A View of Freedom in Duluth

Captain Andy Niemyer (c/s "Comjam") (ret.) gives his take on LCS-1 Freedom as he photographed the ship from watching her arrival at Duluth, MN on Sunday, October 26th. He does not profess to be anything other than an interested observer and has not followed the LCS program intensively in design or construction detail. He is an airdale though, which is kind of like sleeping in a Holiday Inn Express every night, or so the brown shoe folks tell me.

I'm very pleased he is sharing his insights and imagery with the community. The comments below are his observations based on this photo album he has uploaded. 71 pictures in all.

Image 1751: As this image shows, she's currently riding somewhat bow down. Seas were not too bad, although the wind was from her starboard side, at about 27 knots, gusting to 35. She was however in the protective lee of the large bluff to her west as she came closer to the entrance to the open vessel transit canal into Duluth's outer harbor. Given she did not have an air complement embarked, and, I'm willing to bet, minimal equipment below the hangar deck aft, I'm not surprised at the bow down aspect. When more GFE is onboard I expect she will trim to the correct mark.

Image 1753: Her joint military and civil heritage is apparent here. If you look at some of the mega-yachts that have out of various yards over the past few years, her lines have some familiarity. The radar L/O architecture so familiar with the DDG-51 class is also evident here, as are the now standard "mushroom farm" of antenna covers all over the area mainly fore of the mainmast. The hard chine of the bowline is also interesting; not seeing her at flank I can't address the affect on bow wave and wake formation that it could affect, much less seakeeping in higher sea states.

Image 1756: Her solid mainmast and antenna farm. A later image shows many of the radio antenna are raked aft, in keeping with the L/O emphasis. Two surface search radar antennas and one flat arrayed air search system, covered to protect the array from the environment and prying eyes. I presume there's an IFF antenna in there as well. EW array, running lights, etc. are all present.

Image 1757: Wow, are those bridge wings small! That's a lot of confidence you can really see as well as you want from the enclosed bridge. I know I have seen larger, more expansive air intakes before, but I'm not sure where! Would be a great place to put a nice phased array system if your center of gravity and buoyancy reserve allowed it. Turbines aren't that fussy as to where you route the air supply from, just as long as it enters the face of the inlets in a smooth manner. And yes, she really is two-toned right now.

Image 1760: Better shot of the area above the bridge. Note the E/O system turret perched below the surface radar on centerline. Nice to be able to see in the dark in the Straits of Hormuz!

Image 1761: Starboard side, looking aft. Note the dual engine exhausts, possibly from auxiliary diesels, with commensurate soot. Now look at other imagery showing stacks on the superstructure, as well. Lots of stuff coming out of her, all at better than ambient temperatures, I would be willing to surmise. It's called "IR signature" boys and girls. For an old attack guy who learned to love his FLIR, I really, really like high IR contrasts.

Image 1763: Close up of the bow with a nice view of both the noticeable chine and the single anchor hawser. Yep, very low to the waterline. I'm old school, lots of holes near a waterline make me nervous. Reduces radar bloom to be sure, and it's only on the starboard side. No dual anchors out in a roadstead with her!

Images 1764/65: Better imagery of those two exhaust stacks and that BIG hucking hatch on the starboard side aft, under the flight deck. Practically a Ro-Ro hatch. Here's to the hope there's not a lot of working of the hull aft in high seas.

Image 1768: Area from foc'sl aft to bridge showing bow area and hull flare to some advantage. Note multi L/O facets on gun turret.

Image 1769-1771: Bridge wing and O levels, plus mast. Sailor on wing gives an idea of just how small, for L/O purposes it is.

Image 1773-74: Nice shot of the mast, E/O turret and antenna farm. Rake of main antennas is more evident here.

Image 1777: Area aft of funnels, showing RAM mount, search light and empty .50-cal mount. (I'm kind of thinking Duluth is a "low threat" environment, anti-war activists not withstanding.)

Image 1778: Close up of aft starboard two-piece hatch. I think that's the biggest non-VDS hatch I've observed on a combatant.

Image 1779: Given I observed these exhausts on both sides, I have to wonder if they're aux diesel power that would, hopefully, be secured in a GQ situation.

Image 1781: Hangar deck, Pri-Fly, hangar door, RAM mount and port .50-cal mount. I wouldn't want to be manning the .50-cal when the RAM was shooting.

Image 1783: Closer shot of RAM mount. I am unsure as to the protective function of the curved shield on the port side nor the function of the apparatus it is shielding.

Image 1784: Shot of funnel complex, plus steel grid aft of there. I need to get some good overheads to figure those out.

Image 1786: Nice Starboard stern quarter shot, showing stern doors to good effect. I swear this hull has more holes in it than DoN's excuses to sink the DD-1000 program. There's going to have be a lot of weight stuffed in under the hangar deck!

Image 1787: Close up of stern doors. They look sturdy enough... Note bumper rub mark on starboard stern halfway up from waterline.

Image 1788: Note blast shield on superstructure behind RAM mount.

Image 1794: This gives a good sense of scale of vessel size. Image 1798/1802: Nice shots of L/O facets on turret mount. Too bad it's a pop-gun. (Real sailors start measuring real guns in sizes 5" and above)

Image 1803: Part of the standard mushroom farm. Bandwidth rules the seas these days, so no matter how many antennas you have, if you don't have frequency access, it's going to be a bitch. Which leads to a very long and digressive discussion on connectivity, netcentric warfare, micromanagement, motherships, total platforms, hulls and a host of issues that will require another time and place to discuss.

Thank you Captain Niemyer, excellent stuff.