Troubled gator gets new skipper - Navy News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Navy Times

Troubled gator gets new skipper

NORFOLK, Va. — The Navy’s troubled new amphibious transport dock has a new captain. Cmdr. Kurt Kastner took command of the San Antonio from Cmdr. Brad Lee during a ceremony in Norfolk on Friday morning.

According to information provided by Naval Surface Force Atlantic, Kastner comes aboard after the San Antonio completed a yard period in Norfolk and subsequent underway sea trials. It was regularly scheduled 18-month command turnover.

Kastner comes to San Antonio after graduating from the Naval War College. Lee’s next assignment is on the joint staff at the Pentagon.

The San Antonio is the first in a new class of amphibious transport docks meant to eventually replace several classes of gators. It came with several design improvements over previous Navy ships, including extra-wide passageways and racks with enough space for a sailor or Marine to actually sit up in bed.

But the San Antonio has held a high profile since its 2005 delivery for arriving late, incomplete and at a hefty $1.8 billion, significantly overpriced. A scathing inspection report made public that year revealed what Navy officers considered poor workmanship and unsafe and unsatisfactory conditions in some parts of the ship.

According to Naval Sea Systems Command, the ship is getting better: “LPD 17 completed a successful five-day [post shakedown availability] underway trial. The ship and its systems performed very well.”

NAVSEA says the shakedown included upgrades the ship’s internal computer network, or ‘intranet,’ but the ship needs more work before being fully operational.

A June 22 letter from Navy Secretary Donald Winter to shipbuilder Northrop Grumman blasted the program. “By taking delivery of ships with serious quality problems, the fleet has suffered unacceptable delays in obtaining deployable assets,” Winter wrote.