USS Freedom Loses Propulsive Power Near Singapore

The first operational deployment of the USS Freedom (LCS-1) remains an ongoing disaster. The latest snafu occurred while the Freedom was operating off the coast of Singapore. There, and on July 20th, the Freedom temporarily lost propulsive power. Though the ship's crew quickly fixed the problem (according to the US Navy LCS-1 was a sitting duck for "only" minutes rather than hours - as if the one would have been better than the other in an active combat environment) they were forced to return to port for more extended repair and maintenance.

For attentive readers this is not the first time we have had to report the Freedom experiencing a power loss on its first operational deployment. Back in March we wrote about how the USS Freedom managed to lose power three times in transit from Pearl Harbor to Guam. The three power outages left the ship dead in the water for a total of nearly 30 minutes. Now, we can add a fourth power outtage in a span of less than six months. Given that the LCS is a ship whose speed is currently meant to be its primary defensive attribute (as it cannot even take light cannon fire no less a missle strike) such power outtages remain problematic to say the least.

The Navy attributes the latest power loss to turbocharger exhaust leaks on the No. 2 ship service diesel generator (SSDG) along with an equally faulty No. 3 generator that nevertheless avoided failing even as other problems also emerged involving reducing electrical power to avoid overloading the generators. I will be the first to admit that I am no engineer, but unless I am missing something here shoudn't a modern warship's propulsion system be anything but one of it's more unreliable systems? After all, we are not talking about ballistic missle defense radars and interceptors!

What's more, and moving further into the department of WTF reporting, these power losses are not confined to the Lockheed Martin monohull designed littoral combat ships; as one would otherwise expect given Lockheed Martin's track record with the JSF and F-22 hangar queens. It appears that on June 21st the trimaran design USS Independence (LCS-2) lost power in San Diego bay. So much for speed equalling survivability.