[tlb]

When I first heard of this program, I thought we would be developing a fast light Corvette class like the Swedes sail. Maybe it's not too late to buy some of their boats.

[SWAMPSNIPER]

Electrolysis is going to be a big problem with any aluminium hull in saltwater.

[DesScorp]

just cancel them, already

[DesScorp]

just cancel them, already

[Tainan]

No problem...

[mazda77]

Maybe they need to consider carbon fiber for the prop shafts. Racers I know have gone to carbon fiber driveshafts in an effort to save weight so there might be an alternative win for this possible solution. Size is not an issue as Boeing is maing the 787 totally of composites. Then they would eliminate the dissimilar metals concerns.

[Loud Mime]

[MontaniSemperLiberi]

“Building all 55 ships will cost the Navy at least $37.4 billion.”

Which would we rather have? 55 LCS’s or 6 aircraft carriers?

[john drake]

I guess I’m dumber than a box of rocks; wouldn’t the engineers have known that partnering these metals in saltwater would’ve caused the accelerated corrosion or don’t they test, or read of prior results, before going ahead and spending billions of tax dollars? I guess I’m even more suspicious thinking that they know these products will need more regular maintenance thereby keeping their coffers full of annual repair bill invoices. Greed, stupidity, and outright fraud, someone should go to jail, but they won’t. Worst case, you’re in the middle of an effin’ global war and your ships spend too much time in drydock being repaired because of something like this. Am I dreaming or what? Who were the engineers on this project, chicoms, russkies or muslims? Just askin’.....

[BuffaloJack]

I’m going to blame the tree-huggers for this one.
They used to use zinc chromate primers on aluminum and they they put an epoxy paont over that. The zinc chromates were banned by the EPA, so now everything corrodes quickly. Everything is fine until the paint layer gets its first pinhole, then the aluminum is zoomed. The reason older aluminum hulls were OK is the primers that were used and no longer allowed.

[Dedbone]

Does aluminum rust?

[pepperdog]

I'm no metallurgist but building a boat out of a metal that is know to not like a salt water environment doesn’t seem like the smartest thing to do.

[MSF BU]

What kind of firepower would this have and at what cost compared to maintaining the Wisconsin, Iowa, etc. on the list of active (or reserve?) vessels. Yes, I know they’re museum pieces now, but I’m interested in the pro/con of pursuing that course of action. Is there anything like a 16” gun?

[chainsaw]

The first thing I thought of was inferior materials. Some contractors cut corners to increase profit on gov. contracts.

[STD]

Let's rewrite your title to better reflect the real nature of the problem. As the Brit Admiral at Jutland said of the tragedy of four design flawed accidentally exploding Battle-Cruisers

'Somethings wrong with our bloody ships today'

Somethings wrong with this articles title; consider.

Navy Finds 'Aggressive' Corrosion on Austal's Combat Ship (Littoral Combat Ship)

Navy Discovers Radical Environmental Laws Have Aggressively Corroded it's New Clitoral Design Warship