The first thing the Americans have cut nuclear cruiser - these creatures has long infuriated the sailors their inadequate value and eternal concerns about their radiation safety. Wherein, icebreakers have been no real benefits, except for a meaningless "unlimited autonomy of fuel supplies". At first, autonomy of the ship is determined not only fuel reserves, Secondly, by the action in the squadron disappear all difference between the nuclear-powered ships and ships with conventional GEMs.
"Long Beach", 'Beinbridj', "Trakstan" - the old trough without regret sent for recycling. The same fate awaited the more modern "California" and "South Caroline" - despite the, it would seem, normal age (20-25 years), their fighting qualities fully depreciated to the beginning of the 90s. Modernization recognized unpromising - to the scrap!
But worst of all was the part with "Virginia". Four fi structure with nuclear reactors and powerful weapons, capable of non-stop 7 times round the Earth and shoot the enemy "Tomahawks" and anti-aircraft missiles long range anywhere in the world. All four of them are very young: "Texas" was only 15; the oldest - "Mississippi", barely 19 years. In this case, the resource cruisers were designed for 35 years - to 2015 of the year! but, neither young age, or "nuclear heart", or preparing a proposal on the modernization and installation of "Aegis" system did not save nuclear "Virginia" on the plight: in the 90's they were all in a landfill.
Nuclear-powered missile cruiser "Arkansas", type "Virginia"
Shredded its nuclear cruisers, Americans are not satisfied, and continued with renewed vigor to clean "Augean stables" of its fleet: It hung on the balance of a huge amount of rubbish, which the, despite regular modernization, already unable to cope properly with the tasks assigned to it.
18 escort cruisers "Leahy" and "Belknap" (the oldest was over 30, the youngest - 20 odd years), 46 ASW frigates of the "Knox" - all for scrapping! Some lucky frigates, they were sold to foreign navies, where they serve to date. The rest lay on the seabed with the punched sides (shot on exercises) or were simply butchered in the dock for scrap.
ABOUT! What is it? Missile destroyers, "Charles F. Adams », in the ranks twenty-three units. year built? Top 60 x. Conversation short - for scrap! Along with "Adams" was expelled from the Navy of their peers - 10 missile destroyers type "Farragut".
It was the turn of honored veterans. Within a short time of the US Navy left 7 aircraft carrier. Six of them - the old ships like "Midway" and "Forrestal", another - a relatively new aircraft carrier "America" (type "Kitty Hawk"). At the time of cancellation of "America" it was only 30 years - sheer nonsense by the standards of aircraft carrier ships, which usually serve for half a century.
The reason is simple amazing longevity of aircraft carriers: their main and only weapon - Wing, yourself updated every ten to fifteen years without any change in the ship design. Alternate generation of fighters and bombers, but the platform carrier remains the same (not counting the local work on the replacement of the radar, systems of self-defense or the installation of new air conditioning in the compartments of the personnel).
Because the old aircraft carrier "Midway", laid back during the Second World, what little inferior to their modern counterparts - based on their decks the same multipurpose fighter F / A-18 "Hornet". Aircraft carrier "Midway" served 47 years, and it was written off immediately after the victorious return from the Gulf War (1991 year).
At least a long life lived "Forrestal" - all four ships went to be scrapped in the period from 1993 – 1998 gg., when they were executed by 40 years.
Aircraft carrier USS America (CV-66), flooded in 2005 g.
Command Center aircraft carrier "America"
Only, less fortunate, It was an aircraft carrier "America". Super ship full displacement 80 000 tons became the innocent victim of reducing the US budget. Despite the relatively young age, conserve resources and high fighting capacity, "America" was forever excluded from the US Navy.
Aircraft carrier 9 years rusting in a landfill, finally, at 2005 it was decided about its sinking. Despite numerous protests about the inadmissibility of such a "recycling" of the ship, who "bears the name of the nation", 14 May 2005 g. "America" brought to sea with full holds explosives and ... "The explosion of the ship", Aivazovsky, oil painting, Feodosia art gallery.
SPLIT carriers, conveyor death turned toward the battleships. Four swinger full displacement under 60 000 tonnes, Armed to the teeth 406 mm cannons and cruise missiles "Tomahawk", Now it's your time!
Large "J" - the battleship "New Jersey"
Battleships type "Iowa" served under the Stars and Stripes half a century, but, Despite its venerable age, even in the 1990s maintained their incredible potential. In 80 years on the battleships installed modern air defense systems and a full set of radio-electronic systems. The possibility of installing computers combat information management system "Aegis" and vertical launchers with hundreds of cruise missiles. Universal shock ship, encased in impenetrable shell thickness 300 mm steel - bronepoyas "Iowa" is not penetrated by any modern anti-ship missiles. In fact, built in the 1943 year battleships, Even after half a century, remained one of the most formidable warships in the world!
