Posted on 12/27/2006 7:37:33 AM PST by libtoken
The US Navy has formally announced it currently plans to retire CV 67 Kennedy (plus some other ships) from its active ship registry by 30 Sep 2007. However, this could still change.
http://www.npc.navy.mil/NR/rdonlyres/B5AA3BD3-C4F0-4FAF-8850-8D26969E1CDB/0/NAV06373.txt
Just curious...what does Admiral Kimmel have to do with this discussion?
I figure you would know this kind of thing, but perhaps you don't. There is always plenty of room for mistakes in warfare, plenty of opportunity for scapegoats.
It could be argued that General Douglas MacArthur's mistakes at the opening of the war had more of a lasting effect on more men's lives than the ships that were destroyed at Pearl Harbor.
What was MacArthur doing during the time frame between Pearl Harbor and the appearance of the Japanese bombers over Clark? Due to his incompetence, tens of thousands of men were captured and subjected to unspeakable abuse by their Japanese captors. Thousands died. And he skipped out.
And what about General Almond with X Corps in Korea after the Inchon landings? Another total incompetent whose inability to work with others and make sober decisions led to the retreat from the Chosin Reservoir, that was pulled out of the fire only by the astounding performance of the Marine Corps. The Marines did NOT have anything complimentary to say about the competence of their Army counterparts, and most certainly did not want to fight alongside them if they could avoid it.
I have respect for people who serve. All people. I don't care if they are cooks, garbage collectors or generals. I give them that by default BECAUSE they serve.
But you have no idea what that means. You take an opportunity to belittle someone or a group, and you do that through complete ignorance?
People like you think someone who flies in a plane is just another REMF. Those guys who died in that EC-121 that was shot down over the Sea of Japan by North Korea in 1969 were every bit as much on the front line as you have ever been. They gave their lives in the service of their country every bit as much as any soldier or Marine who was killed by an enemy.
It is pretty damned shameful and arrogant of you to discount their service. Totally classless.
Don't know your history. Don't know your facts. And too arrogant and stupid to see it. Yeah. I'll bet people weren't sad to see the likes of you leaving their unit.
Navy Times is indicating CV 67 Kennedy will make one last port visit in Boston 1-5 Mar 2007 before starting the decommissioning process.
By Navy Times
MAYPORT, FL -- The carrier John F. Kennedy will begin the process of decommissioning March 31, according to a Naval Administrative message released Dec. 21.
"Big John" will formally decommission Sept. 30, according to NavAdmin 373/06, and its inactivation availability will begin March 31.
Officials have approved a plan that will take the ship to Boston for a final port visit. Sen. Edward Kennedy and Navy officials announced Monday that the ship will make a final port call in Boston from March 1 through March 5.
Actually, it's IMPEACHED former president Clinton.
That's a bit of an understatement. Those people aren't so 'non-violent' when provoked (which underlines their hypocrisy). The whole episode started me on the path to being a conservative. My family had me working for Mondale in 1984 and when I voted that year it was for Reagan because Reagan was protecting America and Mondale was a surrender monkey like Carter. It took until 1994 for me to finally register GOP and my family literally does not speak to me anymore because I'm no longer a Democrat.
My wife calls me "The White Sheep in the family" - a title I wear with pride.
Admiral Kimmel (large "A" intended) took the precautions that were SOP at the time. No one expected that a torpedo attack could be conducted in the shallow waters of Pearl and that included the IJN COS. It was a Japanese innovation that allowed their fish to operate in Pearl and there was no way Kimmel could've known about this innovation. It should be noted that the Senate cleared Kimmel of any failure in 1999 because the man was doing his job exactly as he was ordered to do it.
It is NOT necessary to have a large Navy to control the sea lanes. In fact, today it may be a highly undesireable WASTE of valuable resources as there are other, more effective ways of keeping those lanes open or closing them without a large Navy. We now have technology which almost, note I wrote almost your admiralty, to make aircraft carriers as obsolete as battleships.
