Billions Later, Plan to Remake the Coast Guard Fleet Stumbles(Update - NYTimes story)

New York Times ^ | 12/08/2006 | ERic Lipton

[devane617]

WASHINGTON, Dec. 8 — Four years after the Coast Guard began an effort to replace nearly its entire fleet of ships, planes and helicopters, the modernization program heralded as a model of government innovation is foundering. The initial venture — converting rusting 110-foot patrol boats, the workhorses of the Coast Guard, into more versatile 123-foot cutters — has been canceled after hull cracks and engine failures made the first eight boats unseaworthy. Plans to build a new class of 147-foot ships with an innovative hull have been halted after the design was found to be flawed. And the first completed new ship — a $564 million behemoth christened last month — has structural weaknesses that some Coast Guard engineers believe may threaten its safety and limit its life span, unless costly repairs are made.

[devane617]

I posted a story last week from the Miami Herald on this subject. The NYTimes story has a bit more detail.

[SandRat]

Tonk a USCG Story

[VOA]

bump

[Mark was here]

All they need to say is we need bigger boat to catch the drug dealers and Bingo, Billions more of taxpayer dollars go down the rathole, to pay payrolls, all for the War ON Drugs.

Canceling the war on Drugs would save the Coast Guard Billions, not to mention the reduction of law enforcement payrolls all across the board.

Drug use is stupid, but it is the choice stupid people make. Let Darwin deal with them.

[daviddennis]

I'm just wondering ... isn't it a fairly obvious folly to take 110 foot ships that are near the end of their service life and convert them, using the same rusty hulls and the like?

I would think that in the case of boats that old you would always want to simply replace them with completely fresh models. Just as it's often cheaper to build a new house than remodel an old that's decrepit and feeble, I would think it could actually be less expensive (and certainly more reliable) to build from new.

Thoughts?

Oh, by the way, I thought the real workhorses of the Coast Guard were the 38' or 42' cutters. Is that not so? I don't think I've ever seen one of the 110' boats.

D

[spikeytx86]

We could redirect a portion of the money to port security and other counter terror operations the CG undertakes.

[GATOR NAVY]

Admiral Allen said he had been given assurances that the ship was not at risk of a catastrophic hull failure and would not pose a safety threat to its crew.

Ouch.

[al baby]

I spent many a weekend on the cutter Point Bridge
in the 70's they sold it to Costa Rica

[Mark was here]

We could redirect a portion of the money to port security and other counter terror operations the CG undertakes.

Sounds good to me.

[tjd1454]

"Drug use is stupid, but it is the choice stupid people make. Let Darwin deal with them."

That logic is a death knell for civilized society. Unfortunately the rest of society will pay a costly price in increased crime, the deterioration of inner city neighborhoods, the costs of medical treatment and rehabilitation for drug addicts, destroyed families - wayward sons and daughters, which cause more of the previously mentioned problems...

[greasepaint]

buy an off the shelf design.

let some other country pay for a new design

[devane617]

Here is the my post from last week:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1747208/posts

It has excellent details from those in the know. This story came up when the CG Commandar took 8 of 10 ships out of service in Key West, FL about three weeks ago.

[devane617]

Ping CWOJackson

[Strategerist]

Unfortunately the rest of society will pay a costly price in increased crime, the deterioration of inner city neighborhoods, the costs of medical treatment and rehabilitation for drug addicts, destroyed families - wayward sons and daughters, which cause more of the previously mentioned problems...

Give me evidence of a single narcotic where any of the above has been prevented by attempting to interdict supply.

[daviddennis]

Interesting, thanks!

On the other hand, reading the original article more closely seems to show that they have just as much trouble building brand new boats as refitting old ones.

Strange.

D

[devane617]

I thought the same thing. Read CWOJackson's comments in the first post for excellent insight. I hope he can shed light on the "new" boat problems also.

[ExpatGator]

I spent a lot of time out on the Blake Plateau, and have seen more of the 110's than I care to remember. You have got to leave the beach to see the big boys.

[timer]

My 4 side propeller invention would have solved a lot of their design/speed problems, but hey, it's the government and that old saying applies : well, it's good enough for government work...

[Mark was here]

That logic is a death knell for civilized society. Unfortunately the rest of society will pay a costly price in increased crime, the deterioration of inner city neighborhoods, the costs of medical treatment and rehabilitation for drug addicts, destroyed families - wayward sons and daughters, which cause more of the previously mentioned problems...

The situation you describe is the results of the WOD, I do not understand you logic of using the fallout of the WOD as justifying it.

Take inner cities, if drug gangs could not turn a tidy profit, servicing their customers, they may have no choice but to go to Law School.

The Coast Guard could do a better job guarding the coast, if their mission was not expanded to a job's program via the WOD.

[Nevermore]

Billions more of taxpayer dollars go down the rathole, to pay payrolls, all for the War ON Drugs.

Imagining that our drug woes will go away if we simply ignore drug abuse is a foolish as believing that terrorism won't hurt us if we simply leave them alone.

Just as with the War on Terrorism, that's not to say that there aren't ways to improve the effort; but "surrender is not a strategy [unless your a pompous windbag named James Baker]" is just as apt regarding the WOD.