“But it does seem like simply stating, ‘No, you can’t do it,’ is a big deal.” “It doesn’t seem unusual to say ‘divert around it if you can,’” he said. Martin said a ship class being told to avoid operating in sea state five is “extremely unusual.” It’s saying you can’t operate in rough weather.” “That could amount to a significant operational limitation. “But it does say if you’re going to operate at this speed or sea state, you’re going to have to go into port, mark all the cracks and report it to NAVSEA,” he said. “Clearly mark and date the ends of any cracks so ships force can monitor for crack growth,” the alert prescribes.Īfter reviewing the TSO and an attached NAVSEA alert for Navy Times, Martin said the records don’t suggest anything catastrophic will occur if an Independence-class LCS steams through rough seas. One task in the NAVSEA alert calls for regional maintenance centers to inspect the 01 level at port and starboard for cracks, where “the shell plate vertical flat bar meets the deck between frames 35-36 and 45-46.” While NAVSEA states that the crack issue is not hindering operational requirements, a 2021 investigation into Omaha’s command notes that the ship “has more restrictive seakeeping limits due to cracks in her aluminum hull and superstructure,” and that those limitations played a role in hindering a transit from San Diego to Everett, Washington, in November. “Fifteen knots is a transit speed, a very normal transit speed, less than half of LCS’s supposed maximum speed.” “Being unable to go at speed in sea state 4 is a pretty significant limitation,” he said. The four-to-eight foot wave range of sea state 4 is “fairly common,” according to Martin, who reviewed the records for Navy Times. In other words, the risk of structural cracks means that a ship envisioned as a speedy fleet asset is now limited in speed or rough waters.Īsked whether the entire Independence fleet is under speed and sea state restrictions due to the crack risk, NAVSEA’s Baribeau wrote that “all Independence variant ships have been inspected and are able to meet their operational requirements.”Īsked whether the six ships suffering from hull cracks are operating with those cracks, Baribeau again responded that “all Independence variant ships have been inspected and are able to meet their operational requirements.” That order also prohibits the ship from operating in any higher sea state. A temporary standing order issued by the command of the littoral combat ship Omaha imposes restrictions on speed and operating in rough seas in order to limit the spread of structural cracks.
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