Happy 7th... and goodby USS Montgomery?

 

It was seven years ago today, at 10:00 AM, that the USS Montgomery...LCS 8...was commissioned in Mobile.

But it almost immediately began to experience problems.

Two days after commissioning:

September 13, USS Montgomery experienced two unrelated engine casualties while transiting the Gulf of Mexico en route to Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; Moored at Alpha Wharf in Naval Station Mayport, Fla., for emergent repairs on Sept. 20. 

And now there have been repeated reports of a proposal to sell some of the LCS ships, including the USS Montgomery, to other countries.

The latest media to report on the LCS problems is ProPublica, with a story on September 7th titled:

Eight Things You Need to Know About the Navy’s Failed Multibillion-Dollar Littoral Combat Ship Program

The key takeaways from ProPublica’s investigation into the decades long project that could end up costing American taxpayers more than $100 billion.

The story includes this part of the USS Montgomery incidents:

"...the USS Montgomery, which collided with a tugboat, then cracked its hull after striking a lock in the Panama Canal."

Critics have taken to referring to the LCS ships as "Little Crappy Ships"