According to the U.S. Naval Institute (USNI), the U.S. Navy's Wasp-class amphibious assault ship No. 4, the USS Boxer (LHD-4), recently had another engineering accident. This directly forced the amphibious assault ship, which had just departed, to return to San Diego, California, for repairs. The delayed deployment will further disrupt the U.S. Navy's readiness arrangements and exercise rhythms in the relevant regions.
The accident occurred immediately after departure, and the amphibious assault ship returned to Hong Kong for maintenance, disrupting the deployment of the US military
In a statement sent to the USNI by the U.S. Navy's Third Fleet, the Third Fleet said, "The amphibious assault ship USS Boxer will return to San Diego for additional maintenance to support its deployment in the Indo-Pacific region." They also stressed that "the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer will resume deployment in the near future." Notably, the Boxer just left San Diego on April 1.
Schematic diagram of the deployment of the U.S. Navy fleet released by the USNI on April 8 Image source: USNI
In the interview, the U.S. Navy did not indicate the casualties caused by the accident, but the USNI report showed that the casualties were related to the rudder.
An official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that according to preliminary estimates, the restoration work would take two to three weeks. Two other officials said the ship's Marines and planes had been unloaded, but that the ship had not yet arrived in San Diego.
Just a few days before the Boxer returned to Hong Kong, the US military announced on the 8th that the deployment of the USS Wasp amphibious assault ship (LPD-1) would also be delayed. Delays in the deployment of two large amphibious assault ships in a row will further disrupt the U.S. military's schedule of plans and exercises around the world. A defense official complained to the USNI, "How long are we going to endure this catastrophic maintenance management of the U.S. Navy until someone in the Pentagon is fired?"
It is difficult for the flagship to arrive, and the overseas deployment of the new combat vehicle has been postponed
According to the USNI, the Boxer went to the Western Pacific as the flagship of an amphibious fleet. Also belonging to the fleet are the San Antonio-class dock landing ship USS Somerset (LPD-25) and the Harpofeli-class dock landing ship lead ship USS Harpoferry (LSD-49). The fleet was supposed to leave for the western Pacific in January to participate in a series of military exercises, including Thailand's Cobra Gold. However, due to delays, only the Somerset set sail for the Western Pacific in January. The Hapoferi left San Diego in March.
USS Boxer Amphibious Assault Ship Image Credit: U.S. Navy
According to previous reports, the Boxer was carrying part of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Force before departing for the western Pacific. It was originally planned that upon arrival in Okinawa, the marines of the 15th Expeditionary Force on board would remain in Okinawa and become part of the Okinawa task force.
At the same time, the Boxer is carrying a new generation of American amphibious combat vehicle ACV. The vehicle is an alternative to the United States after the cancellation of the Expeditionary Combat Vehicle Program (EFV).
The ACV was originally planned to be deployed in 2022 with the USS Makin Island amphibious assault ship formation. However, the deployment was delayed due to the fact that the wheels of two vehicles were knocked off by the waves during training in California. In December 2023, ACV suffered a rollover accident during training, resulting in one death and multiple injuries. This deployment is also the first time that this type of vehicle has been deployed overseas.
Just finished the overhaul and returned to the factory, the condition of the Boxer is not optimistic
It is worth noting that the Boxer, which was returned to the factory for maintenance, has just completed its mid-term overhaul and has been given the ability to carry the F-35B.
In 2020, the U.S. Navy began large-scale modernization maintenance of the USS Boxer. According to the original plan, the ship's overhaul will take 12-18 months, and the Boxer will receive the F-35B carrying capacity after the overhaul. However, the duration of the overhaul was subsequently extended.
In 2022, the U.S. military once announced that it had completed its overhaul and conducted brief sea trials in June. However, the ship has been moored in port for maintenance since then.
The U.S. Navy later said the Boxer would set sail in July 2023, but due to "ongoing maintenance issues," the departure was postponed to August. However, during this voyage, there was still an "engineering accident" on the Boxer.
USS Boxer amphibious assault ship sea trials Image Credit: U.S. Navy
During the voyage, black smoke rose from the ship for several minutes. The crew also asked other vessels to keep their distance on the radio channel.
In response, Arlo Abrahamson, a spokesman for the US Navy's surface forces, said that the spread of black smoke was related to the testing of the system that was underway at the time.
"The fuel burned by the boiler temporarily produces black smoke," Abrahamson said. "At the moment the mission has not been affected, and the Boxer remains focused on performing sea trials. "But then the ship underwent repairs for another six months.
According to two previous U.S. Navy investigations of the Boxer's sailors, the Boxer had significant deficiencies in the maintenance of the warship and crew discipline. A defense official told USNI that "quality issues and contractor performance largely contributed to the delay in the deployment of the Boxer." ”
Between January and November 2023, the Boxer was investigated for at least three different engineering failures that the USS Boxer strike group commander said, according to an investigation previously obtained by the U.S. military media under the Freedom of Information Act, which was caused by the ship's engineering department "due to a lack of procedural compliance, unqualified oversight, and widespread complacency on the crew."
Problems with the Boxer include the damage to two "blowers" on November 8, 2022. The investigation said a combination of poor quality workmanship, a lack of professional repair skills, and a "oversight failure" by the Navy office responsible for overseeing the work.
Subsequently, on May 14, 2023, the ship suffered a failure in terms of "boiler safety". In the document, the commander said the investigation had once again revealed that "a lack of procedural compliance and general complacency on the part of all involved" contributed to the problem. The incident "could have resulted in casualties", but fortunately no one was injured.
Then on July 14, 2023, the ship's engineers allowed one of the ship's main drive gears (MRG) to turn without any lubrication, and the final reduction unit is an extremely important and expensive part of a warship, generally worth tens of millions of dollars.
Accepting the results of the investigation, the commander of the amphibious read: "In this momentous incident, all bystanders have demonstrated alarming procedural irregularities and widespread complacency".
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