USS The Sullivans Taking on Water

I’ve been watching this today. There is a time lapse show of pictures watching it slowly sink. Started just listing and now the water is up to the main gun mounts. If they don't do something soon it’ll be on the bottom by tomorrow.
 
All of these vessels are in trouble. The Cassin Young, in our own harbor, isn't doing much better.

These ships were always expensive to maintain when in service, and that expense rises over time even as the revenues decrease. The nonprofits that fund these things just don't have the resources.

And? Bottom line? These ships were not meant to be afloat for 70 years. That's just the sad truth.
 
This is a great song done by a band called Caroline’s Spine, rock band, did this tribute to the Sullivan’s Story, think they did this in the 90’s. The music might be a little harsh for some, but the words to it, is one of those really powerful stories that can make your arm hairs stand up sometimes.


View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi8wMWInVFs
 
All of these vessels are in trouble. The Cassin Young, in our own harbor, isn't doing much better.

These ships were always expensive to maintain when in service, and that expense rises over time even as the revenues decrease. The nonprofits that fund these things just don't have the resources.

And? Bottom line? These ships were not meant to be afloat for 70 years. That's just the sad truth.
The Cassin YYoung is funded by the National Park Service. Don’t know about The Sullivans. If anybody hasn’t been to the Cassin Young I highly suggest it. That tiny little shop took 2 direct Kamikaze hits amidships and still kept going. Awesome history right in our backyard👍🏻
 
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The Cassin YYoung is funded by the National Par Service. Don’t know about The Sullivans. If anybody hasn’t been to the Cassin Young I highly suggest it. That tiny little shop took 2 direct Kamikaze hits amidships and still kept going. Awesome history right in our backyard👍🏻
"According to the consultant, making the Cassin Young seaworthy enough to remain afloat for another half century would cost as much as $18.7 million. That’s nearly double the entire annual operating budget of the National Park Service in Boston."

-Phil Primack, 28 August 2011

That was written over a decade ago, the last time the ship was in drydock. That 18.7 million is the equivalent of almost 24 million today. For just one measly destroyer. And since then, the NPS system has added a slew of national parks (which need to be funded at a higher level than previously, since they weren't "parks" then) and revenues have been going down.

These ships need CONSTANT maintenance, and costs are rising. I love these ships and I've always enjoyed visiting them (you're right that it's WELL worth a visit!), but there will come a point where it just flat-out costs too much. These things weren't meant to be in the water this long.
 
"According to the consultant, making the Cassin Young seaworthy enough to remain afloat for another half century would cost as much as $18.7 million. That’s nearly double the entire annual operating budget of the National Park Service in Boston."

-Phil Primack, 28 August 2011

That was written over a decade ago, the last time the ship was in drydock. That 18.7 million is the equivalent of almost 24 million today. For just one measly destroyer. And since then, the NPS system has added a slew of national parks (which need to be funded at a higher level than previously, since they weren't "parks" then) and revenues have been going down.

These ships need CONSTANT maintenance, and costs are rising. I love these ships and I've always enjoyed visiting them (you're right that it's WELL worth a visit!), but there will come a point where it just flat-out costs too much. These things weren't meant to be in the water this long.
Well that sux. The Japs couldn’t take that ship out but our budget cuts can.
 
Well that sux. The Japs couldn’t take that ship out but our budget cuts can.

Yeah. It's too bad, but there's a bunch of surplus ships around the coastal USA that just don't have any kind of support. Cassin Young is better off than most, in fact: it's got a naval shipyard nearby and some taxpayer funding. Most of the rest of these, including The Sullivans, just can't possibly keep up with any kind of maintenance.

So... if Cassin Young is that bad? Imagine how much worse a lot of those other ships are. See them while you can. The "solution" seems to be to sink them into concrete. Putting them on blocks makes them sag, and keeping them in the water makes them rust. But that's a lot of concrete and a lot of real estate, and someone's got to pay for it.
 
Yeah. It's too bad, but there's a bunch of surplus ships around the coastal USA that just don't have any kind of support. Cassin Young is better off than most, in fact: it's got a naval shipyard nearby and some taxpayer funding. Most of the rest of these, including The Sullivans, just can't possibly keep up with any kind of maintenance.

So... if Cassin Young is that bad? Imagine how much worse a lot of those other ships are. See them while you can. The "solution" seems to be to sink them into concrete. Putting them on blocks makes them sag, and keeping them in the water makes them rust. But that's a lot of concrete and a lot of real estate, and someone's got to pay for it.

It’s interesting in that the USS Midway in San Diego is a floating museum as well. Wonder what kind of preemptive course they follow so it doesn’t end up sinking one day.
 
It’s interesting in that the USS Midway in San Diego is a floating museum as well. Wonder what kind of preemptive course they follow so it doesn’t end up sinking one day.

It will. They all will.

But an aircraft carrier in California will ALWAYS be a much, much bigger draw than a destroyer in Buffalo. You can rent out the Midway to show movies or host big-ticket events, and I think the NCAA holds competitions there.

The moneymaking is just in a different league. Of course, so is the maintenance. That's why the money will eventually run out, sadly. But it'll probably take awhile; the Midway is much more stoutly built than The Sullivans. Few naval ships were built more rapidly or cheaply than WWII destroyers; they weren't meant to last more than a couple decades.
 
Those are the last CVs most likely to be kept around. The Navy has been refusing to allow the nuclear stuff to be preserved
 
All of these vessels are in trouble. The Cassin Young, in our own harbor, isn't doing much better.

These ships were always expensive to maintain when in service, and that expense rises over time even as the revenues decrease. The nonprofits that fund these things just don't have the resources.

And? Bottom line? These ships were not meant to be afloat for 70 years. That's just the sad truth.
not sure why these ships need to "float" in retirement?
There used to be a ship in boston harbor, next to anthonys rest,

1650197405075.png


it sat on concrete blocks. The SS Peter Stuyvesant.
Did fine until the blizzard of 78
 
not sure why these ships need to "float" in retirement?
There used to be a ship in boston harbor, next to anthonys rest,

View attachment 604808


it sat on concrete blocks.
That's one solution, but over time it causes another problem: the hulls are designed to have uniform pressure applied to every point, not just to a few points where the blocks support the keel. So it causes bulges in the hull as the weight of the superstructure pushes down on it while the water isn't supporting it.

This all takes decades, of course.

The "preferred technique" seems to be to sink the whole ship in concrete that can support the hull like water can. That's expensive, but I think it's permanent if it's done right. And it eliminates a lot of future maintenance. The drawback is that it needs a lot of space, and it "doesn't look right."
 
these ships are cool to visit.
but hell, they take too much $$$ to keep floating.
i think most of them might better serve a purpose at the scrap yard.
these military history museums should think twice before grabbing onto a huge one!
get a few PT boats and keep them inside and dry!

OT: i was down in charleston sc, and just saw the Hunley.
it is still inside a huge bleach tank where they are using electrolysis to de gunk it. has been in there for years.
talk about a huge expense. it was cool.
 
these military history museums should think twice before grabbing onto a huge one!
get a few PT boats and keep them inside and dry!

That would be like honoring Charles Lindbergh with a balsa kit plane and not the Spirit of St Louis. Or the Apollo Astronauts with an Estes Rocket model kit.

This particular destroyer was chosen due to the five brothers that gave their lives. Maybe a bronze statue of the brothers when the ship does finally reach its end.
 
I made a donation to help the Ship. You can choose to support the whole park or a individual vessel at the park.
 
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