Navy, Coast Guard Prepare Florida For Hurricane Dorian

By: Ben Werner

August 30, 2019 1:32 PM

• usni.org

Sailors assigned to the Whidbey Island-class amphibious dock landing ship USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43) heave line on Naval Station Mayport in preparation for Hurricane Dorian. Navy photo.

With Hurricane Dorian bearing down on Florida’s Atlantic coast, the Navy is sending ships and aircraft away from the expected storm track while the Coast Guard is warning commercial and recreational sailors to secure their crafts.

The commander of Navy Region Southeast ordered all Navy installations in the Mayport area to set Tropical Cyclone Condition of Readiness Three. This readiness setting means the Navy expects sustained destructive winds of greater than 50 knots associated with a tropical system to arrive within 48 hours.

Friday morning, the National Hurricane Center predicted Hurricane Dorian would strengthen into a major hurricane before making landfall on Florida’s Atlantic coast late Monday or Tuesday. It’s too early to predict where the storm will hit. However, the hurricane center expects most of Florida and much of Georgia and South Carolina will experience strong winds, heavy rain and a storm surge.

“Our top priority must always be the safety and security of our ships and aircraft, as well as our sailors and families. We move our ships and aircraft in order to mitigate potential damage. When maintenance status prevents storm avoidance, we take extra precautions to best protect these units,” Rear Adm. Don Gabrielson, the commander of U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command and U.S. 4th Fleet, said in a statement.

Cyclone-class patrol boat USS Shamal (PC-13) got underway Thursday, while Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Lassen (DDG-82), USS Paul Ignatius (DDG-117) and USS Farragut (DDG-99) prepared to depart Naval Station Mayport on Friday. Littoral Combat Ships USS Billings (LCS-15) and USS Milwaukee(LCS-5) also prepared to leave on Friday, according to U.S. 4th Fleet.

Meanwhile, several ships are remaining in Mayport, and their crews are securing them ahead of the storm. Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Hue City (CG-66) and destroyers USS Roosevelt (DDG-80), USS The Sullivans (DDG-68) and USS Thomas Hudner (DDG-116) will ride out the storm in port. Whidby Island-class dock landing ship USS Fort McHenry (LSD-43), Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7) and Littoral Combat Ships USS Detroit (LCS-7) and USS Little Rock (LCS-9) will also remain in Mayport, according to 4th Fleet.

For ships remaining in Mayport, crews can take various actions to secure the vessels, such as connecting additional mooring and storm lines, dropping anchor and disconnecting power cables.

Nearby, at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, six squadrons from Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing Eleven (CPRW-11) and Patrol Squadron (VP) 30 are evacuating to other locations throughout the southeast and mid-Atlantic, according to the Navy. Aircraft that cannot evacuate due to maintenance will be moved to hangars to ride out the storm.

The Coast Guard on Thursday started warning commercial shippers to prepare their vessels to leave Florida ports ahead of the storm’s arrival. In the Jacksonville area, the Coast Guard alerted mariners that bridges crossing the St. Johns River and Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway will be locked eight hours before the hurricane’s anticipated landfall. Recreational boaters were warned to stay off the water and secure their boats.

GAO Report on Navy Frigate Program

August 12, 2019 9:46 PM

• USNI.org

The following is the Aug. 9, 2019 Government Accountability Office report, Guided Missile Frigate: Navy Has Taken Steps to Reduce Acquisition Risk, but Opportunities Exist to Improve Knowledge for Decision Makers.

From the report

What GAO Found

The Navy undertook a conceptual design phase for the FFG(X) Guided Missile Frigate program that enabled industry to inform FFG(X) requirements, identify opportunities for cost savings, and mature different ship designs. The Navy also streamlined the FFG(X) acquisition approach in an effort to accelerate the timeline for delivering the ships to the fleet. As shown in the figure, however, the Navy has requested funding for the FFG(X) lead ship even though it has yet to complete key cost estimation activites, such as an independent cost estimate, to validate the credibility of cost expectations. Department of Defense (DOD) cost estimators told GAO the timeline for completing the independent cost estimate is uncertain. Specifically, they stated that this estimate will not be finalized until the Navy communicates to them which FFG(X) design is expected to receive the contract award. GAO-identified best practices call for requisite cost knowledge to be available to inform resource decisions and contract awards.

