Ship-Submarine Recycling Program
The Ship/Submarine Recycling Program (SRP) is the process the United States Navy uses to dispose of decommissioned nuclear vessels. SRP takes place only at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (PSNS) in Bremerton, Washington, but the preparations can begin elsewhere.
Program overview
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Defueling and decommissioning
Before SRP can begin, the ship or submarine's nuclear fuel must be removed. Defueling usually coincides with decommissioning. Until the fuel is removed, the vessel is referred to as "USS Name," but afterward the "USS" is dropped and it is referred to as "ex-Name." Defueling of submarines is carried out at only five ship repair facilities on the West Coast, and the hulls are then towed to PSNS. Reusable equipment is removed at the same time as the fuel.
Spent fuel storage
Spent nuclear fuel is shipped by rail to the Naval Reactor Facility in the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), located 42 miles (67 km) northwest of Idaho Falls, Idaho, where it is stored in special canisters.[1]
Hull salvage
At PSNS the SRP proper begins. The salvage workers cut the submarine into three or four pieces: the aft section, the reactor compartment, the missile compartment if one exists, and the forward section. Missile compartments are dismantled according to the provisions of the Strategic Arms Reductions Treaty.
Until 1991, the forward and aft sections of the submarines were rejoined and placed in floating storage. Various proposals for disposal of those hulls were considered, including sinking them at sea, but none was economically practical. All required removal of the numerous polychlorinated biphenyl products (PCBs) on board, which are considered hazardous materials by the Environmental Protection Agency and United States Coast Guard. Since then, and to help reduce costs, the remaining submarine sections are recycled, returning reusable materials to production. In the process of submarine recycling, all hazardous and toxic wastes are identified and removed, reusable equipment is removed and put into inventory. Scrap metals and all other materials are sold to private companies or reused. The overall process is not profitable, but does provide some cost relief.[2] Disposal of submarines by the SRP costs the Navy US$25-50 million per submarine.
Reactor vessel disposal
Once the reactor compartment is removed, it is sealed at both ends and shipped by barge and multiple-wheel high-capacity trailers to the Department of Energy's Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington state, where they are currently, as of 2016, kept in open dry storage[3] and slated to be eventually buried.[4][5] The burial trenches have been evaluated to be secure for at least 600 years before the first pinhole penetration of some lead containment areas of the reactor compartment packages occurs, and several thousand years before leakage becomes possible.[6]
Prior disposal methods
In 1959 the US Navy removed a nuclear reactor from the submarine USS Seawolf (SSN 575) and replaced it with a new type. The removed reactor was scuttled in the Atlantic Ocean, 200 km east of Delaware, at a depth of 2,700 m.[7] In 1972, the London Dumping Convention restricted ocean disposal of radioactive waste and in 1993, ocean disposal of radioactive waste was completely banned. The US Navy began a study on scrapping nuclear submarines; two years later shallow land burial of reactor compartments was selected as the most suitable option.
In 1990, USS Scamp (SSN 588) was the first US nuclear-powered submarine to be scrapped.[8]
Future salvage work
By the end of 2005, 195 nuclear submarines had been ordered or built in the US (including the NR-1 Deep Submergence Craft and Virginia, but none of the later Virginia class subs). The last of the regular Sturgeon attack boats, L. Mendel Rivers, was decommissioned in 2001, and Parche, a highly modified Sturgeon, was decommissioned in 2004. The last of the initial "41 for Freedom" Fleet Ballistic Missile (FBM) submarines, Kamehameha, was decommissioned in 2002. Decommissioning of the Los Angeles boats began in 1995 with Baton Rouge. Additionally, a handful of nuclear-powered cruisers have entered the program, and their dismantling is ongoing. The first aircraft carrier due for decommissioning that would enter the SRP is planned to be Enterprise, which was withdrawn in 2013.[9][10] Hulls waiting or already processed by the recycling program are listed below.
