U.S. Navy: They Will be Called Frigates

gCaptain ^ | January 15, 2015 | Andrea Shalal

[artichokegrower]

U.S. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus on Thursday said the Navy would rename the modified Littoral Combat Ships it plans to build in coming years as “frigates,” given their enhanced capabilities.

[Riley]

not navy PC to call offensive weapons systems (a.k.a. war ships) anything more threatening than “destroyers” or “guided missile frigates”

I guess "Giant Butt-Stomping Slab of Whoop-Ass", say 'GBSSWA-21, USS %shipname% is too...aggressive?

[Iron Munro]

We’ll live to see the day when aircraft carriers, just like battleships before them, will be obsolete.

Supercavitating Torpedoes

A supercavitating torpedo is a torpedo using the effect of supercavitation to move at high velocity under water.

List Of Supercavitating Torpedoes (developed or in development)

• Russia VA-111 Shkval
• Iran Hoot
• United States (Unnamed prototype)
• Germany de:Superkavitierender Unterwasserlaufkörper

In 2004, German weapons manufacturer Diehl BGT Defence announced their own supercavitating torpedo, Barracuda, now officially named "Superkavitierender Unterwasserlaufkörper" or "supercavitating underwater running object". (English translation)

According to Diehl, it reaches more than 400 kilometres per hour (250 mph).

http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Supercavitation.html

[MadMax, the Grinning Reaper]

Mabus is a few sails short of a frigate.

A total incompetent moron.

[mountn man]

Incidentally, Israel has the most advanced and most prodigiously produced drones in the world right now.

BULLSH!!TE...The US does.

They're called democrats.

[tje]

I believe they were designed to sink in shallow water.

[wildbill]

I seem to recall that one new ship was going to be cancelled by the Navy. Wasn’t that the Litoral ship?

[Bob]

The change was by decree I suppose. Maybe SecNav’s mother hated the name as much as mine did. :=) It certainly wasn’t because of the awesome firepower of our twin 3” gun mounts.

[smokingfrog]

I know what it means, it just sounds lame.

[Secret Agent Man]

you can call a leg a tail, it’s still a leg.

[oldbrowser]

Put some of those little drones on it and call it an aircraft carrier.

[Yo-Yo]

Frig em’ all.

[teeman8r]

Littoral Combat Ships?

Was not so bad til they realized they were C class ships

C Littoral combat ships

[smokingfrog]

An all female crewed ship?

[tanknetter]

The LCS is a ship sloop, but she costs a fortune which obviates all the advantages of an unrated vessel.

They're on the upper cusp of "corvette", size and capability wise. With a healthy dose of high-speed transport (APD) and high-speed minesweeper (DMS) tossed in.

Of course, the real reason for this designation change is so the "frigate" doesn't slip from the US Navy now that the last Perrys are on the verge of being retired. Like how the Guided Missile Destroyer Leaders (which were also called "frigates") and then the Ticonderoga-class Guided Missile Destroyers were re-designated as "Cruisers" in the 1970s. That required cascading the "frigate" designation onto the Destroyer Escorts, which also had the benefit of bringing the designations in line with those used by NATO and other allies.

The LCS is a pretty cr*ppy platform to designate as a Frigate. Even if they're enlarged. I thought a better option for the "Frigate" role would be an upgraded version of the USCG's National Security Cutter.

As an aside, while they're at it they should really re-designate the Zumwalts as Cruisers as well. Panzerschiff being politically unacceptable ...

[Usagi_yo]

Yes. It will give way to weaponized orbital vehicles. Larger ships and Aircraft carriers won’t be fast enough, maneuverable enough, stealthy enough. Will be replaced by much smaller fast attack drone ships. It’s only time before somebody makes a fleet of drone submarines, or drone spider bots to prowl the ocean’s for Nuclear capable submarines and surface ships.

[BlueNgold]

The littoral region is the coastal, close in area, sometimes including small bays and river deltas.

It’s been a term in use for decades. It’s not a bureaucratic term, it’s actual a tactical term in naval warfare.

[PAR35]

“Patrol Boat” makes more sense.

[ClearCase_guy]

First Admiral: "These ships don't seem very good. Are they just theoretical combat ships?"
Second Admital: "No! These can really fight! These are Littoral combat ships! They will Litorally knock your socks off!"

[X Fretensis]

Politicians putting lipstick on a pig.

[2CAVTrooper]

IIRC, it was the Zumwalt DDG1000