Navy

U.S. Navy Submarines Are Losing Their Stealth Coatings. Who’s to Blame?

A former employee of Huntington Ingalls Industries, the Virginia-based shipbuilder that helps to construct all of the U.S. Navy’s submarines, has sued the company in federal court, claiming that the firm lied about problems with the external coating on Virginia-class attack subs.

Virginia-class subs since at least 2006 have suffered problems with their coatings. Official photos have depicted submarines entering and leaving port with noticeable gaps in their coatings, implying that chunks of the sound-absorbing material had peeled off.

Lawrence claimed HII falsified testing, inspection results and certifications related to the coatings.

The company will vigorously fight the charges, Jennifer Boykin, president of HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding division, told the Hampton Roads Daily Press newspaper. She told Daily Press that the U.S. Justice Department looked at Lawrence’s claims and declined to join the case.