What's wrong with the US Navy? You know, apart from trans, ahem, admirals who've never been to sea and drag queen recruitment drives. Well, rust for a start. Old news to all you Navy hands but kind of shocking to me.
What is this, some falling apart SovNav rust bucket from the '90s? No, it's one of ours and it's not alone:
Nice little gun, shame about all the rust.
And here's USS Rust Stout. Looks pretty seaworthy, right?
So what's wrong. I took the time to wade through the information superhighway and, apparently, the dilapidated state of the most powerful navy in the world is something to do with:
Viz. Boatswains Chairs, whatever they are, environmental regulation, hideous, COVID 19, fraud, ships only being allowed to repaint in dry dock, idiocy, a recruitment crisis because no one wants to join the rainbow rusting trans Navy, go figure, and the Pentagon not caring about its ships, traitors.
Something like that and you can read all about it on the internet, but seriously, why would a patriotic person want to serve in a fleet that looks like this? Commander Salamander puts it well:
We have, it seemed, lost all shame as an organization.
— cdrsalamander (@cdrsalamander) December 30, 2022
Don't yell at me, this tramp-steamer deck and random-uniform-generator display is on the ship's FB page.
You can figure out the ship if you wish, but this is a Navy -wide problem.
Would you want to join this service? pic.twitter.com/h4Q93iepEV
Well said, Commander, and here's a closing infographic.
Where did it get its medals? That aside, will the Navy sort itself out? Serious question.
Imperator Undarum,
LSP
To be fair, that mentally-ill man in drag is wearing a US Public Health Service uniform in his official capacity. It just happens that USPHS (a uniformed service that has only officers and zero enlisted) uses US Navy uniforms and insignia.
ReplyDeleteBut even though Levine isn’t a naval officer, it’s still messed up.
Mike_C
I have not researched this, but I bet some environmental zealot made an issue over Navy paint, and lawyers and OSHA got involved because of sailors hanging over the sides scraping and painting the stuff so that now only the dry docks can do it "safely".
ReplyDeleteReminds me of the 1960's Army in Europe. We had WWII vintage 5 ton trucks, some with patched bullet holes, held together with layers of paint. I personally used a SCR 625 mine detector manufactured in 1945. We had to improvise batteries.
ReplyDeleteI hope the lousy Navy maintenance doesn't extend to SSBNs with my granddaughter's boyfriend/fiancee soon to be aboard one.
He not "It". I refuse to play into other peoples delusions.
ReplyDeleteRusty ships but I bet all their Diversity and Equality training is current. Priorities man, priorities.
I had one patch in the service where things were pretty shaky due to lack of funding and a poor focus on what was important from leadership but thankfully that was it. I thank God every night that first, I was given the opportunity to serve when I did and second that I am not in the military today.
"only officers and zero enlisted"
ReplyDeleteThat would solve a lot of problems for a certain style of orificer, wot?
Finally got around to reading Leading the Way by Al Santoli, just finished it this morning, as a matter of fact. Santoli weaves a set of interviews with Viet Nam veterans who stuck it out thru the Carter years and rebuilt the US military to the machine that was so effective during Gulf War One. The last quarter of the book is mostly these officers and senior NCO's warning the military and its civilian leaders to not waste all that momentum thru "peace dividends", politicized leadership, purges and RIF's and social engineering. Basically, all the weird stuff and lack of leadership we see today. The narrative warning by James Webb is particularly frightening. They called it, sure enough, except I don't think in their wildest fears they thought it would get as bad as it has.
I'm not a betting man, pewster, but I'll wager you're right on that.
ReplyDeleteWow, WSF, 1945 kit... the nearest I got to that was traing with the mighty Lee Enfield and Bren in the UK equiv of Junior ROTC, and the rations, obviously, which were from the '50s (heavy).
ReplyDeleteGood luck to the fiancé!
Ed, I might have to change my "it" descriptor on your admonition, good call.
ReplyDeleteService? My old unit was disbanded long ago, like much of the British Army, and I mourn that in a way. Today's army? I 100% sympathize with your point of view but let's not forget there's some very good men and officers serving.
Also, even now, our Armed Forces provide a lifeline to many young people, not least my eldest son. Point being, all's not lost.
Sursum corda.
Wild, curious thing, I'm in email correspondence with one of those NCOs and he echoes your point.
ReplyDeleteI know, we're inclined to be doomers because everything seems so intensely awful, not least the rust on the USN. But hey, for every action (?) there's a reaction, so... let's pray the rebound goes in the right direction.
I'm impressed, by the way, with the news I hear from my boy's unit. Apparently many of them will have to go on "remedial PT." Heh. Good. Work off those cheeseburgers, boys.
And please, Lord, don't send them into catastrophe.