Cruisers
| Ship name (Hull number) | Start date | Completion date |
|---|---|---|
| ex-Long Beach (CGN-9) | 1 May 2009[11] | 13 July 2012 |
| ex-Bainbridge (CGN/DLGN-25) | 1 October 1997 | 30 October 1999 |
| ex-Truxtun (CGN/DLGN-35) | 1 October 1997 | 28 April 1999 |
| ex-California (CGN/DLGN-36) | 1 October 1998 | 12 May 2000 |
| ex-South Carolina (CGN/DLGN-37) | 1 October 2007[12] | 10 May 2010 † |
| ex-Virginia (CGN-38) | 1 October 1999 | 25 September 2002 |
| ex-Texas (CGN-39) | 1 October 1999 | 30 October 2001 |
| ex-Mississippi (CGN-40) | 1 October 2004[11] | 5 December 2006[11] |
| ex-Arkansas (CGN-41) | 7 July 1998 | 1 November 1999 |
† A dagger after a completion date indicates that portions of the hull were preserved as memorials. See the individual articles for details.
Attack submarines
Some of these submarines (the George Washington class) were fleet ballistic missile boats for the vast majority of their careers. However, they were briefly converted to SSNs before decommissioning and arrival at PSNS, and so are listed under that designation here.
| Ship name (Hull number) | Start date | Completion date |
|---|---|---|
| ex-Seawolf (SSN-575) | 1 October 1996 | 30 September 1997 |
| ex-Skate (SSN-578) | 14 April 1994 | 6 March 1995 |
| ex-Swordfish (SSN-579) | Unknown | 11 September 1995 |
| ex-Sargo (SSN-583) | 14 April 1994 | 5 April 1995 |
| ex-Seadragon (SSN-584) | 1 October 1994 | 18 September 1995 |
| ex-Skipjack (SSN-585) | 17 March 1996 | 1 September 1998 |
| ex-Triton (SSRN-586) | 1 October 2007[11] | 30 November 2009[13] |
| ex-Halibut (SSGN-587) | 12 July 1993 | 9 September 1994 |
| ex-Scamp (SSN-588) | 1990 | 9 September 1994 (the first) |
| ex-Sculpin (SSN-590) | 1 October 2000 | 30 October 2001 |
| ex-Shark (SSN-591) | 1 October 1995 | 28 June 1996 |
| ex-Snook (SSN-592) | 1 October 1996 | 30 June 1997 |
| ex-Permit (SSN-594) | 30 September 1991 | 20 May 1993 |
| ex-Plunger (SSN-595) | 5 January 1995 | 8 March 1996 |
| ex-Barb (SSN-596) | Unknown | 14 March 1996 |
| ex-Tullibee (SSN-597) | 5 January 1995 | 1 April 1996 |
| ex-George Washington (SSBN/SSN-598) | Unknown | 30 September 1998† |
| ex-Patrick Henry (SSBN/SSN-599) | 1 October 1996 | 31 August 1997 |
| ex-Robert E. Lee (SSBN/SSN-601) | Unknown | 30 September 1991 |
| ex-Pollack (SSN-603) | 9 February 1993 | 17 February 1995 |
| ex-Haddo (SSN-604) | Unknown | 30 June 1992 |
| ex-Jack (SSN-605) | Unknown | 30 June 1992 |
| ex-Tinosa (SSN-606) | 15 July 1991 | 26 June 1992 |
| ex-Dace (SSN-607) | Unknown | 1 January 1997 |
| ex-Ethan Allen (SSBN/SSN-608) | Unknown | 30 July 1999 |
| ex-Sam Houston (SSBN/SSN-609) | 1 March 1991 | 3 February 1992 |
| ex-Thomas A. Edison (SSBN/SSN-610) | 1 October 1996 | 1 December 1997 |
| ex-John Marshall (SSBN/SSN-611) | 22 July 1992 | 29 March 1993 |
| ex-Guardfish (SSN-612) | Unknown | 9 July 1992 |
| ex-Flasher (SSN-613) | Unknown | 11 May 1994 |
| ex-Greenling (SSN-614) | 30 September 1993 | 18 April 1994 |
| ex-Gato (SSN-615) | Unknown | 1 November 1996 |
| ex-Haddock (SSN-621) | 1 October 2000 | 1 October 2001 |
| ex-Sturgeon (SSN-637) | Unknown | 11 December 1995 † |
| ex-Whale (SSN-638) | 20 October 1995 | 1 July 1996 |
| ex-Tautog (SSN-639) | 15 March 2003[11] | 30 September 2004[11] |
| ex-Kamehameha (SSBN/SSN-642) | 1 October 2001 | 28 February 2003 |
| ex-James K. Polk (SSBN/SSN-645) | 16 February 1999 | 15 July 2000 |
| ex-Grayling (SSN-646) | 18 July 1997 | 31 March 1998 |
| ex-Pogy (SSN-647) | 4 January 1999 | 12 April 2000 |
| ex-Aspro (SSN-648) | 1 October 1999 | 3 November 2000 |
