NUKES

[Rickneault]

Well, heres the deal. I have been working for the past couple of months to find out if it is possible to get a retired nuke boat for a museum, and not on the East coast. It is possible, but Navsea makes it very difficult. On top of that, the local governments are making things more difficult by being dishonest in their dealings with the organizers.

I have been in contact with the group who has been working on obtaining the Narwhal. Their plan will cost about 80 million dollars to fully develop their center. This does not include the costs of any property. The conversion of the vessel alone will run an estimated 50 million and the Navy has agreed to cover about 23 million of that. The only part of the boat that will remain original is the forward sections just forward of the reactor compartment and the tail cone. The section that contained the reactor and the engineering spaces will have to be replaced with a hollow section. The boat would then have to be permanently mounted on a barge.

I met with the executive director fo the group and they have ruled out placing the Narwhal here in Sacramento. Due to the enormous cost of the venture, they do not feel we have the economic support for the project. Of course, I am really hard headed, so that has not deterred me. One of the primary requirments is for the Narwhal to be placed on a prime piece of real estate, for free. Good luck with that.

It is my opinion that due to the cost, it will be virtually impossible to do something like this without a MAJOR cash contributor/sponsor. As a former bubblehead and an American, I strongly believe that this project CAN happen. One of the biggest obstacles I have encountered is the attitude of defeatism in a very high majority of people. If people would do the research and learn what I have learned I think they would be more willing to try and make this a reality.

[chris]

THAT IS A LOT OF MONEY! NOT LONG AGO I HEARD THAT A GROUP IN CALIFORNIA WANTED TO TRY FOR THE USS LOS ANGELES WHEN IT BECAME AVAILABLE.LOOK AT THE FLEET BOAT MUSEUMS SUCH AS THE LING HAVING TO MOVE.I AM NOT SAYING IT CAN NOT BE DONE BUT HOW DO YOU COME UP WITH $80 MILLION MINUS WHAT THE NAVY KICKS IN.IS THE USS TRITON (BEACH'S OLD BOAT) STILL AROUND,THE DEAL TO TURN THAT BOAT INTO A MUSEUM WENT DOWN THE DRAIN.

[Rickneault]

The Triton just entered the dock in February for dismantling. I have not heard any more on that. I have heard that the interior was still in pristine condition as on the day she was decommed. I am surprised at the fate of the Triton myself. It was an important piece of history that is being tossed into the garbage can. As far as the money, it would take loans or a partnership with a city that could issue bonds. As far as the Nautilus, she is still under the control of the Navy and they get funding from the government. The Nautilus didn't have to go through the modification process either. Her reactor and everything else is still intact. A majority of the cost associated with this plan is the modifications that will be necessary.

What needs to happen is that the sub vets need to get organized and make alot of noise. They need to call their local representatives and push for something like this to happen. Other veterans organizations need to get involved too. The more people that are involved, the more help we would get from congress. The problem is that too many people are afraid or just too lazy to get involved. The idea of a nuke boat being on display causes the anti-nuke nutbags and anti-military nutbags to get their panties in a bunch. Then the vets groups get all scared and cower at the thought. I don't say this out of ignorance either. I have really tried to get these groups involved, but they just don't want to. The other problem is they just say it will never happen so they don't want to bother with it.

The main hurdle in this is MONEY. The legislation has been passed on two occassions and the only hold up has been the money and the location.

[Paul Farace]

Subvets get organized?   


They can't even get their act together to aid sinking sub memorials.

Sadly, what would be the point to a half-sub in the NARWHAL's case... having the forward section and nothing else?  NAUTILUS is at least intact with the exception of the reactor compartment.

I would say the best thing would be to have saved one of the Polaris boats (are the dockside reactor trainers intact as far as missile compartments go? Heard not... Only the French have the jewels to display one of their Polaris type SSBNs in Cherbourg.

My negativity is based on the reality of knowing what has gone on for the last 30 years in the ship memorial business and what can be done in the public sector. We have lots of Cold War boats languishing in decrepitude... CLAMAGORE to name one!  The subvets spent a crapload of money on a decapitated sail and a flower bed over a dirt ridge... that money might, IMHO, have been better spent on the CLAM.

USS DRUM almost made it to Mare Island, but the state legislators tossed in the towel and walked away from the dance only one more "rumba" from getting to home base... (at least that is what someone in the Government said.  But now Mare Island historic district is in financial trouble, so what would the fate of DRUM have been?  Too many of the WWII CVSs, BBs, and SSs are about to face the ugly music...

I would suggest turning your energies toward getting one of our Guppy fleet boats back from TAIWAN when they are done (soon?) with them!  That is as Cold War as it gets!

PF

[Rick]

The Razoback is the only one that can help here.  The US has never bought a vesel back from another nation until she came along.....

[Paul Farace]

Well, the USS CABOT CVL and the LST that motored it's way across the Atlantic were similar projects before Razorback. The Cabot rotted away in New Orleans while the vets fought each other over bragging rights... it was scrapped a few years later, unopened and a treasure house full of WWII stuff.

The LST is a success story, thankfully.  Win one, lose one.

PF