Navy releases investigation into LCS engineering casualty

The principal cause of the engineering casualty to the Littoral Combat Ship Fort Worth’s combining gears in January was a lack of procedural compliance, according to a recently released command investigation into the incident.

The Fort Worth (LCS-3) suffered damage to its combining gears while in port in Singapore in early January, cutting short an otherwise smooth deployment in the Western Pacific. The investigation into the engineering casualty, conducted by the Naval Surface Forces Pacific, was released to the public Oct. 14.

"As with most mishaps, a series of factors often contribute to failure," states a Sept. 14 memo endorsing the findings of the investigation signed by Adm. Scott Swift, the commander of U.S. Pacific Fleet.

"This mishap is no different," the memo continues. "A fundamental lack of procedural compliance was the principal cause but contributing factors included: a lack of effective leadership; a culture of complacency and overconfidence by some members of Crew 101 combined with a lack of experience and expertise; and a systemic failure to effectively arid completely resolve deficiencies."

The damage to the Fort Worth preceded multiple engineering casualties that would occur to other LCSs over the course of the past year, leading Vice Adm. Thomas Rowden, the head of Naval Surface Forces Pacific, to order a brief engineering stand-down for the entire class of ships in August.

But the damage to the Fort Worth's combining gears was not as bad as anticipated, as it was confined to just three bearings, service technicians found while investigating the casualty this past spring. The bearings were replaced in Singapore, and the ship returned to San Diego earlier this month.