Archived material Access restricted Article
Rantburg

Today's Front Page   View All of Sun 03/11/2012 View Sat 03/10/2012 View Fri 03/09/2012 View Thu 03/08/2012 View Wed 03/07/2012 View Tue 03/06/2012 View Mon 03/05/2012
1
2012-03-11 Home Front: WoT
'The Big E' makes final voyage
Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.
Posted by tu3031 2012-03-11 00:00|| || Front Page|| [4 views ]  Top

#1 ...Sadly, there's no way around this especially as Enterprise's reactors - ancient Westinghouse A2Ws - are not in good shape and have had some problems in recent years that would absolutely preclude any possibility of opening her up as a museum.

Mike
Posted by Mike Kozlowski 2012-03-11 07:47||   2012-03-11 07:47|| Front Page Top

#2 Well,
Is it too late to sink the Enterprize in the Iranian part of the straits of hormuz with the old reactor primed for meltdown ?
That would give the mullahs a foretaste of things to come and a little whiff of their own medicine.
Posted by Elder of Zion 2012-03-11 08:03||   2012-03-11 08:03|| Front Page Top

#3 Would they sink her as a reef?
Posted by john frum 2012-03-11 08:15||   2012-03-11 08:15|| Front Page Top

#4 tree huggers would probably bitch abput it being a reef since it had nuke reactors during service and scap metal is too high.
Posted by chris 2012-03-11 10:25||   2012-03-11 10:25|| Front Page Top

#5 That's a good argument for sinking her as a reef, chris. ;-p
Posted by Barbara 2012-03-11 10:29||   2012-03-11 10:29|| Front Page Top

#6 So why spend all the $$ for that really long tow to WA? aren't there other shipyards or breaker's yards closer??
Or perhaps it could founder under mysterious circumstances and become that unscheduled reef....
Posted by USN, Ret. 2012-03-11 12:21||   2012-03-11 12:21|| Front Page Top

#7 Unfortunately nuclear ships cannot be used for reefs as the enhanced radiation in their steel is too high.

The Russians dumped expended nuclear reactors in the Arctic ocean along with a huge amount of radioactive waste. The Swedes about had a heart attack over it when they found out.

There was even a suggestion that the US could take one of its overbuilt Los Angeles class submarines that it was mothballing, and instead de-mil it, give it a bottom hatch like the Seaview, and use it to entomb such things with a huge amount of underwater concrete, working in concert with a surface cargo ship.

It would be noisy as hell underwater, but it would no longer need to be stealthy, so would mostly run on the surface.
Posted by Anonymoose 2012-03-11 12:24||   2012-03-11 12:24|| Front Page Top

#8 yeah, that and... Look! Gozirra!
Posted by Frank G 2012-03-11 13:25||   2012-03-11 13:25|| Front Page Top

#9 I didn't mean to say that the Enterprise should be hauling garbage. I meant to say that should be hauled away AS garbage!

Posted by Mizzou Mafia 2012-03-11 16:21||   2012-03-11 16:21|| Front Page Top

#10 The diesel generators are used as backup generators for nukepower plants.
Posted by BigAl 2012-03-11 18:04||   2012-03-11 18:04|| Front Page Top

#11 As one ENTERPRISE ends, the technology for another develops ... ...???

* DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > [Space.com] USAF X37B MARKS ONE YEAR IN ORBIT | AIR FORCE'S MYSTERIOUS SPACE-PLANE SURVIVES ONE YEAR IN ORBIT.

The Brits still have their britches/panties in a wad oer the costs + need for the new QE-class CVF - I STILL WOULD RANTHER SEE THE US GIVE THEM THE ENTERPRISE ANDOR A NIMITZ(S) THAN TO SEE 'EM SUNK AS REEFS. I imagine the USDOD-Navy would prolly choose a NIMITZ as testbed for all-purpose, BattleSpace-centric "Motherships".
Posted by JosephMendiola 2012-03-11 22:25||   2012-03-11 22:25|| Front Page Top

#12 Sure got Our money's-worth outta that big, hot puppy. Not even a china syndrome meltdown over the decades...How could that even be?
It's just not "fair"!
Posted by Jusomble Whinens3272 2012-03-11 23:44||   2012-03-11 23:44|| Front Page Top

23:53 Jusomble Whinens3272
23:44 Jusomble Whinens3272
23:36 Jusomble Whinens3272
23:26 Pappy
23:06 Richard Aubrey
22:54 crosspatch
22:52 JosephMendiola
22:46 Jusomble Whinens3272
22:35 JosephMendiola
22:28 RandomJD
22:25 JosephMendiola
22:06 George Ebbeamp4828
22:02 JosephMendiola
21:50 trailing wife
21:41 trailing wife
21:31 trailing wife
20:40 trailing wife
20:32 SteveS
20:16 Nimble Spemble
20:06 vendaval
19:41 Steve White
19:37 newc
19:36 Redneck Jim
19:34 JosephMendiola









Paypal:
Google
Search WWW Search rantburg.com