back during the 1990's were calling the LCS a "jet ski with a helicopter deck and a gun." That little pop gun being the Bofor 57 mm gun. The Bofor 57 mm, great little self defense secondary armament for any warship but not a main gun. And for some reason America's Bofor 57 mm popgun doesn't work. The Navy must of hired someone from Microsoft to tweek with something that wasn't broken. "If it's not broken, DON'T FIX IT" !!! When the LCS, USS Freedom went on it's first combat cruise it exited San Diego and it's only gun didn't work. No big deal, the LCS broke down in the middle of the Western South Pacific and had to be towed to port never making it to it's AOR. In fact every LCS that has put to sea has broken down and had to towed back to port. You would think that for every LCS that is built they would also build a tug boat to follow every LCS on patrol. The Independence class LCS's have a aluminum hall !!! You don't use aluminum on warships, you would think the U.S. Navy would have learned from the lessons learned during the British Falklands war. Aluminum burns !!! While the USS Independence was still in drydock under construction the ship was experiencing galvanic corrosion. Who's designing the U.S. Navy's ships today ? I hope these naval architects and engineers actually earned a BS and not a BA and have at least 3 units in metallurgy. You don't attach a steel propulsion pump to an aluminum hall. They use to teach you that stuff in high school shop classes, that was back when America was great.
