Two Navy Ships That Cost $300 Million Are Headed To The Scrapyard

Without Having Seen A Day Of Service

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/two-navy-ships-henry-eckford-benjamin-isherwood-scrapyard-2011-7?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+businessinsider+%28Business+Insider%29#ixzz1SIOHaJ4m




Embroiled by legal battles for more than 25 years, two U.S. Navy ships are finally headed to the scrap heap without ever having sailed and despite the fact that they're almost completely finished.

According to Hampton Roads, the USNS Bejamin Isherwood and the USNS Henry Eckford were commissioned in 1985 at the Pennsylvania Shipbuilding Co. to carry fuel to the Navy's fleet around the globe.

When the company defaulted on its Navy contract in 1989 the 660-foot ships were sent to Florida for completion, but cost disputes terminated that contract in 1993.

Since then, the vessels have sat 95 and 84 percent complete at the mouth of the James River as part of the mothballed ghost fleet.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/two-navy-ships-henry-eckford-benjamin-isherwood-scrapyard-2011-7?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+businessinsider+%28Business+Insider%29#ixzz1SIOjgsVW





****:mad: another example of why i won't listen to talk about 'shared sacrifice', cuts to programs, 'strengthen SS'...or any of the rest of it.

Thanks for bringing this to our attention, xchrom. This is just...geeze. :wtf:

PB

...millions of gallons of clean water, alone, were used in the creation of those vessels. The footprint of a thing, just looking at the water usage alone, is astounding. Not to mention the fuel used in the foundries or fabrication of all of the millions of other parts. It really does surpass my ability to imagine. I can only dimly ponder the shape of it, like a thunderhead on the horizon.

PB

Just look into the money pit that the Littoral class of ships is proving to be.

That's destined to be a truly epic waste of resources...

:patriot:

....a 600-ship fleet in his sights, and that meant bringing it a lot of oil. When Carlucci and the bean-counters started in on this dream, one of its staunchest defenders was Jim Webb (now D-VA), then Reagan's Secretary of the Navy...he resigned over the cutbacks.

The count today is somewhere below 280 ships.

...combined! We're #1! Yeah!!!

Tesha

It would be something if Sea Shepherd could snag these. 95% complete? They'd have that one shipshape by winter.
The other might take a little longer. That would give those whalers something to think about.

The Benjamin Isherwood on the left and the Henry Eckford on the right

of the crap buried in the DoD budget and never publicized