'Moss Animals' defeat US Navy

The USS Theodore Roosevelt had its departure delayed by two days when its seawater intake piping was clogged by 'moss animals', otherwise known as bryozoa!

According to the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Bryozoans are “inconspicuous filter feeders that grow in thin, encrusting colonies atop rocks, kelp blades, shellfish, and other hard objects.”

link

Navy Times link

Another link


Ernst Haeckel: Bryozoa.

Meet the moss animals that clog ship intakes

More than 125 species are known to grow on ship keels, according to UCMP data. They cause drag and reduce maneuverability — or foul intakes, as was the case for the carrier George H.W. Bush in 2014 and now appears to be the case for the Theodore Roosevelt. This is especially true with jellylike colonies that form in fresh water.

While the title may seem humorous, this is actually quite a serious issue. Imagine if this occurred during a state of war, in a hostile zone...While there is an 'easy fix', it takes some time and could make a difference in the outcome.

When some of the highest quality (cough *lowest bidder?*) engineering can be hobbled by single-celled organisms, I think it raises some questions.

Will we see planktonbloombombs(tm) in the future?

The war begins!

Biogenetic warfare or aliens?

If they were 'born' on an American ship, would that make them citizens?

Live always finds a way !

Somebody down in M-div must really be ever loving the task of cleaning up all the plumbing and pumps going from sea chest and all those damn condenser tubes. Nothing new though, and all steam based powerplants on ocean shipping are equally vulnerable. Steering a ship into a bunch of seaweed/kelp can be just as bad.

Since it seems these things are actually growing on the ship, perhaps it's because the EPA banned the use of the red leaded paint that used to keep these things from growing on the hull below the waterline. The new "enviro-friendly" stuff must not be working.

a reply to: aorAki

Well we had British geese take down a USAF helicopter in UK

RAR RAR RAR mother nature


I can see it now...."we must destroy the environment or the terrorists win"

originally posted by: paradoxious
If they were 'born' on an American ship, would that make them citizens?

That mean you can vote them for president!

I mean cant be worse than another Bush or Clinton right?

I lived on a couple of Navy ships docked in Norfolk. The water is nasty. Not your average everyday nasty, but... advanced nasty. Were times you could have walked dock to dock across the jellyfish. Oh well, nice to see Mother Nature can still come out on top.

I heard tell a story that a base in Mississippi was shut down for two hours due to a blown transformer caused by a squirrel
intrusion. First recorded suicide squirrel.
they pulled him out afterward and called him the 'crispy critter'.