WmB wrote: : : Here in NC they're trying to raise 10 mil to get the USS North Carolina up : to Norfolk for repairs. : : : I always thought the state had purchased the old Showboat outright, but she : is in fact still the property of the USN. They inspect her on a regular : basis (this much I knew), and if she's not being taken care of they can repo : her. : I am not sure that the state would be any more benevolent than the USN is. I understand your point about "you're not taking care of her, so we will scrap/scuttle her!" - that is SO much better, how?
But, then, what do you expect from an organization that spends billions to build a floating airfield, and put 40 year old designs on it? For a very tiny fraction of the cost of those oversize toys, they could fund the maintenance of their battleships. : : BB-55 supplied hardware for the refit and supply program needed in getting : the Iowas back to sea in the 80s. Would have been pretty hard to do if she : had been cut into railroad spikes had the backward thinkers had their say. : Yeah, but, what has it done for them today? As long as it is a budget item on some tiny-brains spreadsheet, it will be in danger, sadly.
Bruce