The USS Boxer, a namphibious assault ship, is under repair, and a top general says the blockages are affecting Marine Corps operations and stripping the force of key capabilities.
“When you lose your big bridge, you lose most of your air assets and you lose your crisis response force,” Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric M. Smith told committee members on Wednesday. armed services of the House of Representatives.
Smith also said Marines cannot train in the same way with the USS Boxer, a large flattop that resembles a mid-sized aircraft carrier, currently out of combat.
Amphibious assault ships, or LHDs, typically have flight decks and hangars from which helicopters and aircraft like the Harrier jump jet or newer F-35Bs can operate.
An F-35B Lightning II aircraft assigned to the “Vikings” of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 225 lands on the flight deck aboard USS Boxer (LHD 4), September 20, 2023. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Mikal Chapman
The USS Boxer has experienced persistent technical problems since 2022, when two of the ship’s forced-draft fans repeatedly failed. The following year there were two more incidents. The ship’s main gearbox was spinning without proper lubrication. Details of the other incident remain unclear.
Some of the ship’s engineers were found to be negligent in previous command investigations into some of the Boxer’s problems.
Most recently, the ship’s rudder is in need of repair and its roller bearing system is being evaluated after a failure.
“We are evaluating the different procedures that will be implemented to repair it. It’s about a four- to six-week repair,” Adm. Lisa M. Franchetti, chief of naval operations, told the committee. bedroom. “We are still investigating the cause of the bearing, but either it was potentially improperly installed or the bearing itself had some type of defect.”
The warship has been docked in San Diego since early April and its deployment has been delayed since January. The Naval Surface Force told USNI News in a recent statement that the Boxer could be deployed “as early as this summer.”
The USS Boxer received seven Navy-wide awards in March, including the Battle Effectiveness Award and the Maritime Warfare Excellence Award for “sustained superior performance.”
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