Topic shift...discovered some of your comments on a past thread here at FR.
ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS - the dark underside of the Ghost Fleet deal
Navy Times...Ghost Fleet case heads to court in July
A soap opera for yours truly...
Spent a good chunk of coin and time with MARAD over the phone.
At least I did get an invite to come down....the James Annex command offered me a boatride out to TAO-191's berth for a photo op.
I did learn that TAO-191 was in good shape..although there was an issue with engine vibration and shafts.
TAO-191 was a done deal sale to Chile....13 Million I think... a steal/bargain..whatever..then the deal collpased.
Maybe the **Money from NY blocked that via Congress.
The fine print says TAO-191 must be completed in U.S...then can be sold to a NATO org nation.
Guess Able UK was going to go that route.
Was glad when I learned of the Chile sale...
US Isherwood DD-520 went to Peru in the early 60's..plucky can stayed around in service till early 80's....a good chunk of time for a Tin can from WW-2.
400 Million for Isherwood and Eckford....wondering if MARAD is going to get investigated over this..or if the Environmental pressure concerning the other rusting hulks on the James will force the Navy/Gov to do whatever it takes...** alter legislation to be rid of the problem.....eat the 400 Million loss.
Some of the other Kaiser oilers have been decommisioned....some require upgrade to be returned to active status.
Then the debate...ie..why are US Warships putting into Terror nation ports for refueling?..ie.Cole/Yemen.
Did some googling..guess the Navy is not ready to say there is a oiler shortage for the fleets.
Allthought they do comment on heavy lift capability shortage.
Am hopeing TAO 191 will be finished for sale to someone.
I do not beleive TAO 191 is double hulled..I think a few Kaisers in service presently are....3?...Rappahanock....others.
In 1995 I decommissioned USS San Bernardino (LST-1189) and she was turned over to Chile, renamed Valdevia(?). They ran her hard agound a year or two later. I think she was repaired but I remember reading at the time the damage was pretty significant. They had to use explosives to break her from the rocks.
USNS BENJAMIN ISHERWOOD is one of the two ships in the HENRY J. KAISER - class that has never been finished. The construction of the ship was cancelled on August 15, 1993, when BENJAMIN ISHERWOOD was 95.3% complete. On February 1, 1999, the ship transferred to the Maritime Administration (Marad) and is currently berthed at the James River Reserve Fleet, Fort Eustis, Va.
Originally, the contract for the construction of BENJAMIN ISHERWOOD was awarded to Pennsylvania Shipbuilding Company. This contract was cancelled on August 31, 1989, about one year after the ship was launched. On November 16, 1989, Tampa Shipbuilding Inc., Tampa, Fla., was awarded a new contract to complete the construction of BENJAMIN ISHERWOOD by the Naval Sea Systems Command. During performance of the contract, Tampa and NAVSEA had differing interpretations over responsibility for correction of defects or deficiencies for work performed by Pennsylvania Shipbuilding and concerning the amount of material necessary to complete the ships. Tampa experienced significant financial and performance problems which resulted in Tampa's failure to make progress to meet the T-AO 191 contract delivery date of May 29, 1992. The contract delivery date for BENJAMIN ISHERWOOD was extended to January 31, 1993, but Tampa was again unable to deliver the ship in time.
In 1993, NAVSEA's analysis indicated that transferring the ships to another facility would not add unacceptable cost or schedule delays, and that Tampa's continued performance of BENJAMIN ISHERWOOD's contract was not essential to the national defense. The ship was finally cancelled on August 15, 1993, and was stricken from the Navy list on December 29, 1997.
Did some googling..guess the Navy is not ready to say there is a oiler shortage for the fleets.
Allthought they do comment on heavy lift capability shortage.
On a related note, I recall reading in "Operation Iraqi Freedom" by Walter J Boyne, that the AF has a similar problem with their tanker fleet.