Did the Navy's future littoral combat ship (LCS) sail for the first time on 4 December 2007, painted in Coast Guard colors?
On a clear morning and in light winds, the USCGC Bertholf (WMSL-750), the first of eight planned National Security Cutters (NSC), steamed from Pascagoula, Mississippi, for machinery trials in the Gulf of Mexico. At 418 feet in length and with a top speed just shy of 30 knots, the cutter is similar in size and speed to an Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate. The NSC is the largest of the three new cutter classes being introduced into the Coast Guard over the next decade.
The Bertholf represents a new generation of technologically advanced cutters, and is, by an order of magnitude, the most capable cutter ever built for the Coast Guard. The NSC offers state-of-the-art communications systems and sensors, dual hangars, an advanced helicopter retrieval system, and a secure communications facility. It can operate in a contaminated chemical, biological, or radiological environment. It shares its 57-mm main gun, close-in weapon system, and countermeasure systems with its Navy brethren and has weight and space reserved for additional equipment. It is designed to survive the harshest environments and operate at sea for 185 days per year, a marked increase over current standards. It is built to be one tough ship.
The Coast Guard paid special attention to crew comfort and productivity on the National Security Cutter, as amply demonstrated in the berthing arrangements. Rather than typical dormitory-style, three- (or four-) high berthing, the largest quarters are designed for six crew members in a stateroom layout, with each member having ample storage and personal space. Each of these staterooms has three sets of bunk beds, its own computer drop, and a private head, affording a level of comfort for junior personnel never before seen on a major cutter. Although billeted at roughly 100 crew, there is berthing for 148, allowing significant surge capacity. Dedicated fitness and training spaces round out the bill.
There has been talk over the years that the Coast Guard should partner with the Navy to modify one or both of the LCS variants for use as a patrol cutter, but recent developments in the NSC and LCS programs have reversed the equation. With the LCS facing significant cost overruns, schedule delays, and funding shortfalls, it is time to ask: why not explore modifying the NSC design for use as an LCS?
Of course, today the NSC does not come close to the major requirements for the LCS: it is a near-30-knot ship while the LCS aims for up to 50 knots, and is not configured for the use of the mission modules that form the core of the LCS's operational profile. The sprint speed/low endurance paradigm, however, is not without its share of critics; many have argued that lower speed (with the side benefits of added endurance and better survivability) is a proper trade-off to the excessive cost inherent in building and operating a high-speed craft. With the NSC's space and weight reserves, it is feasible that many of the elements of the LCS mission modules could be built into the base design, without alteration of the underlying hull form.
Further, fielding the yet-untested high-speed mission module concept among a large portion of the Navy's Fleet increases operational risk and may degrade national security should unexpected problems arise during deployment. This risk can be mitigated by relying instead on time-tested concepts of naval operations across a broader swath of the force.
The best road ahead for the Navy, then, may be to settle on two classes of LCS: one the high-end, high-speed variant currently under development through the Independence and Freedom prototypes, and the second a tougher, proven (albeit slower) conventional warship.
The Bertholf's machinery trials were completed on 9 December, with all major systems fully operational and the cutter exhibiting solid handling characteristics. Over the next several months the Coast Guard will accept delivery of the Bertholf and put it through its paces in a slew of operational tests. Assuming the cutter meets its stated requirements, it's in the Navy's and the nation's interest to take a look at this impressive design as a potential low-end LCS.