MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. – After more than 40 years of resting in the salty waters of Charleston Harbor, it has been determined that the USS Yorktown is in relatively great shape structurally. On Friday, Jan. 16 a representative from Collins Engineering told the Patriots Point Development Authority’s Board of Directors that it would cost an estimated $40 million to repair the aging hull of the USS YORKTOWN and that the problem areas of the ship are not posing any immediate risk, but must be addressed in the foreseeable future.
Collins Engineering (Collins) and Ocean Technical Services (OTS) began their assessment of the historic aircraft carrier in February 2014. After studying more than 100 areas of the interior and exterior of the ship, they determined that as a whole, the USS YORKTOWN’s steel hull has only lost an estimated five percent of its thickness. The average section loss was 3.7%. Both of those percentages are considered relatively low.
“Thanks to this report we now have a detailed analysis of what needs to be done to repair our historic ship,” said Executive Director Mac Burdette. “Our next step is to develop a specific plan to address these repairs and move forward in taking care of the ship perpetually for future generations to enjoy and learn from. Certainly a funding plan is an essential component in moving forward.”
The highest rates of corrosion were found in the splash area of the ship just above the waterline and the forward 200 feet of the ship in the bow region. While securing funding for repairs, Collins representatives recommended that the Board continue to conduct regular inspections of the hull while furthering the maintenance of painting and coating the exposed areas.