Faulty welds on US submarines and aircraft carriers, congressmen ask the navy to explain

Some details about the issue were released on September 27, including potential risks to US sailors serving on the affected ships, according to the Navy Times .

In a statement late on September 27, HII, the company that owns Newport News Shipyard in Virginia, said it had discovered "through internal reporting that some welders had intentionally circumvented certain welding procedures."

The US Navy's Virginia-class submarine is due to be delivered to HII's Newport News shipbuilding division in 2022.

“Based on our initial investigation, there was no indication of malicious intent. Upon discovery, we took action to communicate with our customers and regulators, investigate, identify the root cause, resolve the issue, and implement immediate corrective actions as we implement longer-term solutions,” HII stressed.

The HII statement did not include further information on what corrective actions or long-term solutions were implemented.

In a joint statement on September 27, the Republican and Democratic lawmakers who head the US House Armed Services Committee called the reports of faulty welds "very troubling."

" The Department of Defense must immediately provide our committee with answers and a plan on how it will protect US Navy ships from tampering," House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, a Republican, and committee member Adam Smith, a Democrat, said in a joint statement.

The ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee's Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee said members "have been in close contact with Navy leadership to determine the scope and severity of the weld quality issues."

“Whenever there are welding defects on naval ships and submarines, the safety of the crews serving on board is jeopardized and the readiness of these ships is hampered. Navy leadership must promptly announce its investigation in the coming weeks,” said Joe Courtney, ranking member of the subcommittee.

The US Navy said on September 27 that it "is aware of this issue and is conducting a thorough assessment to determine the scope."

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