| ex-Sunfish (SSN-649) | Unknown | 31 October 1997 |
| ex-Pargo (SSN-650) | 1 October 1994 | 15 October 1996 |
| ex-Queenfish (SSN-651) | 1 May 1992 | 7 April 1993 |
| ex-Puffer (SSN-652) | 20 October 1995 | 12 July 1996 |
| ex-Ray (SSN-653) | 15 March 2002 | 30 July 2003 |
| ex-Sand Lance (SSN-660) | 1 April 1998 | 30 August 1999 |
| ex-Lapon (SSN-661) | 15 March 2003[11] | 30 November 2004[11] |
| ex-Gurnard (SSN-662) | Unknown | 15 October 1996 |
| ex-Hammerhead (SSN-663) | Unknown | 22 November 1995 |
| ex-Sea Devil (SSN-664) | 1 March 1998 | 7 September 1999 |
| ex-Guitarro (SSN-665) | Unknown | 18 October 1994 |
| ex-Hawkbill (SSN-666) | 1 October 1999 | 1 December 2000 † |
| ex-Bergall (SSN-667) | Unknown | 29 September 1997 |
| ex-Spadefish (SSN-668) | 1 October 1996 | 24 October 1997 |
| ex-Seahorse (SSN-669) | 1 March 1995 | 30 September 1996 |
| ex-Finback (SSN-670) | Unknown | 30 October 1997 |
| ex-Narwhal (SSN-671) | 1 October 2001 | (museum plans failed; see article) |
| ex-Pintado (SSN-672) | 1 October 1997 | 27 October 1998 |
| ex-Flying Fish (SSN-673) | Unknown | 15 October 1996 |
| ex-Trepang (SSN-674) | 4 January 1999 | 7 April 2000 |
| ex-Bluefish (SSN-675) | 15 March 2002 | 1 November 2003 |
| ex-Billfish (SSN-676) | Unknown | 26 April 2000 |
| ex-Drum (SSN-677) | 1 December 2008[12] | 20 May 2010 |
| ex-Archerfish (SSN-678) | Unknown | 6 November 1998 |
| ex-Silversides (SSN-679) | 1 October 2000 | 1 October 2001 |
| ex-William H. Bates (SSN-680) | 1 October 2002 | 30 October 2002 |
| ex-Batfish (SSN-681) | Unknown | 22 November 2002 |
| ex-Tunny (SSN-682) | 1 October 1997 | 27 October 1998 |
| ex-Parche (SSN-683) | 30 September 2004‡[11] | 30 November 2006[12] |
| ex-Cavalla (SSN-684) | 1 October 1999 | 16 November 2000 |
| ex-Glenard P. Lipscomb (SSN-685) | Unknown | 1 December 1997 |
| ex-L. Mendel Rivers (SSN-686) | 29 November 2000 | 19 July 2002 |
| ex-Richard B. Russell (SSN-687) | 1 October 2001 | 19 September 2002 |
| ex-Los Angeles (SSN-688) | February 2011[12] | 5 March 2013 |
| ex-Baton Rouge (SSN-689) | 13 January 1995 | 30 September 1997 |
| ex-Philadelphia (SSN-690) | 1 September 2019[12] | Not started |
| ex-Memphis (SSN-691) | 14 December 2010[11] | Not started |
| ex-Omaha (SSN-692) | 1 October 2009[12] | 7 November 2011 |
| ex-Cincinnati (SSN-693) | 1 October 2009[12] | Not started |
| ex-Groton (SSN-694) | 1 June 2012[12] | 5 May 2014 |
| ex-Birmingham (SSN-695) | 1 June 2012[12] | Not started |
| ex-New York City (SSN-696) | 1 June 2011[12] | Not started |
| ex-Indianapolis (SSN-697) | 1 October 2013[12] | Not started |
| ex-Bremerton (SSN-698) | 13 February 2014[12] | Not started |
| ex-Jacksonville (SSN-699) | 31 March 2014[12] | Not started |
| ex-Dallas (SSN-700) | Extended to FY-17[14] | Not started |
| ex-La Jolla (SSN-701) | refit (training vessel) | n/a |
| ex-Phoenix (SSN-702) | 1 June 2013[12] | Not started |
| ex-Boston (SSN-703) | 1 October 2001 | 19 September 2002 † |
| ex-Baltimore (SSN-704) | 1 June 2013[12] | Not started |
| ex-City of Corpus Christi (SSN-705) | 24 November 2015[12] | Not started |
| ex-Albuquerque (SSN-706) | 14 April 2016[12] | Not started |
| ex-Portsmouth (SSN-707) | 1 June 2015[12] | Not started |
| ex-Minneapolis-St. Paul (SSN-708) | 1 June 2018[12] | Not started |
| ex-Hyman G. Rickover (SSN-709) | 30 September 2016[12] | Not Started |
| ex-Augusta (SSN-710) | 1 September 2019[12] | Reactor removed Nov 2008 |
| ex-San Francisco (SSN-711) | refit (training vessel) | Not started |
