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Mushdogs sent this tidbit along to us.

On Thursday, the head of Naval Surface Forces Pacific relieved the captain of the USS Freedom of command, the second time this year it has dismissed the master of a littoral combat ship over a propulsion casualty.

Commander Michael Wohnhaas of LCS Crew 106 was the vessel’s commanding officer on the day that a pump seal failed, leaking seawater into her number two main diesel engine.

After the leak, the Freedom continued on to participate in the international Rim of the Pacific exercises off Hawaii. She was not inspected shoreside until August 3, over 20 days after the casualty occurred. Due to corrosion damage, her number two engine was declared a total loss; it will require either removal and rebuilding or replacement. 

Well, he had to be relieved, after that incompetent response. I mean, casualties happen, sure, but the duct tape and bailing wire approach the crew took was just dumb.

Of course, all the LCS commanders are being set up for failure with a complex engineering plant and an engineering department of about 9-10 guys! There simply aren’t the hours in the day to perform routine upkeep, stand watch, run drills, and keep up with General Military Training. And in today’s politically correct Navy, if something has to fall to the wayside, it’s not going to be Sexual Harassment and Assault Reporting, it’s going to be preventative maintenance.