Constellation-class Guided Missile Frigates

[TopHatter]

The 2nd of Constellation Class to be named Congress. Another originalist name.
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zon...ress-no-really

Not likely to get a USS United States, but there's still hope for a USS President. I wonder if the de facto embargo on the name Chesapeake for combatants will hold....

[surfgun]

Hopefully, Chesapeake gets redeemed. The ship was fine, her captain was defective.

[JRT]

I was looking through some old threads and saw this prescient comment from 2014 by the late Captain Michael Eagan, USN, aka "desertswo".

In any event, the future of Surface Warfare appears to be a somewhat bumpy one, and interestingly, the US Navy may just be watching programs like the FREMM with much more interest than similar programs have drawn in the past. If those ships prove to be somewhere between the LCS and an Arleigh Burke, and more than capable of holding its own in a fight, then we might well be seeing an American analogue before too long.

[surfgun]

Old Desertswo, knew his shit.

[jlvfr]

The 3rd should be called "Samuel B. Roberts",,,

[looking4NSFS]

Agree 100% -^-
You get a "twofer. An amazing story of individual heroism, and one of a crew who punched wayyyyy above their weight.
(this is in no way meant to disparage DD-823 or FFG-58)



The man.... the action:

Early on the morning of 27 September 1942, Coxswain Samuel B. Roberts USNR volunteered for a rescue mission to save a company-size unit of Marines that had been surrounded by a numerically superior Japanese force. Initially, the rescue group of several Higgins boats was taken under heavy fire and was perilously close to failure. Realizing the state of the rescue mission, Roberts unselfishly volunteered to distract Japanese forces by passing directly in front of their lines drawing their fire.

Roberts performed this decoy act effectively until all Marines had been evacuated. As he was about to withdraw from the range of the Japanese guns, however, Roberts’ boat was hit and he was mortally wounded.

For his valor and courage in the face of the enemy fire, Coxswain Samuel Booker Roberts was awarded posthumously the Navy Cross. His self-sacrifice became the inspiration for the officers and crew of DE-413.


The ship.... the action:

USS Samuel B. Roberts (DE-413) participated in the Battle off Samar, an unlikely victory in which relatively light U.S. warships prevented a superior Japanese force from attacking the amphibious invasion fleet off the large Philippine island of Leyte. This destroyer escort, along with the handful of destroyers, destroyer escorts, and escort carriers of the unit called "Taffy 3", was inadvertently left alone to fend off a fleet of heavily armed Japanese battleships, cruisers, and destroyers in this crucial action off the Island of Samar, during the Battle of Leyte Gulf of October 1944. Steaming aggressively through a gauntlet of incoming shells, USS Samuel B. Roberts scored one torpedo hit and numerous gunfire hits as she slugged it out with larger enemy warships before finally being sunk. After the battle, USS Samuel B. Roberts received the nickname "the destroyer escort that fought like a battleship."

Shortly after dawn on 25 October, Samuel B. Roberts was protecting Taffy 3's small escort carriers. These were serving as bases for small bombers and fighters that were supporting the Army assault. These warships were steaming off the eastern coast of Samar when the Japanese Center Force — a 23-ship task force under the command of Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita — suddenly appeared on the horizon and opened fire. At 07:35, Roberts turned and headed toward the battle. She charged toward the heavy cruiser Chōkai. The commanding officer, LCDR Robert Copeland, announced "We're making a torpedo run. The outcome is doubtful, but we will do our duty." With smoke as cover, Roberts steamed to within 2.5 nmi (4.6 km; 2.9 mi) of Chōkai, coming under fire from the cruiser's forward 8 in (203.2 mm) guns.

USS Samuel B. Roberts had moved so close that the enemy guns could not depress enough to hit her and the shells simply passing overhead. Many hit the carrier Gambier Bay. Once within torpedo range, she launched her three Mark 15 torpedoes. One blew off Chōkai 's stern. The American sailors cheered "that a way Whitey, we hit 'em" as if it were a ballgame, as shells were still incoming. USS Samuel B. Roberts then fought with the Japanese ships for a further hour, firing more than six hundred 5 in (127.0 mm) shells, and while maneuvering at very close range, mauling Chōkai 's superstructure with her 40 mm and 20 mm anti-aircraft guns. At 08:51, the Japanese landed two hits, the second of which damaged the aft 5 inch gun. This damaged gun suffered a breech explosion shortly thereafter which killed and wounded several crew members. With her remaining 5 in (127.0 mm) gun, Roberts set the bridge of the heavy cruiser Chikuma on fire and destroyed the "Number Three" gun turret, before being hit by three 14 in (355.6 mm) shells from the battleship Kongō. The shells tore a hole 40 ft (12.2 m) long and 10 ft (3.0 m) wide in the port side of her aft engine room.

