Starting to Taste Like a Sour Citrus Fruit...

There is only one 21st century era warship in the fleet on deployment today. Ugh.

The troubled amphibious transport dock San Antonio has been forced to undergo two weeks of maintenance in Bahrain for “lube oil deficiencies” in the middle of its deployment, a Navy spokesman said.

“They had a scheduled port visit,” said Lt. Nate Christensen, spokesman for 5th Fleet in Bahrain. “They’re in port for two weeks for a maintenance availability on some lube oil deficiencies. It’s related to the diesel generators.”

The NavyTimes has a long memory:

Now in the Persian Gulf, San Antonio needs an extra-long pit stop for a problem that was foreshadowed in the July 2005 inspection report. “Lube oil temperature regulating valves in the main propulsion diesel engine (MPDE) lube oil systems were improperly set. Incorrectly regulated MPDE engine lube oil temperature prevented the ship from making full power for a sustained period.”

The April 2007 inspection report notes several subsequent lube oil problems.

Everyone is pointing to Mesa Verde, you know, the first in this class that did not have to be redesigned after construction started. We'll have to wait and see, but probably not very long now that the ship has completed (and passed) shock trials.

As for San Antonio, she appears to be a bottomless pit of problems. Not good.