After extensive consideration, the US Navy on 17/6 issued a request for proposals from companies capable of transporting, dismantling, removing equipment, and disposing of the USS Long Beach. This includes handling its two defueled nuclear reactors, a complex and lengthy undertaking.
The USS Long Beach holds the distinction of being the world's first nuclear-powered cruiser. It boasted a displacement of 15,540 tons and a length of 220 meters. The ship was launched in 1959 and commissioned into the US Navy two years later.
The cruiser ceased operations in 1994, was officially decommissioned in 1995, and has since been moored at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington.
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The USS Long Beach cruiser operating off Oahu, Hawaii in 1973. Photo: US Navy |
The USS Long Beach cruiser operating off Oahu, Hawaii in 1973. Photo: US Navy
This marks the second time the US Navy has selected a commercial shipyard for the dismantling of a nuclear-powered warship. The first instance involved the USS Enterprise, the world's first nuclear aircraft carrier.
According to military news outlet War Zone, processing nuclear-powered ships is a more complex and costly endeavor than conventional warships due to radiation concerns, even after reactors have been defueled for an extended period.
The decision to dismantle the USS Long Beach follows the US Navy's determination in April that the warship was ineligible for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The NRHP is the official US government list of sites, landmarks, buildings, structures, and artifacts deemed worthy of preservation.
The warship was previously put up for a scrap auction in 2012. Reuters news agency reported at the time that the USS Long Beach contained 10,000 tons of steel, over 480 km of cable, and 450 tons of aluminum.
Tom Burton, president of Government Liquidation, a contractor specializing in organizing such auctions, informed Reuters that more than 10 scrap dealers had expressed interest in a closed online auction to purchase the hull, along with approximately 3,300 tons of steel, aluminum, copper wire, kitchen equipment, tables, chairs, cabinets, and bunk beds.
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The USS Long Beach cruiser in a satellite image released on 18/6. Photo: War Zone |
The USS Long Beach cruiser in a satellite image released on 18/6. Photo: War Zone
The fate of this scrap sale remains unclear, as the US Navy did not respond to requests for comment.
The Puget Sound Naval Shipyard completed a hull preservation phase in 2015, during which the ship's bow and stern were removed. The significant design modifications and loss of its original structure were cited as reasons for the USS Long Beach's exclusion from the NRHP.
Pham Giang (According to War Zone, Reuters)
