Tag Archives: Constellation class frigates

Final LCS delivered as Frigate Program tanks

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Littoral Combat Ship 31, the future USS Cleveland, was delivered to the Navy on 26 November from Fincantieri Marinette Marine in Wisconsin, closing out the line.

While all 19 of the more successful Indianapolis-class variants have been delivered and commissioned (albeit with two early hulls laid up), and are increasingly being used in a minesweeper role, the 16 Freedom-class variants, of which Cleveland is the final hull, have been much less successful, and five of her sisters have already been retired.

Cleveland launched in April 2023 and has spent the past 31 months fitting out. By comparison, the last Indy, USS Pierre (LCS-38), only needed 14 months between christening (18 May 2024) and delivery (11 July 2025). Pierre’s entire construction period, from keel laying to commissioning, spanned 29 months.

Following commissioning in Cleveland, Ohio, in early 2026, LCS 31 will be homeported in Mayport, Florida, with her 10 active sisters.

When commissioned, LCS-31 will be the fourth U.S. Navy vessel named for the Ohio city after two cruisers (C-19/CL-21 and CL-55), which served in WWI and WWII, respectively, and LPD-7, a Cold War era amphibious transport dock commissioned in 1967 and disposed of in a 2024 SINKEX.

Fincantieri, meanwhile, is continuing to work on the first (and last) two hopelessly behind Constellation class frigates, while the other four on contract will be canceled.

The Navy has agreed to take the blame for the program’s mismanagement, even going so far as to indemnify Fincantieri while the shipyard “is expected to receive new orders to deliver classes of vessels in segments that best serve the immediate interests of the nation and the renaissance of U.S. shipbuilding, such as amphibious, icebreaking, and other special missions.”

Wow.

Buy ROK FFGs?

Perhaps we should just order some frigates off the shelf from Korea, where the third Chungnam-class (FFX) Batch-III frigate, the future ROKS Jeonnam (FFG-831), was launched at SK Ocean Plant in Goseong, Gyeongnam, on 25 November.

Small, 3,600-ton (4,300 full load) ships that run 423 feet oal, they run a CODAG setup that allows a 30 knot speed and 8,000nm range at 16 knots– ideal for convoy and patrol work. They run a phased-array four-sided AESA radar/IRST mast, carry a 5″/62 MK45 gun, have a VLS (64 K-SAAM, 8 land attack) system, all the ASW goodies (hull-mounted active sonar, towed passive, VLA, 324mm tubes), a hangar for an embarked helicopter, and a CIWS.

Why can’t we have nice things?

Jeonnam’s sister, the ROKS Gyeoungbuk (FFG-829), gives a better view of the class. If we could just whistle up 40 of these. Bulk contract. Single source. Roll it!

Two ways to bite the frigate apple

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In June 2021, the Navy announced that Naval Station Everett would be the future home of the first 12 of 20 Constellation-class frigates. The new ships, a variant of the proven Franco-Italian FREMM multipurpose frigate, which has almost two dozen hulls in the water, teased a rapid build-up as they were more or less “off the shelf.”

Except that the Navy wanted to change almost everything on the design.

200430-N-NO101-150 WASHINGTON (April 30, 2020) An artist rendering of the guided-missile frigate FFG(X). The new small surface combatant will have multi-mission capability to conduct air warfare, anti-submarine warfare, surface warfare, electronic warfare, and information operations. (U.S. Navy graphic/Released)

Four years later, and the late and over-budget first frigate of the class, the future USS Constellation (FFG-62), is only 10 percent complete— while the design is yet to be finalized by Big Navy and approved!

It is thought that she will only be delivered in 2029 if no other problems arise.

As Fincantieri Marinette Marine, the builder of the FFG-62s, is also the same yard that had massive issues with the Freedom-class littoral combat ships, which are still trying to get right 20 years into that program, the prospects for 2029 do not seem bright.

Meanwhile, the Royal Australian Navy this week announced it has gone for 10 new upgraded Mogami-class frigates from Mitsubishi in Japan.

The proposed RAN Mogami

The proposed RAN Mogami

The proposed RAN Mogami

The ships will carry the same 32-cell VLS and 16 anti-ship missiles as Constellation, and will have a phased array radar and helicopter/UAV facilities as well as an ASW capability. The Mogamis will only have a 10-cell SeaRam, rather than the 21-cell RAM of Constellation.

