Image source: topwar.ru
The aircraft carrier has been decommissioned in 2017. Now the naval forces of the United States are exploring options for its dismantling, not deciding how to do it is to send "last journey", as this process is time consuming and is very expensive.
Flagship carrier, has received the designation now ex-USS Enterprise, was at the shipyard in Newport news, Virginia, since its functional use of naval forces was over.
The world's first nuclear aircraft carrier that was launched in 1961, and it remains the longest warship ever built. Its radioactive fuel, electronics and defensive weapons have been removed, but what is left is almost 75,000 tons of steel and other metals in the body, plus eight reactor units.
To leave an aircraft carrier where he is now is only one of the four alternatives that the Navy is considering for the future of the enterprise. Other options imply that he will be disassembled and recycled.
The use of naval forces, the work can cost more than $ 1.3 billion and take more than 15 years. On the other hand, the preferred alternative is to allow the dismantling of private business. According to the document about the environmental impacts (EIS), published in August and is currently open for public comment, the preferred alternative would save the government more than a billion dollars to complete the project in just five years.
If this option is selected, the ship will be towed to a private shipyard or in the HAMPTON roads, Virginia, or in Brownsville, Texas, or in mobile, Alabama. His eight reactor units will be dismantled for packing several hundred small containers and sent to licensed waste dump in Andrews, Texas, Clive, Utah, or Aiken, South Carolina.
In this case, the recycling process will be governed by more than three dozen Federal laws or regulations including the law on the national environmental policy act, the atomic energy Act, clean water Act, endangered species act, the coastal zone management act and the control of toxic substances.
The U.S. Navy left the draft EIS available for public comment until October 3. Thus, citizens are given the opportunity to Express their wishes and support one or the other option for the future of the enterprise. The Navy will hold two virtual public meeting on the issue on Tuesday, September 20 and Thursday, September 22. However, according to the American press, from the citizens in the end it is unlikely that it will depend.
