Wasp-Class Casualties Continue With Mechanical Issue on USS Iwo Jima

USS Iwo Jima has joined the growing list of U.S. Navy amphibs that have suffered a serious mechanical casualty over the past year, Military.com has confirmed. 

Last Thursday, ship spotters noticed Iwo Jima limping back into port at Naval Station Norfolk with tug assist. She had been at sea conducting a pre-deployment training cruise when an unspecified mechanical component failed. The damage was not related to the propulsion system or the ship's rudder, a Navy spokesman told the outlet Friday. Iwo Jima appears to have been repaired quickly, as she was photographed departing Norfolk again on September 10. 

Iwo Jima is a Wasp-class big deck amphib, capable of carrying the new F-35B stealth fighter. First-in-class USS Wasp appears to have suffered a mechanical casualty in March at about the same location, and also had to return to Norfolk for repairs. This earlier breakdown may or may not have been an issue with a propulsion shaft; the Navy would not confirm or deny the nature of the casualty. Wasp's deployment may have been delayed for repairs.

Wasp-class amphib USS Boxer has made headlines for repeated breakdowns and delays over the past year. She suffered serious mechanical mishaps in April 2024, May 2023 and November 2022, and was sidelined with various repair projects (including rework of failed repairs) for about two years. She finally deployed with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit in July 2024. 

The Wasp-class amphibs are showing signs of age, and they are among the Navy's last steam-powered vessels. As time goes on and steam-qualified technicians retire, finding skilled personnel who can repair steam plants has become a significant problem for the amphib fleet. The big-deck Wasp-class and America-class vessels are at the core of each Marine Corps amphibious readiness group, and they provide critical air support capacity for expeditionary operations. Marine Corps leadership has been clear about the impact of Navy maintenance issues on the service's ability to deploy, and on the need to budget for a renewed amphib fleet - a source of fiscal tension between the USMC and the Department of the Navy.