Fortunately, pink dreams of American admirals were not realized: Congress has not allocated funds for modernization and life extension of battleships. All four "Iowa" went together to rust on ship graveyard. A few years later an agreement was reached about the transformation of battleships into museums, at the moment they can be seen on eternal parking in Pearl Harbor, Philadelphia, Norfolk and Los Angeles.
Despite the well-deserved fears, associated with the "resurrection" of the American battleships, Most experts agree, it is unlikely. Even limited modernization of "Iowa" in 80 years as the cost of new construction of four Aegis cruisers. We can only guess, in what amount "will fly" conversion of "Iowa" in the modern "missile and artillery battleship" with "Aegis" system - apparently, easier to build a new nuclear aircraft carrier.
Battleship "Wisconsin" on an eternal trick in Norforlke
copied 117 ships: nuclear missile cruiser, frigates, destroyers, battleships and aircraft carriers, Americans are not satisfied - ahead was still a lot of work. Firstly, should put in order "minonosnye force": appearance Aegis-type destroyer "Arli Berk" instantly devalued still "fresh" the destroyers of the "Spryuens" - in spite of the general principles for design and fully standardized tools and weapons, no CICS "Aegis" never left "Spryuensam" no chance of continued survival. * Thirty-five ships of this type went for scrapping (as an option - it is flooded as targets).
"Spryuens" - a special series of destroyers of the US Navy, similar in function to the Soviet large antisubmarine ships. The main advantage of "Spryuensa" - unprecedented anywhere before standardization and unification with the ships of other classes, as well as its huge modernization potential. The main drawback of "Spryuensa" - the lack of air defense zone, Destroyer has been focused exclusively on the implementation of anti-shock and functions as a part of AUG. This is his undoing.
*The attentive reader will be surprised strange numbers: because the number of constructed "Spryuensov" exactly equal 31. But it is worth remembering, that they were further built on their base 4 the destroyer (podsyeriya 'Kidd'), are even more powerful weapons and modern electronics. Often there is an opinion, that in the 80 years destroyers "Kidd" type were the best in the world. All of them 1998 It was sold to Taiwan.
Destroyer URO type "Kidd"
As a result - the US Navy lost 35 destroyers. Together with the "Spryuensami", in the 1990s, part of the US Navy left yet 15 modern type frigate "Oliver X. Perry ". Some of them are sold in Turkey and Egypt, butchered on a metal part. The reason for writing off - poor performance at an inflated cost of operation.
No less massive upheaval occurred in the US submarine fleet: during the period 1995-1998 gg. cancellation undergone 11 multipurpose nuclear submarines of the "Los Angeles" (and in Russian - "Moose"). All of them new - at the time of cutting of the age of most of them was only 15 years!
Americans include "Los Angeles" to the class of «fast attack submarines», what, in reality it means "submarine-chasers". The main objectives of "Moose" - a cover carrier battle groups and areas of deployment of strategic missile submarines, the fight against the enemy submarines. "Moose" are known for their reliability and low noise. They are very mobile (submerged speed up 35 knots), are modest in size and serious weaponry, including 12 "Tomahawk" missiles. Atomic "Los Angeles" still form the basis for the US Navy submarine force.
Together with 11 new boats and sailors got rid of their predecessors - 37 multipurpose nuclear submarines of the "Stedzhen" (built in the early 70s), and removed from combat duty 12 strategic submarines of the "Benjamin Franklin" (all to cut metal).
The events described above have taken place during the period 1990-1999 city, when the weakening of the threat posed by the Soviet Union, Americans decided to reduce its naval arsenals. According to my modest estimate, at that time the US Navy lost time 227 warships: big and small, obsolete and is still quite modern.
The largest fleet in the world
According to the figures of dry statistics, at 1989 , the displacement of all the ships of the Naval Fleet of the USSR on 17% higher than a displacement of the US Navy. Hard to say, way in which this figure was obtained counting, but even visually noticeable, as was the mighty Soviet Navy.
of course, to assess the strength of the total tonnage of the fleet is highly incorrect. As part of the Russian Navy also was a lot of obsolete equipment:
- patrol boats, etc.. 35 etc.. 159 (It was built in the early 60's);
- the post-war destroyers project 56;
- old missile cruisers, etc.. 58 etc.. 1134;
- outdated BOD etc.. 1134A (peers American cruisers "Belknap");
- "singing frigates", etc.. 61 (analogs destroyers type "Charles F. Adams »);
- artillery cruiser etc.. 68-bis (hello from 1950!);
- trawlers etc.. 254 (the most massive type of trawlers in the world, built with 1948 by 1960 gg.);
- ships measuring complex "Siberia", "Sakhalin", "Chukotka" (former ore carriers, built in 1958 city)
- diesel submarines, etc.. 641 (built in the 60s);
- nuclear submarines of the first generation, etc.
