The U.S. Navy's Littoral Combat Ship Might Not Be Total Junk Afterall

Summary: While countless naval experts canning this warship for years, starting next year, the Navy will homeport four Independence-class littoral combat ships in Bahrain to enhance mine countermeasure forces in the Middle East.

-The USS Canberra, USS Tulsa, and USS Santa Barbara are the first three vessels confirmed. This move will facilitate the retirement of the older Avenger-class vessels.

-The Independence-class ships will be equipped with an upgraded mine countermeasures mission package, including advanced sensors, software, and unmanned vehicles.

-These ships are designed for near-shore operations and will significantly improve the Navy's minehunting capabilities in the region.

U.S. Navy Deploys Independence-Class Littoral Combat Ships to Bahrain

Starting next year, in an effort to improve mine countermeasure forces in the Middle East, the U.S. Navy is expected to homeport four littoral combat ships in Bahrain. The Bahrain-bound vessels will come from the Independence-class; the first three will be the USS Canberra, USS Tulsa, and USS Santa Barbara. The fourth vessel has not yet been selected.

The homeporting of the Independence vessels in Bahrain will help the Navy to retire the Avenger-class vessels, which have been used for mine countermeasures since the 1980s. The retirement of the Avengers had been delayed because the Navy’s littoral combat ships did not have a minehunting module. But now, the Independence has finally been outfitted with a mine countermeasures mission package.

The upgraded mine countermeasures mission package includes the “integration of sensors, software and unmanned vehicles,” Stars and Stripes reported. “The Navy plans for 15 Independence-class ships in its global fleet to conduct the mine countermeasures missions” according to U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Fred Pyle.

Between now and the littoral combat ship homeporting in Bahrain, the Navy will construct a pier to support the Independence-class, equipped with “power, water, sewage and internet connections.”

“We have taken the lessons learned from deploying the ships to Singapore … to best posture our waterfront to support the [littoral combat ship],” said Captain Nathan Wemett.

The littoral combat ship was always supposed to have the ability to conduct minehunting capabilities, but the Remote Minehunting System, which was originally designed to be installed in the vessels, failed reliability tests. The Navy started from scratch to develop the mine countermeasure module that is now being integrated into the Independence-class.

What is a littoral combat ship?

Littoral combat ships are fairly diminutive vessels built for operations near shore (a region of the ocean known as the littorals). The littoral combat ship’s closest equivalent in foreign navies would be the corvette. Designed with a futuristic flair, the Navy wanted the littoral combat ship to be agile and stealthy. To date, the U.S. Navy has developed two different classes of littoral combat ship: the Freedom-class and the Independence-class.

Littoral combat ships are not designed to slug it out with other surface vessels on the open ocean. Accordingly, littoral combat ships have fewer defensive measures. Instead, the littoral combat ship was designed to prioritize speed and a wide spectrum of mission possibilities—including surface warfare, antisubmarine warfare, mine countermeasures, and irregular warfare/amphibious operations.

The mine countermeasures module, which will be emphasized on the Bahrain homeport vessels, is designed to allow the vessel to remotely detect and bypass mines, or target and destroy mines. The system uses acoustic and magnetic signatures to detect mines. Littoral combat ships can deploy the Knifefish, an undersea drone used for mine countermeasures. Also, the littoral combat ship can deploy helicopters that can assist with mine detection.

In all, the littoral combat ship is a flexible vessel that should help the United States operate more comfortably in the increasingly contested waters near the Saudi Arabian Peninsula.

About the Author: Harrison Kass 

Harrison Kass is a defense and national security writer with over 1,000 total pieces on issues involving global affairs. An attorney, pilot, guitarist, and minor pro hockey player, Harrison joined the US Air Force as a Pilot Trainee but was medically discharged. Harrison holds a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University of Oregon, and an MA from New York University. Harrison listens to Dokken.

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