The U.S. Navy Has a New Flattop Problem

Summary and Key Points: The USS George Washington (CVN-73) has completed its midlife refueling and overhaul and is heading to Japan as the U.S. Navy’s forward-deployed aircraft carrier. However, the USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74) may face a Refueling and Complex Overhaul (RCOH) extending beyond five years. Meanwhile, the USS Boxer (LHD-4), a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship, recently returned to service following rudder repairs but will undergo significant maintenance next spring, potentially lasting 18 months.

-Despite these issues, the USS Boxer earned seven Navy-wide awards for sustained superior performance, highlighting its resilience and operational excellence amidst ongoing challenges.

The Navy's Aircraft Carriers Challenges 

The United States Navy has a new problem involving one of its aircraft carriers. After an extended midlife refueling and overhaul, the USS George Washington (CVN-73) is now finally on her way to Japan, where she will become the sea service's forward-deployed aircraft carrier. The troubles with the Nimitz-class nuclear-powered supercarrier are over, but the U.S. Navy is expecting that her sister vessel, USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74), could face a Refueling and Complex Overhaul (RCOH) that will extend to more than five years.

Another issue is impacting another carrier – namely the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD-4). What makes this notable is that the vessel, only returned to service earlier this month following an emergency rudder repair. The flattop was deployed on April 1 but was forced to return to San Diego Bay just 10 days later to deal with the problems.

"Following a successful operational test of its rudders, the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD-4) and embarked elements of the 15 Marine Expeditionary Unit departed San Diego, conducting pre-deployment training and operations in U.S. 3rd Fleet," the U.S. Navy said in a statement to USNI News earlier this month. "It remains on schedule for an Indo-Pacific deployment."

Is The Boxer Going Down For the Count?

In recent years, the 843-foot-long warship has spent more time undergoing repairs than actually on deployment – and while LHD-4 is finally en route to the Indo-Pacific, the amphibious assault ship will be forced to undergo more significant repairs next spring.

The U.S. Navy hasn't said what kind of further repairs are required, nor did it say where the work will be carried out, but it was reported that USS Boxer could be pierside for as long as 18 months.

The U.S. Navy released a solicitation notice on May 17 that sought contractors capable of conducting maintenance on the vessel – and it noted the work could begin in April 2025 and run through October 2026. The sea service has sought "a highly capable contractor with substantial human resources capable of completing, coordinating and integrating multiple areas of ship maintenance, repair, and modernization," while the anticipated scope of the procurement includes all labor, supervision, production, testing, and quality assurance necessary to prepare for and accomplish this CNO (Chief of Naval Operations) Availability."

The solicitation called for the work to be completed on the West Coast, which may be necessary given that LHD-4 is homeported in San Diego, California.

"Given that this Availability will be greater than 10 months in duration, the Navy would compete the acquisition on a coast–wide basis (West), without limiting the place of performance to the ship's homeport," the U.S. Navy stated.

It would seem that the problem isn't so great that the current deployment needs to be further delayed; yet, it may be significant enough that the vessel will be out of service for a year-a-half. The issues aren't entirely new either.

As Breaking Defense reported, USS Boxer has suffered a plethora of problems, including engine component failures and now the rudder mishap.

The sea service can ill afford to have the amphibious assault ship down for such an extended period, especially after it was forced to scrap USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6), following a fire that broke out while the ship was undergoing maintenance at Naval Base San Diego in July 2020.

Honored Warship

USS Boxer is the fourth Wasp-class LHD. She was constructed by Ingalls Shipbuilding at Pascagoula, Mississippi, and was commissioned in February 1995.

Despite the maintenance issues, in March, the United States Navy announced that USS Boxer earned seven Navy-wide awards for sustained superior performance. That included the Battle Effectiveness Award; the Maritime Warfare Excellence Award; the Command, Control, Communications and Information Warfare Excellence Award; the Logistics Management Excellence Award; the Self Sufficiency Award; the Force Health and Wellness Unit Award or Green 'H'; and the Captain Edward F. Ney Memorial Food Service Award.

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.

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