Post-repair tests reveal new issues on USS John S. McCain

The latest round of tests carried out on US Navy destroyer USS John S. McCain after it was repaired following a deadly 2017 collision have revealed further issues postponing the ship’s return to the fleet.

The Japan-based ship was expected to complete all repairs from the collision with a merchant vessel in the Singapore Strait by the end of this year.

Recent tests, which were carried out following the ship’s refloating in November 2018, revealed that the port shaft was misaligned, according to a Defense News report.

Rectification works are underway and are expected to be completed in October 2019, NAVSEA spokeswoman Colleen O’Rourke confirmed to Defense News. A redelivery is set to take place in the summer of 2020.

USS John S. McCain is undergoing the repairs at the Navy’s Ship Repair Facility and Japan Regional Maintenance Center (SRF-JRMC) Yokosuka with support from personnel from Bath Iron Works (BIW), who originally built the ship.

USS Fitzgerald, another 7th Fleet destroyer involved in a collision in 2017, was more heavily damaged and had to be transported back to the US for repairs.

The ship was refloated in April 2019.