The four diesel engines of the US battleship USS Santa Barbara have exceeded their maximum allowable operating hours and are at risk of catastrophic failure. This is stated in an official notification of the US Navy for emergency maintenance of the ship in Singapore.
The document was published on September 22 and concerns two main diesel propulsion engines and two diesel generators. According to the description, the repair is required immediately to ensure the operational readiness of the ship and the safety of the crew.
„All four engines are currently operating above maximum operating hours and are at risk of catastrophic failure if this maintenance is not carried out immediately“, the notification states.The repairs are planned in Singapore
The specified activity includes the inspection and necessary repairs of the main engines numbered 1 and 2, as well as the ship's diesel generators numbered 2 and 4. The documents state that the inspections and major repair operations are planned for the period from September 11 to October 11, 2026.
The place of performance is Singapore, where the ship is undergoing scheduled maintenance. A separate procedure for the overhaul was organized earlier, and the new order is defined as a follow-up work related to the already started maintenance activities.
USS Santa Barbara is a Independence-class ship in the U.S. Navy's “Littoral Combat Ships“ program. It was commissioned on April 1, 2023 and is based in San Diego. The ship is the 16th representative of the Independence variant.
The upcoming actions are related to the inspection, repair and subsequent introduction of the engines into a safe operating mode. Until their completion, the technical condition of the four units remains a factor that may limit the readiness of USS Santa Barbara for new tasks.
Sources: civiccontracts.com, govtribe.com, usff.navy.mil