Your attention is called to this posting on Maritime Matters about the USNS GENERAL EDWIN D. PATRICK. The ship has been removed from the reserve fleet in Suisun Bay, CA for scrapping. The attached article includes photos of the ship in drydock and underway with the assistance of tugs.

http://maritimematters.com/2010/05/pursuing-the-patrick-sea-treks-blog-begins/

Wesley

Interesting article. If you look at the actual time useage on vessels such as these, they actually are in good shape despite their age and lack of maintenance. But who would want them? (Many of the escort carriers built at the end of WWII were finished, put into mothballs, then scrapped without ever being used.) Sadly, this fate will befall the SS United States. As has been said in these threads many times before, it costs too much to obtain, store and restore a vessel of this size, compared to a rail car or even a locomotive.

Later!
Mr. Ed

Regarding the ships that were completed, but never saw action and then were scrapped (and the same goes for aircraft--some of the World War II warplanes that are flying relics of that era were completed shortly before or after the guns went silent and thus had low mileage and no bullet holes.) Just in the past winter, we had the H1N1 flu alert, and people hunted all over for the appropriate vaccine. A month or two ago, every drugstore in town had big signs: Get your vaccination here [we have plenty!]. This all reminded me of the World War II vet who was taking his son on a tour of some of the islands where he saw action in the Pacific. The son noted all the vehicles and artillery pieces rusting away and being overgrown by jungle vines, shaking his head sadly at the waste. Dad noted his dismay and said, "It would be nice if we could take out the last enemy soldier with the last round of ammunition, but war doesn't work that way." This thought could be extended to the steam locomotives that were built when the railroads really wanted diesels, but couldn't buy them because the diesel engines were going into submarines and other naval applications.