USS Fort Worth Sets Sail to San Diego Under Its Own Power

The littoral combat ship USS Fort Worth (LCS 3). Photo: U.S. Navy

The U.S. Navy’s USS Fort Worth (LCS 3), the littoral combat ship sidelined in Singapore due to gear damage, will sail under its own power to San Diego later this summer for repairs, the U.S. Navy said Wednesday.

Fort Worth experienced an engineering casualty to the ship’s combining gears January in Singapore that will require an extensive repair period.

Preparations for the voyage are expected to take several months and will include necessary inspections, lube oil system flushes, and configuration of the engineering plant for safe operations.

The ship will use its gas turbine engines to transit from its current location in Singapore where it has been rotationally deployed since December 2014. The Pacific Ocean transit to homeport in San Diego is expected to take about six weeks with several underway replenishments and planned fueling stops along the way.

The decision to complete full repair of Fort Worth’s combining gears in San Diego was based on several factors, including maintenance timelines, efficiency of repairs, and shipyard capabilities, the Navy said. Repairs will be conducted during Fort Worth’s previously scheduled selected restricted availability with docking (SRA(d)) maintenance period, reducing the overall cost to the Navy.

The Navy has yet to be determined whether the SRA(d) duration will be extended due to the combining gear repair work.