US Navy to scrap submarine Miami
The U.S. Navy has decided to decomission and scrap the nuclear attack submarine Miami, severely damaged last year by an arsonist as the estimated cost to repair the warship is too high, NavyTimes reports.
The Navy last year estimated that repairs to the Los Angeles-class submarine would cost at least $450 million, and at least $94 million has been spent to plan the repair work. But after a “comprehensive damage assessment” conducted over the past year, the estimated repair costs have risen dramatically.
The Miami was devastated by a fire that broke out late in the work day on May 23, 2012, while the submarine was in drydock at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine. Casey James Fury, 24, a civilian painter and sand blaster at the shipyard, was arrested after a three-week investigation and charged with arson. On Nov. 8 he pleaded guilty to the May 23 fire, and to a smaller fire set outside the submarine on June 16. He was sentenced on March 14 to more than 17 years in federal prison.
The blaze burned for about 12 hours inside the submarine, which was only a few weeks into a planned 20-month overhaul. Fire teams from as far away as Boston and Connecticut battled intense fires throughout the night and into the next morning. The conflagration heavily damaged or destroyed the submarine's control room, combat systems and torpedo room.
After initial repair cost estimates were revised upward, the decision to repair the submarine was announced on Aug. 22 in a statement from the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA).
“The Navy’s revised cost estimate to restore USS Miami (SSN 755) is approximately $450 million, with an estimated date of completion for the repairs of April 30, 2015,” NAVSEA said in the Aug. 22 statement. “The estimate includes 10 percent variability due to the unique nature of the repair and the cost impacts of shifting the planned maintenance availabilities of other ships and submarines.
“The Navy is committed to delivering the submarine back to the fleet with no operational limitations. Once returned to service, Miami will serve for an additional 10 years with five planned full-length deployments, ready to respond to any combatant commander tasking,” the Aug. 22 statement concluded.
Built at the General Dynamics Electric Boat shipyard in Groton, Conn., the Miami was commissioned in June 1990 and had been expected to serve for 30 years.
While statistics haven’t been verified, the decision to scrap the submarine means the Miami could become the first warship — and submarine or nuclear-powered ship — to be lost while in the hands of a U.S. naval shipyard since the Civil War. A handful of ships have been lost since, but all those appear to have been at a commercial yard or pier.
