The U.S. Navy won’t bring back decommissioned ships as a way to grow the fleet. The ships, decommissioned from the Navy after decades of service, are rusting away at a number of “mothball fleet” locations across the United States. Navy officials have concluded it would be too expensive to bring them back and they would offer too few capabilities to make them worthwhile.Lots of interesting photos from the Philadelphia Naval Yard, and I don't doubt that these ships aren't cost-effective to use as warships. They all seem to be floating, and there is a heeluva lot of steel in the water. I wonder if they could be re-fitted for other uses? Or, if they'll eventually be broken up for scrap?
Of course, I'm no sailor-man, but the photos were interesting.
3 comments:
AFAIK, the only ship to come out of the mothball fleets and go back into service is the Glomar Explorer (which was anchored near, but not really with, the West Coast group, in Suisun Bay off Benecia, CA.
Ironically, it was brought back in service to be used for deep sea mining exploration.
I think we should spend the several billion dollars to bring back at least one Iowa-class battleship. Jerk the fuel oil boilers, and drop in a nuke steam plant. Pull the 75mms and 40mms, replace them with Hawks and Chaparrals.
Keep the 16" main guns, and the Tomahawk launchers.
Why?
BECAUSE WE CAN.
The ships are too expensive to break up in a US shipyard due to environmental regulations and overpriced union labor. Every now and again MARAD sells one to an overseas scrapper and it gets towed out. But they are overwhelmingly non-combatant vessels now and they've deteriorated past the point of repair.
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