In its latest mishap, the USS Montgomery, an Independence-class LCS that's been in service less than two months, sustained an 18-inch-long crack to its hull while passing through the Panama Canal en route to its homeport in San Diego.
The Montgomery (LCS-8) was traveling from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean through the canal's series of "locks" when it hit a cement structure known as the "center lock wall" while under the control of a local Panama Canal pilot, according to a statement to CNN from the Navy.
