Navy concludes LCS maintenance data collection; dry-docking interval decision expected later this year

By Justin Katz / September 13, 2019 at 3:56 PM

The Navy has concluded the data-collection portion of an assessment to determine if it can double the Littoral Combat Ship dry-docking interval and expects to make a technical decision by the end of this year, according to the admiral overseeing the effort.

Vice Adm. Tom Moore, Naval Sea Systems Command chief, told reporters at the Pentagon today the service has been collecting data on LCS for the past year.

The purpose of the data is to determine if the hull of an Independence-class LCS, as well as various ship appendages, can resist the corrosive effects of seawater enough to go into dry dock once every 64 months rather than 32 months, Inside Defense reported in August 2018.

The service has also been investigating how to conduct underwater hull inspections without using a dry dock.

204831