Navy Names the Ships It Wants Scrapped as Congressional Protests Grow

[Sherman A1]

The Navy has announced the names of the cruisers that it wants to decommission as part of the latest budget proposal, as well as confirming that all the Freedom-class littoral combat ships -- including one that is less than two years old -- are headed for scrap.

A Navy spokesman confirmed that the five cruisers slated for the cut are: USS Bunker Hill (CG-52), USS Mobile Bay (CG-53), USS San Jacinto (CG-56), USS Lake Champlain (CG-57) and USS Vicksburg (CG-69).

A few of the cruisers named have been tossed around by the Navy before. The Bunker Hill's decommissioning came up as far back as 2017 while a Navy message announced the planned decommissioning of the San Jacinto and Lake Champlain last year. Unlike the littoral combat ships, the cruisers are a much older platform that have developed constant maintenance issues.

The Navy also confirmed that all of its Freedom-class littoral combat ships -- the USS Fort Worth (LCS-3), USS Milwaukee (LCS-5), USS Detroit (LCS-7), USS Little Rock (LCS-9), USS Sioux City (LCS-11), USS Wichita (LCS-13), USS Billings (LCS-15), USS Indianapolis (LCS 17) and USS St. Louis (LCS-19) -- are part of the 24 ships the service said it wants to scrap in a bid to save about $3.6 billion over five years.

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2022/03/30/navy-names-ships-it-wants-scrapped-congressional-protests-grow.html

[Strelnikov_]

1. "Freedom-class littoral combat ships -- less than two years old -- are headed for scrap"

What the holy flying ****. There's $4.5 B down the toilet.


In early September 2016, the first four vessels of the LCS program were announced to be used as test ships rather than being deployed with the fleet.[24][25] This includes Freedom and Fort Worth. In February 2020, the Navy announced that it plans to retire the first four LCS ships.[26] On 20 June 2020, the US Navy announced that all four would be taken out of commission in March 2021, and will be placed in inactive reserve.


U.S. Navy Plans to Retire Troubled $4.5 Billion Warships After Less Than a Decade

https://time.com/6165382/navy-retire-freedom-class-lcs/

[Demovictory9]

14. plus 1

[Backseat Driver]

2. In light of recent events, perhaps we should not be in a huge hurry to

actually "scrap" these cruisers ourselves (Does that mean chop up?) - Might they have yet one more useful mission? What type of platform "constant maintenance issues" do these vessels have?

[Strelnikov_]

4. ..

The House Armed Services Committee on Tuesday grilled Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Army Gen. Mark Milley, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on the proposal.

U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Virginia, suggested the ship cuts were “grossly irresponsible” when the U.S. Navy has dipped from 318 ships to 297, while the Chinese fleet has grown from 210 to 360 ships over the past two decades.

Milley said it’s important to focus on the Navy’s capabilities rather than the size of its fleet.

“I would bias towards capability rather than just sheer numbers,” he said.

[Celerity]

3. the Rethugs will use this to lie and call Biden and all Dems weak on defence, the fuckers

[Gore1FL]

5. No need to double-down on a bad investment.

It's a shame they built so many before they realized.

[Emile]

6. Back when I was in the Navy I was aboard one of the first Guided Missile Cruisers.

USS Albany CG10. It was a heavy cruiser they converted into a guided missile cruiser! You would think they could save us tax payers our money and refit some of these ships instead of decommissioning all of them.

[keithbvadu2]

8. Talos?

[Emile]

11. RIM-8 Talos missiles (fore and aft) and a RIM-24 Tartar missiles (port amidships)

[keithbvadu2]

12. Was on two double ender DLGs, later called CGs. Terrier.

Was on two double ender DLGs, later called CGs. Terrier.

Was up on the signal bridge watching aft missile shoots down in the Caribbean.

One sat on the rail and then fizzled. A little bit of smoke came out and then it swiveled forward.

We cleared the signal bridge in record time.

[Emile]

13. Oh damn!

[Nevilledog]

7. Send a couple to Ukraine

[Angleae]

9. They don't have anyone to crew them.

The Ukraine navy is only 6500 people (and that was before the war started).

[Kid Berwyn]

10. USS Lemon Contractor System

It’s welfare for billionaires and a dating service for millionaires.