US Navy’s Newest Warships Take To The Seas – HistoryInOrbit.com

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1. Littoral Combat Ships – Independence Class

People have always wanted to build things larger, faster, and stronger than what they had before; the military world is no exception to this trend. Since ancient times, having a strong and well-organized navy has been crucial for any world power to maintain its position. As a result, thousands of powerful battleships have been built by different countries over the

centuries. Ever wonder what some of the largest warships in the world are? In today’s post, we will show you some of the largest battleships and biggest warships in the world.

This Independence-class littoral combat ship was commissioned on June 10, 2017. The USS Independence is part of the Independence class, but is quite similar to littoral combat ships of the Freedom-class. In 2019, both classes of ships will be upgraded to becoming “Fast Frigates,” meaning they’ll have more upgraded armor and overall weapons capabilities.




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2. Littoral Combat Ship

This USS Freedom LCS-1 was commissioned in 2008 as a smaller, multipurpose ship that operates near the shore, hence the name “littoral” for the littoral zone. These ships are complete with BAE Systems Mk 110 57 mm guns as well as an Mk 49 launcher.




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3. Biggest Ship in U.S. Navy – Ford Class Aircraft Carrier

This nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the first in her class, entered service on July 22, 2017. It is indeed the largest of the U.S. Navy’s fleet of fighters.

Its length is nearly 1,100 feet and its displacement is either 110,000 short tons or 100,000 long tons.




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4. USS John Finn

The first of the restarted Arleigh Burke-class destroyers was commissioned on July 15, 2017. The ship was named after a sailor who received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Dec. 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. The U.S. Navy decided to begin production on this class of vessel after the decision was made to stop the Zumwalt class at three hulls.




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5. Sea Hunter

The U.S. Navy accepted delivery of a revolutionary uncrewed surface ship, one capable of traveling long distances and conducting missions all without a human on board. The 132 foot long, 140 ton ship is the world’s largest uncrewed ship. The pilothouse, necessary for a human crew to control the ship, can be unbolted and removed.

The Sea Hunter went to sea in October 2016, and spent 2017 undergoing a series of progressively more difficult tests at sea. The ship is currently developing new mission-specific autonomous behaviors and could see live action as early as 2018.




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6. USS Rafael Peralta

This destroyer (DDG 115), named for a posthumously awarded Navy Cross recipient from Operation Iraqi Freedom, entered the Navy on July 29, 2017. Funnily enough, the ship with the previous hull number, the future USS Ralph Johnson (DDG 114), won’t be commissioned until March of 2018.




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7. USS Portland

This amphibious ship, the 11th San Antonio-class, entered the Navy on Dec. 14, 2017. While the class was slated to stop, it may continue with the future USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD 28), which is currently under construction.




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8. USS Little Rock

This Freedom-class littoral combat ship was commissioned on Dec. 16, 2017, it will be the fifth vessel of its class to serve in the Navy. Plans call for another 12 Freedom-class vessels to join the Navy.




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9. Juliet Marine Systems Ghost

The TelegraphThe Juliet Marine Systems Ghost is a highly technologically advanced super-cavitating ship with stealth features and a design that reduces hull friction to a scant 1/900th of a normal ship. It was designed and manufactured by Juliet Marine Systems for the US military. They are currently working on a submersible variant called the “Guardian.”




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10. Attack Submarine

The Los Angeles-class attack subs are at the center of America’s fleet, with 40 that are currently commissioned. They are equipped to fire MK48 torpedoes.




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11. Attack Submarine – Virginia Class

The Virginia class of attack submarines is part of the U.S. Navy’s replacement for the older Los Angeles-class fleet. They include new and improved photonic sensors and improved sonar functionality.




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12. Attack Submarine – Seawolf Class

The Seawolf class subs were designed with quietness in mind. They were introduced during the Cold War but their high cost (between $3 and $5 billion) led to the program’s cancellation after only three subs were built.




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13. Ballistic Missile Submarine – Ohio Class

This “undetectable launch platform for intercontinental missiles” carries 24 Trident II nuclear missiles. Within them, warheads are housed which are capable of individual targeting. These W88s are 30x more powerful than the A-bombs that blasted Hiroshima during World War II.




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14. Destroyers – Arleigh Burke Class

It’s all in the name, DESTROYER. This member of the Arleigh Burke class was among the first to be built around the Aegis automated weapons system. The technology’s powerful radar tech can track over 100 targets at a time while countering short and medium-rang ballistic missiles.




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15. Trident II Missile

Nothing spells death and destruction like a Trident II D-5 ballistic missile. None of us would stand a chance against it.




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16. Guided Missile Submarine – Ohio Class

This missile submarine was forced to surrender its nuclear capabilities thanks to treaties with Russia over the years. The USS Ohio now holds 154 non-nuclear Tomahawk missiles instead of nuclear ones.




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17. Afloat Forward Staging Base – Austin Class

The USS Ponce is still in active service despite attempts to shut it down in recent years.

