The San Diego-based assault ship USS Boxer, which has spent more time holed up for repairs in recent years than traveling the open seas, will be sidelined again when it returns from deployment, the Navy said.
The 843-foot aircraft carrier, currently en route to the Indo-Pacific, is scheduled to enter an as-yet-unnamed shipyard in April. The Navy did not say what kind of repairs and upgrades will be made. But Boxer will be pierside for 18 months.
The ship deployed on April 1 but had to return to San Diego Bay 10 days later to deal with mechanical problems involving its rudder. It’s now back out and will likely return late this year.
The rudder repair was the latest in a series of mechanical setbacks for the ship, which hadn’t gone on deployment for five years — an unusually long time to be out of service.
The warship carries Marine amphibious forces and a variety of aircraft, and is one of the most versatile vessels that operates out of San Diego.