LCS 5 breaks down

The Navy’s newest ship broke down only 20 days after being commissioned Nov. 21. USS Milwaukee (LCS 5) broke down Dec. 11 and was towed 40-plus miles to Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek, Va., while on the way to its new home port in San Diego. Initial indications are that fine metal debris collected in the lube oil filter caused the system to shut down. Crew 104 was scheduled to swap with Crew 108 at Mayport, Fla., but will not swap in Virginia while the ship is under repair. U.S. Sen. John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told Navy Times that the plant issues were “deeply alarming.” (Source: Navy Times 12/12/15) Gulf Coast Shipbuilding/Maritime Note: Marinette (Wis.) Marine Shipyard builds odd-number LCS hulls. Austal USA of Mobile, Ala., builds the even-number hulls and a different variant of LCS.