The Navy plans to use a fixed-price incentive contract for FFG(X) detail design and construction. This is a notable departure from prior Navy surface combatant programs that used higher-risk cost-reimbursement contracts for lead ship construction. The Navy also plans to require that each ship has a minimum guaranty of $5 million to correct shipbuilder-responsible defects identified in the 18 months following ship delivery. However, Navy officials discounted the potential use of a warranty—another mechanism to address the correction of shipbuilder defects—stating that their use could negatively affect shipbuilding cost and reduce competition for the contract award. The Navy provided no analysis to support these claims and has not demonstrated why the use of warranties is not a viable option. The Navy’s planned use of guarantees helps ensure the FFG(X) shipbuilder is responsible for correcting defects up to a point, but guarantees generally do not provide the same level of coverage as warranties. GAO found in March 2016 that the use of a guaranty did not help improve cost or quality outcomes for the ships reviewed. GAO also found the use of a warranty in commercial shipbuilding and certain Coast Guard ships improves cost and quality outcomes by requiring the shipbuilders to pay to repair defects. The FFG(X) request for proposal offers the Navy an opportunity to solicit pricing for a warranty to assess the cost-effectiveness of the different mechanisms to address ship defects.

Newest Littoral Combat Ship USS Billings Joins The Fleet

By: Ben Werner

August 5, 2019 6:25 PM

• usni.org

Naval Air Station Key West color guard parades the colors during the commissioning ceremony of USS Billings (LCS-15). Billings is the 17th littoral combat ship to enter the fleet and the eighth of the Freedom-variant. Navy photo

The Navy commissioned USS Billings (LCS-15) at a ceremony in Key West, Fla., over the weekend, adding the eighth Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ship to fleet.Billings, built by Lockheed Martin, is the Navy’s 17th LCS commissioned by the Navy. However, Billings ran into some difficulty arriving at its commissioning ceremony.

In June, after leaving the Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyard in Wisconsin, Billings collided with a moored bulk carrier Rosaire Desgagnes in the St. Lawrence River near Montreal, Canada. Billings was steaming to its new homeport of Mayport, Fla.

Billings’ CO Cmdr. Michael Johnson was relieved of command following the incident, and Cmdr. Nate Rowan, who had served as the commanding officer of USS Wichita (LCS-13), took command of the newest LCS.

“Having now commanded two Freedom-class LCS variants, I would like to report that these ships are truly impressive and will fit well in the niche they have been designed for,” Rowan said during the commissioning ceremony, according to a release from Lockheed Martin. “They are fast, maneuverable, and their weapon systems are some of the most accurate I’ve witnessed on any platform of which I’ve previously served.”

The LCS is designed to operate close to shore in shallow water. The Navy is in the process of increasing the lethality of the Freedom variants. In June, the Navy tested firing Hellfire anti-surface missiles from a Freedom variant.

“The USS Billings is a highly maneuverable, lethal, and adaptable force to be reckoned with,” Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) said in a statement. “It’ll represent Montana and our nation proudly in the water by defending us around the world. At a time of new global threats and challenges, these naval capabilities provide critical support to our men and women in uniform who work to keep us safe.”

Tester is the ranking member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee. His wife Sharla is Billings’ sponsor.

The Navy currently has nine Independence-variant LCS in its fleet. Austal USA builds the Independence-variant at its Mobile, Ala., shipyard.

Report to Congress on U.S. Navy Ship Names

July 24, 2019 8:19 AM

• USNI.org

The following is the July 22, 2019 Congressional Research Service report, Navy Ship Names: Background for Congress.

From the report

Names for Navy ships traditionally have been chosen and announced by the Secretary of the Navy, under the direction of the President and in accordance with rules prescribed by Congress. Rules for giving certain types of names to certain types of Navy ships have evolved over time. There have been exceptions to the Navy’s ship-naming rules, particularly for the purpose of naming a ship for a person when the rule for that type of ship would have called for it to be named for something else. Some observers have perceived a breakdown in, or corruption of, the rules for naming Navy ships. On July 13, 2012, the Navy submitted to Congress a 73-page report on the Navy’s policies and practices for naming ships.

For ship types now being procured for the Navy, or recently procured for the Navy, naming rules can be summarized as follows:

• The first Ohio replacement ballistic missile submarine (SSBN-826) has been named Columbia in honor of the District of Columbia, but the Navy has not stated what the naming rule for these ships will be.

• Virginia (SSN-774) class attack submarines are being named for states.

• Aircraft carriers are generally named for past U.S. Presidents. Of the past 14, 10 were named for past U.S. Presidents, and 2 for Members of Congress.

