NAVSEA Says Attack Sub Repairs Much Improved as USS Boise Enters Yard Following 4-Year Wait

The Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Boise (SSN 764) enters Souda Bay, Greece, during a scheduled port visit on Dec. 23, 2014. Boise conducted naval operations in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of responsibility in support of U.S. national security interests in Europe during its last deployment that ended in January 2015 — and the submarine has been awaiting a maintenance availability ever since, due to limited capacity in public and private yards. US Navy photo.

After years of struggling to...

After Early Stumbles, Navy, Newport News Might Be Turning the Corner on Private Yard Sub Repairs

Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Boise (SSN-764) enters Souda Bay, Greece in 2014. US Navy Photo

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Navy and submarine builder Newport News Shipbuilding are committed to having a private industry submarine repair capacity for the long-haul, even if the first recent forays into the effort resulted in long delays and cost overruns.

The Navy’s own ability to maintain its attack submarines has been strained in recent years, as the four public naval shipyards are overwhelmed...

https://news.usni.org/2019/12/09/after-early-stumbles-navy-newport-news-might-be-turning-the-corner-on-private-yard-sub-repairs

Continuing Resolution Forcing Navy to Delay Ship Maintenance, Curtail Training

USS Detroit (LCS-7) receives regularly scheduled maintenance and upkeep during a scheduled dry-dock maintenance availability phase at BAE Systems shipyard in Jacksonville, Fla., March 29, 2019. US Navy Photo

THE PENTAGON – The Navy is already making hard decisions – curtailing training for air wings not imminently deploying, canceling planned ship maintenance availabilities – as the specter of a full-year continuing resolution looms.

Under continuing resolutions, the Navy is limited to the...

https://news.usni.org/2019/11/15/continuing-resolution-forcing-navy-to-delay-ship-maintenance-curtail-training

USS Harry S. Truman Suffers Major Electrical Malfunction, Raising Questions About Upcoming Deployment

USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75), left, and Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Forrest Sherman (DDG-98) transit behind the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG-60) in the Atlantic Ocean on July 10, 2019. US Navy Photo

Aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) is experiencing a malfunction of the ship’s electrical distribution system ahead of an expected deployment this fall, USNI News has learned.

The carrier is supposed to go out for a second deployment, after...

https://news.usni.org/2019/08/31/uss-harry-s-truman-suffers-major-electrical-malfunction-raising-questions-about-upcoming-deployment

Gilday Acknowledges Ship Maintenance Challenges, Vows to Study Barriers to Readiness

Hull Maintenance Technician 2nd Class Lashavya Barber welds aboard the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69). Eisenhower is undergoing a Planned Incremental Availability (PIA) at Norfolk Naval Shipyard. US Navy photo.

CAPITOL HILL – Vice Adm. Michael Gilday says he’s ready to get smart on ship maintenance and tackle the Navy’s ongoing readiness challenges if confirmed as the next chief of naval operations.

Speaking to the Senate Armed Services Committee today in his confirmation...

https://news.usni.org/2019/07/31/gilday-acknowledges-ship-maintenance-challenges-vows-to-study-barriers-to-readiness

Navy: Lack of Submarine Parts Slowing Down Maintenance, New Construction

USS Hawaii (SSN-776) off of Oahu, Hawaii during Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise, July 9, 2018 . US Navy photo.

CAPITOL HILL – A competition for material between submarine construction and submarine maintenance is contributing to slowdowns in both, the Navy’s acquisition chief told USNI News today.

The Navy has more submarine maintenance to conduct than its four public shipyards can accommodate. As a result, the service has been shifting maintenance availabilities of its older Los...

https://news.usni.org/2019/03/26/navy-lack-submarine-parts-slowing-maintenance-new-construction

Lawmakers Push for More Sub Repairs at Private Yards, Ahead of Navy Releasing Maintenance Strategies

USS Greeneville (SSN-772) sits atop blocks in Dry Dock #1 at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on Feb. 21, 2001. DoD photo.

As the Navy grapples with current backlogs of work at public maintenance yards and finalizes its longer-term plans for fleet maintenance, some lawmakers are pushing the Navy to send more attack submarine maintenance work to private shipbuilders.

In last week’s Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Navy...

https://news.usni.org/2018/12/20/lawmakers-push-for-more-sub-repairs-at-private-yards-ahead-of-navy-releasing-maintenance-strategies

GAO Report on Navy, Marine Corps Aviation and Ship Readiness

The following is the Dec. 12, 2018 written testimony of the Government Accountability Office on Navy ship readiness and Navy and Marine Corps aviation readiness.

From the Report

The Navy has taken steps to address training shortfalls in the surface fleet, but faces persistent maintenance and personnel challenges as it seeks to rebuild ship and submarine readiness. While the Navy has corrective actions underway, they will take years to implement. Following ship collisions in 2017, the Navy has...

https://news.usni.org/2018/12/12/gao-report-navy-marine-corps-aviation-ship-readiness

GAO: Navy Surface, Sub Repair Backlog Grew in 2018; 3 Attack Boats Now Not Certified to Dive

USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) prepares to pull into Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, Va. in 2017. US Navy Photo

CAPITOL HILL – Maintenance backlogs continue to plague the Navy’s surface ship and attack submarine readiness, with the service losing the equivalent of 17 ships for operational tasking this year due to delays in getting repairs, according to an analysis from the Government Accountability Office.

“For fiscal years 2012-2018, our analysis for key portions of the Navy fleet shows...

https://news.usni.org/2018/12/12/gao-navy-surface-sub-repair-backlog-grew-2018-3-attack-boats-now-not-certified-dive

CNO: ‘No Surprises’ in GAO Report on Submarine Readiness Challenges

The Los Angeles-class submarine USS Bremerton (SSN 698) transits Puget Sound while returning to Bremerton, Wash., for decommissioning. The 37-year-old Bremerton, commissioned March 28, 1981, is scheduled to begin the inactivation and decommissioning process at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in July. U.S. Navy photo.

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson said there are “no surprises” in a recent Government Accountability Office report that found the Navy has lost more than $1.5 billion...

https://news.usni.org/2018/11/26/cno-richardson-no-surprises-gao-report-highlighting-attack-sub-readiness-challenges