Lawmaker: LPD 20 woes might delay MEU - Navy News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Navy Times

Lawmaker: LPD 20 woes might delay MEU

A House lawmaker asked if problems with a West Coast amphibious ship might delay the scheduled deployment of a Marine Expeditionary Unit on Wednesday, but a top Navy admiral said the fleet will keep to its schedule, even if it has to pack Marines and their gear onto an alternate ship.

Virginia Rep. Rob Wittman, a Republican, asked a panel of admirals about the prospects for a delay in the deployment of the 13th MEU caused by repairs to the San Diego-based amphibious transport dock Green Bay, which has not only endured the same technical troubles as its siblings in the San Antonio class, but unique problems with its steering system.

Adm. John Harvey, head of Fleet Forces Command, told Wittman that the Navy would answer tasking no matter what; he cited an instance from 2008 in which the amphibious transport dock Ponce took the place of the newer San Antonio because the latter ship still wasn’t ready for sea. But Harvey did not specifically address the issue of whether Green Bay would eventually be a part of the 13th MEU’s float, or whether another ship might have to step in.

Lt. Cmdr. Chris Servello, a spokesman for Naval Surface Forces, said the Navy could not talk about future timetables, but affirmed that the fleet’s job was to have ships available whenever they’re needed.

“I am unable to discuss specifics regarding future Green Bay deployments, however I can tell you that we continue to engage with operational commanders in order to understand their requirements, so that we may provide the required warships ready for tasking,” he said.

Vice Adm. Kevin McCoy, head of Naval Sea Systems Command — another witness Wednesday before the readiness panel of the House Armed Services Committee — detailed the work that engineers have been doing to Green Bay: After workers discovered “significant foreign material” in the ship’s steering system, they had to make repairs to make sure the fluids in the system stayed clean. Then they had to cut open Green Bay’s deck plates so they could remove and replace its rudder rams, vital internal components that help the ship steer.

Technicians also had to do the modifications the Navy is making to all its San Antonio-class gators, in response to painful lessons the fleet learned after design flaws sidelined two other ships, San Antonio and New York. Metal shavings were somehow polluting the ships’ lube oil systems, which in turn were damaging their main engines. Also, inspectors had to re-certify many of Green Bay’s welds, after the revelations earlier this year of shoddy workmanship aboard warships built at Northrop Grumman’s Gulf Coast yards.

Although the litany of problems aboard the San Antonio class gators has become familiar — flawed design, poor workmanship, network, weld and lube oil problems — McCoy’s mention of Green Bay’s steering system troubles was first time that has been made public. It wasn’t immediately clear if the Navy would look for steering system problems on the other ships of the class.

McCoy said that although engineers have been at work on Green Bay for much of the past few months, the ship finished its final contract trials last week, and it’s expected to “take its place in the regular fleet rotation from there.”