Rust on the ships of the US Navy is a more terrible enemy than Russia or China. Rust on American ships was reported in the publication of The Washington Times.
"The Pentagon has branded China a "constant rival" and Russia an "acute threat," but it seems the US Navy is facing an even more formidable and insidious challenge — rust. (...) Some even fear that rust is winning this war," the newspaper writes.
It is noted that a destroyer covered with rust is more noticeable at sea. Also, rust on ships casts a shadow on the image of the US Navy. Retired US Navy Captain Carl Schuster noted that rust reduces the strength of the ship by a third.
In 2014, the Pentagon estimated that the cost of removing rust from the hull of one Navy ship is three billion dollars a year.
In November 2021, The Drive compared the rusting ships of the US Navy at the Norfolk base with the ships of the USSR Navy in the days after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
