Look at the this! The long troubled USS San Antonio may be at the cusp of something unprecedented in its history; working properly!
According to the Virginian-Pilot newspaper the ship has turned a corner and for the first time ever, maintenance crews are finding no major flaws with the vessel:
Adm. John C. Harvey Jr., who heads U.S. Fleet Forces, the command responsible for maintaining the Navy's readiness, acknowledged in a recent interview that the Navy has made serious mistakes."Everybody flunked," he said. "We were slow to put it all together and take the coherent set of actions that needed to be taken to get the ship squared away, so there's been this long period of discovery."
But Harvey also said the San Antonio has turned an important corner: For the first time, the Navy is no longer uncovering new, serious flaws, and the list of repairs is getting shorter.
Work is expected to wrap up by April, at which time the crew has been told to expect rigorous sea tests.
"We've reached bottom," Harvey said. "We now know with a high degree of confidence what truly was the extent of the issues.
"I think we've got San Antonio figured out."
Here's hoping the admiral doesn't eat those words. Remember, as the lead ship in her class, the San Antonio has had major problems throughout her five year service career.
