Posted on 10/08/2009 4:39:13 PM PDT by sonofstrangelove
Russia, with financial and technical assistance from America, Britain, Canada, Japan, Italy and Norway, has been dismantling about 20 retired nuclear submarines a year, and plans to have 191 dismantled by next year. Up through the early 1990s, Russia had built nearly 260 nuclear ships (nearly all submarines). The end of the Cold War in 1991, left the Russians unable to keep most of those subs in service. Russian nukes were expensive to maintain, and many were not worth keeping in service (too noisy, too old, too many other flaws).
Most of the submarine dismantling was paid for by the U.S., which spent over $15 billion to implement the 1993 Strategic Offense Arms Elimination Implementing Agreement with Russia. Britain, Canada, Japan, Italy and Norway also contributed cash and technical assistance to this effort.
Throughout the 1990s, Russia only decommissioned 2-4 nuclear subs a year. Many nuclear subs were taken out of service in the early 1990s, although lots of older boats were being decommissioned in the late 1980s, before the Cold War even ended. That's because Russians tend to keep old weapons in service long beyond the time it's worth it. By the end of the 1990s, Russia had 150 decommissioned nuclear subs waiting to be dismantled. Russia hoped to complete dismantling these submarines by 2007, but things went much slower than expected, because there was no money. However, by 2000, things really began to pick, as 18 subs were dismantled in that year.
(Excerpt) Read more at strategypage.com ...
I agree.
Surprised they don’t sell them off to Iran.
Maybe Baraq needs to set up a Cash for Clunkers for submarines.
There was a special on Discovery Channel (If I remember correctly) that detailed the process of taking a Russian Sub apart...I saw it about a month or so ago.
So I get to pay 15 billion for the Russian navy to upgrade but I can’t pay 3 billion for the rest of the F-22 Raptors.
Is it time for Pitchforks yet?
The obvious goal of this “report” is to make Obama’s gutting of America’s defenses more palatable to the sheep who elected him.
It is interesting its from the Strategy Page which is very good on pro defense issues.
Radiation sickness.
You are correct. Radiation shielding was not big on the list on Russian subs.
15 billion to keep them from melting down at the dock. The russians could pay for it but why should they when idiots in Congress will.
>>> Old worthless ships that in the 90’s got replaced with brand new better ones!
Russian navy shipbuilding came to a virtual halt in that time frame. Even now for all their bluster, the Russians are able to add very few new hulls. The new significant ships added in the last few years were mostly authorized under the USSR, and had sat incomplete for years.
btt
Heck, I saw a documentary a few years ago where they take the subs they cannot use anymore, or for lack of a crew put to sea with...They run them up on a beach up some river in country, lock the hatches and let them rot...Those reactors are still hot...
They don’t give a rats...And the money we are pouring into them to clean that mess up is miniscule, and un-accounted for anyway...
If they don’t care, and we don’t care but throw an bunch of money at them to boot...
Like someone said up stream here a bit earlier...Why haven’t they sold a bunch of this crap to some of their useful idiots...
Makes it easy for us...We can sink them...It’d be good practice...
Yeah, thats the one I was talking about...They showed that one a few years ago...They recycle it to fill blanks in the programming that isn’t filled with doom and gloom do to the human parasite syndrome they keep flouting for the mush-minds out there...
Useful idiots at the press side, to make ANYTHING Obama + Gates do seem “correct” ...
But to support our own defense. Nah. We can’t pay for that.
I think that I saw it too.
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