Unclogging Toilets at $400k a Flush Hits Navy’s Costs

I'm a lot more concerned about things like this:

> In an effort to improve sustainment of the LPD 17 class ships, the Navy decided to install titanium piping to carry seawater for firefighting and to cool machinery instead of copper-nickel piping because of its lighter weight and increased durability. However, instead of saving effort in sustainment, these pipes required more maintenance effort than planned and, in many cases, eventually had to be replaced. Early in the acquisition process, the Navy studied this decision and discovered that unlike copper-nickel piping, titanium piping carrying seawater is susceptible to “biofouling” — meaning sea life such as shellfish grow inside the pipes. To prevent biofouling, Navy engineers determined that a chlorination system — which adds chlorine to seawater entering the ship in order to kill biological material in the water — and a dechlorination system — which removes the chlorine before the seawater is dumped from the ship — would be needed and included specifications for the shipbuilder to install these systems. Then, according to shipbuilding program officials, after the ship was on contract, the shipbuilder reported to the Navy that it could not find suitable chlorination and dechlorination systems. The program office decided to proceed with ship construction absent these systems and evaluate the extent of the biofouling problem after ship delivery ... Biofouling degraded the functionality of a number of other systems on the ship that depend on the water delivered by the piping system, resulting in overheating of main and ship service engines and loss of electric power generation, among other problems. To address these and related issues across the LPD 17 class, the Navy’s fleet spent at least $250 million to: (1) buy and install new copper-nickel piping that is now costlier, heavier, and not as durable as titanium; (2) install chlorination systems that were later found to be unreliable, requiring significant maintenance; and (3) conduct unplanned maintenance and replace systems that broke due to shellfish contamination, among other interventions.

Or this:

> The Navy used a new design for CVN 77’s stores elevators, which are used to move provisions between decks. However, among other issues, the elevators are too small to fit a standard sized pallet jack. Thus, provisions cannot be loaded or unloaded with a pallet jack or a forklift and must be manually unpacked and stacked by hand on to the elevator. Unloading is further complicated, according to the ship’s crew, because the elevator doors are so small that the average sailor cannot stand up as they enter and exit the elevator.

[1] https://www.gao.gov/assets/710/705463.pdf

Solution: Re-engineer a new solution, retrofit.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry. I operated such a system on a US Navy ship. I have mixed feelings about it.

There are rubber flappers that needs to be replaced often to maintain the vacuum. It's just a simple piece of rubber in an easy-to-produce shape. The price per flapper in the inventory system was $200-something.

http://www.marpoltraining.com/MMSKOREAN/MARPOL/Annex_IV/r11....

I wonder if a country can prohibit a US Navy ship from free passage if it violates MARPOL.

Yes, another example of scandalous but misleading article headline. Reading along, the astronomical cost is in fact quite understandable:

> while the actual cost of the toilet cover is relatively low, it’s not something a manufacturer regularly produces. So the company ends up halting other production to make the cover, and the government ends up paying the costs of lost production. [...] C-5 is an old aircraft with limited manufacturing resources. Producing a new latrine cover required reverse-engineering the part, with new drawings and recasting a new mold. And since so few replacements are needed, the amortized cost is high.

Also:

> toilet covers, which can be 3D printed for $300 [...] service is looking at ways to bring down those costs by turning to methods such as 3D printing. [...] “We are reproducing those parts now, so we are no longer buying seats at that price,” Air Force spokesperson said.

So by the time the article was written the $10k toilet cover was in fact history.

In modern times, however, a ship with a bunch of missiles is a better carrier than a carrier. An electronic circuit board is a braver and more accurate pilot than a pilot.

Even better, cut out the middle man. Forget the ship, just send the missiles directly from home to the enemy.