The Milwaukee became disabled in the Atlantic when metallic debris was found in filter systems in the ship, causing a loss of pressure in lubricant to gears that transfer power from the ship's diesel and gas turbine engines to its water jet propulsion system.
The cause of the issue has yet to be identified, and an investigation continues, said Lt. Rebecca Haggard, a Navy spokeswoman.
Just a month after the Milwaukee mishap, its sister ship, the USS Fort Worth (LCS 3), is tied up at a dock in Singapore with what the U.S. Pacific Fleet calls "a casualty to the ship's combining gears."
"Based on initial indications, the casualty occurred due to an apparent failure to follow procedures during an operational test of the port and starboard main propulsion diesel engines," said a statement from the Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
Issues involving standard operating procedures are very rare, said Lt. Cmdr. Matt Knight, a Navy spokesman, who said that before this incident, the Fort Worth had been a "model of reliability" while deployed in the U.S. 7th fleet over the past year.
The Navy is also looking into what brought on the January 12 incident on the Fort Worth so corrective actions can be taken. It has not determined how long the investigation will take.
"It is too early to speculate on costs or repair timelines," Knight said. "We have the right resources in place to conduct the necessary inspections, determine the extent of the damage and required repairs, and return Fort Worth back to operational status."
But even without all the facts, Navy officials said that evidence does not suggest a link between the two incidents that would reflect a systemic issue in the LCS program.
"Both investigations into the equipment casualties for USS Fort Worth and USS Milwaukee are ongoing, but it is unlikely the causes are related," said Lt. Cmdr. Tim Hawkins, a Navy spokesman.
Unlike the Milwaukee, which broke down just days after it was commissioned, the Fort Worth is a fairly tested ship that has participated in nine exercises with navies around the world and conducted operations in the South China Sea without issue, he said.
This successful track record lowers the chances of a common thread between the problems it experienced this month and those of the brand-new USS Milwaukee.
