Ships Costing U.S. $37 Billion Lack Firepower, Navy Told
By David Lerman - Mar 28, 2013 12:00 AM ET
The U.S. Navy’s troubled Littoral Combat Ship, a vessel intended to be small and speedy for use in shallow waters close to shore, lacks the firepower it needs, a top U.S. navy commander said in a classified memo.
Vice Admiral Tom Copeman, the commander of naval surface forces, called on the Navy to consider a ship with more offensive capability after the first 24 vessels are built, according to a Navy official who asked not to be identified discussing the confidential document.
The Littoral Combat Ship -- derided by critics inside the Navy as the “Little Crappy Ship”-- has been beset by troubles since 2005 as the price doubled to $440 million per vessel. Source: Nicholas Kontodiakos/U.S.
Copeman’s memo, prepared late last year at the request of Admiral Jonathan Greenert, the chief of naval operations, indicates the Navy may be starting to re-examine the $37 billion program. A review could lead to an eventual redesign of the ship or the development of an entirely new vessel.
“He’s raising issues which no one with active-duty stars on their shoulders has said before,” said Norman Polmar, an independent naval analyst and author who’s spoken to Navy officials about Copeman’s memo. “He’s not playing the total party line. I think it will have an impact on people expressing their views.”
Producing a ship that can accommodate larger guns or Harpoon anti-ship missiles “would be a major redesign,” Polmar said in an interview. “It will be real work to put major weapons on the ship.”
The Littoral Combat Ship -- derided by critics inside the Navy as the “Little Crappy Ship”-- has been beset by troubles since 2005 as the price doubled to $440 million per vessel.
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