After spending much of her career along the East Coast, the ship has also served in Operation Desert Shield and has supported US operations in the 2011 Libyan Civil War.




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18. Cruisers – Ticonderoga Class

Capable of storing 122 missiles, the USS Cape St. George was an active vessel during Operation Iraqi Freedom, launching its share of Tomahawks.




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19. Dock Landing Ships – Harpers Ferry Class

These ships are used as transports for sending other amphibious vehicles and their crews into hostile areas. They can also pick up or drop off crewmembers via helicopter.




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20. USS Ponce’s Laser Weapons System

This is the future of naval warfare. Ships that can literally shoot at one another using lasers. The USS Ponce is certainly a pioneer in this regard, as it can blast up to 50 kilowatts of energy at other ships resulting in the disabling of their most important systems.




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21. Zumwalt-Class Ships

The next generation of naval warfare could also include long-range land attack projectiles (that’s a mouthful), such as rocket-mounted warheads that can nail targets up to 83 nautical miles away.




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22. The USS Zumwalt

The DDG-100 is the first of the Zumwalt class of destroyers and is designed for anti-aircraft warfare and naval gunfire support. Eventually, there will be U.S. navy ships that feature electromagnetic rail gun technology.




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23. Submarine Tenders – Emory S. Land Class

Tasked with providing logistical and maintenance support for the United States’ fleet of nuclear submarines, these ships travel far and wide to assist other ships in need.




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24. Amphibious Command Ship – Blue Ridge Class

Designed to provide command and intelligence support to the commander and staff of the U.S. Seventh Fleet, these ships are essential for the communication efforts among naval ships. The USS Blue Ridge is the oldest deployable warship belonging to the U.S. Navy.




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25. USNS Montford Point (T-ESD-1)

The USNS Montford Point works hard to serve as a launching point for a landing craft cushion transporting a logistic vehicle system replacement to shore.




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26. Expeditionary Mobile Base – Montford Point Class

The T-ESB-3 is on schedule to replace the afloat forward staging USS Ponce in the Persian Gulf region by late 2017.




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27. USS Somerset – San Antonio Class

This transport dock is named after the passengers of the United Airlines Flight 93 that was crashed by terrorists on September 11, 2001.

The vessel can be found today around its home port of San Diego, CA.




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28. Amphibious Assault Ship – Wasp Class

Commissioned in the early 1990’s, this amphibious warfare ship is employed to land and support ground forces on enemy territory. Some of these assault ships now have an additional role as aircraft carriers supporting V/STOL fixed-wing aircraft.




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29. Amphibious Assault Ship – America Class

These ships lack a lower well deck for launching sea vehicles, but they instead focus on carrying aircraft. The USS America in particular carries some of the top military aircraft around, including the F-35B Lightning II.




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30. Time to Train

Here we see a U.S. Marine Corps amphibious assault vehicle disembarking from the USS Peleliu (recently decommissioned). It’s going to partake in a training mission.




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31. Aircraft Carrier – Nimitz Class

Each of the 10 active carriers in the Nimitz class are nuclear powered and only need to be refueled once during their 50 year service life.




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32. Mine Countermeasure Ships

To cut down mines before they take out our ships, the Avenger class floats in to perform minesweeping missions. One such ship is the USS Sentry. These ships are built primarily of wood with a coating of glass-reinforced plastic to reduce the ship’s magnetic signature and protect it against mine blasts.




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33. USS Gerald R. Ford

This $13 billion ship is the most technology advanced of its kind ever built. It has an insane RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow missile system as well as an electromagnetic aircraft launch system.




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34. Patrol Ships

Part of the Cyclone class, little patrol ships such as the USS Hurricane are assigned the challenging task of guarding our nation’s coastlines. They move swiftly for their size and can fire off machine guns and auto grenade launchers if problems arise.




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35. USS Pueblo, 1967

This ship is classified as an environmental research ship that is attached to Navy intelligence as a spy ship. It was attacked and captured by North Koreans on January 23, 1968, during the eponymous “Pueblo incident.” The subsequent abuse and torture of its crew worked to further escalate Cold War tensions.




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36. USS Samuel B. Roberts

Mines are among the biggest hazards facing the U.S. Naval fleet. They can occur suddenly and without provocation, meaning that crews have to be on constant guard of their surroundings. In 1988, the USS Samuel B. Roberts was quite nearly sunk thanks to an Iranian mine in the Persian Gulf. A few years later, the USS Tripoli and USS Princeton suffered significant damage during the first Gulf War.




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37. Mine Countermeasure Ships

To cut down mines before they take out our ships, the Avenger class floats in to perform minesweeping missions. One such ship is the USS Sentry. These ships are built primarily of wood with a coating of glass-reinforced plastic to reduce the ship’s magnetic signature and protect it against mine blasts.




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38. USS Constitution

Currently berthed at Charlestown Navy Yard in Massachusetts, the USS Constitution is a living representation of how far we’ve come in terms of engineering ships. That said, it’s quite advanced given it was built in the 18th century.




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