A week and a half after departing on deployment, the trouble-plagued amphibious assault ship USS Boxer is back in San Diego to resolve an unspecified technical problem.
The “mini” aircraft carrier docked in San Diego on Thursday after unloading elements of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, based at Camp Pendleton, the US Naval Institute reported.
The Navy confirmed the report to the San Diego Union-Tribune, saying in a statement: “USS Boxer is returning to San Diego to undergo additional maintenance in support of its deployment to the Indo-Pacific region.
“Boxer departed San Diego April 1 for an Indo-Pacific deployment and was conducting integration exercises with the MV-22 Osprey (aircraft) in the 3rd Fleet area of operations (off the coast of Southern California).”
The Naval Institute said it appeared the 843-foot Boxer was having rudder problems. The ship was scheduled to meet two other San Diego-based amphibious warships, the USS Somerset and the USS Harpers Ferry.
The Boxer had just begun its first deployment in five years. It had experienced significant delays due to various technical problems that the Navy attributed to factors such as underqualified workers, complacency and a lack of leadership.
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