Five Sailors, Five Hours: Self-Sufficiency Keeps St. Louis on Mission

Official Statements

• Commander, Littoral Combat Ship Squadron TWO, November 10: “Story by Lt. Josh Keim, SURFLANT South Public Affairs, and Lt. j.g. Kelly Lundy, USS St. Louis Atlantic ocean - USS St. Louis (LCS 19) was on station in the fight against narcotics and human trafficking when a leak in its port combining gear cooler threatened to send the ship to port.”

• Commander, Littoral Combat Ship Squadron TWO, November 10: “The combining gear transfers engine power to the port shaft, which drives the ship’s water jet. The leak prevented the system from properly cooling the gear, making continued operation of the shaft unsafe. The crew locked the shaft to prevent significant damage. If the repair could not be completed at sea, St. Louis would have to leave the mission and enter port. Keeping the ship on station now depended on five Sailors already aboard with the technical knowledge and experience to replace the failed component while underway.”

• Commander, Littoral Combat Ship Squadron TWO, November 10: “Maintenance is fundamental to St. Louis’ readiness and our ability to remain mission capable at sea,” said Cmdr.Patrick Love, commanding officer of St. Louis. “The crew’s execution of this complex repair demonstrates an exceptional level of technical expertise, resourcefulness and self-sufficiency.” The replacement end bell weighed approximately 100 pounds and was stowed below the flight deck, roughly 250 feet from the combining gear. Moving it to the repair site meant navigating shipboard passageways and multiple ladder wells before maneuvering it through piping inside the confined main machinery room.”

• Commander, Littoral Combat Ship Squadron TWO, November 10: “Chief Engineman Richard Parker and Chief Gas Turbine Systems Technician (Mechanical) Austin Chipman helped lead the repair. Engineman 1st Class Darron Harper, Electrician’s Mate 2nd Class Nicholas Brooks and Damage Controlman 2nd Class Justin Hanson completed the five-Sailor team.”

• Commander, Littoral Combat Ship Squadron TWO, November 10: “Once the replacement reached the machinery space, the challenge shifted from moving the end bell across the ship to positioning it where there was little room to work. “Room for maneuvering [was] limited, and holding the weight of the end bell above chest level for an extended period is a challenge,” Chipman said. The Sailors used straps to support the leaking component during its removal. They then maneuvered the replacement around nearby piping and aligned its bolt holes.”

• Commander, Littoral Combat Ship Squadron TWO, November 10: “The crew was not approaching the job for the first time. St. Louis Sailors had completed the same repair while underway once before, giving the team a tested approach reinforced by continued training and technical leadership aboard the ship. After installing the replacement, the Sailors verified the port combining gear was working properly, unlocked the port shaft and returned it to full operation.”

• Commander, Littoral Combat Ship Squadron TWO, November 10: “There is a great deal of pride our team has in being able to restore the shaft while underway,” Chipman said. “The work that was accomplished kept us out to sea and ready to execute our mission.” For St. Louis, self-sufficiency was not an abstract measure of readiness. It was five Sailors applying the right skills when their ship needed them, returning a critical propulsion shaft to service and keeping St. Louis in the fight.”

• Commander, Littoral Combat Ship Squadron TWO, November 10: “USS St. Louis (LCS 19) is the 10th Freedom-class littoral combat ship. Homeported at Naval Station Mayport, Florida, and assigned to Littoral Combat Ship Squadron 2, the ship was built by a Lockheed Martin-led team at Fincantieri Marinette Marine in Marinette, Wisconsin; christened Dec. 15, 2018; and commissioned Aug. 8, 2020, at Naval Station Mayport.”

• Commander, Littoral Combat Ship Squadron TWO, November 10: “The littoral combat ship is a fast, agile and networked surface combatant designed for near-shore operations and capable of operating in the open ocean. Freedom-class ships support mine countermeasures and surface warfare mission packages, including manned and unmanned off-board systems. Within the Navy’s networked force, LCS can serve as a forward sensor, screening and warfighting node while providing scalable options to fleet commanders.”