USS Little Rock stuck in Canada

| January 21, 2018

Bobo sends us a link from USNI. They report that USS Little Rock (LCS-9), a Freedom-variant littoral combat ship, is spending the winter in Montreal because it was commissioned in Buffalo, New York on December 16th and couldn’t get through the St Lawrence Seaway to join the fleet before it froze over.

“Significant weather conditions prevented the ship from departing Montreal earlier this month and icy conditions continue to intensify,” a Navy spokesperson told USNI News.
“The temperatures in Montreal and throughout the transit area have been colder than normal, and included near-record low temperatures, which created significant and historical conditions in the late December, early January timeframe.”

A sustained blast of Arctic air that extended from late December into January caused ice to form faster than normal within in the Seaway, according to the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp., the agency established by the Canadian government to manage the Seaway. The Seaway closed for the season on January 11. Typically, the Seaway is open between March and December.

Who could have guessed that weather would have prevented the ship from making passage through those icy waters in Winter? You know, besides everyone. I hope our nation’s enemies hold off on any nefarious plans until Spring.

Category: Navy

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NHSparky

Damn that global warming.

26Limabeans

Damn the torpedos er…ice.
Start shoveling coal boys were going through.

A Proud Infidel®™

*CALLING AL GORE JUNIOR*, *CALLING AL GORE JUNIOR*, where the hell is this global warming he promised? SHIT, according to his predictions, as of a few years ago the Polar Ice Caps were to have been history along with the extinction of the Polar Bear!

Ex-PH2

Relax, API. All the global warming is coming out of both ends of Algore’s anatomy.

I’m just glad we’re having another mild, wet winter (now – it was cold earlier) and people can get back outside with the grill and the chaises longues on the patio.

Hayabusa

If it was something useful, like an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, I’d be concerned about this.

Since it’s an LCS, I say let the Canadians keep it.

AW1Ed

What makes you think the Canucks want it?

NEC338x

Since Canada still actually has a fleet of icebreakers, some of which operate in the SLS, they could get her out if the Navy really needed her. I suspect that anything larger than a martini ice cube acts as a Titanic-grade iceberg on her hull.

Jus Bill

I agree with that suspicion. It’s so ironic that a ship was designed for only temperate littoral waters. VERY temperate. Like bathtub temperate.

H1

Good lord.
Gaeta Italy redux.
We would leave home port and immediately get an oil, steam or steerage casualty and end up in Napoli.
The namesake continuous.
The original is right next door in Buffalo NY Naval Park. Needs a little work but with two of them maybe one will be FMC?

OWB

Maybe it’s a secret plot. Maybe it was a carefully planned operation to accidently and unexpectedly strand this ship inland as part of our force against all those crazy Canucks sneaking across the Great Lakes.

Yeah. That’s it. Uh-huh.

Ex-PH2

Hmmm…. would it be okay to include this in a nefarious plot by Canadian beer smugglers who are also smuggling moose meat and endangered wood cabinets?

The Other Whitey

Super Troopers 3?

NHSparky

Judging by the trailer I saw, looks like Super Troopers 2 has it covered.

Tom Huxton

Amish mafia smuggling untaxed maple syrup

NEC338x

Little Crappy Ship – “dominating” littoral areas around the globe. Except, of course, those littorals where there may be seasonal ice floes. No one has EVER fought a naval campaign at 60 degrees or greater latitude.

George V

“No one has EVER fought a naval campaign at 60 degrees or greater latitude.”

How’s ’bout the battles during the Murmansk convoy runs in WWII? There were some battles of note, including the Battle of North Cape which was a big gun battleship encounter. The Germans lost the Scharnhorst in that fight.
The North Cape of Norway is at 71deg North Lat.

NEC338x

No one will ever confuse an LCS for a plucky little Flower-class on a late season Narvik convoy run.

The Other Whitey

The Flower class could actually do the job it was built for. Hence, it one-ups the shit out of the LCS.

Jeff lph3

And we got the Prinz Eigen as a war prize.We pulled the shortest straw. They had a diferent boiler system the US wanted to look at. It sunk during the Atoll Bikina A bomb tests. Too much radiation to salvage.

The Other Whitey

And the Battle of the Denmark Strait (Bismarck & Prinz Eugen vs HMS Hood & HMS Prince of Wales). And the Battle of the Komondorskiy Islands. And the Aleutians Campaign.

To name a few.

Guard Bum

If you are going to be stuck somewhere you could do a lot worse than Montreal. Its a beautiful city and they have some very hot women no matter what the weather!

Former 3364

^ This – better than being stuck in Holy Loch

HMCS(FMF) ret

A little mood music for the crew of the USS Little Rock:

Jeff lph3

Who sang I Hear Little Rock calling.

2/17 Air Cav

Yes, but the men speak French.

Thunderstixx

If this global warming keeps up here in Texas, I’ll be able to go ice fishing next winter !!!

David

supposed to hit 70 in Houston today, I doubt Austin will be much colder.

26Limabeans

I recall Army LSV types from Ft Eustis (?) making regular trips through the SLS.
Maybe that old New York canal system could be dredged open. Bring back Love Canal!

UpNorth

Cuomo would lay a $1Billion tax on each ship transit. Gotta pay for NYC’s subway system somehow.

Jeff lph3

I used to pay 15 cents to ride the bus and subway. The tokens were the size of a dime with the Y in the middle.

Skippy

What about global warming????
Crap I forgot, this week it cooling

AW1Ed

Someone didn’t get the memo- 55 and sunny here in Southern PDRofMD. Very pleasant out.

Skippy

LMAO !!!!!!
Winter has finally arrived here in Arizona 53 here at the house Lol…..

Jeff lph3

Mid 70s here in Palm Beach County Florida. Its cold. Jacket time.

MCPO NYC USN Ret.

It is so cold in Massachusetts, Elizabeth Warren is now claiming to be an Eskimo.

AW1Ed

It’s so cold she has her hands in her own pockets.

Skippy

BHWHAHAHAHA !!!!!!!!

Hondo

Well, that could explain Fauxahontas’ smile . . . .

Dan

The ice is broken all winter in the Saint Lawrence by the Canadian Coast Guard. If oil tankers can sail in and out……….

Sapper3307

Cannibalism has been reported onboard! According to CNN its Trumps fault.

jonp

The crew probably got cold, descended into Underground Montreal where they discovered the hot women and cold Labatts of Montreal and refused to come out till Spring.

Canada does have icebreakers and if that ship was really needed they could get it to the ocean and headed south. Why risk it if it’s not needed right away.

Steve1371

I know there was a tanker frozen in one of the locks a while ago. I think they are probably worried about damaging the locks as much as the ship.

RCAF_CHAIRBORNE

These are some lucky bastards!!!
Sure, Montreal winters SUCK
But it is an amazingly fun city with gorgeous women(much less obesity there due to French culture), incredible restaurants and clubs( including strip clubs that feature ‘extras’)
There is also plenty of culture and some of the oldest european structures in North America.
Have fun boys 😉