USS George H.W. Bush completes 212-day deployment

Carrier Bush, Air Wing 8, return to Norfolk

The aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush and her embarked Air Wing Eight as well as the guided-missile destroyer Truxtun returned to Norfolk today after what is being called a record setting, 212-day deployment to the Mediterranean and Persian Gulf.


hrana.org...

I don't have much to say, but holy crap look at all that rust! Ship is clearly being pushed hard.

“We dropped almost 1.8 million pounds of ordnance — a little over 1,700 pieces of ordnance…was delivered with precision.”

a reply to: C0bzz

They all are. They have been petty far behind on maintenance for awhile now.

a reply to: C0bzz

Yikes how long does it take for that amount of rust. Surely before this deployment.

originally posted by: pavil
a reply to: C0bzz

Yikes how long does it take for that amount of rust. Surely before this deployment.

You would be surprised at how quickly rust can appear and grow on a ship. That amount...maybe 6 to 8 months. You have to remember that the ship is sailing in salt water, being beaten by high winds and spray every moment it is underway. I don't know about CVs, but the gator navy ships I served on...the sailors were always chipping and painting, chipping and painting whenever there was any time between ops.

originally posted by: pavil
a reply to: C0bzz

Yikes how long does it take for that amount of rust. Surely before this deployment.

212 days i would say!

a reply to: C0bzz

I've never seen sugar do that before.

They must use some expensive paints on ships like that, but it still can't take the abuse, or there could be some electric current helping the corrosion go much faster than usual, that would be my bet.

Cosmetic rust is par for the course. As long as this isn't galvanic corrosion, the ship will just be bead blasted and reprimed and painted. If it's galvanic, then the ships design was seriously flawed and the "maintenance" will involve replacing major portions of the hull.

Ah yes warships, like beautiful women they are high maintenance, break down regularly and cost a fortune.

In saying that they are great fun and do the job they were designed for really well.

I just dont get why they are pushing the carriers so hard. There is no need to deploy an entire Carrier Strike Group to bomb some fanatics in the Middle East.
Its fine to use them when they are on station anyway, but these days carriers and especially air wings despartely need more time to rejuvenate. God forbid theres an actual crisis somewhere and they need to deploy half the fleet at once.
So how about putting an burden on the Air Force. They have more than enough bases in the region to host a couple of additional tactical squadrons. Todays Carrier Air Wings a severely understrength anyway.
Hell they wanted to, the Navy could set up an land based air wing at one of the major bases there. Like the Marine Corps stationed Harriers at ISA Air Base in Bahrain…

a reply to: C0bzz

Judging by the posted picture, there sure is a lot of rust on the hull for a brand new ship.

I just hope that it's not as fragile as the LCS fleet that American taxpayers spent billions on.

a reply to: AlienOutlaw

She's not brand new. She was laid down in 2003 and commissioned in 2009.

a reply to: mightmight

What has happened to the air wings themselves in the last 15 or so years is absolutely criminal, and frankly if more people understood the true magnitude of it they'd be scared and angry.

We have in very real ways lost so much capability compared to our high water mark it's pathetic!

Some ppl will say but muh supar bug blah blah...

Yes it's very nice and all but it's no prowler viking or corsair.