• Destroyers are being named for deceased members of the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard, including Secretaries of the Navy.

• The Navy has not yet announced a naming rule for its planned new class of FFG(X) frigates, the first of which the Navy wants to procure in FY2021. Previous classes of U.S. Navy frigates, like Navy destroyers, were generally named for naval leaders and heroes.

• Littoral Combat Ships (LCSs) are being named for regionally important U.S. cities and communities.

• Amphibious assault ships are being named for important battles in which U.S. Marines played a prominent part, and for famous earlier U.S. Navy ships that were not named for battles.

• San Antonio (LPD-17) class amphibious ships are being named for major U.S. cities and communities, and cities and communities attacked on September 11, 2001.

• John Lewis (TAO-205) class oilers are being named for people who fought for civil rights and human rights.

• Expeditionary Fast Transports (EPFs) are being named for small U.S. cities.

• Expeditionary Transport Docks (ESDs) and Expeditionary Sea Bases (ESBs) are being named for famous names or places of historical significance to U.S. Marines.

• Navajo (TATS-6) class towing, salvage, and rescue ships are being named for prominent Native Americans or Native American tribes.

Austal Counting on LCS and EPF Demand to Boost FY 2020 Earnings

By: Ben Werner

July 17, 2019 4:19 PM

• using.org

Austal USA rendering of proposed EPF hospital ship. Austal USA

Australian-based Austal Limited predicts its work building U.S. Navy ships in Alabama and ferries in Australia will drive an increase in earnings this year, according to a statement released by company executives.

Austal builds the Littoral Combat Ship and expeditionary fast transport at its Mobile, Ala., shipyard, and the financial performance of this yard was cited as being a key component of the company’s overall financial performance in the coming year.

During its FY 2020, which started July 1, Austal expects earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) of at least $105 million, compared to the company’s predicted FY 2019 earnings of $92 million. The 2019 financial results are still being tabulated, with a full FY 2019 report expected to be released by the end of August, according to a media release to the public on Tuesday

Despite predictions of this coming year being more profitable than the last, long-term, the outlook for Austal’s U.S. Navy business is less clear. The two programs cited as helping boost earnings in 2020 are due to sunset soon after 2020. Austal is building EPF-11 and 12 now, and the Navy awarded Austal long-lead-time funding for EPF-13 and 14.

Currently, the Navy doesn’t have plans to purchase more EPF vessels. However, Austal is promoting the EPF as a possible small hospital ship. A concept being explored, the expeditionary medical transport, would provide ambulance-type medical services to a distributed maritime force. The Navy wants such ships to support triage and resuscitation, treatment and holding of patients until they can either return to duty or be medically evacuated, according to the request. Generally, medical staff will not perform surgeries on these vessels.

The Navy is interested in the concept proposal and included a $49 million request to pursue altering the planned EPF-14 into a hospital ship in its  FY 2020 budget unfunded priorities list.

As for LCS, Congress is clear with its desire to wind down the program after currently contracted ships are completed. Both the House and Senate versions of the FY 2020 National Defense Authorization Act include language clearly stating the LCS program is ending. Austal was awarded a contract to build LCS-32, which will likely be the second to last LCS the Navy buys before switching over to procuring a frigate.

Austal is one of four finalists expected to submit bids to build the Navy’s future frigate (FFG(X)), and based its design on its Independence-variant LCS. The Navy put out a request for proposals last month, and bidders must submit technical proposals to the Navy by Aug. 22, with pricing proposals due by Sept. 26. The Navy intends to select a winning bid in FY 2020.

When Austal’s full annual report is released, it will possibly shed more light on why U.S. investigators, including Department of Defense and NCIS agents, raided Austal’s Alabama shipyard in January in support of an Australian government investigation. Australian authorities are investigating the company’s reporting to investors about sudden cost increases associated with finishing USS Jackson (LCS-6).

Report to Congress on U.S. Navy Frigate FFG(X) Program

July 4, 2019 8:05 AM

• usni.org

The following is the June 25, 2019 Congressional Research Service report, Navy Frigate (FFG[X]) Program: Background and Issues for Congress.

From the report

The FFG(X) program is a Navy program to build a class of 20 guided-missile frigates (FFGs). The Navy wants to procure the first FFG(X) in FY2020, the next 18 at a rate of two per year in FY2021-FY2029, and the 20th in FY2030. The Navy’s proposed FY2020 budget requests $1,281.2 million for the procurement of the first FFG(X). The Navy’s FY2020 budget submission shows that subsequent ships in the class are estimated by the Navy to cost roughly $900 million each in then-year dollars.

