Service officials could decommission carrier
 

Under heavy pressure to find real cuts, Navy officials are seriously considering decommissioning a nuclear aircraft carrier halfway through its planned lifespan, two Pentagon sources confirmed.

George Washington's three-year-long refueling overhaul, scheduled to begin in 2016, would be canceled under the scheme, and the ship would be decommissioned as its reactor fuel ran out.

Along with the carrier, the Navy could also disband one of its 10 carrier air wings - a move which would save roughly as much money and people as cutting the ship.

Decommissioning GW would leave the Navy with a 10-ship carrier fleet, a move which would need to be approved by Congress. U.S. law currently mandates an 11-ship force.
Navy officials would not confirm or deny the story.


Article continues here

Thursday Oct 6, 2011 19:27:16 EDT

Ain't 10 carriers enough?

Of course! Ten carriers is plenty! Ten supercarriers is what's not enough

You'd think they were expecting the Spanish Inquisition


....

The Spanish Inquisition has been unexpectedly downgraded by Standard and Poor

Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition, apart from the people who were being Inquisited as they (apparantly) received a 30 day warning letter! :o

According to the elves at QI anyway.

What's it now? The Spanish Survey? :har:

Everyone with an interest in the UK should be so envious :doh:

No. The way I recall it is "Four in refit, four in training, and four in service."

Didn't like that idea to get rid of top heaviness in the ranks I guess. :D

Instead of decommissioning the George Washington, let's give it to Britain. They could rename it Admiral Woodward, and send it down to Port Stanley. When it wasn't overawing the Argentinians it could be covered with turf and be used to raise sheep. :D

Steve has it right on the money. Here is the post I made on this subject from DefenseTech:

Don't forget that out of three carriers only one is on station. One is in transit and one is in refit. Take the three oceans and you get 3x3=9 carriers minimum. US strategy calls for being able to fight two major wars and a contingency at any one time so in the theater of a major war there would be two carriers making it 3x3+2=11 carriers minimum to be able to fulfill our strategic plans with out "abandoning" another theater.

China's building their navy up at the exact time we're taking ours apart... Wasn't this the plot of a Tom Clancy novel?

No one expects the Chinese Acquisition. (formerly know as the Varyag). :D

We should just give the carrier to China, after all, aren't they paying for it anyways? :O: