[USS] Port Royal returns for $20M in repairs (Ticonderoga class are cracking up)

Star Advertiser ^ | Dec 25, 2010 | By William Cole

[Islander7]

The Navy cruiser USS Port Royal is back in Pearl Harbor shipyard for more than $20 million in repairs — on top of the $40 million spent to fix damage from a 2009 grounding and an $18 million refurbishment immediately before the warship ran aground.

The latest yard period, which began in September and is expected to end in late February, is to address cracks discovered in the aluminum alloy superstructures on all 22 of the Navy's Ticonderoga-class cruisers, officials said. The ships were commissioned between 1986 and 1994.

[Islander7]

The Navy has struggled for decades with the issue of superstructure cracking. In the mid-1970s it changed the temper of the aluminum alloy used for cruisers. That solved some degradation problems, but stress-corrosion cracking continues to occur, Johnson said.

Johnson said the cracks on the Port Royal are not related to the ship's Feb. 5, 2009, grounding in 14 to 22 feet of shoal water off Honolulu Airport's reef runway. The 567-foot warship was stuck for four days as wave action rocked the vessel on the reef.

[MichaelP]

Remember when the British destroyer sheffield was destroyed by an argentine exocet missile? Its aluminum superstructure burned like kindling wood. I thought the US Navy swore off aluminum after that...

Mike

[Mr. Silverback]

Bump for later

[Islander7]

I remember that well. I think they changed to a different alloy rather than scrap AL superstructures all together. Or maybe the Brits were using a different alloy.

That was in 1982, I belive. The weight savings is well worth the use of AL so long as it doesn’t turn Roman Candle.

I worked at the shipyard where this boat was built for a brief time in the early 70s. Didn’t take me long to figure out that aluminum fabrication wasn’t my cup of tea.

[MCCC]

The aluminum has been long known as a problem. The November 1975 collision between the USS JFK and Cruiser Belknap was prolly the earliest example.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/USS_Belknap_collision_damage.jpg

To make things worse belknap was carrying nukes at the time.

[STD]

Highly reactive elements of fire and AL have never mixed together well. I hadn't thought of HMS Sheffield in years.

Damn those fools for wasting and ruining an otherwise stable fighting platform. These ships are the backbone of our Carrier Battlegroups effectiveness and safety.

How dare these foolish naval archeticts, builders and engineers.

As Citizens, we are the ultimate customers of these ships, we must seek financial reimbursement for our cruiser fleet and demand reparations. Sue the Bastar#@^@s

[mmercier]

Problems with cracking aluminum hulls date back to the “Liberty Ships”.

They will end up wrapping steel bands around them.

[Oztrich Boy]

Remember when the British destroyer sheffield was destroyed by an argentine exocet missile? Its aluminum superstructure burned like kindling wood.

No it didn't

1. The superstrucure was steel

2. External Fire damage. Paint blistered of most of the hull. Fibreglass stack and radar dome baked. Structure intact

[Charles Martel]

Isn't the superstructure the part of the ship above the main deck? Just wondering if the media is misreporting something *again*. Do the Ticonderoga-class ships have hull flaws, or are the problems elsewhere?

[mmercier]

The superstructure is above the hull. We have many boats with steel and even wood hulls accommodating aluminum super structures.

I will look up the Ticonderoga class construction in a minute.

[meatloaf]

I was on the Richard E. Byrd, DDG 23, in the early seventies. That class was supposedly one of MacNamera’s brain farts. The ship was designed as a multi-mission platform with electronics out the wazoo. A lot of the equipment still used vacuum tubes in that era. I was told that was one reason for the aluminum superstructure. Even then, the ship was top heavy. The ship rolled like you wouldn’t believe in storms.

The ship was sold to the Greek Navy for spare parts. They last used it for missile practice. From the picture that’s on the internet, I didn’t see the aluminum superstructure melting/burning.

[mmercier]

Ingalls constructed about 18 of the 27 or so units deployed.

They are described as “Steele hull” - “aluminum superstructure”. Another handful of them were built by BIW in Maine.

Maybe the next generation of missile cruisers will be titanium.

[US Navy Vet]

This is a PRIME example of trying to stuff 10 lbs of stuff into a 5 lb sock. These hulls were originally meant for Spruance Class DD and they worked our splendidly for that however when the Navy tried to stuff a Tico Class DG into them they were stretched to the limit. Also the shipyards where they were built were not known for quality work.

[Oztrich Boy]

I was on the Richard E. Byrd, DDG 23, in the early seventies. That class was supposedly one of MacNamera’s brain farts

I don't think you can blame Strange. The Adams class DDGs were designed and ordered during the Eisenhower Administration.

[org.whodat]

before the warship ran aground.

I think the correct words would be driven aground, unless it is like one of those suv's that run around killing people.

[bygolly]

From the bridge in Feb 2010 ...

[DariusBane]

The aegis class cruisers were originally intended to be built on the Virginia class nuclear cruiser hull. Nuclear escort for nuclear carriers. Cost and politics killed the idea. A big part of that is European and pacific allies would not let a nuclear powered anything make a port call IIRC.

[iowamark]

What a horrifying picture!

[Cheetahcat]

Aluminum is used in termite.

[quadrant]

I'm not an expert in these matters, but would it not have been wiser to use a mild (or light) steel in these ships rather than aluminum.