The Other Arsenal Ship Dream Has Died

The Taxpayers for Common Sense website has a spreadsheet available for download here that lists all the earmarks included in the FY09 Defense Spending Bills, both House and Senate.

We love these types of lists, because we like to know which defense project is the "baby" of which politician. As veterans readers of this blog know, there is one specific earmark we always check to see whether it is listed, and sure enough, line 242 in the spreadsheet notes the floating earmark shall return to sea for only $10,000,000 more taxpayer dollars following the FY08 $21 million repair bill after rough seas ripped a hole in the hull using the ships own anchor.

If one considers the return to action by Duncan Hunter's Navy the good news, we must also pass on the bad news. The once hyped 'affordable cruise missile' did not get its earmark this year, and has finally, officially died. We sympathize with those whose dreams of a 950 ton arsenal ship with hundreds of "affordable cruise missiles" has come crashing down, but apparently someone thought it was wise not to build a ship where the weapon payload would cost just as much (if not more) as the ship itself.

Is there a future for Duncan Hunter's Navy? Depends. Would something 'like' Sea Fighter (FSF 1) be a good replacement for the Cyclone class PCs? It is nearly three times the displacement, so maybe not.

Because if we are being honest, if there is one shipbuilding program we would get excited about, it isn't the SC-21 nightmare, it would be a Cyclone replacement program. At least that ship has a clear mission purpose, and plenty of places in need of that purpose.

While we don't advocate for Duncan Hunter's Navy (clearly), we don't dismiss it either. In particular, if this thing ever gets in the hands of someone creative at SOUTHCOM, you never know...