{"id":46828,"date":"2020-12-16T03:28:39","date_gmt":"2020-12-16T03:28:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/12\/16\/the-us-navy-is-investigating-a-potential-lcs-class-wide-design-flaw\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T23:18:51","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T23:18:51","slug":"the-us-navy-is-investigating-a-potential-lcs-class-wide-design-flaw","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2020\/12\/16\/the-us-navy-is-investigating-a-potential-lcs-class-wide-design-flaw\/","title":{"rendered":"US Navy investigates potential LCS class-wide design flaw"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2014 Repeated failures in the propulsion train on the Freedom-class <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/naval\/2020\/07\/31\/the-us-navy-is-preparing-a-major-surge-of-lcs-deployments\/\" target=_blank>littoral combat ships<\/a> Little Rock and Detroit have raised the specter of a class-wide design flaw that could trigger an expensive reworking of a crucial component on 17 of the Navy\u2019s small surface combatants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The issue being investigated is whether there is a fundamental issue with the design of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/digital-show-dailies\/euronaval\/2018\/10\/23\/lockheed-planning-big-shift-away-from-lcs-propulsion-system-for-its-future-frigate-offering\/\" target=_blank>Freedom-class\u2019 combining gear<\/a> \u2014 a complex transmission that connects power from two large gas turbine engines and two main propulsion diesel engines to the ship\u2019s propulsion shafts, which propel the ship through the water with water jets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A potential class-wide issue with the propulsion train on 17 ships either in the fleet or under contract is the latest in a long string of issues with the littoral combat ship program. Senior Navy leaders <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/pay-benefits\/military-benefits\/2016\/09\/05\/navy-orders-big-changes-for-littoral-combat-ships-after-engineering-problems\/\" target=_blank>have tried repeatedly <\/a>to set the program aright only to be confronted with stubborn challenges ranging from unreliable engineering plants to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/naval\/2019\/12\/19\/congress-slashes-funding-for-the-navys-lcs-sensors-again\/\" target=_blank>glacial development progress on the sensor packages<\/a> that would give the ships credible warfighting capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/naval\/2020\/10\/28\/another-littoral-combat-breaks-down-on-deployment\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/detroit_lcs.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Another littoral combat ship breaks down on deployment<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">It&#039;s the latest in a string of reliability issues that have plagued the LCS since its introduction to the fleet.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The combining gear issue came to a head with repeated failures in recent months on the littoral combat ships Little Rock and Detroit, issues linked to the \u201chigh speed clutch bearings failing prematurely,\u201d according to a statement from Naval Sea Systems Command.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Detroit\u2019s combining gear suffered a casualty in October, forcing the ship to have to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/naval\/2020\/11\/18\/broken-littoral-combat-ship-detroit-back-returns-to-sea-on-its-own-power\/?utm_campaign=Socialflow+DFN&#038;utm_medium=social&#038;utm_source=twitter.com\" target=_blank>limp back to Florida<\/a>. A subsequent power failure during the transit forced the ship to have to be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/naval\/2020\/11\/06\/littoral-combat-ship-detroit-is-being-towed-into-port-after-another-engineering-failure\/\" target=_blank>towed into port<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a statement, Naval Sea Systems Command said it was conducing a \u201croot cause analysis\u201d of the repeated breakdowns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe government is investigating a material defect with the combining gear of USS Detroit and USS Little Rock, both Freedom-variant littoral combat ships,\u201d the statement reads. \u201cA joint Navy and Lockheed Martin team with RENK AG, the original equipment manufacturer, are conducting a root cause analysis of this defect.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But it\u2019s beginning to look like a bigger problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Navy is closing in on an assessment that the issue may need to be addressed across the class, the statement reads, an issue that experts have told Defense News would be difficult and costly. In the meantime, the in-service ships are limiting the use of its combining gear, which limits ships specifically designed for speed to operating at around 10 knots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBased upon preliminary assessments, the defect appears to be a design issue that will need to be addressed across the Freedom class,\u201d the statement reads. \u201cThe Navy is taking the final steps to verify this as part of the root cause analysis of the combining gear failures. While this is in progress, measures have been implemented to mitigate risk to all the in-service Freedom variant ships.