by Bradley Parsons
Staff Writer
Inside the offices of local naval architects John J. McMullen Associates rest plans for the next generation of surface warfare.
Today’s fleet depends on heavy hitters. Grey hulks that displace thousands of tons of water; designed to smash opposition with blunt ordinance.
The philosophy of overwhelming force has secured U.S. dominance at sea for more than 60 years, but new, unconventional threats — a high-speed inflatable rigged with terrorists and rocket-propelled grenades, for instance — have led the Navy to streamline a portion of its fleet to deal with so-called asymmetrical attacks. The search for the Littoral Combat Ship, a smaller, lighter and more versatile combat vessel, could result in a $4 billion contract to the team which supplies the design. There’s a one-in-three chance the $300 million ships will be built in Jacksonville.
“It’s good, it’s all good. We’re down to the last three,” said Daniel McCarthy, the City’s director of military affairs. McCarthy was responding to last week’s Navy announcement that a design team led by Raytheon and including McMullen Associates and Jacksonville shipyards Atlantic and Goodrich Marine would receive $10 million to further develop its LCS concept. Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics received the same grants. The Navy will incorporate one of the designs into its fleet.
Raytheon’s design borrows from an existing Norwegian naval vessel. The wide-bodied catamaran uses a series of fans to lift its twin pontoons partially out of the water. This “lift-effects technology” reduces drag and increases speed and maneuverability, enabling it to respond to swarming hostile small craft. Using water jets, the boat slices through the water at 50 knots.
“This thing is being built to do the dirty fighting in close,” said retired Vice Adm. John J. McDonald, now with McMullen Associates. “This allows us to duke it out close to shore against smaller threats.”
After seven months evaluation, the Navy will fund two groups to build working prototypes, picking the model which best combines performance with efficiency. If the Raytheon design is selected, McDonald said the boats would be built in the Jacksonville shipyards. Depending on performance and available funds, the Navy plans to build as many as 60 LCS, conservatively estimated to cost $300 million per ship.
McDonald said the project would establish Jacksonville as a shipbuilding city. Currently, the work performed in its shipyards is largely maintenance. Atlantic Marine’s refurbishment of the aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy is 75 percent complete and should finish on schedule. McCarthy said the Navy may have taken notice of that effort.
“They’re looking for smaller, mid-tier shipyards, and they’ve found Atlantic Marine to be a perfect partner,” said McCarthy. “They demonstrated great skill and great efficiency and the Navy may have looked at that when awarding the contract.”
Atlantic Marine vice president Herschel Vineyard said he would expect to add to his 750-person workforce if selected to build the LCS.
By attracting skilled shipbuilders to Jacksonville, McCarthy said the contract could bolster the City’s case when the Defense Department begins studying base closures.
“The more of a Navy town we become, the better,” said McCarthy. “The skills and technology necessary to fulfill this contract will continue Mayport’s reputation as a significant and vital port.”