Rowden orders LCS 'engineering stand-down' amidst casualties

Commander of Naval Surface Forces Vice Adm. Thomas Rowden recently ordered a brief "engineering stand-down" for every Littoral Combat Ship crew after one of the diesel engines on the Freedom (LCS-1) failed.

The stand-downs allowed crews to review procedures and standards for their engineering departments, according to a Sept. 5 Navy statement. The stand-downs were all completed on Aug. 31.

"These stand-downs allowed for time to review, evaluate, and renew our commitment to ensuring our crews are fully prepared to operate these ships safely," Rowden said in the statement. He also directed the re-training of all LCS sailors involved in engineering on their respective ships.

Rowden has also directed the Navy's Surface Warfare Officer School to undertake a "comprehensive LCS engineering review," likely to take between 30 and 60 days, according to the statement.

The Navy is investigating the cause of the casualty to the Freedom's main propulsion diesel engine, Inside Defense reported last week. The ship's diesel engine was also damaged earlier this summer during the Rim of the Pacific exercise.

After Rowden ordered the stand-down, another LCS, the Coronado (LCS-4), suffered an engineering casualty to one of its flexible coupling assemblies shortly after it started transiting to the Western Pacific for its maiden deployment, forcing the ship to turn back to Pearl Harbor, according to the Navy statement. The service is investigating the cause of the incidents.

The incidents come after the Navy had appeared to overcome casualties to two separate LCSs, the Milwaukee (LCS-5) and the Fort Worth (LCS-3), that had occurred over the past year. Rowden, meanwhile, is set to brief Congress this week on a recently completed review of LCS manning, training, maintenance and operations.