[fredhead]

What a white elephant the Navy bought. this ship has been a lemon from the get-go. Look at the sidebar to the article for all the problems.

[smokingfrog]

What do you want to bet they put some kind of “green” engines in there?

[Da Coyote]

I presume the vessel has Government Motors diesels with perhaps Microsoft software controlling them?

[Robert A Cook PE]

D*mn.

And I worked real hard back in the mid-1970’s to get a ship named San Antonio.

[US Navy Vet]

After looking at this ship’s “Leadership” I am NOT inpressed. Looks like a bunch of “soft-handed” “Perfumed Princes”.

[Retain Mike]

In late 1970 I was serving onboard the U.S.S. Westchester County LST-1167 and we were on the LST ramp at Chin Hae South Korea when we got orders to pick up a Marine rifle company, a motor –T platoon and their vehicles, and an LVT platoon and their vehicles in Okinawa and deliver them to Subic Bay. With our crew that was over 500 men. The squadron said not to worry, because we would still be back in Yokosuka in time for Thanksgiving. A similar message was repeated throughout November, December, January, February, and into March when the U.S.S. Fredric finally showed up in the Tonkin Gulf to join the Amphibious Ready Group it was supposed to leave the west coast with. This was the first 1179 class LST to deploy and broke down in every port from the west coast to Vietnam.

The great advantage to me was I got qualified as an Officer of the Deck for Fleet Steaming, since we operated with other ships in formation. At 25 of course I did not see it that way at the time.

[jagusafr]

It’s a Cheby from the West Side - I got 5 guys what can work on it right now, hombre...

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Replace the four “diesels” with two Pielsticks.

[muir_redwoods]

With a mind uncluttered by the facts or any relevant experience let me ask a simple question. Just how difficult could it be to make four diesel engines reliable? Isn't diesel about 120 year old technology pretty well understood by engineers and operators?

I admit I know nothing about this do I'm actually asking an honest question.

[Blueflag]

Thought of your thread when I saw this:

http://www.fox43tv.com/dpps/military/navy/navy-ship-begins-2nd-half-of-trials_3839786

Navy ship begins 2nd half of trials
USS San Antonio left Norfolk June 6

Updated: Friday, 10 Jun 2011, 11:42 AM EDT
Published : Tuesday, 07 Jun 2011, 1:35 PM EDT

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) - The first ship in the Navy’s new San Antonio class of amphibious transport docks is undergoing the second half of its sea trials.

Media outlets report that the USS San Antonio left Norfolk on Monday. Cmdr. Thomas Kait says the ship’s four main diesel engines were “purring like kittens” during the sea trials’ first half last month.

The USS San Antonio conducted shiphandling drills with USS New York during San Antonio’s second phase of sea trials, which is focused mainly on combat systems and crew proficiency.

Problems plagued the ship’s first deployment in 2008. The San Antonio had to stop in Bahrain for emergency repairs because of engine problems.

In April, the Navy terminated a maintenance contract with a Portsmouth company for work on the San Antonio class ships.