The quiet after the Storm, 28 years ago today
PH2 Susan Marie Carl. (OPA-NARA-2015/11/15)
“The American flag flies from a vessel in the foreground as the nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser USS South Carolina (CGN-37) returns to port from deployment in the Persian Gulf area during Operation Desert Storm, 28 March 1991.”
Sadly, the mighty cruiser returning from war overseas had her days numbered.
Though she had received the New Threat Update (NTU) to make her one of the most potent missile slingers in the world and her reactor was re-cored to make her good for another 18 years of service, South Carolina was decommissioned 30 July 1999, at age 24, as part of the Great Cruiser Slaughter.
Reblogged this on Dave Loves History and commented:
Short-sighted and nonsensical… and sad…
At one time there use to be seven Breeder Reactors within the continental United States. By 1994 ALL were shut down because of Operational Costs, and Strategic Reserves we’re Running Low. And the Most Needed “Fissilable” Fueld Ships were Aircraft Carriers and Submarines. Now “Harry S. Truman” is being considered for Decommissioning, and the Next Generation Breeder Reactor not being available until the Mid 2020’s, if even then. The “Fissileable Fuel” has to come from somewhere, which most likely mean the “Nimitz’s” class Aircraft Carriers. To paraphrase “Decommissioning Peter, to keep Paul off the Binnacle List”…