By my calculations this thing can do between 50 to 60 knots

From: http://www.bymnews.com/news/newsDetails.php?id=55804

"Austal designed & built Independence sea trials imminent"
Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Sea trials of the US Navy’s landmark Austal-designed and built 127-metre Littoral Combat Ship “Independence” (LCS 2) are expected to commence within weeks following the successful light off of the vessel’s main engines.

Austal completed light off of the vessel’s four propulsion engines - two 22,000kW GE LM2500 gas turbines and two MTU 9,100kW 20V 8000 M71 diesels - following the fuel load and the testing of all four generators.

Activation and testing of the combat and other systems onboard “Independence” is continuing at Austal’s US facility in Mobile, Alabama, with delivery of the vessel expected later in the year...

The vessel’s GE LM2500 gas turbines each develop 22,000kW (29,500 bhp). More than 750 of these gas turbines power the US Navy’s fleet, making it the standard workhorse engine in almost all US Navy surface combatant ships. In addition, they are installed in more than 400 other ships in 30 countries, including an Austal-designed and built fast ferry operating in Denmark. Delivering up to 9,100kW (12,200 bhp) of continuous power, the vessel’s MTU Series 8000 diesel engines...


From: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2009/06/navy_lcs2_lightoff_060809w/

"Technicians light off LCS 2's engines"

By Philip Ewing - Navy Times Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Jun 10, 2009

Shipyard technicians in Mobile, Ala., have started up the main propulsion plant aboard the littoral combat ship Independence, a milestone toward the ship getting underway this summer for sea trials, shipbuilder General Dynamics announced Monday.

Engineers tested and ran all the components that make up Independence’s combined diesel and gas plant — known as CODAG — including its twin MTU M71 diesels, twin LM 2500 gas turbines, drive shafts and the water jets that propel the ship.

Independence’s diesel engines are the most powerful high-speed diesels in the world, according to an announcement from Austal USA, which built the ship...