From gCaptain, September
Faulty welds on U.S. Navy nuclear submarines and aircraft carriers have ignited a firestorm on Capitol Hill, but this isn’t just a case of shoddy workmanship it was intentional. The question is, was it sabotage?
“Today, I have very serious news to share with you,” wrote Jennifer Boykin, President of HII’s Newport News Shipyard yesterday via LinkedIn. “We discovered that the quality of certain welds on submarines and aircraft carriers under construction here at NNS do not meet our high-quality standards. Most concerning is that some of the welds in question were made by welders who knowingly violated weld procedures.”
Details are still emerging, but HII stated that while the shipyard workers intentionally violated welding rules, they claim there was no “malicious intent.” This suggests laziness is more likely than sabotage. However, Boykin noted that HII hasn’t yet conducted a full investigation. She has also alerted the FBI, US Navy, and government regulators about potential criminal actions.
The House Armed Services Committee (HASC) is now digging into the issue and says, despite Boykin’s assurances, it can not yet “rule out bad actors seeking to put U.S. national security or our service members at risk.”
“It is deeply concerning to learn that faulty welds may have been knowingly made to U.S. Navy submarines and aircraft carriers,” reads a joint statement from HASC chair Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), ranking member Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), and key subcommittee leaders. “The safety of our sailors is our top concern, and we need to immediately understand any risks associated with the faulty work.” Translation: How on earth did this happen, and how do we stop it from happening again?
Now the Navy and shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) are scrambling to assess the damage....
....MUCH MORE
