Growls

Business Insider reported on July 15, 2011 of “two Navy ships that cost $300 million (and) are headed to the scrapyard without seeing a day of service.” Here are added details according to Robert Johnson, who reported the story:

“Embroiled by legal battles for more than 25 years, two U.S. Navy ships are finally headed to the scrap heap without ever having sailed and despite the fact that they're almost completely finished.

“According to Hampton Roads, the USNS Bejamin Isherwood and the USNS Henry Eckford were commissioned in 1985 at the Pennsylvania Shipbuilding Co. to carry fuel to the Navy's fleet around the globe.

“When the company defaulted on its Navy contract in 1989 the 660-foot ships were sent to Florida for completion, but cost disputes terminated that contract in 1993.

“Since then, the vessels have sat 95 and 84 percent complete at the mouth of the James River as part of the mothballed ghost fleet.

“In 1997, the Navy cut its ties and British company Able UK considered re-commissioning them for international sale to a NATO country.

“Because they're single-hulled ships, not the double-hulls required of today's tankers, Able UK passed and instead took $10 million to scrap them along with two other ghost ships."

Scott Harper of the Virginian-Pilot started his July 15, 2011 story with some additional, but relevant background information:

“The Isherwood and Eckford were part of an 18-ship class known as the Henry J. Kaiser fleet of replenishment oilers, titans that carry oil for Navy vessels around the globe.

“They were the only two that went unfinished, and were part of a 1985 budget request from the Navy for three oilers for a combined $567 million, according to records.

“The two were built at the Pennsylvania Shipbuilding Co. in Philadelphia, which defaulted on its Navy contract in 1989. The ships were then sent to Florida to be finished. But disputes over costs and materials in Tampa led to the termination of that contract in 1993, according to records.

“The Navy thought about turning the Isherwood and Eckford into ammunition ships, but that proved too expensive. In 1997, three years after the ships had been mothballed in the James River ghost fleet, the Navy cut its ownership ties.

“Since then, the two star-crossed ships have sat idle in the middle of the James - until this week."

But I’m sure the government bureaucrats involved in this fiasco are collecting their pensions today. Afterall, you have to keep your priorities straight. On a positive note, congratulations to the Virginian-Pilot for being one of the very few mainline, daily newspapers for reporting on the demise of the two ships, and telling the story of how $300 million disappeared down the proverbial 'rathole.'

Here is one of the two ships, the USNS Benjamin Siherwood #191 (thanks to Wikipedia Commons):