The Navy intends to build the FFG(X) to a modified version of an existing ship design—an approach called the parent-design approach. The parent design could be a U.S. ship design or a foreign ship design. At least four industry teams are reportedly competing for the FFG(X) program. Two of the teams are reportedly proposing to build their FFG(X) designs at the two shipyards that have been building Littoral Combat Ships (LCSs) for the Navy—Austal USA of Mobile, AL, and Fincantieri/Marinette Marine (F/MM) of Marinette, WI. The other two teams are reportedly proposing to build their FFG(X) designs at General Dynamics/Bath Iron Works, of Bath, ME, and Huntington Ingalls Industries/Ingalls Shipbuilding of Pascagoula, MS.

On May 28, 2019, it was reported that a fifth industry team that had been interested in the FFG(X) program had informed the Navy on May 23, 2019, that it had decided to not submit a bid for the program. This fifth industry team, like one of the other four, reportedly had proposed building its FFG(X) design at F/MM.

On June 20, 2019, the Navy released its Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Detail Design and Construction (DD&C) contract for up to 10 ships in FFG(X) program (the lead ship plus nine option ships). Responses to the RFP are due by August 22, 2019. The Navy plans to award the contract in July 2020.

The FFG(X) program presents several potential oversight issues for Congress, including the following:

• whether to approve, reject, or modify the Navy’s FY2020 funding request for the program;

• whether the Navy has appropriately defined the cost, capabilities, and growth margin of the FFG(X);

• the Navy’s intent to use a parent-design approach for the FFG(X) program rather than develop an entirely new (i.e., clean-sheet) design for the ship;

• cost, schedule, and technical risk in the FFG(X) program;

• whether any additional LCSs should be procured in FY2020 as a hedge against potential delays in the FFG(X) program;

• the potential industrial-base impacts of the FFG(X) for shipyards and supplier firms;

• whether to build FFG(X)s at a single shipyard, as the Navy’s baseline plan calls for, or at two or three shipyards; and

• the potential impact on required numbers of FFG(X)s of a possible change in the Navy’s surface force architecture.

Navy Completed Hellfire Tests on Littoral Combat Ship, Will Likely Deploy Later This Year

By: Megan Eckstein

July 3, 2019 2:52 PM • Updated: July 3, 2019 5:09 PM

• usni.org

The Freedom-class littoral combat ship USS Detroit (LCS-7) fires an AGM-114L Longbow Hellfire missile during a live-fire missile exercise. US Navy photo.

This post has been updated with additional imagery.

The Navy has finished the structural testing needed to confirm that the Hellfire anti-surface missile can safely operate on the Littoral Combat Ship, and the missile will go out on a ship deployment later this year, USNI News understands.

The service had previously wrapped up structural testing for the Freedom-variant ships that are homeported in Mayport, Fla., a source told USNI News. Testing on the Independence-variant hulls wrapped up about two weeks ago with a successful engagement. The AGM-114L Longbow Hellfire missile makes up the surface-to-surface missile module, which supplements the rest of the LCS’s surface warfare mission package.

As such, Independence-variant USS Montgomery (LCS-8), which deployed from San Diego in late May, does not have the SSMM piece of the mission package but is equipped with the over-the-horizon Naval Strike Missile, USNI News understands.

Montgomery was scheduled to pick up the NSM during a port visit to Hawaii in June. However, the NSM launchers were not clearly visible in photos released by the U.S. Embassy when the LCS made a port call to Davao City, the Philippines, on June 29, 2019. Prior to Montgomery’s deployment, USS Coronado (LCS-4) experimented with anti-ship missile canisters mounted on the ship’s bow behind the deck gun.

The source added that USS Detroit (LCS-7), which is undergoing maintenance now, is still on track to deploy to U.S. 4th Fleet later this year and would likely bring the SSMM with it. Detroit’s deployment would be the first from Mayport in the LCS program’s history. Montgomery’s recent deployment is the first for the entire LCS class since the class went through an overhaul in its organization and deployment model.

The LCS mission packages themselves have also undergone many changes. The Navy originally planned separate increments for the surface warfare, mine countermeasures and anti-submarine warfare mission packages, with each increment adding specific capabilities. As the technology development timelines changed, though, the service moved to a model where technologies would be fielded as they were ready, rather than trying to time the fielding of new gear to specific increments. The SSMM is a later addition to the surface warfare mission package, meant to add more offensive punch to the small combatant.

