USS St. Louis (LCS-19)

History of USS St. Louis (LCS-19)

The Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) is a new addition to the United States Navy (USN) roster. These warships represent ships of relative combat size and are designed to operate close to shore to support amphibious operations, conduct patrol missions, or act as a deterrent.

Compared to existing naval ship types, they are mostly similar in performance to frigates or frigates. They also have blue water capabilities, allowing the type to traverse coastlines and shallow waterways ("coastal zones").

The Navy has approved two different Littoral Combat Ship designs, the Freedom and Independence classes. The USS St. Louis is a member of the Liberty-class littoral battleship developed by defense industry giant Lockheed Martin. The class has a more traditional approach to monohull design compared to its independent class sisters that use a trimaran hull layout (the class is detailed elsewhere on this website).

Nineteen of these ships developed by Austal USA were originally planned and seven are currently in service.

The Freedom class program has 15 ships, of which 6 are completed (2018), 7 are under construction and 2 are still on order.

The silhouette of the battleship is very modern, with plate fairings and hidden protrusions. The first floor was almost unobstructed, and the main component was a deck gun mounted on a turret. The main body of the ship is amidships, the bridge and hangar are partially integrated into the hull structure. At the top of this structure is the main mast, which contains various communications, sensors and radar units.

The pipe is very flat and also integrated into the structure. The hanger section forms the rear of the structure. This leads to a helipad.

The displacement of this design reaches nearly 4,000 tons under full load. Dimensions include an overall length of 378 feet, a beam of 57 feet, and a draft of up to 13 feet.

The latter measurement is noteworthy because it provides warships with the shallow draft needed to participate in nearshore operations.

The warship is powered by 2 Rolls-Royce MT30 gas turbines and 2 Colt Pielstick marine diesel engines, giving the warship a top speed of 45 knots and a range of up to 3,500 nautical miles (cruising speed of 18 knots). ). 4 x Rolls Royce water jets ensure good maneuverability.

The warship relies on about 50 base fighters (it can use only 15) and has a crew of 75 blue and gold mission crews. The ship has a lifespan of about twenty-one days at sea before full replenishment is required.

There are several 40ft Rigid Inflatable Boats (RHIB) on board. The air wing consists of up to two Sikorsky MH-60R/S "Seahawk" medium naval helicopters, which are launched and recovered from the stern helipad. A full-service hangar is also part of the onboard facilities.

In addition, the ship supports the launch and recovery of the Northrop Grumman MQ-8 Fire Scout unmanned helicopter system.

The weapon is a mixture of projectile and missile based weapons: a 57mm BAe Systems Mk 110 deck gun and turret mounted on the foredeck. A RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) is also installed, and the Honeywell Mk 50 torpedo series is also part of the kit.

Up to 4 x 30mm "Bushmaster" chain guns can be mounted if desired. Extreme close range defense is handled by 2 x 12.7mm Heavy Machine Guns (HMG).

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

PERFORMANCE

ARMAMENT

AIR WING