USS Forrestal

[lindenbruce]

Hello all,

Well, it looks like All Star Metals of Brownsville Texas has bought the USS Forrestal aircraft carrier. I don't know where their breakers yard is at. Wouldn't it be nice if a bunch of the Texas dive clubs and shops rallied together and petitioned ASM to clean this carrier and sink her off a Texas coast as an artificial reef project and dive spot? She would be much better served in this fashion as compared to being scraped and turned into rice burner cars. Let her rest in dignity, not scrap.

Heck, here's an even better idea. How about BP chip in some dime to help with the effort as part of their gulf recovery project? That would make them a lot of brownie points with American's I'm sure. And those living around the gulf too.

It would be a win win for everyone. ASM would get to employ hundreds of workers on the project which would take several years I'm sure for the clean up. The ship itself would contribute to the local economy for decades where ever she would be sunk. A proud ship would live on. And I guess I could go on and on but you get the drift.

Any thoughts?

Bruce

 

[AfterDark]

I was told the purchase was $1.00. What happened to the 17Billion BP put up for the Gulf? Did the Feds take it all?

 

[lindenbruce]

I don't know. The article I read said .01 cent. But can you really fully trust the news anymore. It may have well been one dollar. As far as BP and the Feds go, who can say anymore. The Feds throw up so many smoke screens about anything and everything anymore it has all just become a bunch of BS. I don't think anyone can trust anything the Feds say any longer. B.

 

[digdug87]

It is a sad end for a grand ship. Unfortunately this will probably be the end for all the carriers that have been recently decommissioned. As I recall the article about the USS Forrestal mentioned that the Navy was still in talks with some groups concerning one or more of the Forrestal’s sister ships Ranger, Saratoga, and Independence.
Look at what has happened to the newer Kitty Hawk class of carriers. Of the four ships in the class, one was sunk as a live fire target, USS America, one is pending disposal, USS Constellation, one is decommissioned, USS Kitty Hawk, and the last one is on donation hold, USS John F Kennedy. I’ve read that the city of Boston and perhaps the State of Massachusetts were trying to come up with funds to meet the Navy’s requirements to turn her into a museum. The big expense is the up keep of these huge ships.
Look at what has happened to some of the other ships that have been made into museums. The Texas (BB-35) her hull was leaking enough that she sunk something like 3 feet at her moorings, and they had to pump out some 100,000 gallons of water. The Intrepid (CV-11) needed to be dry docked and have work done on the hull below the water line.
The idea of making an artificial reef is a great idea, but I doubt that any organization wants to even try to jump through all the regularity hoops that would need to be overcome. Also wasn’t there ban on using older ships for artificial reefs imposed not long ago?

 

[Bob DBF]

The cost of cleaning them up to sink for an artificial reef is enormous when the USS Oriskany was done in 2006 for $15.63 million and took 3 years. Since the Navy is responsible for the cleanup before sinking, I doubt if a rowboat would be prepared as an artificial reef now.

Creating Artificial Reefs Guidance | Habitat Protection | US EPA

Don't get me started on the museum ship problems.



Bob
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[Earl Grey]

I'd love to see her sunk as an artificial reef, but as noted above, not likely given the costs to do it. Could be a decent draw down in South Padre and a compliment to the Texas Clipper already out there. Much easier and cheaper to just scrap it though.

 

[lindenbruce]

My brother was on the JKF back in the 80's. My dad and I spent three days and two nights on her with my brother too. That was a real cool weekend. We boarded her in Portland Main and cruised down to Norfolk on a Tiger cruise. Got to watch flight ops one day too. Got a ton of pics. Some really cool pics on the fan tail from the hanger bay as planes were flying over to land. Oh yeah, the good old days. B.

 

[Akimbo]

… I doubt if a rowboat would be prepared as an artificial reef now.

Creating Artificial Reefs Guidance | Habitat Protection | US EPA…

Great link Bob, thanks. Wreck diving will be a lost art within a few generations. Outside of Bikini and Scapa Flow, there just aren’t many heavily armor plated ships that won’t be a pile of collapsed plate on the bottom soon. Modern metallurgy, welding, fuel cost, and warfare technology have made vessels that can hold up to long periods underwater a historic footnote. Dive them while you can lads, it won’t last forever.

 

[Doubler]

The major fire on board the Forrestal while she was on Yankee station off the coast of Vietnam lead to major changes in naval shipboard fire fighting and ammunition staging. She was a great ship that served her nation well. It is a shame to see her cut up but the cost of clean up is just too much. Now if a donor was to come up with say 20 to 30 million it could possibly be done but I seriously doubt it with the way the government overspends projects. ( like a certain unmentionable website contracted for 90 million but costing 600 million so far ). You could probably upgrade the Forrestal for what the overruns would be for the clean up.

 

[Akimbo]

She started her final voyage today under tow:

Scrap company buys supercarrier USS Forrestal for a penny - UPI.com

Scrapped for a penny: USS Forrestal, Navy's first supercarrier, begins final voyage | Fox News