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Article: Navy faces tough choices in replacing a rapidly-aging fleet.
- Article from:
- Daily Press (Newport News, VA)
- Article date:
- October 15, 2003
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 Daily Press. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Peter Dujardin
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. _ Within five years, after a third of a century serving the Navy, the nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Los Angeles will hit the end of its expected life cycle.
And there will be plenty more subs behind it. Out of 51 remaining vessels in the Navy's Los Angeles class of submersibles built at the height of the Cold War, 24 will hit their retirement age by 2020.
The retirement of those ships and many others will create a stark choice at the end of the decade for lawmakers on Capitol Hill, Navy leaders in the Pentagon and the occupant of the White House.
They can watch what is already the smallest ...