US Navy "unsatisfied" with performance of new ship

WASHINGTON, Nov 17 (Reuters) - U.S. Navy Secretary Donald Winter said he remained unhappy about the performance of the USS San Antonio, the first in a new class of LPD 17 amphibious ships being built by Northrop Grumman Corp (NOC.N).

"I continue to be unsatisfied ... with the performance there," Winter told reporters on Monday after a speech at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, a nonpartisan think tank.

"That is a matter that I'm going to be spending some time on over the next few weeks and we will adopt an appropriate course of action ahead," said Winter. He gave no details.

In his speech, Winter said it was important for the Navy and industry to show greater accountability for any problems.

The Navy had shown it was ready to take disciplinary action if warranted, but Winter said he was still waiting to see a similar response from industry.

The San Antonio, already $1 billion over budget, sprang several oil leaks on its maiden deployment and has now docked in Bahrain where a 40-member Navy team will inspect the ship and repair pipes feeding fuel to two of its four engines.

The new LPD 17 amphibious transport ships are built to carry 350 sailors and ferry up to 800 Marines to problem areas around the world.

The ship, certified as fit for sustained combat service in May, has been plagued with problems from the start. Its price tag increased from $644 million to $1.8 billion, and the Navy had to fix hundreds of issues after it accepted delivery of the ship. A broken stern gate caused a 48-hour delay in the first deployment of the San Antonio.

The Navy has blamed Northrop for the problems, but the company said the Navy changed the design too often, and Hurricane Katrina also affected work at the Gulf shipyard where the ship was built.

Two other ships of the class, New Orleans and Mesa Verde, have been commissioned but have not yet entered operations with their future strike groups. At least six more ships of this class are to join the fleet over the next several years as part of long-term plans to build a 313-ship U.S. Navy. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal-Esa; Editing by Phil Berlowitz)