Freedom Completes Rough Water Trials

The Littoral Combat Ship Freedom variant (LCS-1) recently completed Rough Water Trials off the coast of Oregon for 11 days, according to a Navy statement.

During the sea trials, the Lockheed Martin-built Freedom collected data while operating in sea states 5 and 6, which equate to about eight to 20-foot waves.

"The ship was steered in an octagonal route at speeds ranging from dead stop to flank speed to capture data on performance at all speeds and orientations," the statement reads.

Over the next few months the data will be analyzed to compare the actual performance of the Freedom variant to its modeled performance.

"Initial test results are positive, the machinery plant and auxiliaries all performed well, especially in the context of the sustained operations at sea," the statement reads.

The ship's crewmembers were equipped with accelerometers and sensors to evaluate human factors such as sleep and potential seasickness due to ship motions, the statement adds.