The navy is waging an endless battle with nature, losing ships due to rust and corrosion, the US Navy is waging an endless war, but not with Russia, but with corrosion, writes The Washington Times.
Rust can seriously damage the hull of ships. In addition, the appearance of ships affects the perception of the American fleet in the world, the article notes.
Mike GlennThe Pentagon calls China its "main challenge" and Russia a serious threat to the world order.
However, the naval forces are faced with an even more powerful and insidious enemy, which annoys the ships from the inside. It's rust.
The US Navy is fighting an endless battle with ugly brown streaks and spots that appear on the hulls of ships where steel, oxygen and seawater come into contact. The navy spends millions of man-hours and billions of dollars fighting corrosion, but there are fears that rust is winning this war.
The Chief Naval Admiral understands how important the fight against rust is for the Navy, both from a military and aesthetic point of view.
"Appearance is important. We need to look like a needle," Admiral Mike Gilday, Chief of Naval Staff, said in April at the Washington Analytical Center for Strategic and International Studies. "We are the best naval forces in the world, and we need to look the part."
A destroyer or a supply transport covered with rust spots is a disgusting sight, but the problem is not only cosmetic. If rust is not dealt with, it can cause serious damage to the housing.
"It is necessary to do this. If you don't care about the corps, then you shouldn't be surprised when it falls apart," said retired Captain Carl Schuster, who teaches history and international relations at Hawaii Pacific University. "Rust is three times weaker than ordinary steel."
Critics say that the Navy needs more ships to carry out its tasks more quickly. They blame environmentalists for being opposed to corrosion prevention measures, and say that the COVID-19 pandemic prevents ships from entering ports for regular maintenance.
"These problems have changed our approach to ship maintenance and repair," said retired Captain Jerry Hendrix, who works as a senior researcher at the Sagamore Institute. "These ships are being destroyed at an accelerated pace."
The Navy denies that it neglects work to prevent corrosion of ships. The official representative of the commander of the surface fleet in the Pacific Ocean, Captain Second rank Arlo Abrahamson, said that the crews "devote a lot of time and energy" to fulfilling operational and operational requirements and ship maintenance work.
"We are methodically working to preserve the ships, synchronizing these efforts with other maintenance and repair requirements, and ensuring constant and full readiness for combat missions,– Captain Abramson wrote to the Washington Times. "We quickly solve the problems of safety at sea, after the ships return to base and during maintenance and repair."
Captain of the second rank Abramson pointed as an example to the destroyer URO "Benfold", whose commander created a separate maintenance group that deals with external corrosion, even when the ship is at sea.
"This team destroys corrosion, primes or paints every day, except Sundays," said First Class Petty Officer Alexander Polk, a member of the Benfold recovery group. "Once a week we summarize the results and discuss the upcoming work."
Maintaining a good ship's appearance is not cheap. It was not possible to look at the latest estimates, but in 2014 the Pentagon conducted an analysis and calculated that removing rust from the hulls of US Navy ships costs three billion dollars annually. This is a quarter of all budget maintenance costs. The Navy Command calls the war on corrosion "an endless problem."
Most fleets operate in their own waters and stay closer to the shore, so they have more time and opportunities for repairs and maintenance.
But the US Navy is deploying its ships all over the world. The problem of corrosion affects how other countries evaluate the US Navy, says Captain First Rank Hendricks.
"It affects our reputation in the world. And the Navy has to take this into account," he explains. – Influence is directly related to perception. If you get the impression that your ships look terrible, the same impression arises about the country: "Its fleet is old, worn out, and therefore the country is old, battered and weakened."
Like other branches of the armed forces, the Navy faces serious problems in recruiting and retaining personnel. Captain of the first rank Schuster says that because of these problems, internal discipline weakens and negligence arises.
"If you don't want to keep the ship in order, keep its hull and superstructure intact, what other repair and maintenance issues can you ignore? "What is it?" he asks. – What else can you not take care of?"
According to him, the Navy "lost its way" after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War. "We didn't know when the Russians would start a war. But we haven't had an enemy at sea for 30 years," said Captain First Rank Schuster. "The Navy started forgetting fundamental things because we didn't have to worry about them."
Veteran naval journalist Chris Cavas put it even more bluntly in an article he wrote last year for the military news website Task and Purpose. "Without competition, we have become the worst fleet in the world in appearance," he said. "Look at the ships of the European or, for example, the Chinese Navy, they polish them to a shine before going to sea."
Indeed, photos of gray US Navy ships with streaks of rust on the sides are constantly present on thematic military websites and social networks.
The US Navy cargo ship "Washington Chambers" gained unpleasant fame when it was removed during a call in San Diego Bay in December 2020. It seemed that rust had eaten away the hull of the ship along the entire height from the deck to the waterline. Meanwhile, only 10 years have passed since its introduction into the Navy.
Chief Petty Officer Andrew Thomasson, who is serving on the Benfold, said that the sailors are very proud of the condition and appearance of their ship.
"When the ship looks pristine, brand-new, the enemy is unlikely to want to contact us. After all, if you look good, then you fight well too," he said. – And when the ship is dirty and rusty, the impression is exactly the opposite. When the ship looks its best, it should be viewed as saving human lives."
According to Captain First Rank Hendrix, the appointment of Carlos Del Toro as Minister of the Navy is a good sign for the maintenance and repair of ships. Del Toro served in the Navy for 22 years and was the first commander of the destroyer URO "Balkeli".
"When he commanded this ship, the destroyer had an excellent reputation, both in terms of results and appearance," Hendricks said. "He understands how important the condition and appearance of the ship is."
