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The US Navy has a SERIOUS Toilet Problem
[Rant commencing]
In the realm of power projection, you can’t go wrong with a US Navy aircraft carrier.
America’s newest carrier class, the Gerald R. Ford, is a technological marvel that cost US taxpayers a staggering $13 billion.
Why so expensive?
Well, first of all, warships aren’t cheap.
But the Ford in particular has several advanced tech upgrades including electromagnetic aircraft launch systems, advanced arresting gears, a new radar system, electromagnetically powered weapon elevators, and a brand new toilet and sewage system that acts as a scaled-up version of the system used on commercial aircraft.
The U.S. Navy plans to build up to 11 Ford-class carriers, gradually replacing the aging Nimitz-class ships, over the coming decades.
So, what’s the problem with this new toilet system?
The problem, first reported by Bloomberg, is mentioned in a General Accountability Office (GAO) report on sustainment costs for Navy ships. The GAO report states the toilets on America’s two newest Ford-class aircraft carriers, USS Bush and USS Ford, are experiencing clogging problems.
The Navy has determined that the only way to keep the pipes draining is to use a special, extremely expensive acid solution.
How expensive?
$400,000 to unclog each clogged toilet…
Holy s**t!
What’s more, the toilets have been clogging at a rate of about 25 per week.
Now, I’m not the best at math, but I believe that comes to about $10 million per week.
Let’s pause for a moment and appreciate the contractor who scored that contract — supplying an “acid” solution to unclog vacuum toilets for 4,000 sailors.
I mean, who pays $400,000 to unclog a single toilet? The US Navy is quite literally flushing US taxpayer dollars down the commode.
I have so many questions for this contractor: Was there not a cheaper option? Maybe Drano Max Gel or Liquid Plumber? Did anyone try a $5 plunger first?
Commercial airlines learned long ago that one clogged lavatory can take down…
