Your Money at uh work

[dan_bgblue]

Alaskan Earmark (http://news.yahoo.com/1-750k-bid-unwanted-alaska-231923120.html)


An unwanted, $80 million ice-breaking ferry owned by an Alaska borough has only one bid to buy it, and it's for $751,000.

The bid was the only entered by Friday's deadline set up by the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, which has been trying to get rid of the 200-foot ferry. The borough doesn't have to accept the offer, The Anchorage Daily News reported (http://bit.ly/Zuh2SN).

The vessel was completed in 2011 and born out of a partnership between the borough, which wanted a ferry, and the Navy, which wanted a fast military landing craft.

Named the Susitna, the ferry was built as a Navy prototype that would be owned and operated by the borough. The project was funded mainly with Department of Defense earmarks wedged into the federal budget by then-U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens

[CitizenBBN]

Would have liked some more detail in there about why the Navy doesn't take it, if it was built to be a landing craft. Sounds like it's not suitable for such purposes either. Just a weird way to get the money allocated to build the thing.

[dan_bgblue]

I think the Navy does not want it because it is a freaking ferry not a fast landing craft

[Catonahottinroof]

From the same people who brought you the $800

1930

[CitizenBBN]

I think the Navy does not want it because it is a freaking ferry not a fast landing craft

I would assume so, but I wonder what non-ferry aspects it has given it has horrid mileage and limited capacity. I wonder if it really was some messed up hybrid that didn't work or just a pure dodge to get them a ferry.

Maybe they can use this ferry to replace the road to nowhere.

[dan_bgblue]

If they would close the door on the aft end it would probably be more fuel efficient

[Doc]

Image link (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MV_Susitna_-_Catamaran_Ice_Breaking_Ferry_for_Alaska.jpg)

and

here (http://vigorindustrial.com/alaska-ship-drydock/projects)

[CitizenBBN]

Thanks Doc. That's one funky ship. Does remind me of an amphibious assault craft where they released the boats out the back. A "Catamaran ice breaker". Um, OK.

[dan_bgblue]

Must be like an iceberg, 2/3rds of it are under water. No wonder the fuel mileage is so poor. The freaking propulsion units are 3 feet out of the water.

Doc, is that really an image of the craft we are bemoaning?

[Doc]

Yep, that she be.