USS Enterprise to retire

[Knight Templar]

Maybe they could hard dock the ship by drydocking it and pouring concrete around the hull. Then they could fill the offending spaces with concrete to seal the radiation hazard in.

I'm not sure what you mean. If the reactors are removed first, sealing the ship in concrete won't save much expense. If the reactors are left in... That would make the former warship a nuclear waste disposal site. Removing the reactors and rebuilding her as a museum would be cheap by comparison.

If they can preserve the world's first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus. Which is displayed pierside in the water. Then they could save the first nuclear-powered carrier. If the real reason is the bad economy, then mothball her until times are better.

Nautilus is about one-thirtieth the size of Enterprise and had a single reactor. And the longer the ship is mothballed, the more expensive to restore.



Justin

Nautilus wasn't in service for 50 years either.

It isn't just the reactors. It is all the engine related machinery that has been in close proximity to the reactors for decades and has itself become irradiated.

And it isn't like the U.S. or anyone else has any experience with mothballing or preserving a nuclear powered warship even remotely the size of the Enterprise.

 

[Patrick O'Brien]

Too bad there is so much contamination from the reactors. It would be awesome to see the ship become a museum. Do the sailors who worked in those areas suffer from major health problems?

 

[Knight Templar]

Too bad there is so much contamination from the reactors. It would be awesome to see the ship become a museum. Do the sailors who worked in those areas suffer from major health problems?

If I recall correctly, standard operating procedure is for U.S. sailors who work aboard a nuclear powered vessel in close proximity to the reactors wear radiation detection devices that monitor their daily total exposure to radiation. The readings are turned into the ships medical staff daily and if their exposure exceeds a certain level, they are reassigned. Some may be reassigned only for a certain period such as a week or a month, while if a sailor gets near a lifetime dosage of allowed radiation exposure he/she may be reassigned permanently.

It isn't like the old Soviet Navy that had basically a "fry till you die" mentality.

 

[Patrick O'Brien]

Thanks for the info Knight. It is very unerving to think about. I would hope they get extra pay for this health hazard?

 

[Knight Templar]

Thanks for the info Knight. It is very unerving to think about. I would hope they get extra pay for this health hazard?

I don't remember if they get hazardous duty pay or not. Note that ALL people that serve aboard U.S. submarines have to specifically volunteer for the assignment. They don't force anyone.

Don't think that has been true aboard nuclear powered aircraft carriers and the nine nuclear powered cruisers the U.S. used to have deployed.