“The damaged area is well above the waterline and no flooding occurred,” Naval Sea Systems Command spokeswoman Jamie Koehler said in an email. “An assessment was completed and permanent repairs are being planned. Root cause of the incident is currently under investigation by the Navy and shipbuilder.”
据美国《海军时报》网站4月20日报道，美国海军“自由”级濒海战斗舰“克利夫兰”号日前在下水仪式中发生事故，与一艘配套拖船相撞，现场发出“一声巨响”（“a literal bang”）。
“克利夫兰”号撞上拖船（视频截图）
下水仪式在威斯康星州的马里内特造船厂举行。
按照程序，位于岸上的“克利夫兰”号将由辅助拖船从侧位拉入河道。当这艘濒海战斗舰侧滑入水时，却立刻撞上了拖船。从现场视频可以看到，“克利夫兰”号下水时击发的巨大波浪几乎淹没了拖轮。
根据美国海军的一份声明，这艘新造军舰在下水作业时，由于“沟通不畅”，一艘辅助拖轮距离过近，导致发生撞击。据称新军舰受到轻微损坏，未造成人员伤亡。
美国海军海上系统司令部发言人杰米·克勒在一封电子邮件中称，“克利夫兰”号“受损区域远远高于吃水线，没有发生透水情况。评估已经完成，正计划进行永久性修复。海军和造船厂正在调查这次事故的根本原因”。
“The damaged area is well above the waterline and no flooding occurred,” Naval Sea Systems Command spokeswoman Jamie Koehler said in an email. “An assessment was completed and permanent repairs are being planned. Root cause of the incident is currently under investigation by the Navy and shipbuilder.”
美国《新闻周刊》称，这艘船是第四艘以俄亥俄州克利夫兰市命名的船，是第 16 艘也是最后一艘自由级濒海战斗舰。
The ship, which is the fourth to be named after the Ohio city of Cleveland, is the 16th—and final—Freedom-class LCS.
“自由”级濒海战斗舰迄今为止从未执行过研发初期为其设想的任务，即作为快速、行动敏捷的军舰在近海海域追踪并摧毁敌方潜艇，清除反舰水雷，保护舰队免遭小型船只攻击。对于这种军舰将如何在真枪实弹的战争中发挥作用，人们仍然存在疑问。