...But Carry A Big Stick

This blog has always had a military slant and writing about this is obscure but par for the course. Anyone not interested can of course get a full refund at the cloakroom door on your way out.

Allow TheEye to introduce the USS Freedom which is the first of the new generation of US warships. Co-conspirator and fellow blogger St Crispin would love to get behind the guns of one of these.

With a top speed of 50 knots (60 mph), the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), is a small, fast, maneuverable ship equipped to tackle almost any situation. It probably has a built-in burqua and towel detector.

Armed with 57-millimetre gun capable of 220 rounds per minute at a range of up to nine miles, four 12.7mm machine guns, and Raytheon SeaRAM missiles, this 370ft long vessel can also hold two SeaHawk helicopters if required.

A crew of around 40 sail and maintain the ship, whilst another crew of up to 35 are in place to carry out specialised missions, such as air defence, underwater warfare and surface attacks.

Whilst the capabilities of the LCS have generated a lot of enthusiasm within the US Navy, the production cost and speed of the program has been less than plain sailing.

Two shipbuilding teams, Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics, have been working on the LCS program since 2005.

Work started on the Lockheed Martin-designed USS Freedom (LCS-1) in 2005 and was eventually completed in 2008 with sea tests taking place in January of this year.

USS Independence (LCS-2), laid down by General Dynamics in 2005, will be completed later this year.

Projected costs were initially set at $220 million (£140 million) per ship, however LCS-1 and LCS-2 have could cost up to $500 million (£330 million) each to build.

The US Navy are set to commission as many as 55 ships in the coming years.

Can we get a dozen or so please?