Posted on 05/22/2005 1:16:32 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
Navy discloses rationale for base recommendations
By DAVID SHARP
The Associated Press
Closing the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard carries a one-time cost of $448 million that could be recovered within four years without affecting the Navy's ability to service nuclear submarines, and realigning Brunswick Naval Air Station retains an operational airfield while consolidating patrol aircraft in Florida, the Navy contends.
The report signed by Navy Secretary Gordon England provides the first detailed look at the Navy's reasoning behind its proposal to close Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, and to remove P-3 Orion and C-130 Hercules squadrons from Brunswick Naval Air Station.
Critics quickly attacked the 192-page report, which a former Portsmouth shipyard commander derided as a veiled attempt to divert work to struggling private shipyards.
"They can make the numbers come out to say whatever they want, and that's what they've done. We truly question the validity of the numbers they've released. They've fabricated a scenario that envisions excess capacity in Navy shipyards," said William McDonough, a retired Navy captain who leads a community group lobbying for the shipyard.
Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe said the Navy's information was not appreciably different from information that was already available. She said her office was still awaiting the Pentagon's final certified data used to form the basis of its decisions.
"By law the Defense Department has seven days to release that data," Snowe said yesterday. "Every day that goes by without it is one day less that we have to build our case."
The Navy report, released Thursday, contends closing the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard would retain one nuclear-capable public shipyard on each coast while saving $128 million a year once the shipyard was permanently closed. The Pentagon's net savings over 20 years would be $1.26 billion, the report said.
In the end, the report said, the decision came down to either Portsmouth or the shipyard at Hawaii's Pearl Harbor. The Navy concluded that there was greater strategic value in Pearl Harbor's location, and it proposed divvying up Portsmouth's workload among public shipyards at Pearl Harbor, Bremerton, Wash., and Norfolk, Va.
McDonough conceded the strategic value of Hawaii as a base of naval operations, but he said yesterday that it doesn't matter where the subs are overhauled and refueled.
The other shipyards cannot perform the work as efficiently as Portsmouth, which he contends saves six months and $85 million each time it is selected to do the work. There are currently five submarines undergoing work at Portsmouth.
McDonough also said he anticipates savings to be funneled to private shipyards that build submarines: Electric Boat in Connecticut, and Newport News in Virginia. Those shipyards have been hurt by cutbacks in the Navy's shipbuilding program.
In Brunswick, the decision to strip all aircraft from Brunswick Naval Air Station would downgrade its status to "Naval Air Facility" while retaining the capability of the only operational active-duty airfield in New England, the report said. The aircraft would be relocated to another Navy base in Florida.
There would be a one-time cost of $147 million that would be recovered within four years; after that, there would be annual savings of $34.87 million, the report said. The savings would total $238 million over 20 years.
The data released Thursday focused on Navy bases, saying the combined economic impact of closing Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and reducing operations at Brunswick Naval Air Station would eliminate more than 13,000 direct and non-direct jobs.
The report did not address the impact of the proposed closing of a Defense Finance Accounting Service center at the former Loring Air Force Base. Maine officials have estimated direct and indirect jobs losses of more than 300.
"This is a huge financial hit for the state of Maine and it goes from one end of Maine to the other," Maine Gov. John Baldacci said yesterday. "The impact of this is going to be devastating . . . I want people to understand the seriousness of this."
Maine's and New Hampshire's congressional leaders have been seeking additional information including materials related to future mission capabilities, environmental impact, and availability of land for future expansion.
Also, Baldacci opened up the possibility of expanding the regional effort beyond Maine and New Hampshire by acknowledging "an expression of interest by Massachusetts," where Otis Air National Guard Base has been targeted for closure.
The door is open to a regional approach to overturning base closure recommendations. "We'll be looking to get support outside of (Maine and New Hampshire)," he said.
The Public Shipyards are big targets because they are such money pits. I worked at Bremerton's Shipyard and when I started there in 1983 there were 8 public shipyards. Since then they have closed Long Beach, Charleston, Philadelphia, Mare Island and Pearl (I think they converted it to a Ship Repair Facility). If they Close Portsmouth there will be only 2 left, Puget Sound and Norfolk.
Maybe I missed something, but two well placed WMDs and no shipyard. Not so bright.
-The Public Shipyards are big targets because they are such money pits.-
You hit the right reason. I was at Boston when it closed and all the reasons to keep Portsmouth open could have been used for Boston. In fact, Boston was going to stay open and Portsmouth to be closed but Margret Chase Smith called Nixon and asked why he was rewarding dems at her (a pub) expense.
Private yards are just as good as public and cheaper in the long run. Public yards can hide a lot of overhead costs so they look better.
"Maybe I missed something, but two well placed WMDs and no shipyard. Not so bright."
Yeah, you did. They're only talking about 'public' shipyards, ie, operated by 'public employees'. If you re-read the article you'll note the work will be diverted to a couple of 'private yards'.
I disagree. I cleaned up too many private-yard messes as a public-yard employee to have any respect for union operated yards.
Further, I worked on data for the decision matrix used in BRAC 3 and found it a thoroughly dishonest process.
And when you're down to one or two private yards then where does that leave you?
Nonsense, China is building many modern shipyards to replace our obsolete military run shipyards,....just ask any socialist democrat.
OK. Thanks for straightening me out on that. Had me worried for a minute....
Even though those employed at "public" yards belong to labor unions, they cannot go out on strike. In addition to this mess, Maine is about to lose the services of Bath Iron Works, a "private" yard due to strike threats and labor slowdowns. If we get rid of too many "public" yards we run the risk of being held hostage by the union thugs at the "private" yards.
I have been through two ROH's at 1 public (Long Beach) and 1 private (Ingalls) shipyard. They were both the most ill-run, wasteful and corrupt operations that I have ever had the displeasure of witnessing operate. From my limited vantage point, I see no difference between the two. If I were a BRAC member I would not take public or private into consideration.
Sort of like that Jackson (commie) Brown song: "You take Sally and I'll take Sue, Ain't no difference between the two".
Vaguely remember McCloy. The unions were really bad at the yard. You had to have about thirty trades involved to move a piece of equipment from the deck to a interior space. I even saw a territorial dispute with a unit sitting in a doorway. Sat there fro two days until one of my engineers moved it in the dead of night.
The Boston waterfront is testimony to the power of cheap land and people willing to do something with it. It was the yuppies who transformed it by buying where no one else would because it was the only place they could afford to live in Boston.
I was at the yard from 1970-Dec 73 but came back to Boston as Supervisor of Shipbuilding from 79 to 81. One of the managers of Beth Steel (East Boston, since closed) said they did not know why they were worrying about the ship repair business since if they sold the land and invested the money they would have made more and had less problems.
Nice pics on your profile page. I was a line type from 60-70. Wiltsie (DD-716), Holmes County (LST 836) and Wainwright (DLG (then CG) 28). My brother did the opposite of you, was on a DD then to Nam ( and then states and then to civilian life. I stayed in and had a wonderful career.
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