USS Enterprise to the scrap yard.

[popper]

1960-2012
http://wtkr.com/2013/06/18/uss-enterprise-to-go-on-final-voyage-for-inactivation/

[2ndAmendmentNut]

Kind of sad to see a piece of history turned into scrap rather than a museum.

[Bzcraig]

Kind of sad to see a piece of history turned into scrap rather than a museum.

I thought the exact same thing! She is history. Was she not the FIRST nuclear powered ship?

[felix]

Probably wise, until they find a way to take out the reactors without "spilling" any of the remaining hot stuff. That is years from now, and that has been the major complaint about nuclear power since day one: how to get rid of the reactors (cores) which will remain "hot" for centuries. ... felix

[oldred]

That may be sad but scrapping the WWII Enterprise was shameful if not downright criminal! That grand old lady fought in every major naval battle in the Pacific and was a MAJOR factor in our victory at Midway, she was hit and damaged several times and many crewmen were lost in the various battles she engaged in. She even fought when so severely damaged she could only launch planes but not recover them but then at the end of the war she was rewarded for her heroic actions by being sent to the scrap yard. That Enterprise was the true ship worthy of saving and I seriously doubt we as a free people owe more to any ship that has ever sailed in our fleet than what we owed that grand old lady that did so much and fought so hard. We should be ashamed of what we did to her.

[country gent]

Yes she was history and made history, She should have been docked and displayed as such ( even if to hot to safely board) she could have been docked of shore and viewed from a distance, binoculars spoting scopes or the ones on stands like they have in sevral areas, and people would could remeber her contributions, the honorable men who made her what she is / was. History needs to be remembered as it was not as they want to make it. By scrapping her history can be slowly re wrote to what they want. Unfortunatly this is true with alot of things. The vetrans who manned her and fought in the war are becoming fewer and fewer every year now, wont be long and there will be no "first hand " accounts or memories of this ship or WW2.

[Rick Hodges]

I thought the exact same thing! She is history. Was she not the FIRST nuclear powered ship?

No she was not the first....the USS Nautilus was launched in 1954. She was a sub, but still a ship in every way.

[Ed Barrett]

I thought the exact same thing! She is history. Was she not the FIRST nuclear powered ship?

The First U.S. Navy nuclear Powered Surface Ship was the USS Long Beach CG(N) 9. I'm A plank owner. There were nuclear Submarines in the Navy first and The SS Savanah
(a cargo ship that was a flop) But the Long Beach was the first nuclear powered surface warship. I had some good times on the "Nucky Nine".

[Char-Gar]

I am guessing they will bring her down here to be cut up. We have five "ship breaking" firms at the Port of Brownsville and 70% of the scrapped ships in the world are cut up here. They have already cut up many US and foreign warships including flattops.

[wch]

That may be sad but scrapping the WWII Enterprise was shameful if not downright criminal! That grand old lady fought in every major naval battle in the Pacific and was a MAJOR factor in our victory at Midway, she was hit and damaged several times and many crewmen were lost in the various battles she engaged in. She even fought when so severely damaged she could only launch planes but not recover them but then at the end of the war she was rewarded for her heroic actions by being sent to the scrap yard. That Enterprise was the true ship worthy of saving and I seriously doubt we as a free people owe more to any ship that has ever sailed in our fleet than what we owed that grand old lady that did so much and fought so hard. We should be ashamed of what we did to her.

Yer Dammed right, OLRED!

[1500FPS]

Yes it is a shame, but we can't make all of them museums. I believe the ones that are, are publicly funded.

I'm glad they didn't scrap the USS Missouri because it helped defeat the aliens in the movie Battleship! [smilie=1:

[dmize]

That may be sad but scrapping the WWII Enterprise was shameful if not downright criminal! That grand old lady fought in every major naval battle in the Pacific and was a MAJOR factor in our victory at Midway, she was hit and damaged several times and many crewmen were lost in the various battles she engaged in. She even fought when so severely damaged she could only launch planes but not recover them but then at the end of the war she was rewarded for her heroic actions by being sent to the scrap yard. That Enterprise was the true ship worthy of saving and I seriously doubt we as a free people owe more to any ship that has ever sailed in our fleet than what we owed that grand old lady that did so much and fought so hard. We should be ashamed of what we did to her.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

[starnbar]

There has been a capital ship in the USN named ENTERPRISE since we had a navy there will be another one that being said I'd rather she was taken out in the Atlantic and scuttled instead of being cut up for scrap.

