I’ve read a few articles and heard about this from a few differing sources concerning our naval ships and them showing very visible signs of rust.

This is the most recent article: https://www.19fortyfive.com/20...royers-a-rusty-mess/

So my question for our resident Navy experts, is ships showing rust normal or is this endemic of larger maintenance issues or problems?

Are these articles making something out of nothing or is there something to it?

Weren’t these built by defense contractors who weren’t shipbuilders? That may be part of the problem I think.

It’s the latter…IMNSH (but based on my experience) opinion.

Hasnt everything associated with the Zumwalt Class been an unmitigated disaster? I would guess that rust just adds to the fun.

In the CG, we were constantly battling rust, especially with white ships. the black hulled work ships (bouy boats) didn’t paint as often, but it’s always there.

One ship I was on, we went to the yards and we were due a re-paint. The CO basically bribed the yard to blast the hull and use epoxy paint on the hull. He let them keep the spray guns and assorted stuff. That hull lasted six months or more before we started showing running rust. We (a QM and I) bribed the yard birds to replace the exterior rungs going down the stern with stainless bar (to prevent rust)and we got a sheet of stainless welded into the anchor pocket. It was awesome.

Another ship I was on , the deckies spent most of the days chipping paint and rust, converting it with OSPHO and painting it. It’s an ongoing project.

So unless the ship just came out of dry dock, it will show running rust, unless the deck force is on top of their game…and I mean constantly sanding, and painting.

I can't speak to the newer ships which I would assume are more rust resistant, but all Naval ships are steel, they are in salt water, they rust. some more than others. Destroyers the worst. It's one of the continuing maintenance issues. scrape, wire brush, needle scalers and thick coats of paint. All lasts a few years at best and then rinse and repeat. Use to be every several years ships went into dry dock, where the under water portion could be dealt with along with major issues including complete power plant overhaul, mostly due to rust.

Any ship going out to sea, is going to rust, salt water and steel don't play well together. US Navy ships sail all over the world and stay out at sea for months at a time, no other Navy does so, save for a few Royal Navy and French Navy deployments.

Ok, that said, visible and persistent rust on USN ships has been a problem and something that is grinding the gears of veterans and old salts for several decades now. Scrappers, grinders and needle guns seem to be in short supply, as is general maintenance for ships crew. The prevailing position (unverified) is that USN relies on dry-dock and maintenance down time to address rust rather than continuous attention from ship's crew as it was a generation before.

Cdr Salamander has focused on this issue quite a bit in his articles below which includes several embarrassing images as to the state of our Navy as it pulls into a foreign port Talking about first impressions...smh

https://blog.usni.org/posts/20...he-passex-for-awhile

https://blog.usni.org/posts/20...rtainty-fundamentals

https://blog.usni.org/posts/20...a-tale-of-two-unreps

https://www.defensenews.com/na...t-and-bust-the-rust/

http://cdrsalamander.blogspot....ition-standdown.html

Not a sailor or anything but I like the thing I have heard many times.

If it moves, salute it. If it don't move, paint it.

In this Airdales opinion the problem started when the Navy went to the "Smart Ship" concept. There's simply not enough Crew to keep up with the maintenance. Everything metal corrodes when you're at sea, but before smart ships you had morecrew to battle it

Maybe the new Navy doesn’t scrape and paint like they used to because they don’t want sailors to break a nail while doing manual labor.

Something that has not been mentioned... In the 80's we began removing lead from everything because it was harmful to the children.

Paint, gas etc.

Is lead dangerous, it can be, but it does a much better job at corrosion protection than water based latex paint.

Not only are you seeing a much higher need for maintenance with lower performing materials, but now we have fewer folks doing the work....

Being green, costs a lot more green.

Recently retired after 30 years in the Navy, my first 17 as a Surface Warfare Officer.

Steel plus salt water equals rust. That said, maintenance has been an increasingly bigger problem for quite some time.

Dito.... steel and salt water .... and the ships rust? duh!!

I've spent the last week in a house facing the ocean... everything steel rust... aluminum deteriorates and even most stainless steel will.

quote:

Originally posted by Hamden106:

Not a sailor or anything but I like the thing I have heard many times.

If it moves, salute it. If it don't move, paint it.

The way I heard it:

• If it moves, salute it.
  
• If it doesn't move, pick it up.
  
• If you can't pick it up, paint it.

There's a story about a sailor who followed those rules and tried to paint the skipper's wife.

One of the best books on leadership I have read is "It's my Ship, lessons from the best damn ship in the navy"

He tells the story of meeting with the sailors and one asked him about rust and painting. He points out that the civilian navy's use stainless steel fasteners. It was an awesome book.

quote:

Originally posted by Blume9mm:
Dito.... steel and salt water .... and the ships rust? duh!!

I've spent the last week in a house facing the ocean... everything steel rust... aluminum deteriorates and even most stainless steel will.

I'm on a hill overlooking the ocean and the sea breeze rusts everything. My stainless steel sink rusts. My kitchen utensils rust. Knives rust. I'm starting to think I should have bought the extended warranty on my electronics as I'm sure they're rusting.

The way I heard it there is a “polish it” in there.

quote:

Originally posted by redstone:
One of the best books on leadership I have read is "It's my Ship, lessons from the best damn ship in the navy"

He tells the story of meeting with the sailors and one asked him about rust and painting. He points out that the civilian navy's use stainless steel fasteners. It was an awesome book.

Yep! That was an excellent read. I remember the conversation was spend more on stainless fasteners now save time and money later. Seems like an easy lesson to understand.

USCG Boatswain mate (Deck Crew) Fighting rust on a ship is a never ending battle. We'd start at the bow, work down the Port side, work on the fantail, work back up the Starboard side chipping, and grinding the rust repainting as we moved along. Finally back to the bow where we started and it was time to do it all again. Nonstop and continuous effort working to keep it shipshape.

quote:

Originally posted by redstone:
One of the best books on leadership I have read is "It's my Ship, lessons from the best damn ship in the navy"

He tells the story of meeting with the sailors and one asked him about rust and painting. He points out that the civilian navy's use stainless steel fasteners. It was an awesome book.

Agreed. It’s your ship.

And to add, “once for dust, twice for rust.” (Coats of paint)