| ex-Atlanta (SSN-712) | 1 October 2013[12] | Not started |
| ex-Houston (SSN-713) | 21 September 2015[12] | Not started |
| ex-Norfolk (SSN-714) | 11 December 2014[14][15] | Not started |
| ex-Salt Lake City (SSN-716) | 30 September 2015[12] | Not started |
| ex-Honolulu (SSN-718) | 1 November 2006[12] | 20 October 2008 |
| ex-Miami (SSN-755) | 28 March 2014[12] | Not started |
† A dagger after a completion date indicates that portions of the hull were preserved as memorials. See the individual articles for details.
‡ Date given for ex-Parche is official date used to secure FY2004 funding; work did not begin until 19 October.[11]
Ballistic missile submarines
Some of these submarines (the Lafayette class) were fleet ballistic missile boats for the vast majority of their careers. However, they were converted to SSNs for use as moored training platforms and are not currently scheduled for recycling.
| Ship name (Hull number) | Start date | Completion date |
|---|---|---|
| See Attack Submarines - (SSBN/SSN-598) | n/a | n/a |
| See Attack Submarines - (SSBN/SSN-599) | n/a | n/a |
| ex-Theodore Roosevelt (SSBN-600) | unknown | 24 March 1995 |
| See Attack Submarines - (SSBN/SSN-601) | n/a | n/a |
| ex-Abraham Lincoln (SSBN-602) | unknown | 5 May 1994 |
| See Attack Submarines - (SSBN/SSN-608) | n/a | n/a |
| See Attack Submarines - (SSBN/SSN-609) | n/a | n/a |
| See Attack Submarines - (SSBN/SSN-610) | n/a | n/a |
| See Attack Submarines - (SSBN/SSN-611) | n/a | n/a |
| ex-Lafayette (SSBN-616) | 1 March 1991 | 25 February 1992 |
| ex-Alexander Hamilton (SSBN-617) | 23 February 1993 | 28 February 1994 |
| ex-Thomas Jefferson (SSBN-618) | 1 October 1996 | 6 March 1998 |
| ex-Andrew Jackson (SSBN-619) | unknown | 30 August 1999 |
| ex-John Adams (SSBN-620) | unknown | 12 February 1996 |
| ex-James Monroe (SSBN-622) | unknown | 10 January 1995 |
| ex-Nathan Hale (SSBN-623) | 2 October 1991 | 5 April 1995 |
| ex-Woodrow Wilson (SSBN-624) | 26 September 1997 | 27 October 1998† |
| ex-Henry Clay (SSBN-625) | unknown | 30 September 1997 |
| ex-Daniel Webster (MTS-626) | refit (training vessel) | n/a |
| ex-James Madison (SSBN-627) | unknown | 24 October 1997 |
| ex-Tecumseh (SSBN-628) | 15 February 1993 | 1 April 1994 |
| ex-Daniel Boone (SSBN-629) | unknown | 4 November 1994 |
| ex-John C. Calhoun (SSBN-630) | unknown | 18 November 1994 |
| ex-Ulysses S. Grant (SSBN-631) | unknown | 23 October 1993 |
| ex-Von Steuben (SSBN-632) | 1 October 2000 | 30 October 2001 |
| ex-Casimir Pulaski (SSBN-633) | unknown | 21 October 1994 |
| ex-Stonewall Jackson (SSBN-634) | unknown | 13 October 1995 |
| ex-Sam Rayburn (MTS-635) | refit (training vessel) | n/a |
| ex-Nathanael Greene (SSBN-636) | 1 September 1998 | 20 October 2000 |
| ex-Benjamin Franklin (SSBN-640) | unknown | 21 August 1995 |
| ex-Simon Bolivar (SSBN-641) | 1 October 1994 | 1 December 1995 |
| ex-George Bancroft (SSBN-643) | unknown | 30 March 1998† |
| ex-Lewis and Clark (SSBN-644) | 1 October 1995 | 23 September 1996 |
| ex-George C. Marshall (SSBN-654) | unknown | 28 February 1994 |
| ex-Henry L. Stimson (SSBN-655) | unknown | 12 August 1994 |
| ex-George Washington Carver (SSBN-656) | unknown | 21 March 1994 |
| ex-Francis Scott Key (SSBN-657) | unknown | 1 September 1995 |
| ex-Mariano G. Vallejo (SSBN-658) | 1 October 1994 | 22 December 1995 |
| ex-Will Rogers (SSBN-659) | 12 April 1993 | 12 August 1994 |
† A dagger after a completion date indicates that portions of the hull were preserved as memorials. See the individual articles for details.