[DeanWinchester]

I understand the sentiment for these war vessels but at the same time, you can't keep ALL these things. The scrap value alone is huge. WHat I don't understand is why they can't be demilled and retrofitted into a new job. You telling me people wouldn't pay to take a voyage on it? I know it's still sea worthy. A couple million in renovations and that sucker could be touring the virgin islands. What safer way to "dispose" of that reactor than to just keep it running???

[felix]

I agree! No telling how many cargo bins can fit on top of that thing. Besides, they are going to leave mega billions (yes: "B") of equipment for destruction in Afgan when they leave. ... felix

[wallenba]

Take it apart, reassemble in Vegas. Make into casino/hotel. Sillier things exist there. Seriously though, it's a shame to render that history into soup cans and such.

[ddaniel1]

A real shame, it was my first ship. Went through the Suez Canal on her in 1986

[shdwlkr]

You want a ship that deserves to be saved I can think of only one!!

http://news.yahoo.com/photos/uss-constitution-sails-again-slideshow/

Her name says it all

[Jamesconn]

It could be saved. Why not auction it off I'm sure some rich person would buy a floating airstrip. Or it could be a cruise ship. It would be better built than the other ones.

[DeanWinchester]

Those nuclear reactors could power a city. Why not pull it in a port city and plug up an extension cord? Use the rest for a really cool shopping mall. How many vendors could set up on deck?
Restaurants and shops. All the while, powering people all over the city.

This is a dumb waste.

[10-x]

Sad end for "The Big E", just like the WWII one, damn shame. The WWII Enterprise should have been a National Memorial for the US Navy in WWII, so much for the thinking of the powers that be.

[Jammersix]

What will they do with the dylithium crystals?

[Lloyd Smale]

scrapping it is no doubt saving the taxpayers a ton of money. Im sure part of that contract is disposing of the hazardous stuff. Yes she was a grand ship but not even in the same catagory as the first one. I know ill get slammed for this but ill say it anyway. Scrap it and save us taxpayers a few bucks on building her replacement which by the way this world is going will probably end up seeing 10 times the action.

[btroj]

I agree Lloyd.

We can only use so many "museum" pieces. Those cost money to maintain.

[dragon813gt]

I agree w/ Lloyd. I realize it's history. But at the end of the day it's a mass of metal. Scrap it and move on. No disrespect to any the lost their lives and served on the ship. But we can't afford to save them all.

[Dale in Louisiana]

Many people don't realize the HUGE costs it takes to keep something like this from just rusting away over time, much less keeping it in a condition suitable for use as a museum.

The folks trying to keep the USS Texas (BB35) (http://www.usstexasbb35.com/introduction.htm) open can tell you something.

Remember, the government paid multiple millions of dollars a year to keep her going this long. In private or non-military government control, she's be a nightmare.

In a somewhat related note, one of the offshore oil companies donated a complete offshore platform to the city of Morgan City, Louisiana. The politicians, most of whom had never worked on anything like this, thought they'd accepted a gold mine. Many of the population, men who'd spent their lives trying to keep one from rusting apart into the Gulf of Mexico, knew otherwise. Now the city is a possessor of a huge white elephant. And compared to an aircraft carrier, an offshore platform is tiny.

dale in Louisiana

[Bad Water Bill]

Ask any AIRDALE that has served in a CV if they would pay $1,000 for another ride on one OR $1,000 for a ride on a cruise ship?

On a CV you sleep 4 high and about 6' from the folks across the aisle. Privacy is non existent and there is 0 menu choices.


Did time on a WW2 canvas bunk,2 3" poles separate you from the guy next to you,no AC on it. And a more modern one with AC.

Still had water hours on both of them.

In 1956 they were restoring Old Ironsides. Many of the nails that were pulled were stamped in to commemorative coins. The holder of the coin was supposed to be able to visit her an NO CHARGE as long as you can produce the coin.

[Petrol & Powder]

What will they do with the dylithium crystals?

I don't know? but they seemed to be an almost constant source of trouble :D

[oldred]

No doubt scrapping the nuke Enterprise is the right thing to do. Maintenance on something like that would be prohibitively expensive even with the reactor removed and the ship just sitting at static display. As far as using it for a cruise ship or cargo ship or any other purpose that would keep her under power that's just a non-starter and no one short of the Government could afford the up-keep on that aging reactor, never mind the technical and legal quagmire of private ownership of a nuke reactor -that is if such a thing is even possible which I highly doubt! The bottom line is several, or even a fleet, of cargo or cruise ships could be operated for the staggering cost of keeping that old aircraft carrier under power so static display would be the only option and even that would be an enormous expense.



The old WW11 Enterprise could have and should have been saved because we owed more to her for our freedom than even the old sailing ship Constitution. Just read the history of the Enterprise (WW11) and it's just mind boggling to me that the idiots in power at the time would even consider sending her to the scrap yard, admiral Halsy pleaded with the Government to save her and even tried to organize a group dedicated to saving her but in the end the money tush-hogs won out and we as a nation. lost her because she was worth a big profit to a few as scrap. She's gone now and nothing but a memory, shame on those greedy people!

[shooterg]

We'll probably eventually get the metal back from China in the form of cheap tools....

[1500FPS]

Those nuclear reactors could power a city. Why not pull it in a port city and plug up an extension cord? Use the rest for a really cool shopping mall. How many vendors could set up on deck?
Restaurants and shops. All the while, powering people all over the city.



This is a dumb waste.

Because the tree huggers, and seems Washington, are against nuclear power would be my guess. The current administration is stuck on solar and wind power which we know just isn't going to cut it.

[deces]

Probably wise, until they find a way to take out the reactors without "spilling" any of the remaining hot stuff. That is years from now, and that has been the major complaint about nuclear power since day one: how to get rid of the reactors (cores) which will remain "hot" for centuries. ... felix
Could always let them cook off and fly around like in Fukushima Japan, and then respond by raising the safe radiation limit by 100% world wide again.

[AricTheRed]

Man I am one boolit castin' nerd. I was releived however whrn it was not NCC-1701 that was going to the scrap heap!

On the other side, I agree that the WWII Enterprise should have been saved, I'd also like this one to be saved as well 'cause my sister wet herself sitting in the "Captains" chair up on the bridge. Being able to visit the ship again would be cool, even if she didn't wet the Captains chair again!

[Hardcast416taylor]

Yeah, real valuable to scrap her! What`s scrap steel going for now.....something like .12 a lb.? I think we ought to build lots more moslem mosques to take her place!Robert

[Lloyd Smale]

Bill id pay a grand to take a ride on my old ship in a heart beat but it would cost alot more then that if you had to figure how much to get it back seaworthy and underway. Youd have to pack 1000s on board paying that ammount and the ship i was on is a museam ship. I cant imagine what it cost to get a carrier NUKE fueled and in condition for sea but Id bet your going price for a ride would be well over 10 times that ammount and even at that price youd better have a pile of fellow sailors that want a ride. Just think about the salarys of enough guys to operate it. there not sure not cruise boats. It would be cool though. My wife is constantly trying to get me to go on a cruise. I tell her no way! I lived on one for 3 years. But id surely pay good money to go on a cruise on my old ship or even a carrier or even destroyer!
Ask any AIRDALE that has served in a CV if they would pay $1,000 for another ride on one OR $1,000 for a ride on a cruise ship?

On a CV you sleep 4 high and about 6' from the folks across the aisle. Privacy is non existent and there is 0 menu choices.


Did time on a WW2 canvas bunk,2 3" poles separate you from the guy next to you,no AC on it. And a more modern one with AC.

Still had water hours on both of them.

In 1956 they were restoring Old Ironsides. Many of the nails that were pulled were stamped in to commemorative coins. The holder of the coin was supposed to be able to visit her an NO CHARGE as long as you can produce the coin.

