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God help us, they call the new ship the "prius of the Navy"
Oct 22, 2009 4:44 PM
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Leave it to the Obama draft dodgers to tag a US Navy Amphibious Assault Ship with the nickname of a sissie little car (prius) that can't get out of it's own way. The brand new LHD8 USS Makin Island is touted as a "green" ship meaning that she will use less diesel fuel per cruise because of a so-called "electric plant that powers auxilaries" rather than steam. How long the "electric plant" lasts in a salt water environment is anybody's guess. Wouldn't it have made more sense to use a nuclear power plant like the Subs and the Carriers so it wouldn't use any diesel fuel?
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Re: God help us, they call the new ship the "prius of the Navy"
Oct 22, 2009 5:29 PM
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Subs use Diesel Electric engines too, in fact those tend to be stealthier than their nuclear powered counterparts.
The LHD-8 uses 2 turbine engines of a type that are in use in the Spruance, and Kidd class Destroyers as well as the Oliver H Perry and Ticondoroga classes.
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They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.
Benjamin Franklin
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Re: God help us, they call the new ship the "prius of the Navy"
Oct 22, 2009 5:59 PM
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So, the diesel electric power of the USS Makin is nothing new, just a re-design of the conventional diesel engine and hyped by the administration in a shoddy attempt at making some sort of a claim of "green ships". What a bunch. With the success of the nuclear power-plants of the super-carriers and the Subs why not use nuclear energy in a big ship like the Makin?
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Re: God help us, they call the new ship the "prius of the Navy"
Oct 22, 2009 7:00 PM
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The combination of the diesel/gas turbine and electric motors probably cost less than the nuclear powerplant and steam turbines.
That's what the Navy was looking at when it ordered the Makin.
Keep in mind, none of the Makin's sister Wasp class ships use nuclear power.
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They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.
Benjamin Franklin
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Re: God help us, they call the new ship the "prius of the Navy"
Oct 23, 2009 8:36 AM
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The Wasp was commissioned 20 years ago and I see the Boxer is on the same list. If it's the same Boxer I was on (LPH4 at the time) it was a rust bucket 40 years ago. Maybe I'm beating a dead horse but if the US wants to manufacture energy efficient ships it seems to me that nuclear energy is the way to go at least for the larger ships. I guess the point is that the Obama administration needs the propaganda of energy efficient ships even if the hype is disingenuous.
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Re: God help us, they call the new ship the "prius of the Navy"
Oct 23, 2009 10:39 AM
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The Boxer from 40 years ago is certainly not the one in service today. LPH-4 was a converted Essex-class carrier of WWII vintage; I believe she just missed getting into combat. There was also a Wasp in the Essex class, though she remained a CV/CVS until decommissioned in the 70s. The navy frequently reuses names, especially of ships which have distinguished themselves. Boxer dates back to a British brig captured by USS Enterprise in the War of 1812 in a fierce battle which included both captains being killed; they were buried side by side when the two brigs reached port, somewhere in New England (Portsmouth, NH?). Boxer served in the USN for a time, and in the 1830s two new schooners were named Enterprise and Boxer.
I've also thought the Navy should make more use of nuclear power; to start with at least two nuclear cruisers for each CVN. As it is their mobility is constrained by their escorts; the only real benefit of nuclear power is carrying more aviation fuel.
I was on USS Saipan (LHA-2) in 1981 when President Sadat of Egypt was assassinated. Our amphibious ready group, then at Suda Bay, Crete, were the closest US ships and were ordered towards Egypt in case of...who knows what? war? evacuation? Anyway our three little amphibs were mighty uncomfortable. Nimitz with two CGNs was making a port call at Venice and steamed 1200 miles in 36 hours to join us - boy, were we happy to see them come up on the link!
Apparently the procurement and life-cycle costs for nuclear don't work out, even with saving a lifetime of oil and the tactical benefits.
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Re: God help us, they call the new ship the "prius of the Navy"
Oct 27, 2009 10:08 AM
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Sorry but I cant locate a direct link to the Navy or any government body that suggested this new ship should be called the "prius of the Navy". Please help, I would like to see who made the statement.
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Re: God help us, they call the new ship the "prius of the Navy"
Oct 27, 2009 2:21 PM
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Please help? Google up "prius of the Navy and see what you come up with. Headlines that will gag you like ""Green Ship Makin" and "Cleaning up poluted harbors with greener ships". I'm sure the nickname wasn't the Navy's idea. Most likely it came out of the Obama ministry of propaganda.
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Re: God help us, they call the new ship the "prius of the Navy"
Oct 27, 2009 2:30 PM
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I did "google" it up. And could not find any direct connection to that title made by anyone in either the Navy or the adminstration.
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Re: God help us, they call the new ship the "prius of the Navy"
Oct 27, 2009 6:10 PM
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It's a nickname created by the media. The captain of the ship was interviewed on Fox and he agreed with the concept. Of course he would have to agree if he wanted to keep his job. It's all BS. The diesel technology that powers the ship is nothing new. The only thing new is the Obama administration's determination to pretend that the US is in the process of creating a "green" Navy. The radical left can feel good about funding the Military and the moderate left feels good and maybe they will keep voting democrat. That's what it is all about.
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