With longer legs than the 6,000nm ranged Connies, the RAN Mogamis will be able to steam 10,000nm. They also have a much more capable gun, a full 5″/62 Mk 45, rather than the 57mm Bofors of the Connies. Plus, they will have a set of ASW tubes, which Connie will not.

As the agreement could see steel cut as early as 2026, and MHI has a track record of building Mogamis in less than three years per hull, it is feasible that the Aussies could see their first new Japanese-built frigate in 2029.

How about that?

Confusing Frigate Developments

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Thursday’s contracts included an order for two more Constellation class frigates. Emphasis mine:

Marinette Marine Corp., Marinette, Wisconsin, is awarded a $1,044,529,113 fixed-price incentive (firm-target) modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-20-C-2300) to exercise options for detail design and construction of two Constellation-class guided-missile frigates, FFG 66 and FFG 67. Work will be performed in Marinette, Wisconsin (51%); Camden, New Jersey (17%); Chicago, Illinois (7%); Green Bay, Wisconsin (4%); Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (3%); Hauppauge, New York (3%); Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin (3%); Cincinnati, Ohio (3%); Kaukauna, Wisconsin (2%); Charlotte, North Carolina (2%); Bethesda, Maryland (2%); Millersville, Maryland (2%); and Atlanta, Georgia (1%), and is expected to be completed by April 2030. Fiscal 2024 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $1,044,529,113 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.

So far, we have the USS Constellation (FFG 62), USS Congress (FFG 63), USS Chesapeake (FFG 64), and USS Lafayette (FFG 65), all echoing traditional early Navy names.

This comes as our beloved SECNAV (here comes the Navy ship naming convention soapbox) announced that the future FFG 66 will be named…USS Hamilton.

Now don’t get me wrong, there have been a couple of Hamiltons on the Navy List in the past, both named for the Madison’s SECNAV that served during the first part of the War of 1812: the current Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Paul Hamilton (DDG 60) and the Wickes-class destroyer/fast minesweeper USS Hamilton (DD-141/DMS-18/AG-111) that served from 1919 through 1945.

USS Paul Hamilton DDG-60

However, this will not be for Paul Hamilton, but instead for Alexander Hamilton, the Army artillerist who was the first Secretary of the Navy and the guy generally seen as the father of today’s Coast Guard.

The reason this hoses me off is because of the Coast Guard’s long history with the name including a brand-new National Security class cutter USCGC Hamilton (WMSL-753) that was commissioned in 2014, the Vietnam/Cold War era 378-foot class leader USCGC Hamilton (WHEC-715) that served from 1967 to 2011, the Treasury class 327-foot cutter (WPG-34) which was sunk by a U-boat in WWII, as well as circa 1921, 1871, and 1830 cutters that carried the name.

BLACK SEA (April 30, 2021) U.S. Coast Guard members conduct boat and flight procedures on the USCGC Hamilton (WMSL 753) with Turkish naval members aboard the TCG Turgutreis (F 241) in the Black Sea, April 30, 2021

USCGC Hamilton (WHEC-715)

USCGC Alexander Hamilton (WPG-34) departs Boston for a Neutrality Patrol off the Grand Banks in November of 1939

The Hamilton at sea, 1978 painting at USCG Museum

Once the future USS Hamilton (FFG 66) joins the fleet, it will cause tactical confusion in the respect that there is already a San Diego-based destroyer USS Paul Hamilton (DDG 60), and the frigate-sized USCGC Hamilton (WMSL-753).

Surely, there is no shortage of traditional early U.S. Navy names that can be recycled without both ripping off the Coast Guard and causing confusion down the line. Perhaps there could be an 11th USS Ranger, ninth USS Hornet or USS Dolphin, eighth USS Lexington, seventh USS Shark, sixth USS Franklin, USS Ticonderoga, USS Hancock, or USS Concord, or fourth USS Valley Forge? Just saying.

Or, how about this: the USS Benjamin Stoddert, after the first SECNAV? Only two ships have carried it in the past– DD-302 and DDG-22– and it has been missing from the Navy List since 1991?

But then again, ole Ben Stoddart doesn’t have a hit Broadway musical to his credit.