Lt. Cmdr. Sean Riordan, the spokesman for the Navy’s Logistics Group Western Pacific and Task Force 73, was limited in what he could say about the Montgomery deployment and the capabilities the ship brought along with it.

“The LCS platform provides a wide-range of capabilities – it is a fast, agile and networked surface combatant, optimized for operating in the littorals. Mission packages allow for a tailored capability to meet specific mission needs. For reasons of operational security, we are not disclosing any additional details of USS Montgomery’s capability,” he told USNI News.

He also cited operational security in not disclosing details of the ship’s expected deployment length or how often the blue and gold crews would swap out – the first time the blue/gold crewing model is being used since the program reorganization.

Asked how the LCS will contribute to operations in U.S. 7th Fleet – the LCS’s shallow draft means it can get into more than 1,000 shallow water ports in South and Southeast Asia, whereas destroyers are limited to about a dozen – Riordan told USNI News, “there is no better signal of our desire to maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific than U.S. naval operations in the region. Like previous deployments of littoral combat ships, Montgomery will conduct operations, exercises and port visits throughout the region as well as work alongside allied and partner navies to provide maritime security and stability, key pillars of a free and open Indo-Pacific. Its unique capabilities allow it to work with a broad range of regional navies and visit ports larger ships cannot access.”

USS Montgomery arrives at Davao City, the Philippines on June 29, 2019. US Embassy Photo

Littoral Combat Ship Deploys for First Time in 19 Months; USS Montgomery Left Unannounced in Early June

By: Megan Eckstein

July 1, 2019 12:26 PM • Updated: July 1, 2019 10:41 PM

• USNI.org

The littoral combat ship USS Montgomery (LCS-8) departs Naval Base San Diego to conduct routine operations and training in the Pacific Ocean. US Navy photo.

This post has been updated to include a comment from a Navy official regarding the timeline of the USS Montgomery deployment.

There is a Littoral Combat Ship operating forward on deployment for the first time in 19 months, with USS Montgomery (LCS-8) arriving in the Philippines over the weekend on its maiden deployment.

The Navy did not announce the departure of Montgomery from its San Diego, Calif., homeport, but the service on Saturday released a news release and several photos of the LCS during its first port call of the deployment, in Davao City on the island of Mindanao.

“In this era of Great Power Competition, the U.S. Pacific Fleet does not announce the deployment of every ship in the Pacific,” a Navy official told USNI News after this story was first published. “USS Montgomery departed its homeport of San Diego in late May, as part of a deployment to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations.”

According to commercial ship tracking data, Montgomery made a port call in Hawaii and left on June 10 to continue its trip towards 7th Fleet.

According to the Navy news release, Montgomery will host local military and civic leaders during the port visit.

“Our navies, just like our nations, have a long history of cooperation and partnership based on mutual trust, respect and decades of friendship,” Rear Adm. Joey Tynch, commander of Logistics Group Western Pacific, said in the news release.
“Every port visit and exercise we complete together continues to strengthen maritime security and regional stability.”

The Independence-variant LCS went through the first-ever LCS Surface Warfare Advanced Tactical Training (SWATT) event in April as part of its pre-deployment workups. During that five-day at-sea event, Montgomery’s crew practiced surface warfare operations – including live-fire shots with the crew-served weapon, 30mm gun and SeaRAM missile defense system – as well as limited anti-air warfare operations.

The ship also practiced some missions on its own and some falling under the tactical control of a warfare commander on another ship, simulating how the LCS might be used solo or as part of a larger task group on its deployment.

USS Coronado (LCS-4) was the last LCS to deploy overseas, from June 2016 to December 2017. Since that deployment, though, the LCS community has gone through a major reorganization that involves moving from a system of three crews supporting two ship hulls to a blue/gold crewing model similar to that used in the submarine community; the creation of a test division that includes the first four LCSs, which will now focus on mission package testing and other work at home and will not deploy overseas; the standup of Littoral Combat Ship Squadron 1 (LCSRON-1) in San Diego that includes all the Austal-built Independence-variant ships; and the standup of LCSRON-2 in Mayport, Fla., for the Lockheed Martin-built Freedom-variant hulls.

