A two-year project to
dismantle and recycle the decommissioned U.S. Navy vessel USS Ranger (CV-61)
has recently concluded.
Ordered in 1954 and
commissioned in 1957, the Ranger was the first U.S. carrier vessel built as an
angled-deck ship from inception. She served in the Pacific, the Indian Ocean
and the Persian Gulf, and earned 13 battle stars for her service in the Vietnam
War. During her 37 years of service, she also appeared in blockbuster films
such as Top Gun and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.
After her arrival on July
12, 2015, the Ranger was dismantled for recycling in Brownsville, Texas, at a
metal recycling yard operated by International Shipbreaking, part of the EMR
group. The dismantling project, which has taken just over two years, has
recovered and recycled over 56,000 tons of material from the Forrestal-class
“supercarrier”, with most of the recycled metal recovered sold to be melted
down at domestic mills. Some of the repurposed new metals will be used in U.S.
Department of Defense contracts.
Remaining recycled materials
from the USS Ranger will also be given a new lease of life, as over five tons
of historic items from the ship have been donated to the USS Lexington Museum
in Corpus Christi, Texas, for display and preservation.
The dismantling project was
completed on November 1, 2017, 34 years to the day since a fire broke out
inside USS Ranger Main Machinery Room 4 (MMR4), claiming the lives of six U.S.
Navy sailors and injuring 35. A moment of silence was held at 9:50 a.m. by the
crew at the yard as the final section of the USS Ranger was removed to honor
all those who served on the ship. All artifacts from the MMR4 Control Room have
been donated to the USS Ranger Association for use in a museum exhibit honoring
the six servicemen who perished during the 1983 fire.
The recycling operation has
also enabled veterans and military enthusiasts to own a piece of naval history,
with a USS Ranger commemorative dog tag being minted from brass and copper
recycled from the mighty ship. Engraved flight deck sections are also available
for purchase on the company’s eBay store.
Chris Green, International
Shipbreaking COO, commented, “The USS Ranger has a distinguished record of
service to our country, and we were honored to give her the respectful send off
she deserves. We have a long history of dismantling military vessel, and have
invested heavily in our Brownsville ship-breaking facilities to ensure our recycling
processes are safe and environmentally sound. Even though the Ranger’s journey
as a US Navy vessel has come to an end, we’re proud that she will continue to
serve her country and live on to honor her brave crew.”
International Shipbreaking
has recently taken delivery of another distinguished military vessel, the USS
Independence, following a contract win with the U.S. Navy to dismantle and
recycle the aircraft carrier.
Source:
marine
link. 22 November 2017
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