Re: General Discussions
Reply #642 –
FMD, They just approved billions for an offshore windfarm in Bass Strait, how long will that last? The Navys of the world scrap billion dollars vessels each year because they can't solve "The corrosion problem" and they have been working on it for 200 years. The green dream public think they are going to build a forest of wind farms offshore and let them run for decades and decades out at sea providing green carbon free energy, when in reality they will need to be rebuilt or replaced completely on regular intervals. They'll barely get the carbon budget back from the processing of the materials they need let alone power anyone with decades of surplus green energy.
The HMAS Melbourne was launched in 1945 (as HMS Majestic) and was scrapped in 1982. The ARA General Belgrano was launched in 1938 (as USS Phoenix) and, after surviving Pearl Harbour, was still going strong in 1982 when its career was rudely interrupted by a torpedo from HMS Conqueror. HMS Belfast and HMCS Sackville were commissioned in 1939 and 1941 respectively and both are still afloat as museum ships. Then there's USS Blue Ridge, a relative newcomer as it was only commissioned in 1970, that is still operational as flagship of the US 7th Fleet.
We did foolishly buy two rustbuckets from the USN in 1994; HMAS Kanimbla and Manoora. Both were commissioned in the USN in 1971 and decommissioned from the RAN in 2011. Forty years isn't bad but it cost millions to keep those two serviceable.
Maintaining infrastructure in marine environments has its challenges but good design, materials and maintenance will result in decades of service. South Channel Light is a good example; built in 1874, it only began to deteriorate after the light was turned off in 1985 and maintenance stopped.