Ever wonder what happens to the old cargo ships and super tankers when they are no longer useful for service?

The Navy guys know of all the old War ships that rust and rot at dry or wet dock. Some may be stripped and used as artificial reefs but the cost is to high.

Ship breaking has been going on for years and there are many videos on it over in India,Pakistan area, pretty nasty job to tear down the ships and recycle them, Lots of controversy on pollution and workers rights. but it's what they do.

Anyway , listening to a old CD by Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits)
I think he is one the greatest guitar players and lyricist, got me looking at these videos. My MGF was a Norwegian Ship guy, Whalers.

The song "So Far from the Cylde" tells the story really well and is kind of haunting. Almost a "Wreck of Edmund Fitzgerald" feeling, not loss of life directly, but loss of these massive ships and the toll it takes on the people and the environment,

May find this interesting and if you think you job sucks, try doing this.

The song:

One of many, many videos on ship breaking:
No narration! There are lots of others.

Found it interesting, the "Hangman", Captain cuts his way out of the upper hull.

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Still Running Against the Wind

I like watching those big super tankers and such
getting beached. I would really like to drive one
full speed right between two others parked and already
being scrapped.

Chuck

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They hold no Quarter

I would much rather see one built and launched. I only really don't like this when a ship has a history.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

Wow!!! I had no clue.

Wonder where all of that steel going?

Thanks Rule3 for the vids.

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Dum vivo cano

So after 20 years are the engines beyond economical repair or has the hull deteriorated to make her unseaworthy?

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Release the Kraken

I wonder about the engines too. They did get them to the beach and I assume from far away but I'm guessing they aren't efficient compared to the newer stuff.

I'd also bet the old ones could be rebuilt a million more times than the new ones.

Ther's some math in there somewhere.

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Dum vivo cano

I wondered about that also, 20 years seems a short life span. Many other types of ships are far older.
It was a tanker to perhaps as you say the corrosion was probably taking it's toll.

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Still Running Against the Wind

I'm sure if it has value they keep it intact. Something with a purpose brings a better price than scrap. And I'm sure that if the ship had value they wouldn't be scrapping it.

I think the way they beach it is cool! I've never seen a huge ship run full blast into the shore. The guys were praying for a safe landing, but from here it looks like a piece of cake. It's GOT TO have some danger in it but it looks like the softest crash possible. However, pulling tension on those lines and cables could be VERY hazardous.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

The old cargo ships from WW2 were mothballed in the Hudson river in New York state just above the tapanzee bridge. were they sat till the war in nam. Then they were activated. I have no clue were they are now most likely scrap.

I watched a coupe documentaries about ships beeing dismantled in a coupe 3- 4 world countries.

All I can say is WOW, a lot get killed/ seriously injured. Its a wonder a lot more don't! All for a couple of bucks a day and all the poisonous gasses you can inhale!

As a retire welder I'm well familiar with cutting torches and in fact have done building demolition in the past.

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14 S&W Revs none with locks!

Thanks for posting that. It gave me major gratitude for my life and job. Also, having spent some torch time, waiting for the glow to kick in the blower, the unbridled hatred for everyone in that part of the world I've been feeling the last few days, lessened. Hard to hate guys toiling in a special corner of hell trying to make "bossman" happy as he watches from his lawn chair. BTDT. Joe

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Behavior Creates Destiny

During a war when extra capacity is needed, any old ship is a good ship. I hope we have a good mothballed fleet. Would we be able to build 'Liberty Ships' or their equivalent like we could in WWII. I know that some old ships have been converted to other uses or sold to other countries where they get a new life.

A friend took us on a tour of the USS Francis Scott Key. It was amazing walking on the decks of a boomer, the departments full of busy people, the equipment, the missile silos, the reactor room, the secret stuff they didn't want you to see. It was a stupendous piece of industry and technology. It no longer exists. It's scrap and smelted into something else by now.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

It looks like it might be a single hull tanker (ie Exxon Valdese) not the double hull now required or favored. This is a guess on my part.

Someone should tell the modern navy that. They have scrapped instead of mothballed all the carriers built in the 60's. So much for a reserve fleet.

I was stationed at Fort Eustis, VA back in '69-early 70. There was a huge mothball fleet in the James River, must have been over a hundred old Victory type troop haulers and cargo ships. Most of those old ships were steam powered, post war many of the Victory ships were converted to early containers ships. My father in law was with American President Lines, they were an early container ship company and were using old WWII era steam ships up into the 2000's. Nowdays they use huge diesel engines on ships the size of supertankers, the old steam engines are no longer economical and require too large a crew to make it cost efficient, modern container ships and super-tankers have a crew of around a dozen people, all the engineers do anymore is monitor the control panel.
I watched a film on National Geographic about beaching ships in India and watching the crews dismantle them. Its surprising how many large countries that do not have steel manufacturing capability and must either import raw steel or recycle. Those guys were running around barefoot in shorts packing cutting torches and all their equipment, huge chunks of ship falling off and onto the beach to be taken apart by the ground crew.
There is so much mass on an a large ocean going vessel that once you get one up to its cruising speed you can shut the engines down and cruise into port from over five miles out and still have to back down before entering harbor.

Good video thanks for posting

Thewelshm

Meanwhile we're going to save the planet by putting a catalytic converter on my lawnmower and recycling my beer can.

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Back to back World War Champs.

Most of, if not all of the James River Ghost Fleet are now gone. Concerns over corroding hulls and leakage of oil plus the unlikely chance that any can be restored to service led to them being scrapped. Some were done right here in Hampton Roads, others were transported to Texas. Some military ships are still mothballed in Portsmouth, called the Ready Reserve, that can be restored to service rather quickly.

It doesn't surprise me in the least that those ships are gone. That technology that powered those old ships is long gone obsolete, try to find someone of working age that knows anything about high pressure steam and bull gears that rely on burning oil for fuel. Thanks for the update...

I went down and studied the breaking of ships in Bangladesh. Messy business but neat to see. Tough area though. Our escort suggested we head out before dark.

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SWCA 1646