In his battle report, LCDR Copeland stated, “[T]he men zealously manned their stations wherever they might be, and fought and worked with such calmness, courage, and efficiency that no higher honor could be conceived than to command such a group of men.”

[looking4NSFS]

Bloomberg article on potential cost over runs on the frigate program.

I wish I could say a 40% over service estimated cost is crazy......



House and Senate defense lawmakers say the Navy’s new frigate program faces “significant risks” amid a surge in cost estimates for the next-generation vessel built by the American unit of Fincantieri SpA.

In language in the National Defense Authorization Act being voted on this week, lawmakers cited the need for “cost realism” in the frigate program and the potential risks involved in shifting to “predominantly U.S. component suppliers instead of the mainly foreign suppliers used in the parent vessel design.” They also flagged a complex propulsion drive train “that has not previously been used” on U.S. Navy ships.

“A strong technical foundation for this program is critically important,” according to the report, which cited the key role the frigate is expected to play for the Navy “for many decades.”

The Navy is counting on an affordable frigate as a key component in its effort to meet President Donald Trump’s goal of having 355 deployable ships by 2035, up from about 299 today. Then-Defense Secretary Mark Esper set an even more ambitious goal in October of a 500-ship Navy by 2045. That effort would include unmanned vessels of unknown weight, capabilities and cost.

Both of those goals are likely to be heavily scrutinized by the incoming Biden administration after it takes office Jan. 20.

The Congressional Budget Office warned in an October report that the first 10 vessels in the frigate contract, awarded this year, may cost $12.3 billion, or 40% more than the service calculated.


As a result, the program will be at center of the broader battle over the appropriate level of funding for Navy shipbuilding in the fiscal 2022 five-year defense plan. General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, last week said that the plan will require some “bloodletting.”

The CBO assessment projected the frigates will cost an average of $1.2 billion apiece in inflation-adjusted dollars. That’s in contrast to the Navy’s estimate of $870 million each for a vessel billed as a more versatile and better-armed replacement for the troubled Littoral Combat Ship. After years of cost overruns, the beleaguered LCS program was truncated because of its mechanical flaws, light armament and vulnerability to attack.

Lawmakers referenced the LCS program’s problems in requiring the Navy to set up a land-based facility to test new technology before installation.

The primary objective of the land test facility “shall be to demonstrate across the full range of engineering plant operations” to include the full propulsion drive train, lawmakers wrote.

Link to article:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...?sref=IYQ5mP1s

[JRT]

Old Desertswo, knew his shit.

Yes, very much so.

Here is another comment from the thread.

...there is the new combat systems technology that could be brought to bear. First, I wouldn't go with anything smaller than a 76mm gun, but I don't even like that. 127mm or bust in my book. ... The really cool thing out there now, that's being installed in Zumwalt is the Mk-57 Peripheral Vertical Launch System (PVLS). That would cover AAW, ASUW, and ASW. You could literally plug cells in all over that hull. Yeah, I'm sure you would have to make some modifications here and there, but that's all doable. All it takes is some imagination, the funding, and the political will to use it.

.

[Albany Rifles]

https://www.naval-technology.com/new...igate-us-navy/

FMM to build second Constellation-class frigate for US Navy

21 May 2021 (Last Updated May 21st, 2021 12:45)

FMM has been contracted by the US Navy to build the second Constellation-class guided-missile frigate USS Congress (FFG 63).


Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM) has secured the contract to build the second Constellation-class guided-missile frigate for the US Naval Forces.

The US Navy exercised a nearly $555m contract option to place the order with Fincantieri’s US-based subsidiary.

The second Constellation-class frigate, which is named USS Congress (FFG 63), will be built at FMM’s shipyard in Marinette, Wisconsin.

