Comments by "Steve Valley" (@stevevalley7835) on "The Drydock - Episode 044" video.

  1. I have quite a rant about how US defense contracts today are about milking the R&D phase, not actually getting anything deployed. How much did we pay for 20 B2s? Another huge pile of cash for less than 200 F-22s. F-35 nearly 20 years in development. Building two different designs of LCS at the same time, instead of building one design and seeing how it works out first. Billions for only 3 Zumwalts would be a scandal if this nonsense was not so common.
    2
  2. Thanks for the bit about the Iwo Jima loan offer. I had not heard that one before. My first choice would have been Lexington for reasons of size and speed, and probable lack of any really state of the art, thus classified, radar or comm equipment, so it could be handed over to a mercenary crew. On the other hand, the Lex was completely unarmed.
    2
  3. What the Ark could have contributed of most value was the Fairey Gannet radar picket aircraft. It was the lack of airborne radar that left the Sheffield exposed on radar picket duty that lead to it's being sunk.
    1
  4. When the Ark was scrapped, the RN , had two older carriers: Hermes and Bulwark, remaining. Bulwark was intended to be retained until the next Invincible class carrier was commissioned, but Bulwark suffered an engine room fire in early 81, and, rather than make repairs on a ship that would be decommissioned in only a year, she was paid off early. That left the RN with only two carriers, instead of the intended three. That is when the Argies decided to wag the dog.
    1