The last battle of the Cassin Young

August 28, 2011|By Phil Primack

NEARLY SEVEN DECADES after surviving one of the last kamikaze attacks of World War II, the USS Cassin Young looks ready for the open seas. Its wedge-like bow splits the air, leading 376 feet of Navy-gray steel that exudes the speed and strength that made such destroyers critical to winning the war in the Pacific. The decks bristle with radar and weaponry, while pots and pans in the cramped galley sit ready to serve a wartime crew of 325. Up on the bridge, a single leather chair in the pilothouse awaits a commander to issue the order to weigh anchor.

If that order were to come right now, the Cassin Young would sink.

Today, the ship sits high and dry on blocks in the Charlestown Navy Yard, the national park that has been its home for more than 30 years. For most of that time, the USS Cassin Young DD-793 was moored in the harbor at the end of a pier. About a year ago, it was moved into Dry Dock 1 for what was supposed to be a less-than-six-month, $3.3 million overhaul. But about four months and more than $2 million into the job, the National Park Service halted work – the hull was in far worse shape than anyone had expected. The Park Service hired Ocean Technical Services of Gloucester, an engineering consultant, to survey the vessel’s condition. “The ship can no longer stay afloat without additional repairs,” the firm bluntly stated in a report.

According to the consultant, making the Cassin Young seaworthy enough to remain afloat for another half century would cost as much as $18.7 million. That’s nearly double the entire annual operating budget of the National Park Service in Boston. The Navy sent its own engineers to look at the ship in June; they believe repairs could cost less, though they have yet to provide a firm estimate.

Whatever the final price tag, both the Navy, which owns the ship, and the Park Service, which is responsible for its upkeep, say they don’t have the budget to repair the Cassin Young. Earlier this month, both sides were trying to devise a new plan, including a less expensive option that would at least buy time to find a more permanent fix. But even that price tag would probably hit seven digits. For now, then, that makes the ship a 2,050-ton hot potato.