U.S. Navy Unveils New High-Tech Ship Called USS Freedom That Can Fight Pirates

The USS Freedom can go up against massive enemy fleets and is one of the fastest ships in the Navy to date. (FNC)

The United States Navy unveiled a new high-tech ship it says can chase down pirates off the coast of Somalia faster and more aggressively than previous vessels could.

The USS Freedom can go up against massive enemy fleets and is one of the fastest ships in the Navy to date, its commander said in a FOX News "America's Newsroom" exclusive.

"It's more than an evolutionary step forward, it's a revolutionary step forward," Cmdr. Michael Doran told FOX News on Tuesday. "It's highly automated and it's very fast. ... For a piracy mission, we can go out there and cover more water with fewer ships."

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The USS Freedom has a modular design and requires fewer crew members, he said — about 40 total. It can go up to 45 mph.

"What we can do is we can go out there and cover more water with fewer ships because of the sprint speed of the ship," Doran told FOX News. "We can tailor the ship to perform that counter-piracy mission."

Some are calling it the Navy's corvette.

"It is kind of like driving a sports car around," Doran said. "All of my friends have told me, 'drive it like you stole it, drive it like you stole it.'"