"What in the world is a Littoral Combat Ship? you might ask." I knew that you would so I have the answer prepared for you. I didn't know myself until a few months age so here it is. The first thing that I had to understand was the meaning of the word Littoral. This word refers to a ship which operates in the area close to the shore. Littoral ships are not large ships. they are adaptable to a wide range of operations and can be used for many different purposes.

The advantages of Littoral ships are their speed, flexibility, maneuverability, and shallow draft. They can do things that no other ship can do, outrun anything in the water, and get into places where no other ship can go.

Some of the many operations that this ship can perform are; anti-submarine warfare, resupply, troop transport, mine sweeping, anti-ship warfare, intelligence gathering, and reconnaissance. These ships are somewhat stealthy because of their hull design. The angled hull design helps to deflect radar around the ship and not back to the source which gives the ship a small radar profile. Another name for these ships are high speed surface ships.

I can definitely see the benefits of using these ships. I wonder if the Navy would and could make them larger. It seems to me that it would be good to do so but I am not a military genius. I can see where these ships can help with drug interdiction, to fight piracy, and they could probably play a major role in counterterrosism. These ships can operate in the coastal waters of the Uniteed States or be transported to operate in the coastal waters of other countries. My Naval ring customers can certainly be proud of the technology available to them.