I bet the open ocean will be fun

A little first hand report from Phil on LCS-1,

The Freedom can push itself away from the dock without the aid of a tug, we learned, and as soon as the final preparations are made, the ship should cast off before lunch. Doyle told us we’ll be making a full-bore, high-speed run up Lake Michigan today “on full CODAG,” a.ka. at full speed, powered by the Freedom’s combined diesel and gas-turbine powerplant. Cutting this 3,000-ton ship at 40 knots through the lake should be a nice way to get this trip started off right.

But the Freedom’s relatively shallow draft — around 12 feet — has its downside, too.

“She rides nice when she’s going fast,” Doyle said. “When she’s going slow, not so much.”

Fun times. Fun times.