MOTHBALL FLEET TO STAY MOTHBALLED: The U.S. Navy Won’t Bring Back Mothballed Ships to Boost the Fleet.

Navy officials have concluded it would be too expensive to bring them back and they would offer too few capabilities to make them worthwhile.

According to Military.com, Vice Admiral Tom Moore said the service had taken a look at decommissioned vessels and concluded it just wasn’t worth it. Not only are the ships old, some have been cannibalized to keep existing ships still in the fleet running. The Navy says the current fleet of 288 ships is too small for the service’s global responsibilities and is looking to boost the fleet to 355 ships by the 2030s.

Moore told the press the Navy looked at every ship on the “inactive” list, particularly retired Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided missile frigates. The Perry class was a small multipurpose warship capable of anti-submarine warfare, and self-defense against anti-air threats. Each could carry up to two Seahawk helicopters. The Perrys could operate independently but could also travel as part of a carrier battle group, adding anti-submarine capability. . . .

A look at the three mothball fleets in Google Maps reveals why the Navy won’t bring these ships back. There is so much rust on some of them it is visible from space. In order to bring back these ships to active duty, the Navy would have to spruce them up, add modern communications and electronics, and ensure they are safe to put to sea in. That could end up costing tens of millions per ship. To make matters worse the Perry-class frigates lost their missile launchers in the 2000s as they became obsolete. Unless the ships were renovated with new launchers, boosting their refurbishment cost, the largest weapon on the ship would be the 76-millimeter rapid fire gun.

Well, the Navy would rather have new ships anyway.