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Sea Fighter (FSF-1)

2005 MODERN NAVY

Sea Fighter (FSF-1) History

The Sea Fighter (FSF-1) is used at sea as an experimental Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) by the United States Navy (USN). The design was ordered on February 15, 2003, and was built by Nichols Brothers Shipyard in Freeland, Washington. Her keel was laid on June 5, 2003, and the ship set sail on February 10, 2005.

It entered service on May 31, 2005 and remains active in USN inventory??.

The vessel was developed under the project title "Littoral Surface Technology - Experiment" or "LCS(X)" (with UK participation). Other related names include "X-Craft" and "Fast Sea Frame".

A Littoral Combat Ship is a multi-role naval vessel designed for nearshore operations in support of general amphibious operations and land forces. The modern form of the ship relies heavily on physical stealth features, including low profile, minimal structural overhang and shallow draft.

The two main USN classes used are the ships Freedom and Independence, all of which are described elsewhere on this page. However, compared to these two very different ship designs, the FSF-1 retains a very distinctive silhouette - but its mission role remains the same.

The Sea Fighter has a displacement of 1,600 tons, a bow-to-stern length of 262 feet, a beam of 72 feet, and a draft of up to 11.5 feet. The latter characteristic is especially important when working near the coast. Power comes from a combined diesel or gas turbine unit (CODOG), giving the vessel an impressive offshore speed of 55 knots. Range up to 4,400 nautical miles. Installed power comes from 2 MTU 595 diesel engines and 2 GE LM2500 gas turbines.

Diesel engines are used for general cruising and gas turbines are used for sprinting maneuvers when needed. Combined engine assemblies have been found to be more fuel efficient than single type assemblies of previous generations.

Four water jets powered by gas turbines provide more sprint power when needed, adding significant maneuverability that other ships of similar size and displacement lack.

There were 26 crew members on board, including Navy and Coast Guard personnel.

The overall design of the ship has a utilitarian appearance, with the stepped bridge structure offset to the port side of the bow. The main bridge section can be seen from the lower level, and the flight command center is installed on the elevated deck.

The landing deck area occupies most of the ship's exposed horizontal surface. The deep fuselage can accommodate a variety of military equipment useful in amphibious operations. It has a modular structure in order to be able to better cope with changing application areas. The hull design is unique and based on the SWATH concept (Small Waterplane Area Catamaran) - theoretically similar to a catamaran of minimum cross section, but can be used to minimize drag/surface area on the water.

This keeps most of the ship's displacement below the waves (unlike the mass of a catamaran above the waterline). The hull is mainly made of lightweight but strong aluminium alloy.

Two helipads occupy the ship's flight deck and can serve medium helicopters of the US Navy Seahawk family. In addition, some of the service's small and medium-sized unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are fully supported.