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Hawaii Superferry - Chapter 9

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  • Re: Hawaii Superferry - Chapter 9

    Under Fire

    The vessel meant to be a mainstay of the Navy fleet faces questions about its firepower as well as financial constraints

    The "littoral combat ship" that was to make up one-sixth of the U.S. Navy fleet continues to be a work in progress as one of the vessels heads out from Pearl Harbor to take part in a "sink exercise" off Kauai during Rim of the Pacific war games.

    The uniquely shaped USS Independence, an all-aluminum trimaran with a narrow, pointy bow and wide stern, will launch a Seahawk helicopter Thursday that will fire a Hellfire missile at the retired USS Ogden, a 569-foot amphibious transport dock ship.

    [...]

    The littoral combat ships were forecast to cost $220 million a ship, but that has ballooned to more than double that, according to media reports.
    Looks like Austal USA, the shipbuilder who brought us the Hawai‘i Superferry is making bank! As I've mentioned throughout this thread, the Superferry was a scam perpetuated by ex-military cutouts as a way to get civilians to pay for testing of their prototype.

    To recap, the research that went into Austal USA’s ships — both Superferries and the WHVC Westpac Express — ultimately resulted in a $1.6 billion contract for the military versions: USAV Spearhead (JHSV 1) and the USS Independence (LCS-2). The latter is a joint venture between Austal USA and Lockheed Martin, and the one discussed in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser article.

    According to wikipedia, even though the Superferry company, went bankrupt, Austal USA still made a $9.2 million profit in 2009. Had the state of Hawai‘i's own Linda Lingle and the state legislature not provided funding, Austal USA probably would have lost tens if not HUNDREDS of millions that year. Mahalo for the free stuff, Hawai‘i taxpayers! Shaka, braddah!

    We can’t be so fixated on our desire to preserve the rights of ordinary Americans.

    — U.S. President Bill Clinton
    USA TODAY, page 2A
    11 March 1993

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