| Submit your comments on this article |
| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| The Ghost Ships of Suisun Bay |
| 2011-07-23 |
| Apparently some enterprising photographers beat security to take photos of the "mothball fleet" north of San Francisco. Photo No. 3 -- the Iowa rusting away-- is especially sad. |
| Posted by:Matt |
| #9 OOPS, sorry, the above post is mine - looks like SKYNET-MATRIX was too slow today to properly change the name. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2011-07-23 23:56 |
| #8 That the US produced so many Tanks, Planes, + Ships, etc. during WW2 was a big part of how the war-damaged nations of Europe + Asia, Allied or Axis, were able to maintain post-war stability + econ recover. |
| Posted by: Glusort Hitler1574 2011-07-23 23:55 |
| #7 Mike, I hope you're wrong about the Iowa. I really do. At the least I bet someone IN Iowa would be able to take it in along the Mississippi River. |
| Posted by: Charles 2011-07-23 19:58 |
| #6 packed with asbestos Asbestos is generally only a health issue when it is inhaled as fine dust - its dust is very pointy and causes fine cuts and irritations to lung tissue, with scarring (and cancer, though I don't know why - Dr. Steve?) Sinking it in mud would seem a reasonable disposal solution, whether still in a ship or not. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2011-07-23 19:49 |
| #5 Meh- OK... I would assume that petroleum and oils have been pumped out, but I guess there is a lot of PCBs in the older ships as part of the wiring. They ended up doing a good job with the Oriskany reefing project in FL, so I hope they can do something constructive with some of these. |
| Posted by: Free Radical 2011-07-23 17:16 |
| #4 ..Almost forgot - don't count on Iowa ever becoming a museum. No matter who comes up with what kind of plan, it'll be nixed and she will probably end up sink-ex'd. Too many embarrassments associated with that brave ship. Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2011-07-23 16:55 |
| #3 Free Radical - Many of these ships were never properly prepared for decommissioning, and most of them are packed with asbestos. An accidental sinking - and as the USN's budgets have tightened, less and less money has gone for care and maintenance on the mothball fleet, so it's not out of the question - would be an environmental mess of the first order. Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2011-07-23 16:53 |
| #2 I wonder why the photographer thinks these ships are a 'great risk to the marine environment?' Sink them offshore and they will become home for thousands of happy fish. Maybe people just say that to sound weepy/lefty or something. |
| Posted by: Free Radical 2011-07-23 15:45 |
| #1 cool pics |
| Posted by: Frank G 2011-07-23 13:35 |