If we do not have a large navy to control the sea lanes then someone else will. Power abhors a vacuum. And to say that aircraft carriers are almost obsolete in the absence of anything to replace them is non-sensical.
The Kennedy (both the CV-67 and the Oldsmobile driver) both need to be retired--and not replaced with more of the same.
This much I can agree with.
If you are a boat driver or boat passenger who isn't a Marine, this may surprise you, but I don't want to be on your team...which includes luminaries such as John McLame who destroyed more American aircraft than any other pilot in American history and John F'ing Kerry. Well, at least McLame isn't as arrogant an Kerry.
John McCain lost only two aircraft and one of those was from friendly fire aboard the USS Forrestal.
The surface Navy will be obsolete save for bus driving duty for the Marines by 2025.
What makes you think this? I say that OXYGEN will be obsolete by 2025 and I have as much proof for my argument as you have for yours.
I just want to save idiot swabbies from sitting on lumbering easy to destroy targets in that timeframe. Here's something you apparently don't realize--if it can be seen, it can be destroyed posthaste. And something the size of an aircraft carrier in 2025 will be little more than a floating coffin for the entire crew.
You aren't too bright, are you? When a carrier task force is at DEFCON 1 then NOTHING and I mean NOTHING exists within 500 miles without the express permission of that task force commander. Just because SECDEF doesn't brief you in on current ORBAT and its capabilities does not give you an excuse to condemn that which you are ignorant of.
Oh my...I can imagine the explosion.
Neat story! Thanks.
Thanks for serving!
But I don't think the answer is to keep an obsolete steam carrier.
Thanks for serving.
Thanks for serving.
I watched the second plane hit the WTC from NJ. I remember wishing that I still wore khaki to work.
Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)
That guy just doesn't get it, does he? You can put a carrier (or two) off almost any country and instantly have an air-force on hand that outclasses them. Sure, the US Air Force can do the same thing - but that depends on having basing rights close enough to make it practical for sustained ops.
I just want to save idiot swabbies from sitting on lumbering easy to destroy targets in that timeframe. Here's something you apparently don't realize--if it can be seen, it can be destroyed posthaste. And something the size of an aircraft carrier in 2025 will be little more than a floating coffin for the entire crew.
As you pointed out to this guy - that is pure BS. The entire Soviet Union spent decades and billions of rubles and never did come up with a satisfactory means of destroying carrier battle groups. As you point out, on full alert, nothing "unfriendly" can exist within the bubble, period. If destroying Naval units were half as easy as this guy thinks it is, someone would've tried - and succeeded by now.
The last time any significant Naval forces were engaged was in what, 82? The British took a fleet to the Falkland Islands. Yes, they lost the Sheffield - it was not configured properly at the time to defend itself. They also took some damage to a number of other ships. However, you will also note they got the job done. Modern Naval forces have proven time and again, you don't want to mess with them.
Fewer numbers of ships don't necessarily mean the Navy has less fighting capability. Each ship today probably has 10 times the firepower of WWI era ships.
A couple of months after September 11th, my boss looked at me one day and said, "You want your M-16 back, don't you?" Actually, it was my jet (or better yet, a nice attack plane that would kill Taliban in droves) I was yearning for, but he sure wasn't far off.
Even when Tom Clancy bumped off the Saipan and Foch in Red Storm Rising he came up with a scenario that had all the fleet's defenses pointed the wrong way when a second wave of missiles came in.
Agreed. It was built after a protracted sub-building holiday...its one of our newest and most advanced of fast attack subs. The last Seawolf...in a class of a meager 3.
The name may be disagreeable...but the boat is far more than its name.
I believe he was using satire, given Jimmy Carter's recent remarks and book about Israel.
Mark
Yeah, but Mr. Clancy assumed a fleet commander could be suckered into "putting all his eggs in one basket" - or maybe all his assets down one threat bearing... Well, it made for a good story anyway. He's still one of my all-time favorite authors.
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