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Freedom-class was designed by Lockheed Martin and built at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/digital-show-dailies\/2019\/02\/20\/as-an-ffgx-decision-nears-shipbuilder-fincantieri-upgrades-its-wisconsin-shipyard\/\" target=_blank>Fincantieri\u2019s Marinette Marine<\/a> shipyard, which recently won the Navy\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/breaking-news\/2020\/04\/30\/the-us-navy-selects-fincantieri-design-for-next-generation-frigate\/\" target=_blank>next-generation frigate <\/a>competition. There are 10 Freedoms in service today, with an additional seven either under construction or under contract, according to the Navy\u2019s 2021 budget justification books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a statement, a Lockheed Martin spokesperson said it was committed to fixing the combining gear problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIn partnership with the U.S. Navy, Lockheed Martin is aggressively pursuing a resolution to the gear issue the Freedom-variant littoral combat ship is currently experiencing,\u201d the statement read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"4934\" height=\"2775\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/detroit_lcs.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-51165\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/detroit_lcs.jpg.jpg 4934w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/detroit_lcs.jpg.jpg?resize=300,169 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/detroit_lcs.jpg.jpg?resize=768,432 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/detroit_lcs.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,576 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/detroit_lcs.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,864 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/detroit_lcs.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1152 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 4934px) 100vw, 4934px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Freedom-class littoral combat ship Detroit sails through the Caribbean Sea. Detroit suffered a casualty to its propulsion system and is returning to port in Florida for repairs. (U.S. Navy photo by MC2 Anderson Branch)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Independence-class littoral combat ship, a trimaran aluminum hull ship built at Austal USA in Mobile, Alabama, has a different propulsion train from the Freedom-class and thus would not be affected by this issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Freedom-class combining gear was an imperfect solution engineered to meet a demanding 40-knot-plus speed requirement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With just its diesel engines engaged, the ship can make between 10 and 12 knots, but to go any faster it must engage the gas turbine engines. The combining gear fuses and transmits the power to the propulsion shafts. It is a system with a lot of moving parts and has proven unreliable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The issues date back to at least late 2015, when the LCS Milwaukee broke down on its maiden voyage to its home port in Mayport, Florida, and had to be towed into Little Creek amphibious base in Hampton Roads, Virginia. Early the next year, the littoral combat ship Fort Worth suffered a casualty to the combining gear in port when sailors accidentally ran the system without lube oil running through it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>A tricky problem<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fixing a design flaw with the combining gear across the whole class is no easy fix, according to sources and experts who spoke to Defense News.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Navy is still assessing what such a fix would cost and who would be on the hook to pay for it, according NAVSEA\u2019s statement, but no matter who is ultimately responsible it would require repairs to a system that was supposed to last the life of the hull, said Matthew Collette, associate professor of naval architecture and marine engineering at University of Michigan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is nothing inherently wrong with combined diesel and gas propulsion trains, Collette said, but the 40-knot speed requirement might be just on the edge of what\u2019s possible from the system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s something that should work,\u201d Collette said. \u201cBut it\u2019s like everything else on LCS: It was driven by the speed requirement. Because the diesels are about 20 percent of the power of the gas turbine, you don\u2019t want to leave them out when you\u2019re trying to hit that sprint speed. It\u2019s such a demanding requirement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSo, it is not a technology that strikes me as inherently problematic. But like a lot of the LCS decisions, we were kind of trying to get every last ounce of performance out of the vessel. And you stack up a whole bunch of those decisions that the ship is not as reliable as you would like.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Getting after the issue now, after the ship has already been designed and fielded is anything but simple, Colette continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cFixing LCS now is a huge problem, because we generally don\u2019t design gearboxes to be replaced during the ship\u2019s service life,\u201d he said. \u201cCould you switch it out with an either\/or gearbox instead of an combining gearbox? I mean, I think you can on the whiteboard and it would drop the top speed a little, but we\u2019re trying to improve the reliability. I\u2019m not sure you could do that in the confines of the ship, however.