Why doesn't the Navy donate old ships?

THEAmericanPatriot

Actually, the U.S. government does have a program where we sell our old ships (planes, tanks, etc) to allied governments. I've been in the program since 1993 as a civilian contractor doing logistics. Turkey had bought over 15 destroyers (and will be readying 2 more this spring, as well as a sea going tug). Taiwan recently bought 4 ships (Kidd, Scott, Callaghan, Chandler) that were originally built for Iran that the U.S. kept (USS KIDD CLASS). Last year, we sold and transferred the USS Trenton LPD-14 to India (now the INS Jalashva) along with 6 SH-3H Sea King helos for $48,000,000 and they are looking at the USS Nashville LPD-13 in the future.. I've also worked other ships transferred to Taiwan, Malaysia, Australia, Spain, Mexico, Egypt, Bahrain, Morocco, Thailand, Brazil...on and on and on.
Several years ago we had a dinner/meeting with some Turkish officers/government dignitaries. One of the senior officers told me they would rather have a 20 year old U.S. Navy destroyer than one brand new out of a German shipyard. Our ships last longer, are more battle ready, can take more of a beating and stay afloat and continue to fight than any other Navy in the world.
Foreign navies don't have much use for our old carriers. However they do use our old destroyers and amphibious ships.
Do a google.come search on FOREIGN MILITARY SALES PROGRAM and you'll have your eyes opened.

inbigtrouble

do we really need to give Israel any more military stuff? Pluss that thing is a million years old. Its better they sink it and make a reef of it so divers can go and check it out.

NAZGUL

They are going to make a artificial reef out of her, it will benefit the area, in many ways. Tourism (Diving), Fish habitat, slow the erosion possess of the local beaches.

lunatic

The purpose of an aircraft carrier is to exert your country's influence in other parts of the globe. It is used to protect shipping and influence potential enemies at a distance.

All of Israel's enemies are well within the range of their land based air force. They have to need (or desire) to "project power" in a far off land.

Oh, and take a guess how much oil the old "Forrest Fire" would use tooling around the Med.

tbteddy64

The Navy regularly donates old ships. Sometimes to cities for permanent display, example the USS New Jersey Battleship in New Jersey. Many times the Navy transfers ships to friendly countries Navies usually South America or Europe. Sometimes for free sometimes for a relatively small fee.
Many times the ship can not be transferred because of its age it is too costly for any Navy to maintain, or is just too outdated, or there aren't enough spare parts left to fix this style of ship.

Jenny Smith

because nobody is buying them. Aircraft carriers are too expensive to operate, no country can afford them. its too difficult to harvest for scrap metal because its so huge, The USA does have a ghost fleet that it has ships up for sale and they are used for spare parts also.

Why should we donate United States Property that the taxpayers paid for to another country?

okiknowit

They already have the capability of nuking the middle east. Do you want to give them the capability to nuke the rest of the world too?

Matthew D

Israel has no need for an aircraft carrier. Or else they would buy it, like the bought old US tanks in the 1950's.
Besides, the operating costs of one of those mofos is tremendous.

mattprescott79

They do...............their used as artifical reefs; all around the world.

Adam

They do donate their old ships...to the scrap yard to be melted down.
Don't you ever watch the Discovery channel or the History channel? : )

GunnyC

The Isreali's have little or no use for an aircraft carrier as the enemies they have are close to them and do not need a force projection ship which is the purpose of a carrier. In the past some carriers have been sold to other countries but the truth is carriers are expensive to operate and maintain, require specialized aircraft or modifications to land based ones; beefed up frames, landing gear, tail hooks and so on which the Isrealis do not have.

Ian F

The Israelis don't have any worrisome foes that they can't reach from bases in their own territory. They have no need of an aircraft carrier.

And not all old ships would be worth the cost of refitting or even operating even if they DID have use for one.

AND the US isn't going to give just ANYTHING to the Israelis. The relationship between the US and Israel may be warm, but it isn't all that trusting. Why do you think the US trains Hebrew linguists? Israel is, AFAIK, the only major US ally that has been caught, red-handed and unambiguously, spying on the US.

Sure, most sensitive hardware would have to be stripped from the ship to sink it anyway, but that just adds to the cost to put it back into service...since you've got to strip almost as much stuff out either way.

Katie

Because there are probably things on the boat that could still give them secrets about our armed forces. An why would we want a possible enemy having the same technology we do?

desertviking_00

They do. Hundreds of U.S. ships have wound up with foreign navies. The former cruiser USS Oakland was given to Argentina which renamed it the Belgrano. A British submarine sank it during the Falklands War in the 1980s.
Check the source below. You can search and see how many were donated to museums and given to other nations.

Badcock

Why would Israel want old garbage when they have top of the line already?

Laird C

Israel doesn't have a need for an aircraft carrier. Nor do they have the pocketbook for one. Running a carrier is *expensive* and involves a LOT more than just keeping the ship afloat and moving. There's a HUGE logistical train involved, a schools program to support the specialized skills needed, a specialized aviation training pipeline to prepare carrier-qualified aviators, and on and on...

All that, for what purpose? Israel isn't *doing* global power-projection. All their enemies are right next door, or close enough that they can easily be reached from land bases in Israel.

Yeah, the Nav sometimes give or sells warships to other nations - half the navies in the world have ex-USN hulls in their inventory. So what? Appropriate hulls, for appropriate purposes. Israel's navy is as fully-equipped as it needs to be.

*Edit*
You've still not answered the central point: To what purpose? Even with your updated suggestion, it's still a money-losing proposition, with no tactical or strategic need attached. There's simply no need, and no advantage.

smellyfoot â„¢

Do you Israelis actually want our hand-me-downs? From what I know about military crafts - we keep our secrets. And if your ship or plane is going down in another country, you tear everything up before you sink / crash.

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