PHILADELPHIA — The
decommissioned aircraft carrier Forrestal (AVT 59) is scheduled to begin its
final voyage Feb. 4, weather permitting, when it will depart Philadelphia on
its way to a ship dismantling and recycling facility in Brownsville, Texas,
Naval Sea Systems Command announced in a Jan. 31 release.
The ship will be
towed down the Delaware River, along the Eastern Seaboard, and across the Gulf
of Mexico to arrive at the All Star Metals facility. The best opportunity for
viewing the departure will be from publicly accessible areas along the Delaware
River.
The Navy awarded a
ship dismantling contract to All Star Metals of Brownsville on Oct. 22, and the
company subcontracted with Foss Marine Towing to tow the ship to its final
destination.
The first of the
“supercarriers,” Forrestal was launched Dec. 11, 1954, by Newport News
Shipbuilding and Drydock Co., and commissioned Sept. 29, 1955.
Forrestal was
decommissioned Sept. 11, 1993, after more than 38 years of service. On June 16,
1999, the Navy announced the ship would be available for donation to an
eligible organization for use as a museum or memorial. However, no viable
applications were received and the vessel was removed from donation hold in
December 2003 and redesignated for disposal.
In October, the
Navy competitively awarded a contract to All Star Metals for the towing,
dismantling and recycling of conventionally powered aircraft carriers. Under
the terms of the contract, the company will be paid $0.01 for dismantling and
recycling ex-USS Forrestal, which is the lowest price the Navy could possibly
have paid the contractor for the work.
The Navy continues
to own the ship until it has been fully dismantled. The contractor takes
ownership of the scrap metal as it is produced and sells the scrap to offset
its cost of operations.
Source: sea
power magazine 31 January 2013
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