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