US warship reportedly damaged in disastrous launch

Concerns raised over safety protocols and effectiveness of ‘side launch’ method

A new US Navy warship was reportedly damaged on launch as it appeared to hit a tugboat deployed to help get the ship in the water.

The US Navy had announced on Friday that it would “christen and launch” the latest Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) known as the USS Cleveland (LCS 31).

An old method known as a “side launch” was used for the event at the Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyard in Wisconsin at 10am on Saturday. The method involves the use of a small tugboat to pull the larger ship into the water with the help of gravity.

Dramatic footage purportedly from the launch showed the USS Cleveland go crashing into the water and sending a wave over the smaller tugboat.

The footage does not clearly show the USS Cleveland hitting the tugboat during the launch, but a US Navy spokesperson later told Newsweek that the larger vessel had been damaged as it was launched.

They told the title: “During the launch of the future USS Cleveland (LCS 31) on April 15, 2023 at Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM) in Marinette, Wisconsin, unintentional contact occurred between the ship and a supporting tug.”

“No personnel injuries occurred, but there was limited damage to LCS 31.”

The damage is apparently above the waterline and no flooding occurred as a result. Repairs are now being planned.

The incident has reportedly raised some serious questions about the safety protocols and the effectiveness of the side launching method.

The USS Cleveland is the 16th and the final addition by the US Navy to its Freedom-class LCS vessels.

Mark Grove, a senior lecturer at the University of Lincoln’s Maritime Studies Center at the Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth, told Newsweek that although he could not visually confirm that the new vessel struck the tugboat, “it does look very close, and is probably a bit too close for comfort”.

Mr Grove also said the side launch method is used when there is not sufficient water to launch the vessel.

Ahead of Saturday’s launch, Carlos Del Toro, the secretary of the Navy, said the launch “will be another step closer to joining our fleet, sailing the open seas, continuing to defend our nation, and representing the strong connection our Navy has with the city of Cleveland”.

This article was amended on 25 April 2023 to include more information following the statement from the US Navy.