The US diesel boats were past their "use by" dates when they were scrapped or retired.
Bonefish had a catastrophic fire in port due to rusted out cableways and corroded wires. We had hydraulics so worn out that you could throw a cat through the accumulators (which was how we wound up on CNN)
and I know Darter leaked everything including freon into her bilges.
The problem wasn't replacing old parts, there
were no parts. The people who made those parts had all retired ten years earlier.
Blueback was going to be sold to (I think?) Venezuela until a mixed crew took her out for a test drive. To keep it short, our Navy was not impressed and cancelled the sale before she became a tragic news story.
Its the same as going to an aircraft museum and seeing the B-58 Hustler or the F-105 Thunderchief. People will wonder why the Air Force doesn't fly them any more and why they can't be just "fixed up". They belong to another era.
So, why not build new diesel boats? The Navy does't need them. The US Navy keeps the bad guys on
their side of the ocean by engaging with them "over there". So, coastal defense? Of what?
