The U.S. Navy has identified six deferred ship deployments due to budget cuts due to sequestration and the ongoing Fiscal Year 2013 Continuing Resolution, Navy officials told USNI News on Thursday.
The ships are:
USNS Grasp (T-ARS-51), a Safeguard-class resuce and salvage ship based in Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, Virginia.
USS Kauffman (FFG-59), an Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate based in Naval Station Norfolk, Va. Kauffman was most recently under way as part of the capstone exercise for the Harry S Truman Carrier Strike Group. On Feb. 15, the ship’s commander was relieved of duty. As of Tuesday, the ship’s Facebook group has issued messages about the ships deployment.
USS Preble (DDG-88), an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer based in San Diego, Calif.
USS Momsen (DDG-92), an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer based in Everett, Wash.
USS Rentz (FFG-46), an Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate based in San Diego, Calif. Rentz was scheduled to relieve frigates patrolling for drug traffickers in U.S. Southern Command. However budget cuts will cause the ship to remain pier-side, effectively ending the surface Navy’s participation in the ongoing drug war in Central and South America.
USS Chung-Hoon (DDG-93), an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer based in Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. The ship was slated to leave Feb. 28 but was delayed until no earlier than March 15, according to press reports.
View Six Ships Delayed in a larger map
These delays come on the heels of the delay of the Harry S Truman Carrier Strike Group that was slated to depart for the Middle East last month, but is now being kept in a ready state in the event the Navy needs to surge a carrier to the Middle East.
A previous version of this post misidentified the home port of USS Preble (DDG-88).The ship is based in San Diego, Calif and not in Everett, Wash. USNI News regrets the error.