Posted on 04/14/2007 6:41:37 PM PDT by GATOR NAVY
NORFOLK - The new amphibious ship San Antonio failed to complete a series of sea trials in late March, and faces $36 million in repairs during the next three months.
The Norfolk-based ship, the first of a new generation of helicopter and troop transports, could not be sea-tested during a five-day inspection period because one of its two steering systems completely failed, the Navy announced late Friday afternoon.
Navy inspectors found major defects in three of 17 categories during a final comprehensive review of the ship March 26-30 at Norfolk Naval Station. The San Antonio stayed in port for five days while 140 Navy inspectors chronicled a progression of minor and major flaws.
Among the major failures:
# A broken electronic circuit card rendered the starboard steering system inoperable and prevented the ship from leaving port.
# A ventilation system in the fuel pumping room failed, allowing the build-up of flammable vapors.
# Radio communications between pilots and landing signal officers on the flight deck were momentarily dropped and had to be reset during take-offs and landings.
"We knew this was going to be a hard inspection going in," said Capt. Bill Galinis, program manager for the new amphibious transport dock ship class, known as LPD-17. The ship will eventually be a tremendous asset to the fleet, he said.
Galinis said the steering problem prevented the ship from undergoing other tests at sea. The steering was fixed and the ship got under way three days after the trial ended.
The Navy should be able to fix most problems during a scheduled three-month stay at BAE Systems shipyard in Norfolk, he said. The Navy has allocated $36 million for repairs and improvements to the vessel.
"We've got work to do," Galinis said.
Design and construction improvements have been incorporated into the second and third ships in the class, which are now in production, he said. "We're not where we want to be," he said. But, he added, "we're seeing improvement across the class."
The San Antonio has been plagued by mechanical and structural problems since the Navy took ownership two years late, in July 2005. Northrup Grumman Ship Systems in Pascagoula, Miss., built the ship at a cost of $1.2 billion, roughly $400 million over budget.
According to a 2005 Navy report, inspectors found "poor construction and craftsmanship." Ladders were missing handrails, unventilated space housed toxic chemicals and wires and cables gnarled into an over packed electrical plant.
Despite the troubles, the ship was under way for 200 days last year, Galinis said. It rescued a distressed fishing vessel off the North Carolina coast in December.
It has not been on an overseas deployment and the Navy said it is unclear when the ship will be ready. Capt. Conrad Chun, spokesman for Fleet Forces, said the inaugural ships in a new class generally have more problems than succeeding vessels.
Still, Chun said, "We will do everything we can to make sure the ship is ready before its deployment."
# Reach Louis Hansen at (757) 446-2322 or louis.hansen@pilotonline.com.
USER COMMENTS
That being said, I know there have been a lot of problems with the LPD-17 class.
They’re still building San Antonio-class LPDs? Don’t they date back to the 60s?
Nope, these are brand-new cutting-edge amphibious assault ships. Discovery Channel’s “Futureweapons” had a feature on the San Antonio today, ironically enough.
}:-)4
Despite its troubles, the San Antonio, above, was under way for 200 days last year. It rescued a distressed fishing vessel off the North Carolina coast in December. It has not yet been on an overseas deployment. U.S. NAVY FILE PHOTO
Navy inspectors found inoperable steering, faulty ventilation and interrupted radio communications in their review of the ship at Norfolk Naval Station. The Virginian-Pilot file photo
You may be thinking of the AUSTIN-class.
Kind of an unconventional look to that ship as well. 21st Century, we are here!
Oh- I see. I spent a little time on the DuBuque LPD-8 for a PHIBLEX. She was a bit roll-y in relatively calm seas, but it was overall, a pleasant experience.
The new ones are pretty good looking. I hope they iron out the wrinkles. I’d love to go aboard one to see what’s new.
(slaps forehead) You're absolutely right.
It sounds like union labor and some pretty lousy supervisors. The faults mentioned sound more like carelessness or laziness than problems with a new design.
Ping.
And that's the highest use of a warship in this day and age, isn't it.
I googled Conrad Chun, and he was a LCDR in 2002. Seems to be on a pretty fast track.
May-haps Katrina had a little something to do with the problems? That and unions, of course.
The crew of that fishing boat probably thinks so.
And how many time were the subcontractor found using illegals as labor???
Are there any guns on that ship?
A humiliation to the conservative city of San Antonio?
Rear Admiral John Bulkeley was still in charge of INSURV when my ship went through it in 1984. INSURVE was hard then, I’m sure that it hasn’t changed.
In all cases but with Uncle Sam, when a contractor underbids and produces an unusable product, the contractor pays. (Not that this is the first time this has happened.)
Paging Consumer Reports....
NOT paging Antonio Gramsci.
Really? I was on two LPDs and thought they rode like Cadillacs. But that could be because I was also on two LSTs.
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