Warship Boneyards

Book excerpt: Just as the U.S. Air Force sends obsolete warbirds to the Arizona desert for storage and disassembly, the U.S. Navy maintains a number of harbors for its obsolete vessels. This collection gives enthusiasts an admiral's tour of the naval storage harbors in Philadelphia, Norfolk, Pearl Harbor, and Bremerton, Washington, as well as the once-proud fighting vessels awaiting reassignment, sale, or the cutting torch. Author Kermit Bonner takes readers through the entire disassembly process from start to finish, describing in detail how these surplus cruisers, submarines, destroyers, and aircraft carriers are scrapped, including more complex processes involving nuclear submarines.