One of the two main propulsion diesel engines on the first Littoral Combat Ship (LCS-1), the USS Freedom, recently sustained “significant damage” from seawater contamination and will likely have to be rebuilt or replaced, according to the U.S. Navy.
The Navy said in a statement Aug. 28 that it is trying to determine how a leak occurred in a seawater pump mechanical seal, which allowed seawater to enter the engine lube oil system. The leak was found July 11. On July 13, the ship returned to its homeport in San Diego for unrelated repairs; while there, “the crew performed seawater contamination procedures.”
Using its two gas turbine engines instead of its main propulsion diesel engines, LCS-1 returned to sea July 19-28 to finish participating in the multinational Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise. The ship then went back to San Diego, where an inspection in early August “found significant damage to the engine caused by rust and seawater,” the Navy said. “Based on initial assessments from the inspection,” the engine “will need to be removed and rebuilt or replaced.”
The engine leak occurred about six months after another Lockheed Martin [LMT] Freedom-class ship, the USS Fort Worth (LCS-3), experienced damage to its combining gears Jan. 12. The gears allow the vessel to configure its gas turbines and diesel engines to provide propulsion. The Navy, which fixed LCS-3 in Singapore, where the damage occurred, said that that problem appears to have been caused by a failure to follow maintenance procedures.
Based on the two incidents, Vice Adm. Tom Rowden, commander of Naval Surface Forces, said he believes “improvements in engineering oversight and training are necessary.” Rowden said that a recently completed review of LCS manning, design and training will allow the Navy “to make immediate changes to help reduce chance for future operator error.”
The Navy plans to release the results of the LCS review within the next two weeks or so, according to a spokeswoman for Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet.