Bronco NB5021 USS 'Freedom' (LCS-1)

USS Freedom (LCS-1) is a modern American ship designed to operate in coastal or littoral waters. The keel of this vessel was laid in June 2005, the vessel was launched a year later, and she entered service with the US Navy in November 2008. The ship is 115.3 meters long and 17.5 meters wide. Full displacement reaches 3400 tons, and the maximum speed is around 47-50 knots.

USS Freedom (LCS-1) is the first ship in the class of ships of the same name. Freedom ships were created as units with the highest possible maximum speed and high maneuverability, which were to operate in coastal waters. The main tasks of this type of units include ZOP (anti-submarine combat) actions against classic-propelled submarines, anti-mine actions, but also broadly understood asymmetric actions in the form of - for example - fighting pirates. Units of this type, as one of the first, use various types of floating and flying drones on a large scale. A large part of their on-board equipment can also be easily replaced depending on the nature of the mission in which the ship is to take part. Without a doubt, the USS Freedom (LCS-1) is a highly avant-garde ship with some unusual and interesting solutions. At the same time, however, it is criticized for the high cost of the program and research and development works, which very clearly exceeded the original assumptions. The same was true of the numerous delays at an early stage of the project. Criticism also fell on some of the solutions used on the vessel - for example, the assumption that the ship would be manned by a highly reduced crew.