Because the program is underway, this list is almost certainly incomplete.[16]
Note for ships marked with refit: Sam Rayburn (SSBN-635) was converted into a training platform — Moored Training Ship (MTS-635). Sam Rayburn arrived for conversion on 1 February 1986, and on 29 July 1989 the first Moored Training Ship achieved initial criticality. Modifications included special mooring arrangements including a mechanism to absorb power generated by the main propulsion shaft. Daniel Webster (SSBN-626) was converted to the second Moored Training Ship (MTS-2 / MTS-626) in 1993. The Moored Training Ship Site is located at Naval Weapons Station Charleston in Goose Creek, South Carolina. Sam Rayburn is scheduled to operate as an MTS until 2014 while undergoing shipyard availabilities at four-year intervals. LA JOLLA (SSN-701) is currently undergoing conversion to a Moored Training Ship at Norfolk Naval Shipyard. SAN FRANCISCO (SSN-711) will be converted after decommissioning.
References
- ↑ "End Points for Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste in Russia and the United States". National Academies Press. 2003-06-01. Retrieved 2013-02-11.
- ↑ Anatoli Diakov, Vadim Korobov and Eugene Miasnikov (1992-10-24). "Nuclear Powered Submarine Inactivation and Disposal in the U.S. and Russia: A Comparative Analysis". Center for Arms Control, Energy and Environmental Studies. Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. Retrieved 2013-02-09.
- ↑ "Submarine reactor compartments at Hanford". Retrieved 2012-08-02.
- ↑ photo
- ↑ photo
- ↑ "Dismantling Nuclear Submarines". U.S. Nuclear Weapons Cost Study Project. Brookings Institution. Retrieved 2012-08-02.
- ↑ Kopte, Susanne (August 1997). Nuclear Submarine Decommissioning and Related Problems (PDF). paper 12. Bonn International Center for Conversion. Retrieved April 2014. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - ↑ "Submarine Centennial Chronology". Navy.mil. Retrieved 2013-02-09.
- ↑ "Nuclear fuel from Enterprise headed for Idaho". Navy Times. Retrieved 2013-02-11.
- ↑ "Draft Environmental Assessment on the Disposal of Decommissioned, Defueled, Naval Reactor Plants from USS ENTERPRISE (CVN 65), September 2011" (PDF). Retrieved 2014-04-28.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Morison, Samuel Loring (December 2006). "U.S. Naval Battle Force Changes". Proceedings of the Naval Institute. 132 (12): 59–60. ISSN 0041-798X.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 Morison, Samuel Loring (May 2007). "U.S. Naval Battle Force Changes". Proceedings of the Naval Institute. 133 (5): 111. ISSN 0041-798X.
- ↑ Morison, Samuel Loring (May 2010). "U.S. Naval Battle Force Changes 1 January 2009 – 31 December 2009". United States Naval Institute Proceedings. 135 (5): 112. 0041-798X.
- 1 2 "Navy Swaps Dallas, Norfolk Inactivation Dates". US Navy News Service. May 30, 2014.
- ↑ Copeland, Kevin (11 December 2014). "USS Norfolk Decommissioned". US Navy News Service.
- ↑ "Ships, Both Coasts, Disposed". Nvr.navy.mil. Retrieved 2013-02-09.
