Posted on 05/16/2006 2:41:32 PM PDT by LSUfan
The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee is suggesting NATO take over the USS John F. Kennedy aircraft carrier, which the U.S. Navy and the Bush administration want to retire early for budget reasons.
(Excerpt) Read more at aviationnow.com ...
Pretty sure that you're right for 2 reasons:
1. Russian carriers use ski jumps, and
2. The Russians have sold them to the Indians, and to date, Indian carriers use ski jumps (at least the new ones do).
All's fair in smack talk between the services. It's quite another thing when you do it just to be nasty. So how about you do this squid a favor and disagree like an adult. Okay, jarhead?
very good
Whoa as me! Don't put me on your dreaded "don't post to me list!" What ever shall I do? How will I go on living?
Oh the humanity!
I just love it when squids and rustpickers act all tough!
But will it be a WARship? I don't mean some oiler. You say it's already in the works...what class of ship? When will the keel be layed, etc? Details...
Go back and read my post Pukin Dog I said Poppy and Cheney ran the AMERICA into the ground as did Slick Willie especially when he deployed her the third time in three years. I can back up what I say also. Just follow me a few lines and I'll show you. Congressional Record 24 February 1994 [Page: S1853] Her stated condition when this article was began August 1993 roughly 8 months into Clintons term minus about 4-6 weeks for time line that senior lifer wrote letter about puts in likely in June 5 months into Clinton's term. But it would take longer than even 7 to get like this.
AUGUST 10, 1993 excerpt {Below Decks chapter}:The America needs constant attention. Commissioned in 1965, it is showing its age. A month before leaving Norfolk, a senior enlisted crew member complained to his congressman: The ship was operating on only two of its six electric generators, without radar and unable to pump fuel. This would be its third six-month cruise in three years, and without the standard 18 months at home for repairs, salt water and full steaming had taken their toll.
You were VF-143 according to my crusie book your squadron was on the AMERICA in the early-mid 1970's. OK to the article. I was a snipe on her for 4 years in the AC&R shop. My job was the ships Air Conditioning and refrigeration plants. That meant I had a good understanding of the electronics heat loads and knew some of the electrical load limitations. Two of six generators underway meant no A/C or no functional chillers. No functional chillers meant such places as V.A.S.T., Operations, Radar, and other equipment would be very limited in function if at all especially in June.
Why no chillers? Because we were one of the biggest single consumers of electricity second maybe to the air craft elevators maybe even the top user. She had 3-150 Ton Capacity York Chillers start draw approx 1200 amps run amps approx 180 amps. We had 6-200 TON York Chillers start amperage approx 1200-1500 est. Run amps 220. We had a 10th unit added in 1980 approx a 350 ton {Not absolute on that I was a short timer} start amps likely 1500 amps run amps 350 est.
Two generators would be primitive operations with boilers, feed water pumps, desal plant, and Fire Pumps etc having first priority. Next would be AC units. My best guess is 2 units at the very most functional and likely 60 degree plus chill water temps. The Twidgets called us when it hit 54 degrees in a panic. The most for certain one functional electronics item would be the gyro. I won't say why but I do know :>}
Doing the first two cruises meant she was ready for serious yard time. From December 90- August 93 she did 2 MED I/O's and a NATO then left on the third. In March 1994 at Pier 12 she had a boiler room explosion as shown here Note as well other explosion 1989. That one was in 6 pump room on the port aft chow line. It killed two grapes as it was a JP-5 pump room. USS AMERICA
She was ran to an early grave because maintenance rotations were missed.
As for the JFK hang that one on Slick Wille. The ship was put in active reserve and was not kept up. The Captain of the ship has no say over what the Pentagon funds and what it does not in the way of shipyard repairs. Some repairs are only shipyard doable. Even to replace an oven in the galley the hanger deck has to be cut open. You were squadron I was ships company and know what it takes to keep them going. Even a nuke carrier will see a 3 month yard period after a 6 month deployment and a 9-12 month yard period after the third one or every 5 years. The auxiliary equipment will demand the attention.
That is what happened after 9/11 to the JFK and the KITTY HAWK. Some Captains paid for some Admirals and a SEC of Nav's wrongs. This one was done in the Pentagon and not on the ship.
Her keel was laid before JFK took office that means critical components such as boilers and hull thickness etc were already layed out. To undo it either way would have added more time than it was worth to the build time at that point.
"We want the administration to talk to NATO about the John F. Kennedy being a NATO ship," Hunter said. "Typically the United States brings the T-bone steaks and some of our allies bring the plastic forks. The John F. Kennedy might be a center for ... inspiring our allies to do more with respect to defense."
He did not elaborate on more details, but noted that the aircraft carrier hosts helicopter and vertical-lift aircraft.
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