UH-OH: U.S. warship unexpectedly docks in Port Colborne.

A U.S. navy warship named for Arkansas’ capital city that was to pass down the Welland Canal for its homeport in Florida docked in Port Colborne Wednesday afternoon due to a reported mechanical issue.

The USS Little Rock, a Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ship, was recently-commissioned alongside its namesake in Buffalo Harbor, marking the first time that has happened in the navy’s 242-year history, according to a website dedicated to the vessel’s commissioning.

The new warship is one of a number of Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) the navy will operate in waters close to shore.

It was built in Marinette, Wisc., at a cost of between US$300 million and $350 million.

It left Buffalo Wednesday morning and after the delivery of two pilots to it in the Port Colborne anchorage, some four kilometres offshore, it tied up along the east wall of the Welland Canal in the city.

The USS Little Rock was headed to Naval Station Mayport, its homeport in Jacksonville, Fla.

There was no word on how long the vessel would be tied up in Port Colborne. The area it is docked alongside on the canal is restricted and there is no public access.

The LCS ships have been almost nothing but trouble — late, over budget, and with serious operational issues.