It will be equipped with Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar (EASR) radar, Baseline Ten (BL10) AEGIS Combat System, a Mk 41 Vertical Launch System (VLS), communications systems and MK 110 57mm Gun Weapon System (GWS) among others.

The vessel will be capable of conducting air warfare, anti-submarine warfare, surface warfare, electronic warfare, and other operations.


Constellation Class Frigate (PMS 515) major programme manager captain Kevin Smith said: “The Navy Program Office is pleased to award the option for the USS Congress (FFG 63) to our industry partner Fincantieri Marinette Marine.

“As the second ship of the Constellation Class Frigate Program, the USS Congress will provide a highly capable, next-generation surface combatant that our navy and nation needs.”

The order comes at a time when FMM is working on the detailed design phase for building USS Constellation (FFG 62), the lead ship of its class.

[JRT]

Rolls-Royce to Supply MTU Generators for U.S. Navy's Constellation Class Frigate

published 12 May 2021 by The Maritime Executive

Rolls-Royce has been selected to supply its mtu naval generator sets for phase one of the U.S. Navy’s Constellation (FFG-62) class frigate program, previously known as the FFG(X) program. Rolls-Royce has received a contract for the first shipset to provide four mtu naval generator sets, each rated at 3000 kWe at 1800 rpm.

The Navy Constellation (FFG-62) Class Frigate is a multi-mission warship designed for operation in littoral and blue water environments to conduct air, anti-submarine, surface and electronic warfare, in addition to information operations. The generator sets are based on the mtu 20V 4000 M53B engine and provide a total power output of 12 MW for propulsion and on-board power supply.

Adam Wood, Director, Government Sales North America at Rolls-Royce business unit Power Systems, said: “We’re very proud that Fincantieri Marinette Marine has placed its trust in our mtu naval generator sets for this important program. We have a legacy of strong support for our partners in both the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard, and we are honored to be selected for FFG-62. There is no doubt that our systems will perform to the high expectations and unique demands of the U.S. Navy Constellation Class.”

The flexible design engineering of the frigate’s CODLAG propulsion system will allow for energy-efficient diesel power generation for propulsion at normal cruising speeds with extended range, while enhancing anti-submarine capability in its extremely quiet diesel-electric configuration. When completed, the lead ship will be nearly 500 feet in length, accommodate up to 200 Sailors and be capable of sustained speeds of more than 26 knots.

Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM) of Marinette, Wisconsin (USA), was awarded the build contract for the project, which includes the design and construction of the lead ship and the option to build up to 10 ships in total for phase one. A potential planned second phase would include another 10 ships.

Construction on the first ship is expected to begin later this year.

.

...

[Monash]

I assume then this is the death knell for the LCS program albeit nobody wants to say so in polite company?

[Albany Rifles]

I assume then this is the death knell for the LCS program albeit nobody wants to say so in polite company?

One hopes.

Its at best got one foot in a grave and the other on a banana peel.

[TopHatter]

One hopes.

Its at best got one foot in a grave and the other on a banana peel.

It looks like they've at least laid down all but one or two that are on order. So, yeah, probably not going to order more. Thank god.

[Monash]

It looks like they've at least laid down all but one or two that are on order. So, yeah, probably not going to order more. Thank god.

The only reason I can think not to (and correct me if I'm wrong) is that if it goes the Navy still won't have an alternate mine warfare platform available. I know the LCS mine detection/sweeping module is behind schedule but if the LCS goes what are they going to put that module on or replace it with?

Having said that as far as I'm aware the Spearhead fast transports don't seem to be causing to many headaches reliability wise - how hard would it be to produce a modified version for mine clearing?

[TopHatter]

The only reason I can think not to (and correct me if I'm wrong) is that if it goes the Navy still won't have an alternate mine warfare platform available. I know the LCS mine detection/sweeping module is behind schedule but if the LCS goes what are they going to put that module on or replace it with?

Having said that as far as I'm aware the Spearhead fast transports don't seem to be causing to many headaches reliability wise - how hard would it be to produce a modified version for mine clearing?

That's pretty much all I'd use them for, maybe one or two other support-type missions.

I don't know if the Spearheads would make good MCM platform or not. Certainly they'd be better than what the Navy has planned for the future, which is basically nothing AFAIK.