[popper]

A memorial, no, to remember her and her crews, yes, thanks for their service. Same for the last one. Yup Long Beach was first, convoyed with her many a time. Even a 4 screw steam turbine @ flank can't keep up with nuke ships. It's just a technology change, but she served well. Didn't think there were that many swabies on the board. Yes, scrapped on the WC, closer to china. IIRC, the only nuke carrier that could fit through the old canal.

[twotrees]

What y'all don't understand is those reactors are made of Stainless steel that after 50 years it looks like foam inside. I had the job of testing the Last Survey sample from the Shippingport reactor, when I worked at Westinghouse. When the tests were done, Shippingport was decommissioned and removed. That was the First Civilian Reactor and Dwight D. Eisenhower, then President started it with a key from the White House. The neutron's in the reactor smash into anything in their way and the steel gets hole in it (Real little ones to start), over the life of any reactor they just keep growing. As they sit right now, they are of no danger to anyone, it's just that their active life is done (Those reactors were built at Westinghouse,Bettis Division) To leave them there would be a mistake, so removing them and burying them at Hanford (Former Westinghouse site) is the only thing that can be done with them. In reality, all they did was make steam, in a loop that was NOT exposed to the radiation of the reactor. I'm sorry to see her go too, but it only makes sense to get those worn out reactors out of there.
TwoTrees (12.5 years Westinghouse R&D, 28 years at Ga Tech Fracture Mechanics Lab.)

[Jammersix]

The old WW11 Enterprise could have and should have been saved because we owed more to her for our freedom than even the old sailing ship Constitution.
I disagree. We don't owe anything to the ship, nor would the ship care. Don't anthropomorphize the Enterprise. She hates that.

[dkf]

Take it apart, reassemble in Vegas. Make into casino/hotel. Sillier things exist there. Seriously though, it's a shame to render that history into soup cans and such.

I say pull the mechanical stuff out that may be hazardous and clean it up. Then take it to a land lot in DC. Make it mandatory that the congressmen and senators stay there while working in DC. As private residences for them in DC will no longer be tax deductable. They can sleep in the quarters many have had to for years. Maybe give them some perspective on things.

[Bad Water Bill]

I say pull the mechanical stuff out that may be hazardous and clean it up. Then take it to a land lot in DC. Make it mandatory that the congressmen and senators stay there while working in DC. As private residences for them in DC will no longer be tax deductable. They can sleep in the quarters many have had to for years. Maybe give them some perspective on things.

That is a great idea. It would reduce the political gene pool by 3/4 in a matter of 3 weeks or so.

On the other hand how about some of the surplus tents left behind in the sand box.

Now that would really help them understand the price of freedom. Start the new housing project 1-01-14.

[dkf]

On the other hand how about some of the surplus tents left behind in the sand box.

Where do you think their DC offices will be.:D



The steel hull of the ship will offer some protection from bullets. Gods knows in DC you can always use protection from flying bullets.(because the strict gun laws are working so well and all)

[MOcaster]

This makes me sad. But I wonder if there is any lead we can have?

[Bad Water Bill]

Where do you think their DC offices will be.:D



The steel hull of the ship will offer some protection from bullets. Gods knows in DC you can always use protection from flying bullets.(because the strict gun laws are working so well and all)

That was the reason I chose tents.

Living in CROOK county believe me I really appreciate how well all of those gun laws work.

How about passing 3 more gun laws? That should speed up the cleansing of the political gene pool by about 25%:bigsmyl2:

[David2011]

The First U.S. Navy nuclear Powered Surface Ship was the USS Long Beach CG(N) 9. I'm A plank owner. There were nuclear Submarines in the Navy first and The SS Savanah
(a cargo ship that was a flop) But the Long Beach was the first nuclear powered surface warship. I had some good times on the "Nucky Nine".

Ed,

Thanks for the memory. I remember cruising by the N.S. Savannah on my Dad's fishing boat when she was in port in Galveston when I was a teenager. She was light at the time and the screw was exposed including most of the hub. I was awed at the size of the 5 blade screw, both the diameter and the surface area of the blades. She was a beautiful ship; much more graceful looking than current cargo vessels.

David