The United States Navy’s fleet of Littoral Combat Ships (LCS), once touted for their speed and versatility, is now facing structural integrity issues with the discovery of hull cracks on several vessels.

This recent development adds to the program’s history of setbacks and technical issues, even as the Navy continues to address a variety of challenges within the LCS class.

The issue first came to light through internal Navy documents obtained by Navy Times, which were confirmed by service officials, revealing that the aluminum hulls of the Independence-class littoral combat ships have developed cracks.

These structural defects occur when the ships travel at speeds exceeding 15 knots or encounter seas with waves eight feet or higher.

The USS Omaha, an LCS commissioned in 2018 , is one of the affected vessels, now restricted to a maximum speed of 15 knots and prohibited from operating in waves above 8.2 feet.

This limitation significantly reduces the ship’s operational capability and contradicts the original design intent for the LCS to swiftly deploy at speeds of over 40 knots into crisis zones.

The hull cracks are described by a Navy official quoted by Navy Times as not posing “a risk to the safety of Sailors on board the ships.” However, the cracks do impact the ships’ abilities to perform as advertised, undermining one of the LCS program’s major selling points – high-speed deployment capabilities.

To address the issue, the shipbuilder, Austal USA, has proposed a fix that involves “replacing deck plate and shell plate with thicker material, among other actions,” as stated by Naval Sea Systems Command spokesman Alan Baribeau. Unfortunately, the Navy has not disclosed the full extent of the fix’s cost, who is responsible for payment, or a timeline for implementation.

This revelation comes amid ongoing discussions around the LCS’s value, as the program’s mission packages have yet to fully materialize after more than 15 years, and the fleet has endured cost overruns, delays, propulsion reliability issues, and high operational expenses.

Even as the Navy has proposed decommissioning all of the Freedom-class LCS, some only three years after commissioning, and despite plans to retire additional ships in the coming years, the service continues to take delivery of more vessels likely destined for abbreviated service lives.

These challenges not only affect the Independence-class ships but also the Freedom-class variant, which is dealing with a class-wide transmission issue. Both versions were designed with high-speed operation in mind, yet it seems they are now hindered by problems that compromise their agility and operational readiness.

The cracks and subsequent operational limitations raise questions about the LCS’s ability to fulfill even scaled-back roles. With both LCS classes facing significant problems, the future of this program remains uncertain, as the Navy must weigh the cost and benefits of repairing the ships against their strategic value and the program’s overall direction.

As the Navy grapples with these issues, officials continue to express confidence in the LCS class, emphasizing the progress made in making the ships more reliable and lethal. Notably, recent upgrades to training and maintenance approaches are being implemented to improve the fleet’s operational availability and self-sufficiency.

The LCS continues to play a role in the Navy’s operations, with panelists at the Surface Navy Association’s national symposium pointing to the introduction of the Naval Strike Missile and other advanced weapon systems on the ships. The aim is to enhance their lethality and ensure they remain a valuable asset to naval operations.

Despite the setbacks, the LCS program’s supporters remain hopeful for its redemption, highlighting the recent successful deployment of the USS Charleston and ongoing efforts to elevate the fleet’s performance through task force initiatives and innovative maintenance strategies.

Relevant articles:
– Hull Cracks Are Drastically Limiting U.S. Littoral Combat Ship Speeds, Yahoo
– Littoral Combat Ship Still Fighting to Prove Its Worth, nationaldefensemagazine.org
– The littoral combat ship’s latest problem: Class-wide structural defects leading to hull cracks, Navy Times
– More Bad News for U.S. Littoral Combat Ships: Hull Cracks That Drastically Limit Speed, Popular Mechanics