USS Detroit Sinks Abandoned Vessel, Shows The Under-Favored Ship Class Has Bite

The newest ship in the United States Navy Fleet, the USS Detroit (LCS 7), was deployed to the Caribbean and Latin American areas this November with a complement of US Coast Guard law enforcement individuals. The purpose of the joint interagency Task Force was to counter drugs and other illicit traffic in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.

During a routine patrol, the USS Detroit located a derelict vessel that posed a possible safety threat to other maritime traffic in the vicinity and took the opportunity to fire some of its weapons. The vessel was dispatched with a barrage of gunfire and various other weaponry, essentially proving that the new ship was functional.

The USS Detroit is a Littoral Combat Ship, which is the Navy's newest class of warship. There are several variants, and Detroit is a Freedom variant. The main difference in this ship is the fact that it is a double steel semi-planing monohull ship. This essentially means that the vessel does not have nearly as much displacement as more massive ships and can get into shallow waters, making it a perfect candidate for close shore support and interdiction missions.

One of the most significant selling points of the Littoral Class ships is that they can carry out a variety of different missions with a pretty impressive loadout, including several different weapons and sensor systems as well as crewless vehicles, according to a report by Defense Blog.

That appears to be well and great on the surface, but the general feeling in the Navy is that the ships are pointless. They don't pack very much of a punch as far as being a dominant force in the area. This is even though in the original billing, they were supposed to be a formidable force.

A source close to the Navy speaking under conditions of anonymity told the International Business Times that the ship has very little strategic value for the Navy because of its lightweight frame and "weak" design. It doesn't pack enough weaponry to make a huge difference in combat, however, it does have its place. It would be better off being used by other branches of the service or sold to allied forces. This is not the first time that we've heard that; however, in any case, it looks fairly impressive.