Fielding and Issues
After arriving in San Diego, New Orleans required 400,000 more man-hours of construction to bring it to fully operational status. Commander Scott Davies took command of the ship in June 2008. In August 2008, the ship failed its INSURV inspection. The INSURV inspectors documented 2,600 deficiencies, including problems with the steering system, broken ventilation fans, inoperable elevators, corrosion on the flight deck, and an unreliable propulsion system. "USS New Orleans was degraded in her ability to conduct sustained combat operations," the INSURV report said. "The ship cannot support embarked troops, cargo or landing craft." US Navy officials reported that 85% of the deficiencies were minor issues and that most of the deficiencies had already been corrected.
On 9 January 2009, the New Orleans departed San Diego on its initial deployment, as part of a five-ship amphibious strike group that also included USS Boxer and USS Comstock. The Boxer strike group and the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit included more than 4,000 sailors and Marines.
Read more about this topic: USS New Orleans (LPD-18)
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