Engine goes bad on new San Diego warship

[ErnstBlofeld]

Sign On San Diego/Gary Robbins:


/ Lockheed Martin
The USS Freedom has been undergoing testing off the Southern California coast.
The San Diego-based USS Freedom -- the first of the Navy's new Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) -- has experienced a propulsion problem for the second time in less than six months and will have to undergo an engine replacement.

"High vibration indications were discovered in the starboard-side gas turbine engine while the ship was operating off Southern California," said Commander Jason Salata, a spokesman for Naval Surface Forces, San Diego.

"A borescope was done and damage was found to the engine's blading. The engine will be replaced during a scheduled (servicing) visit to Naval Surface Warfare Center in Port Hueneme," which starts on Sept. 27.

Freedom has a second gas turbine. But the ship switched to its two diesel engines when the problem arose offshore on Sept. 12. In early May, the vessel had to pull into General Dynamics-NASSCO shipyard in San Diego for repairs when issues developed with a waterjet, which is part of the ship's propulsion system.

Freedom, which was designed and built by an industry team led by Lockheed Martin, is the first in a new class of vessel that is supposed to give the Navy greater ability to carry out missions in shallow waters, especially missions that require fast propulsion.

The Government Accountability Office issued a report earlier this year that says that Freedom was deployed too early, that it has suffered from a variety of design problems, and that the vessel has had difficulty safely launching smaller boats and unmanned systems during testing.