“Blast Injures 6 Aboard USS Lake Champlain”

An explosion in the hull of a Navy cruiser during routine maintenance injured six workers on Saturday, two of them critically, authorities said.

Subcontractors from the National Steel and Shipbuilding Co. were working in the fuel tank of the USS Lake Champlain as it sat in dry dock when the explosion occurred just after noon, said San Diego Fire Department spokesman Maurice Luque.

"Apparently it was caused by flammable gas that ignited," Luque said. "We don't know how or why."

kdka.com...

This is what happens when everything gets “subcontracted” down the line, shoddy work

This subcontracting nonsense has to stop, because by allowing it we are literally sabotaging our selves so some greedy bastards can squeeze every buck out of our taxes.

Subcontracting means passing the buck and responsibility to somebody else while keeping most of the profits, and it’s time for our own people to do the jobs and get paid for it properly!

No offence mate but welding on a ship esspecially in dry dock is difficult and can be dangerous.....

reply to post by iskander


This isn't a result of 'subcontract-itis'. An accident like this can happen any time you work on fuel tanks, be they land, sea, or aircraft tanks. That said, I happen to agree that we're doing too much subcontract work for me to be entirely comfortable.

Then again, I don't think our current naval budget would allow the USN to go back to using proprietary shipyards, even if they could get the talent pool and the facilities...and I don't think Congress is in the mood to allocate spending for that kind of high-ticket military infrastructure.

Strange how an idiot can open his mouth and cause more damage to people who deserve the respect and thanks of this country, if you've ever been down a tank when hot work is carried out you might realise just what hell can be with the heat fumes and smoke build up from welding and cutting operations sometimes you cant even see the hatches to get out and if its a Rush job to get the ship done it can be 10 times worse yes there can be Contractoritus as you put it. these people work hard and in poor conditions to keep these ships going you can be in a tank 1 minute and at the top of the mast 15 minutes later on a frigate 1 day and a nimitz class the following, dont sit on you ass and condemm them the same crap happens in you,re "Goverment yards "except they are bound by so much red tape they rerely get off there asses Ask youre Bremerton Naval shipyard personnal this, When they worked with NASSCO's Repair dept, they couldnot hold a candle to the contractors in speed Quality and workmanship we taught them methods they could never get certified in all the contractors finished with the respect and thanks from that goverment yard.Ask the yard that built the the Pearl Harbour"With a halon system that was so bad you would have to throw it away if you used it Passed BY Goverment Inspectors
Before you think I work for the publicty dept I,m an ex-Nassco repair welder my friend were down that tank I,ve worked all over the world From Plymouth England to Barrow-in Furness to San Diego
'in Goverment and Private yards These People when they make mistakes often Pay for them with Pain and suffering "sometimes with there lives"you're military get the "glory " of proud ships but Without us and people like us you're ships would never be in any condition to move let alone fight you should be asking after there families and seeing to there needs

One last Point to my dialogue I'm not afraid to hide behind a user name My name is Christopher Painter My email is [email protected] if you are so high and mighty and concerned Put youre bloody name on the Quote

reply to post by poortoad


Mr. Painter, welcome to ATS and please be kind enough to familiarize your self with rules and regulations of this forum.

If you care to result to sniping and name calling, feel free to do so through personal messages.

I get my first hand info from Mr. Daniel Ogden, an electrostatic painter of more then 20 years that specializes in painting all kinds of tanks for the Navy in Seattle Washington docks.

His company is also contracted to works on submarines, thus naturally requiring appropriate levels of clearance.

poortoad, you’ll find that there are ATS members here that do know what they are talking about, and I hope you’ll make an effort to be one of them before jumping to hasty conclusions and cornering your self with baseless assumptions.

All the best to you sir.

Christopher, I respect that response. Spunky like me. Won't do you a lot of good with the Mods, the 'overload', or many of its members. I tip my hat though. I believe many of us are frustrated with the uncertainty, the feeling like the light at the end of the tunnel is number 409 and she's running late, and the absolute, how can I put this ATS delicately, the absolute ruinous nature our so called leaders and fat azz politicians are running this country. I feel ya. Go Browns. You almost had them 'stillers'.

Poortoad is absolutely correct about the Navy Yards. IF they were that good they would be building these ships from the ground up. IT would take them 5 times as long and 10 times the budget. I do not hear the figures for moneys spent for the same jobs at Navy Yards. This budget figure seem wont to stay outside the public information circles. What I hear Congress whining about is sticker shock while they borrow moneys for everything and deflate the value of the dollar. This phenomonon is called depreciation not inflation. Weaker dollars mean more costs for everything across the board....including ships and maintenance costs. This is happening all across the country not just in shipbuilding or ship maintenance.
How many Navy Yards are actually in the buisness of constructing ships from the ground up?? Not for a long time now. Try to imagine the Navy building a Nimitz class carrier or a submarine from the ground up.
These things happen at Navy Yards too. As I recall the incident here some years back a crane operator drove a crane off the rails and into the river. I believe the operator was never found. I dont recall if the crane malfunctioned or was operator error.
I too am not that impressed with Navy Yard work. Pudget Sound Navy Yard is or was recently under review for thier faulty Nuclear work proceedures. Ironic since Pudget Sound Navy Yard puts out training videos on Nuclear Proceedures and Safety. Not something they would be wont to put in the daily newspapers. YOu know the front page stuff.

I have worked in tanks/confined spaces. Very dangerous work no matter what place you are working. You have to know what you are doiing and so does your partner. Here ...you dont go into a tank before it is checked by a chemist for atmospheric conditions and you dont go in alone. YOu have a person standing outside the entrance ..standing watch. They are to call out for you occasionally and if you dont answer they are to get help..not go in themselves. There have been numerous fatalities over the years in this yard working in confined spaces/tanks from argon suffocation.
YOu go into a tank with proper ventilation. Proper lighting (meaning spark proof, protected droplights if required) Argon is not the only gas which will displace oxygen.


YOu do not take this stuff lightly ..no matter what yard or place you work. Confined space work can be deadly before you even aware it is happening.

These are just simple hazards of the job. Anyone with experience knows this and accepts the dangers or works elsewhere. All the posturing,politicking is not going to change this.

I will state once again..I am not that impressed with Navy Yard Work.

I will also say I have been around some contractors ..some are good some are not ...just like the Navy Yards. Here ..contractors are used for painting and some mechanical work. Painting they do a good job. Mechanical work..some are good some are not. You have to watch them. They have to meet the same standards as yard workers here in their finished work.

And yes..this does require levels of clearences. This limits most contractors as to what systems they can work.

reply to post by orangetom1999

I will state once again..I am not that impressed with Navy Yard Work.

I will also say I have been around some contractors ..some are good some are not ...just like the Navy Yards.

orangetom1999, I agree with you absolutely on this one.

More often then not accidents happen because somebody is pinching pennies to make a buck.

One time Dan’s car was in the shop and he didn’t have time to pick up dealers loaner, so I drove him to the docks.

I’ve seen guys drinking beers right there in the lot right before they went to work. Those guys were subcontracted welders, and few of them spoke English.

Does anybody seriously think that they give a crap about the quality of work they do since they’ll be on the next site by the end of the month?

Shoddy work happens not because we can’t do it right, it happens because certain people simply do not allow it to be done right, because that’s how they make their profits.