Posted on 10/09/2018 10:16:24 AM PDT by topher
Maybe this is a 'Hail Mary', but something that one must try to save $1.55 billion and have a CVN (USS Enterprise) in our reserve fleet.
On account of our previous president, the US Navy is in bad shape.
Take for example the collisions that happened early in the Trump Administration due to the [what I believe was] LAX of discipline under Obama.
This is of course the collisions that happened with the USS John S McCain and the USS Fitzgerald.
If you don't remember, then refresh your memory:
Freerepublic: Former commander of USS John S McCain pleads guilty, retires after deadly collision
Fox News: Former commander of USS John S McCain pleads guilty, retires after deadly collision
Freerepublic: USS Fitzgerald Combat Team Unaware of Approaching Merchant Ship Until Seconds Before Fatal Collision
US Naval Institute Proceeding: USS Fitzgerald Combat Team Unaware of Approaching Merchant Ship Until Seconds Before Fatal Collision
But to the matter at hand. Popular Mechanics wrote about the trouble the US Navy is having scrapping this ship and it is going to be very costly.
Articles on the Internet:
Freerepublic: The U.S. Navy Is Having a Hell of a Time Dismantling the USS Enterprise
Popular Mechanics: The U.S. Navy Is Having a Hell of a Time Dismantling the USS Enterprise
Additionally has headaches with it 'cruisers'. Saving $1.55 billion might help the US Navy out.
Freerepublic: The Navy Is Set to Retire Half of Its Biggest Surface Combatants—With No Replacement in Sight
Popular Mechanics: The Navy Is Set to Retire Half of Its Biggest Surface Combatants—With No Replacement in Sight
Prior to President Obama being in office, we had CV aircraft carriers in the reserve fleet, aka 'mothball' fleet. CV carriers are the 'big deck carriers' and post World War II, they started to be over 1000 feet long.
In World War II, when America was Great, we had over 6000 ships in the US Navy. After the war, a number of these were put in 'mothballs', or to the reserve fleet.
In the Clint Eastwood movie 'Magnum Force', the motorcycle chase was on one of these ships. I am fairly sure it was a small carrier from World War II. I believe it was a 'CVE' - Carrier Escort.
Why should we flush $1.55 billion down the toilet? - Just because our previous president was 'wasteful'.
How to scrap a Nuclear Carrier could be studied at Universities and the US Navy's academic arm (US Naval Institute).
Until we know how, move that ship to the reserve fleet.
With things in the world the way they are, one of our big deck carriers might get 'dinged' or we might need to put together another carrier task force.
I feel what Obama did was stupid. President Trump has had to deal with a number of messes. I sometimes refer to Obama as 'Obama-mess', but I feel he had earned that title.
As far as I am concerning wasting over a billion dollars in tax money is a 'worthy news item' to address.
I would hope the White House would read this article. I would hope the CNO and US Navy Secretary would have 'visibility' of these.
This is part of 'Making America Great Again': having more ships to defend the United States and giving our Armed Forces the tools they need.
Have we ever had to scrap a CVN?
Big E is the first right?
So how do you keep a nuclear ship in reserve? They scrapped all the Long Beach class.
I know the current Big E is decommissioned and the next one is due to be launched in 2025?
so your idea makes sense
Unless the cost of keeping it operational is just too prohibitive
It was lost in the news because that was at the time in World War I that the 'Lost Battalion' was found.
Corporal Alvin York later was promoted to Sargent and was awarded the 'Congressional Medal Honor'.
In my opinion, it was not in God's plan for Alvin to receive publicity so soon...
BTW - a lot of good Navy stuff has traditionally been posted by Jeff Head, but I see his last post was March 2018 — did we lose Jeff? He’s not on the Memorial Wall.
I’m sure that scrapping it is cheaper than running it. This is a nuke boat, after all.
I guess the question would be how much would it cost to refurbish/maintain the USS Enterprise over the expected lifetime of the ship (in reserve) versus what it would cost to scrap it.
Another option might be to sell it to an ally, though our CVN’s are expensive to maintain and the power plant probably needs repairs.
Cost analysis is the best option at this point; has the Navy already done one?
>>I know the current Big E is decommissioned and the next one is due to be launched in 2025?
so your idea makes sense
Unless the cost of keeping it operational is just too prohibitive<<
I was told by people here at FR who know these things that Big E had to be scrapped because the nuclear facility is integrated into the hull and to remove the nuke makes her unable to float.
Did I misunderstand?
$1.55 billion to scrap it?????
Use it for torpedo practice over a deep part of the ocean.
Enterprise has been defueled and they have already removed steel to be used in the new Ford Class Enterprise.
Good question!
My Answer: Lawerence Livermore Labs in conjunction with the US Navy will keep it in reserve and safe'.
It could also be used as a 'nuclear training center/ship' for the US Navy.
I think Jeff has had serious health issues. I don’t know his situation now but God be with him.
“Cost analysis is the best option at this point; has the Navy already done one?”
I’m assuming the issue is how to safely process and dispose the nuclear power plants? Haven’t we already done this with some nuclear subs?
Jeff posted that he was terminal. I would hope someone would let us now us know if he passed.
Well, how much you want to spend to keep the Big E in in good reserve shape? I imagine it has need of being refueled. That’s 8 reactors. Not a trivial, or inexpensive proposition. And can reactors be shut down cold, and then mothballed?
Are you going to update radars, comms, and other electronic systems to keep them up to date?
More CVNs are due to retire soon. Best learn how to decommission them.
Decommissioning and replacement was scheduled way back in the 1990s, time to let her go.
Whatever happens to her, I will never forget leaning on the port side 02 level rail of the 1943 tin can I called home for a couple of years on a perfect Sunday afternoon in the flat-as-glass Tonkin Gulf as the Enterprise made a top-end run to the east. My ship was off the Big E’s starboard side, the closest escort. The escorts were steaming maybe 20 knots and the Enterprise was close to the western horizon when the steam started pouring out of her stacks. In a few minutes she blew past us with a rooster tail as high as her flight deck and a wake that put us on a 20* roll. Shortly thereafter she disappeared into the eastern horizon. My buddy on the surface radar in CIC called down to me when I had gotten back to the radio shack and said that our surface radar was unable to track any contact moving over 65 knots and that 65 passed that velocity before the horizon. That’s some heavy truckin’, kiddies.
There was only one Long Beach
...
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