The Navy had not planned to have such a long gap between LCS deployments, but in part due to trying to implement the new organizational structure and in part due to LCS hull maintenance availabilities, USNI News first reported in April 2018 that there would be no LCS deployments that calendar year.

Independence variant littoral combat ship USS Montgomery (LCS 8) launches a RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) during a missile exercise on April 23, 2019. Montgomery is underway in the Eastern Pacific conducting routine training. US Navy photo.

LCS Billings Commander Removed After Hitting Merchant Ship in Montreal

By: Sam LaGrone

June 29, 2019 9:56 AM

• usni.org

Screen capture of a video showing Billings strike a moored cargo ship.

The commander of a Littoral Combat Ship that hit a moored ship in the St Lawrence River in Canada has been removed from command, USNI News has learned.

Cmdr. Michael Johnson was removed from command of the yet-to-be commissioned Billings (LCS-15) on Friday, a Surface Force Atlantic spokeswoman told USNI News on Saturday morning.

“Capt. Shawn Johnston, commander, Littoral Combat Ship Squadron Two (LCSRON 2), relieved PCU Billings(LCS 15) Blue Crew’s commanding officer, Cmdr. Michael Johnson, June 28, due to loss of confidence in his ability to command,” Lt. Cmdr. Courtney Hillson told USNI News.
“The relief follows the recent allision in Montreal, Canada, which occurred on June 21.”

Former Billings commander Cmdr. Nate Rowan, now commander of the blue crew on USS Wichita (LCS-13), assumed command of the ship.

Billings was leaving its berth in Montreal, under the assistance of tugs, when the LCS struck the moored bulk carrier Rosaire Desgagnes. 

“Video from the scene shows that Billings was stemming a strong current, and the direction of her exhaust stream suggests that the wind would have tended to set her towards shore,” read a report in The Maritime Executive.

Billings is currently pier-side in Montreal as an investigation and damage assessment is ongoing.

“Billings sustained minor damage above the waterline. While the ship is able to safely transit to its homeport, Naval Station Mayport, Fla., the ship will temporarily remain in port in Montreal to conduct a full damage assessment. No injuries were reported from either vessel. An investigation into the incident is ongoing,” a Navy spokesperson told USNI News earlier this week.

The Navy has released few other details on the incident. The video doesn’t show any lines from the tug attached to the ship and its unclear if a local pilot was in control of the ship when the allision Rosaire Desgagnes with occurred.

Last year, LCS USS Little Rock (LCS-9) was stranded for four months in Montreal after being trapped by an iced-over St. Lawrence after departing its commissioning ceremony in Buffalo, N.Y.

Littoral Combat Ship Billings Still in Montreal After Hitting a Moored Ship

By: Sam LaGrone

June 26, 2019 6:14 PM

• USNI.org

Screen capture of a video showing Billings strike a moored cargo ship.

Littoral Combat Ship Billings (LCS-15) is pier-side in Montreal undergoing repairs after making contact with a merchant ship on Friday, Navy officials told USNI News on Wednesday.

The Freedom-class LCS, delivered to the Navy in February, was leaving its slip when it allided with the bulk carrier Rosaire Desgagnes, according to a video of the incident reviewed by USNI News.

The LCS was under the assistance of two tugs when the starboard side of the warship made contact with the port side of the carrier that was moored at the pier, the Navy said in a Wednesday statement.

“Video from the scene shows that Billings was stemming a strong current, and the direction of her exhaust stream suggests that the wind would have tended to set her towards shore,” read a report in The Maritime Executive.

Other press reports said the incident occurred after Billings had cut lines with the two tugs.

“While getting underway from Montreal, Canada, the Freedom-variant littoral combat ship, [Billings] allided with a moored commercial vessel at Berth 30, June 21, at approximately 2 p.m.,” Lt. Cmdr. Courtney Hillson told USNI News. “Billings sustained minor damage above the waterline. While the ship is able to safely transit to its homeport, Naval Station Mayport, Fla., the ship will temporarily remain in port in Montreal to conduct a full damage assessment. No injuries were reported from either vessel. An investigation into the incident is ongoing.”

Surface Division 21, under LCS Squadron (LCSRON) 2 based in Mayport, will oversee the investigation into the allision, Hillson said.

This is the second time recently an LCS has had to wait unexpectedly in Montreal. In 2018, USS Little Rock(LCS-9) was stranded for four months in Montreal waiting for St. Lawrence River to thaw after departing its commissioning ceremony in Buffalo, N.Y.