Enjoy your museum submarine while you can...

[Lance Dean]

I just received this from HNSA:
I have recently been advised by the Naval Sea Systems Command (NavSea) that they have recently responded to two ship museum organizations that requested financial assistance from the Navy for drydocking and necessary repairs.  In their response it was stated that the Navy is statutorily prohibited from providing direct financial assistance to any donated ship.  However, NavSea can provide technical support such as the review of towing plans and repair/preservation work packages, assistance in locating ship’s drawings, and the annual vessel inspections.  As many vessels have not been drydocked since they were donated by the Navy, in the near future NavSea will be sending a letter to each organization with a waterborne vessel donated vessel donated by the Navy requesting the organization’s plans for future drydocking and their fundraising plans for the cost of towing and drydocking, and these fund raising plans should include the cost of dredging. If there are no plans for or capability for indefinite preservation of the hull, then plans  must be developed for the ultimate disposal of the vessel at the organization’s cost.  The Navy will only consider the return of title/ownership and custody transfer back to the Navy’s inactive ship facilities if the donated vessel meets the safe towage requirements of NSTM Chapter 050, Section 9 found at www.hnsa.org/doc/nstm/ch050.pdf.

In my honest opinion, there is absolutely no way that all of the current museum submarines will survive another 50 years.

[Darrin]

Lance,
They ALL can survive IF there is money and land donated either to put cofferdams around the ones unable to be towed or pulled out of the water and put on dry land.

[Lance Dean]

To do the job on the Drum back in 2001 cost over $1.4 million alone.  And I don't think that included any maintenance on her.

[Mark Sarsfield]

Good thing that a few of them are already land-locked.  I don't think Batfish could come up with that bill.