How do you scrap an aircraft carrier?

[Feuer Frei!]

Well...like this:

The Royal Navy's former flagship, the HMS Ark Royal, is to be towed to a breakers' yard in Turkey.
The first step is to find out what hazardous substances are on board.
Up to two months can be spent carrying out a more detailed environmental survey, after which "windows" are cut to provide ventilation...

And so on...

SOURCE (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22513349)

[Jimbuna]

Shocking...the Mod didn't even have the decency to have her create employment by scrapping her here in the UK :nope:

[Herr-Berbunch]

Shocking...the Mod didn't even have the decency to have her create employment by scrapping her here in the UK :nope:

I'm surprised the pikeys hadn't already had the majority of her!

[bertieck476]

Shocking...the Mod didn't even have the decency to have her create employment by scrapping her here in the UK :nope:

This is probably to do with getting permission to do it in this country, there was a huge amount of opposition to Able UK scrapping some American warships in Hartlepool some years back.

[Stealhead]

It may have something to do with environmental regulations and what t costs to safely scrap a large ship.I notice that most ship scrapping operations are in 3rd world countries.In Bangladesh you can just beach the thing and send in guys with cutting torches and plasma torches worker safety and environmental concerns be damned.

Not to say that such a way of doing things is right.

Another possibility is that they sold the ship to the highest bidder and in this case it happens to be a Turkish company.When a ship is written off it has no value short of the steel and copper inside it and whoever bids highest gets it.It only takes a few weeks to a few months to break up a ship for scrap anyway a single operation it is not really a big job generator directly the opposite of actually building a ship.

[Jimbuna]

I'm surprised the pikeys hadn't already had the majority of her!

After reading your post I decided to see what the urban dictionary definition of 'pikeys' had to say..................:har:

[Jimbuna]

This is probably to do with getting permission to do it in this country, there was a huge amount of opposition to Able UK scrapping some American warships in Hartlepool some years back.

It didn't stop them scrapping Clemenceau - with 1,000 tonnes of asbestos :o

[Fincuan]

Better late than never eh?

About a week ago I had the privilege of meeting the old lady on her way out at the Strait of Gibraltar. She was being towed by this fellow (http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/fi/shipdetails.aspx?MMSI=373163000). The towing combination was oriented westwards, probably because of the strong easterly current that prevailed.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-VtKO047Mli0/UbOLOqQWbrI/AAAAAAAACRQ/v0I9vc4ncI0/w1117-h629-no/WP_20130529_008.jpg

[Catfish]

I wonder whether creating an artificial reef using a carrier with some tons of fuels and asbestos left, would be a better idea :
http://yahoo.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-05-17-ship-reef_x.htm?csp=1

[Stealhead]

Yeah I suspect that the wanted to create a spot to attract divers and sport fishing.So they did not want to take the time to make the thing truly safe before sinking.Like it says at the bottom of the article they wanted the money it would generate.Who cares what it does to the water and fish right?No way that claim that it will 100 years for it to slowly seep is true.

There was some TV program about the USS Spiegel Grove with that one they did clean it up before they sank it.

The truth is that they did have an effect on the area.(Second and Third paragraphs) Oops. https://sites.google.com/site/whathappenedatavoca/is-the-ship-safe/what-is-the-case-for-pcbs-on-the-ship/the-uss-oriskany-experience

[Tribesman]

This is probably to do with getting permission to do it in this country, there was a huge amount of opposition to Able UK scrapping some American warships in Hartlepool some years back.
Is that because at the time they applied for permission for those ships they were already facing a couple of prosecutions by Hartlerpool Council for illegally dumping asbestos?:hmmm:

[Spiced_Rum]

I would rather see the warship put into a dry-dock or beached and used as a Royal Navy museum. I think the US have one in New York?

Even if HMS Ark Royal became a floating hotel somewhere in the UK (but definitely not sold to China, because the last one they purchased has been re-commissioned as a warship to give them blue water capability).

[Tribesman]

I would rather see the warship put into a dry-dock or beached and used as a Royal Navy museum. I think the US have one in New York?

The Intrepid is well worth a visit, however it took a huge outlay to put it in place and requires lots of money every year to keep it open.
Its all a matter of cost, can you see Cameron stumping up the cash and then keeping the cash flowing in?