Friday, October 15, 2010

San Antonio won't deploy

NORFOLK, Va. - The USS Mesa Verde will deploy as part of the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group in the summer of 2011, replacing the USS San Antonio, the U.S. Fleet Force Command announced. Work is still being done on the trouble-plagued San Antonio to return it to the fleet. (Source: NNS, 10/15/10) The first ship of its class, the San Antonio, LPD 17, has had a series of problems, including its propulsion system, since it was commissioned more than four years ago. An investigation found the shipbuilder, Northrop Grumman in Avondale, La., and the Navy at fault for not catching problems earlier. Mesa Verde, LPD 19, is the third ship of the class and was built by Northrop Grumman in Pascagoula, Miss.