"Quadradeuce" (quadradeuce)
09/01/2016 at 15:40 • Filed to: Tyler Rogoway's blood pressure just went up...
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"Quadradeuce" (quadradeuce)
09/01/2016 at 15:40 • Filed to: Tyler Rogoway's blood pressure just went up... | 1
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I had to run up to Marinette today to call on a customer and they happen to be located directly across the river from Marinette Marine, the shipyard responsible for the Freedom- class littoral combat ship frigate. I have to say, they are impressive in person, and much larger than expected. Seemed only slightly shorter than an Arleigh Burke -class destroyer, but I’ve only seen those from farther away in Portland harbor. Right now there are four of them visible, but Wikipedia says there are six under construction.
Bonus: A common sight in Wisconsin: Small farms/businesses with a slew of old equipment and cars rusting away. I never understood why people hoard like this. Seems like a good way to turn something that has some value into scrap. Pardon the picture quality; blindly takings pictures out your dirty window at 70mph does not yield great results.
Ash78, voting early and often
> Quadradeuce
09/01/2016 at 15:45 |
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That looks like all of rural America. All I can think when I drive past places like that is "One day, somebody's gonna have to clean all that up." But I fully respect that most people in those situations don't exactly have a lot of free time/cash on their hands.
Brian, The Life of
> Quadradeuce
09/01/2016 at 15:58 |
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I swear, our littoral combat ship program is a train wreck (shipwreck?). We spend SO MUCH money on these things and they have all been significantly flawed. We’d be so much better off just buying these kind of ships from Norway; they have this game totally dialed-in and they spend a LOT less per vessel than we do.
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Quadradeuce
> Brian, The Life of
09/01/2016 at 16:00 |
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I’ve done business with MM, and none of this surprises me. Their engineering dept is....stubborn.
facw
> Quadradeuce
09/01/2016 at 16:58 |
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I’d venture they win the contract for the remaining LCS/”Frigates” though. Simply because their offering looks roughly like a warship, which can’t be said of the competition. I’d imagine to keep the pork flowing the Navy will order some additional fast ferries from Austal instead (because what Navy would be complete without a shitton of high-speed ferries)?
Snuze: Needs another Swede
> Quadradeuce
09/02/2016 at 14:46 |
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Me too, they are a pain sometimes.
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Snuze: Needs another Swede
> Brian, The Life of
09/02/2016 at 14:48 |
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Now see, that would be the sensible thing. But the US Military has to have it’s stamp on everything. And it has to be made in America. And it has to be compatible with what the rest of the fleet uses (except it’s not, but don’t bring that up... shhhh).
The reason we don’t have a good littoral program is because our Navy couldn’t figure out what a littoral program was and instead wanted a speed boat, and they wanted “modularity” without really understanding that. Hence why it goes real fast and has virtually no armament.
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Snuze: Needs another Swede
> facw
09/02/2016 at 14:49 |
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MM will probably also win because for all the issues the Freedom has, the Austal ships are much worse.
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Snuze: Needs another Swede
> Quadradeuce
09/02/2016 at 14:51 |
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They should be 7, 9, 11, from left to right in the foreground, and 13 up on the pier. 15 and 17 are in those large assembly buildings in the background.
I was up there last year on 9 shortly after it hit the water. They are really cool ships without a clear purpose, which is unfortunate.