New Pic of the San Francisco
(Intel Source: The Sub Report) Pacific Daily News has a story and new picture of USS San Francisco in drydock. Excerpts from the story:
"The Navy reports that a new large steel dome -- about 20 feet high and 20 feet long -- was installed in place of the damaged one.
"The Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard is overseeing the overall process, which involves personnel from Pearl Harbor, the Guam Shipyard and other local contractors.
"The release also states repair and damage assessment have been completed. The temporary repairs to the bow provide enough support for the submarine to move on its own power to another shipyard, where more extensive capabilities are available.
"However, a decision has yet to be made as to when the submarine will make its voyage, where it will go and what its final disposition will be. Also, no decision has been made on the next course of action for the submarine's crew."
Interestingly, the press released mentioned in the story hasn't been posted on the Naval Forces Marianas web site as of 2000 MDT. Here's the new picture:
Staying at PD...
posted by Bubblehead at 7:56 PM
4 Comments:
Nice drydock photo, Bubblehead. The temporary measure is awesome in swiftness despite the raft of underlying engineering, cost and value assessments required to plan a full repair. So, what comes next will be more interesting. I do not believe so much analysis has been done this fast.
The boat has been commissioned for about 24 years now, the LAWYERS in Congress have doubted that we ever needed it in the first place, and the submarine budget is tight, so I have to think the Navy is about to eat this boat. The Navy does not want this boat to be a sub museum (think San Francisco), but Pelosi and Boxer could insist on just that after 2008. There is a lot at stake with the 711. It could get dicey.
5/07/2005 10:53 PM
The current rumor is that the boat's new bow will come from the Honolulu when she decom's after next wes'pac. The analysis has been done that fast, this has been a priority project. The Navy has replaced entire bows before, IE the Parche, so it is not that hard. She has a new core and updated reactor plant that will last until the hull is deemed no longer submergible. They do not want to give up that core to decom. Nuff'said.
5/08/2005 5:25 AM
rebootinit, I am personally familiar with hull section replacement and cannot deny your rumor may be correct, (had heard USS Atlanta's) but how does one sell using a 19 year-old nuke's hull section as spare parts for a 24-year old sub? That may be the Navy's decision (and might even be the best one considering $88 million [the Navy's initial repair estimate] is $1 billion less than the cost of a new sub). But this horse has attracted way too much attention for the silent service already, and Congress will have some sway (watch "RINO" Sen McCain, for starters).
5/08/2005 10:52 AM
Since the boat has just been re fuleled, it might be more practical to transfer the reator core and all the updated sonar / navagation geat to a boat that is about to be decommisioned. Decom the SF, overhaul another boat insstead of retireing it.
5/08/2005 9:08 PM
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