USS Mobile Bay (CG-53) and 3 other Navy Ships In Maintenance Trial

As Rough As It May Seem,It's Still Steady As You Go...


The life-cycle management activity will take its cues from a pilot program in which NavSea contracted with inspectors from the American Bureau of Shipping to determine the material age of four warships.



The destroyer USS Ross(DDG71), which was commissioned in 1997 has been inspected already. Although Navy officials hadn’t yet reviewed the report, they hope it will explain whether the ship has 12 years’ worth of aging and corrosion. Every cruiser and destroyer must serve for its full life of 35 years if the Navy is to reach its goal of a 313-ship fleet, officials say.

The other three ships in the trial program are the dock landing ship USS Germantown(LSD42) — which already has started its inspection — the cruiser USS Mobile Bay(CG53) and the frigate USS Taylor(FFG50). The Navy expects all four reports, which together will cost about $2 million, by this summer.