Big Blu

[cp1969]

Gotta make beer cans out of something.

 

[Paul_in_CT]

Chuck I believe that his ship is the exception not the rule. I was on the USS Saratoga and she is currently mothballed. They are planing to make a museum out of her. Even near the end of her tour she won Battle E awards for combat readiness. www.saratogamuseum.org . Although I did walk over to the USS Coral Sea to get some parts for a pump and that was a different story. I dont think the deck was unsafe but the Hanger Bay deck was wavy . I`m sure that ship would not have been sent into to combat unless absolutly necessary. Instead it would be sailed around for picture taking (satellite)

 

[Chuck52]

Paul,
I'm sure you are correct and almost all active naval ships are in good shape. Unfortunately, the one my son is on is over due for a retrofit. It should not have come as a surprise when it failed inspection. It did a tour in the Persian Gulf a couple years ago and probably should have gone to dry dock immediately afterwards. I doubt that the decision not to do that was made by her CO, but he paid for it by being forced into early retirement.

Chuck

 

[EdDekker]

Bill Gertz had an article in the Washington Times a few days ago about the John F Kennedy failing a readiness inspection. http://www.washtimes.com/national/20011221-95780908.htm (third section of article)

Three out of 4 elevators were broken, two of four catapults were 'degraded', the propulsion plant 'unreliable', two shaft seals had unacceptable leakage rates ...


The commanding officer of the ship was releived of command and replaced.

If an Aircraft Carrier can be in this condition I don't want to think about the condition of the smaller ships.



Ed

 

[TerryinMD]

Simply put, the previous administration did not budget for maintenance.

Some of the basic items to be cut is maintenance and infrastructure upgrades, this has always been true of any administration. When I did work for the U.S. Army, our contracting group were upgrading telecommunications systems that had been in place for 30-40 years!! The military was just getting their base infrastructure rebuilt when the Clinton Administration took over. Whenever the military took one of it's jaunts to Somalia or the like to provide military aid, the money was taken out of long term maintenance and upgrades.

It's all smoke and mirrors.... they rob Peter to pay Paul.

Terry