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Still, the root cause analysis could turn up something relatively simple to fix any potential flaws in the system, Collette said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWithout the details of how the gears are failing, it\u2019s much harder to say how easy it is going to be to fix this,\u201d he said. \u201cIf it\u2019s filters, or the lube oil system is not strong enough for certain operating conditions? You could upgrade those parts of the gearbox. If there\u2019s a fundamental design flaw, then it gets much harder to figure out how you\u2019re going to fix this issue cost effectively.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"5644\" height=\"3763\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/lcs_19.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-36103\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/lcs_19.jpg.jpg 5644w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/lcs_19.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/lcs_19.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/lcs_19.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/lcs_19.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/lcs_19.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 5644px) 100vw, 5644px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">LCS 19 (St. Louis) Acceptance Trials. December 2019. (Photographed courtesy of Lockheed Martin)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>\u2018On my watch\u2019<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The issues with LCS reliability are not lost on the Navy\u2019s senior leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a July interview with Defense News, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/naval\/2020\/08\/17\/top-us-navy-chief-talks-connecting-tech-recovering-from-accidents\/\" target=_blank>Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday <\/a>said he was committed to addressing the reliability issues with the platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere are things in the near term that I have to deliver, that I\u2019m putting heat on now, and one of them is LCS,\u201d Gilday said. \u201cOne part is sustainability and reliability. We know enough about that platform and the problems that we have that plague us with regard to reliability and sustainability, and I need them resolved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat requires a campaign plan to get after it and have it reviewed by me frequently enough so that I can be sighted on it. Those platforms have been around since 2008 \u2014 we need to get on with it. We\u2019ve done five deployments since I\u2019ve been on the job, we\u2019re going to ramp that up two-and-a-half times over the next couple of years, but we have got to get after it,\u201d he added. \u201cLCS for me is something, on my watch, I\u2019ve got to get right.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For Gilday, the continued reliability issues on LCS are a lesson the Navy needs to learn as it pushes forward with new classes of ships and unmanned surface vessels as part of a push to grow the Navy, he told Defense News.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI go back to: Do I really need a littoral combat ship to go 40 knots?\u201d Gilday mused. \u201cThat\u2019s going to drive the entire design of the ship, not just the engineering plant but how it\u2019s built. That becomes a critical factor. So, if you take your eye off the ball with respect to requirements, you can find yourself drifting.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The U.S. Navy is nearing a conclusion that it has a big problem on its hands.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":82903,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":65,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,23,88,12,26,65],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3231],"class_list":["post-46828","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-home","category-left-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-your-navy"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"UN63AS7FWZFLPHGNQSRXJA6XOY","arc_canonical_url":"\/naval\/2020\/12\/15\/the-us-navy-is-investigating-a-potential-lcs-class-wide-design-flaw\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>US Navy investigates potential LCS class-wide design flaw - Navy Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The U.S. Navy is nearing a conclusion that it has a big problem on its hands.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"US Navy investigates potential LCS class-wide design flaw\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The U.S. Navy is nearing a conclusion that it has a big problem on its hands.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2020\/12\/16\/the-us-navy-is-investigating-a-potential-lcs-class-wide-design-flaw\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Navy Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-12-16T03:28:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-07T23:18:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"David B. Larter\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"David B. Larter\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/16\\\/the-us-navy-is-investigating-a-potential-lcs-class-wide-design-flaw\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/16\\\/the-us-navy-is-investigating-a-potential-lcs-class-wide-design-flaw\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t         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