Attack sub Minnesota rejoins fleet after parts fiasco

The new attack submarine Minnesota finally returned to the fleet in late May, fully repaired from a mysterious problem that bedeviled the sub and stretched its overhaul to two years.

Minnesota was commissioned in September 2013 and, after a shakedown cruise, it was slated to spend less than a year in its post-shakedown availability at Electric Boat in Groton, Connecticut, and join the fleet in February 2015. Then came a baffling series of setbacks.

In early 2015, engineers discovered a shoddy part installed close to the nuclear reactor. Exposure limits near the reactor and an ensuing federal investigation stretched the overhaul to 27 months at a time while the fleet needed more attack boats, like the state-of-the-art Minnesota, to carry out missions around the world. That limbo finally ended on May 27, when the Minnesota completed its PSA and docked at Naval Submarine Base New London.
The crew is manned up and ready to start going underway to prepare for the ship's maiden deployment, the skipper said in an email.

“I am very proud of the way they executed the PSA mission and am excited to see how they transition to the new and demanding assignments at sea,” wrote Cmdr. Brian Tanaka. “The energy, enthusiasm and attitude of the crew is a source of tremendous pride. This is a great time of year to get a submarine underway.”

Navy Times reported on the delays in March, which were a source of mounting frustration for the crew who saw their time in the yards more than double.

Tanaka said the crew kept focus on what they could control.

“We managed the PSA with a singular focus on controlling our own destiny and executing the items under our responsibility to the best of our ability,” Tanaka wrote. “Keeping a group of highly talented, self-motivated individuals, engaged and forward looking isn't challenging when the team understands the mission and is excited about the future.

“We have stuck together as a team throughout and that mission continues into the next phase of our operational cycle.”

The cause of Minnesota’s long yards stay was a relatively cheap part installed into the system that funnels steam out of the reactor. The 10-inch pipe elbow, used to guide steam pipes around corners, showed signs of having “undocumented and unauthorized weld repairs,” according to a statement from Naval Sea Systems Command.

Upon further investigation, the Navy discovered these parts had been welded into the Virginia-class attack submarines John Warner and North Dakota as well. Minnesota only had the one part installed, John Warner has three and North Dakota has six.

The issue with the part in Minnesota is that it was installed in a hard to access section of the reactor and required ripping out fittings that were designed to never be replaced —Virginia-class submarines are designed never to need refueling.

Furthermore, a federal investigation into the fiasco further hampered the repair and maintenance efforts; the progress of that inquiry remains unclear.

The North Dakota and John Warner have entered their PSAs and are not seeing the kinds of extensive delays endured by Minnesota's crew, NAVSEA said in a statement.

"USS North Dakota's Post-Shakedown Availability is planned to complete in September 2016," NAVSEA spokeswoman Colleen O'Rourke said in an email. "The submarine completed a successful deployment in 2015 between its delivery and PSA start. USS John Warner's PSA is planned to complete in August 2016 and is tracking to be the shortest duration PSA to date for a Virginia-class submarine."

According to a Defense Department contract in March, John Warner’s availability is going to cost about $30 million; an August contract for North Dakota priced its availability in $22 million.

NAVSEA did not provide a final cost estimate for the Minnesota's PSA by press time Friday.

High demand

Minnesota’s enters the fleet comes at a time when the demand for attack submarines is spiking.

In February, U.S. Pacific Command head Adm. Harry Harris, whose forces must respond to North Korean militarism and the growing tensions between China and its neighbors, testified that attack subs were among his most pressing needs; the fleet was only meeting 62 percent of his demands for attack boats, he said.
In October, the 6th Fleet commander, Vice Adm. James Foggo, said he needed more attack boats in Europe in part to counter Russia moves.

"The Russians have always fully funded their submarine capabilities and as they've evolved, they've become better," he said. "They've become quieter and more capable adversaries. So we need to watch that more carefully and we need to watch our presence in the undersea domain."

The head of NATO's maritime command, Royal Navy Vice Adm. Clive Johnstone, told IHS Jane's Defence Weekly in February that the Russian fleet has deployed subs at a level not seen since the Cold War.

Russian submarines now "have longer ranges, they have better systems, they're freer to operate," Johnstone said, noting that the Russians are also more professional than ever and that it concerned him.