A potential $1.5 Billion pricetag to recycle the USS Enterprise (CVN-65)

Safiel · 2018-08-06T21:47:41.613Z

https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/the-growing-global-threat-of-radioactive-scrap-metal/

This story from 2012 illustrates a potential issue. Bed, Bath and Beyond had to recall tissue boxes in January of 2012, due to contamination with Cobalt-60. That means every bit of the scrap emanating from the reactor area has to be scanned for radiation prior to going to the smelters. A relatively small amount of radioactive scrap could potentially render many tons of recycled metal useless.

mobiusptc · 2018-08-06T22:38:37.273Z

War, war never changes

WorldWatcher · 2018-08-06T22:52:02.546Z

.>

Excellent…

You win a cookie…

LOL

.>>>>

mobiusptc · 2018-08-06T22:54:40.448Z

Shoulda gone for the fancylad snack cake ;p

WildRose · 2018-08-08T05:37:37.715Z

Refit it as a Naval/Marine attack platform and put her back in service.

WildRose · 2018-08-08T05:38:41.512Z

Even steel drill pipe being pulled from the ground often shows low levels of radiation and has to be segregated.

Richard_Nielsen · 2018-08-08T05:41:38.774Z

I agree with the original post, pull the boxes, haul them over, and scrap the rest.

Safiel · 2018-09-21T02:21:16.078Z

Navy Times – 20 Sep 18

The Big E keeps costing the Navy big bucks

Officials announced Monday that the Navy will pay an additional $34 million to the Huntington Ingalls Newport News shipyard to keep mothballing the world’s first nuclear carrier and prepare its hull for towing elsewhere.

It just gets more expensive while the Navy waffles over how to proceed and they will likely waffle for several more years before reaching a decision. The Navy is forking over $34 Million more to keep the Enterprise’s hulk in mothballs and prepare it for eventual towing.

If the Enterprise ultimately goes to Bremerton, Washington for breaking, it is estimated that breaking and recycling won’t even begin until 2034 and take until 2044, due to the tremendous backlog of nuclear powered submarines awaiting recycling.

I still favor the idea of removing the reactors and sending them overland to Bremerton and towing the remainder of the hulk to Brownsville, Texas for breaking.

Krandor · 2018-09-21T02:26:27.449Z

I must be missing something but why can’t a decision be made until 2023?

Safiel · 2018-09-21T02:47:14.727Z

Krandor:

I must be missing something but why can’t a decision be made until 2023?

Basically, the Navy and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission are having a turf war over who is even in charge of recycling the Enterprise. That is what is delaying things so much.

Krandor · 2018-09-21T02:49:04.409Z

Safiel:

Basically, the Navy and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission are having a turf war over who is even in charge of recycling the Enterprise. That is what is delaying things so much.

Can’t we just put Jean Luc picard in charge of what happens to the enterprise?

Safiel · 2018-09-21T02:53:38.890Z

Krandor:

Safiel:

Basically, the Navy and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission are having a turf war over who is even in charge of recycling the Enterprise. That is what is delaying things so much.

Can’t we just put Jean Luc picard in charge of what happens to the enterprise?

I think I could put a group of Kindergartner’s in charge of disposing the Enterprise and they likely could make a better and faster decision than the government.

Krandor · 2018-09-21T03:02:14.417Z

Safiel:

I think I could put a group of Kindergartner’s in charge of disposing the Enterprise and they likely could make a better and faster decision than the government.

I have no issues with nuclear powered naval ships but honestly shouldn’t how you are going to dispose of them be something you think about when you build them to start with?

Safiel · 2018-09-21T03:05:39.988Z

Krandor:

Safiel:

I think I could put a group of Kindergartner’s in charge of disposing the Enterprise and they likely could make a better and faster decision than the government.

I have no issues with nuclear powered naval ships but honestly shouldn’t how you are going to dispose of them be something you think about when you build them to start with?

That is the stupidest thing actually.

They have known since the Enterprise was commissioned the year that it would be decommissioned. They should have been planning this YEARS ago. But no planning was done at all until the Enterprise was actually deactivated, de-fueled and decommissioned. Now that the time is upon them, they begin to try to figure things out.

Krandor · 2018-09-21T03:13:01.693Z

Safiel:

That is the stupidest thing actually.

They have known since the Enterprise was commissioned the year that it would be decommissioned. They should have been planning this YEARS ago. But no planning was done at all until the Enterprise was actually deactivated, de-fueled and decommissioned. Now that the time is upon them, they begin to try to figure things out.

I’m an engineer and that just seems like something you should plan for and not something that waits 5 years after the ship is decommissioned. That boggeles my mind.

Samson_Corwell · 2018-09-21T06:45:50.551Z

Safiel:

https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/the-growing-global-threat-of-radioactive-scrap-metal/

This story from 2012 illustrates a potential issue. Bed, Bath and Beyond had to recall tissue boxes in January of 2012, due to contamination with Cobalt-60. That means every bit of the scrap emanating from the reactor area has to be scanned for radiation prior to going to the smelters. A relatively small amount of radioactive scrap could potentially render many tons of recycled metal useless.

Oh, wow.

hindsight · 2018-09-21T09:36:25.888Z

WorldWatcher:

.>

Of course we could just park it near the capital and rename it Rivet City.

(Extra points to those that get the reference without Google.)

.>>>>

Hannity forum.

Hannity forum never changes…

Samm · 2018-09-21T10:16:38.955Z

Safiel:

If the government wanted to do it on the cheap, just tow the whole damn thing over the Mariana Trench and pump it full of torpedoes.

That was going to be my question as I read through the OP. Recycling only makes sense if it’s to save valuable resources (such as rare metals and other elements) and to save money over disposal at sea. The the ship would make a terrific dive tourist attraction in shallow water, but if it’s dangerous due to irradiated steel, they don’t need to tow it to the Marianas. There is very deep water just off Puerto Rico.

TheRedComet · 2018-09-21T10:23:11.871Z

Fallout!!!

TheRedComet · 2018-09-21T10:28:18.783Z

Wouldn’t that be even more catastrophically expensive than the break up procedure?

That would be funding that would have be taken from somewhere. And considering how stretched thin the Navy is with new construction (Columbia class ballistic subs, new flights of Arleigh Burke destroyers, the Ford class, and the Virginia class) is there even enough money to run a refurbished Enterprise?

Plus like Safiel said the first of the Nimitz class boats will start retiring in the late 2020s. Better we learn the lesson on how to scrap these types of ships now because those are going to be even more difficult and expensive.