For the maintenance of all of the junk was required mass of material resources, while by the end of the 80's, he could not solve any of the tasks set before the fleet. The only intelligible explanation of the phenomenon of exploitation of hundreds of useless ships - overstaffing, and, Consequently, Increasing the number of positions admiral. Not hard to guess, that all these ships "breathing its last" and ready to ship for scrap, regardless of the political and economic situation in the country.
With regard to the sad history of Soviet aircraft carriers, the untimely death TAVKR been programmed even at birth. For unclear reasons, no one bothered to structure the appropriate coastal infrastructure for their home - TAVKR whole life stood on the roads, spending "in idle" precious resource of its boilers and generators. As a result, they have developed a resource to three times faster than planned. The ships were pointless ditched their own hands. Very sorry.
The final point in their careers put restructuring: at 1991 he was withdrawn from service the main deck of the Navy aircraft of domestic Yak-38, wherein, adequate replacement for him was found. Supersonic "vertikalka" Yak-141 was too "raw" to start serial production, and that, to land on the short deck of heavy aircraft fighter Su-33 It was not even a question.
In view of the above,, before Soviet aircraft carrier opened three perspectives: Chinese naval museum, Indian light carrier or go to South Korea to scrap.
Among the cruel Russian Navy losses in 90 years, surely it is worth noting a large ship razvedyvateltnyh CER-33 "Ural" and the ship measuring complex "Marshal Nedelin" - unique ocean explorers, to limit saturated most precise electronics, radar and space communications systems.
"Marshal Nedelin" served only seven years, but in his short life he made a lot of useful things: telemetric measurement conducted during the test starts IDB, establishes communication with spacecraft, He participated in the rescue orbiting "Salyut-7" station, and even held a brazen filming the US naval base of Diego Garcia (Indian Ocean). AT 1991 , the ship got to the wall "Dalzavod" for the planned overhaul, where not already returned: electronic ship stuffing pilfered paragraphs Tsvetmet reception, and "Marshal Nedelina" soon led away to a breaker in India.
Fortunately, sailors managed to keep the second ship of this type - "Marshal Krylov", which is still used to control the flight of spacecraft telemetry and recording during test launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Special communications ship, CERs- 33 "Ural"
CER-33 "Ural" - a stillborn project of great intelligence ship, etc.. 1941 (what a terrible number!) nuclear-powered. At full displacement 36 000 tonnes, it was the largest in the history of the scout ship. time has shown, that the "Ural" - pure utopia, dubious project without any purpose and meaning.
In theory, everything looked perfect - a giant nuclear ship could for months, "walk" along the coast of the United States, recording all your radio communications on all frequencies, or, conversely, patrol near the US missile range, studying the behavior of MIRV ICBM on the final trajectory.
In practice, it was much more difficult: like all too much, "Ural" was not viable - too expensive, complicated and unreliable. Super-ship never made it to the US missile range at Kwajalein Atoll. After two fires and a number of serious problems with the nuclear facility and fragile electronic stuffing, "Ural" stood on "barrel" in the Gulf Shooter, as it turned out, forever. AT 2008 year started progress towards its utilization.
Many unpleasant things have happened in the 90 years the domestic fleet: to transfer the rest sold, cut or dismantled ships on the stocks no sense, our desires. Unfinished aircraft carrier "Ulyanovsk" and "Varyag"; planned, but not implemented a series of upgraded BOD etc.. 1155.1, canned heavy atomic "Eagle", the destroyer of the new generation 21956, from which there was only a dream ...
Stop! Here in this place and becomes visible difference between a "reduction" of the American Navy and the "modernization" of domestic. Americans earnestly written off in 90 years, several hundred times the newest ships, but, during the same period, built to replace 100 even more new and more formidable warships. However, that's another story.
heroes gallery:
Missile cruiser etc.. 58 "Terrible", 1962 year
RKR pr. 58 "Terrible" at the dump
Old destroyer URO «Charles F. Adams »
Heavy nuclear missile cruiser "Frunze"
Nuclear-powered missile cruiser "Long Beach"
"Long Beach" after the upgrade, end of the 80s
Heavy aircraft carrier "Minsk" in Shenzhen (China)
On the deck of the attraction Minsk World (former heavy aircraft carrier "Minsk"). Shenzhen, China
Ship measuring complex "Marshal Nedelin"
Type Frigate "Oliver X. Perry "
Small nuclear cruiser "Trakstan"
Escort cruiser type "Leahy" sample 1960 of the year.
