Unclogging Toilets at $400,000 a Flush Hits Navy's Costs
Source: Bloomberg
New toilets on the Navys two newest aircraft carriers clog so frequently that the ships sewage systems must be cleaned periodically with specialized acids costing about $400,000 a flush, according to a new congressional audit outlining $130 billion in underestimated long-term maintenance costs.
The Navy isnt sure the toilet systems on the USS Gerald R. Ford and the USS George H. W. Bush can withstand the demand without failing frequently, according to the watchdog agencys report on service sustainment costs released Tuesday. The Fords estimated lifetime operations and sustainment costs have grown to $123 billion from $77.3 billion, the most of six programs GAO evaluated.
The Carrier toilet system is indicative of the kinds of issues we highlight in our report that are requiring more money, time, and effort to fix than originally anticipated due to a lack of adequate sustainment planning during the acquisition process, said Shelby Oakley, a GAO director who manages the agencys ship acquisition reviews
The pipes are too narrow and when there are a bunch of sailors flushing the toilet at the same time, like in the morning, the suction doesnt work, said Oakley. The Navy didnt anticipate this problem.
Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/amp/news/articles/2020-03-24/unclogging-toilets-at-400-000-a-flush-among-navy-cost-overruns
McKim
(2,412 posts)It is past time to examine the elephant in Americas Livingroom: Our Bloated Military Budget!
We have squandered trillions on wars of choice in the MIddle East. That money could have been spent to build a world class Public Health infrastructure. Now we are paying the price. Our family has worked in the Interfaith Peace Movement for 17 years now. This is an idea whose time has come! The entire yearly budget of NIH the National Institute of Health, that funds medical research, was equal to the price of one aircraft carrier!!!!!!! Mission Accomplished!!!!
Wellstone ruled
(34,661 posts)design flaw,never.
underpants
(182,811 posts)Sounds like a Trump slum
jalan48
(13,867 posts)TygrBright
(20,760 posts)cynically,
Bright
The River
(2,615 posts)Don't know why I can't stop laughing.
As an old carrier sailor I gotta say WTF is
the USN doing?
Brother Buzz
(36,436 posts)deploying the fire hose. I understand you boys kept it simple by using fire hoses to clear things up.
The River
(2,615 posts)on old Essex Class carriers (built during WW2) was saltwater fed.
It flowed constantly; sea water in pee water out. In the dark,
phosphorescent plankton made the facilities sparkle.
bucolic_frolic
(43,167 posts)$400k is a nice juicy service contract
iluvtennis
(19,861 posts)McCamy Taylor
(19,240 posts)All the stupid expensive spending is black ops spending.
joanbarnes
(1,722 posts)captain jack
(316 posts)Equally mind boggling is that any American worker is in debt. We The People apparently have 2 trillion dollars to spare and are able to locate that in just a few days. The People's money. And with that we have to collectively socially rescue Capitalism so we can go back to our struggles to ensure the wealthy (with our money) don't have to struggle.
Seems Socialism has kept Capitalism alive and "breathing" twice in the last two decades? This doesn't include welfare to individual industries in-between those rescues.
This system that so many love so much can't seem to stay alive on its own.
PuffedMica
(1,061 posts)Oh, never mind.
JustABozoOnThisBus
(23,341 posts)Everybody who works the bridge, flush now. Fuel and weapons people, hold it in for a minute.
Dunno about the Navy, but in the Army, there was a lotta flushing just before the morning formation for the flag raising. I never gave a thought to the capacity of the sewer lines, all I knew was the supply lines had to gleam: much Brasso was used to shine the copper.
PuffedMica
(1,061 posts)Check the POD. If the last two digits of your social security number are between 00 and 08, you can use the head during the first five minutes of the hour.
bluedigger
(17,086 posts)Could just be a tp problem.
Kaleva
(36,304 posts)PerceptionManagement
(464 posts)underpants
(182,811 posts)marble falls
(57,097 posts)they refuse to squeeze regulation turds.
Kaleva
(36,304 posts)mahatmakanejeeves
(57,459 posts)Sailors could merely fill up garbage bags with their sewage and....
Brainfodder
(6,423 posts)WTF....
$400,000 for whatever to unclog ANYTHING?
Sounds OFF to me.
That feels like some mighty huge gouging, what am I missing?
area51
(11,909 posts)jpak
(41,758 posts)Arrrr