The US Navy is spending another $7.5 million as it decides what to do with the first nuke-powered carrier to leave service

[Tony]

The Navy estimates that more than 100,000 sailors served aboard the USS Enterprise during the aircraft carrier's five decades of service.

The world's first nuclear-powered flattop, the "Big E" was commissioned in 1961 at Newport News Shipbuilding and was the eighth Navy vessel to bear the name Enterprise.

Its service life included nearly every US conflict from the Cold War through the global war on terror. It responded to the Cuban missile crisis in 1962 and was the first to launch strikes in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom in 2001.

[Guest Tony]

What the Navy should have done is upgrade thd carrier and refurbish it. If China was able to refurbish the junk Liaoning Carrier they have, we can do it better. We will not spend 13 billion for a new carrier if we upgraded these carriers. We need these carriers and we can do a lot instead up ending it in the scrap yard. Our military spend too much and wastes too much.

[Tony]

12 hours ago, Guest Tony said:

What the Navy should have done is upgrade thd carrier and refurbish it. If China was able to refurbish the junk Liaoning Carrier they have, we can do it better. We will not spend 13 billion for a new carrier if we upgraded these carriers. We need these carriers and we can do a lot instead up ending it in the scrap yard. Our military spend too much and wastes too much.

After a ship gets a certain age, it is not economically feasible to refurbish it. Additionally, new technologies will limit the use of older ships that cannot use that technology because of structure and/or size limitations. That eventually happened to the USS Midway which had two "blisters" added that made the ship wobble (For lack of a better word.) The Liaoning Carrier was mainly used to learn how to make carriers. It's pretty much limited in range and capabilities but what the Chinese have learned will help them make future versions that are more powerful aircraft carriers.