From the New York Times of 9 Dec 2006 in a two part article. What is repeatedly apparent is that political 'experts' and pork politics have ignored the Coast Guards own engineers to spend billions on ship, radios, and aircraft that do not work. The Coast Guard has always had severe problems. Many of its ships were built before WWII or just after. Most of the Guard ships are older than anyone in their crew. We have done almost nothing to upgrade the Coast Guard which is why National Guard choppers so often do the ocean ship rescues. Until recently, the Guard had no choppers that could perform these ocean rescues.
In the "Perfect Storm", what was that lost chopper? National Guard.
Suddenly we are spending money to buy everything new and all at once. New prototypes are built alongside every other ship in a rush to fix everyone at once with all new technology. No time provided to learn of any mistakes. Prototypes will work just fine the first time. Therefore ship hulls are cracking. Six out of eight cutters could not go to sea. Thrust bearings so poorly supported that propeller shafts misalign. Radios in small boats that stop working when splashed with seawater.
Quote:
Billions Later, Plan to Remake the Coast Guard Fleet Stumbles
Four years after the Coast Guard began an effort to replace nearly its entire fleet of ships, planes and helicopters, the modernization program heralded as a model of government innovation is foundering.
The initial venture — converting rusting 110-foot patrol boats, the workhorses of the Coast Guard, into more versatile 123-foot cutters — has been canceled after hull cracks and engine failures made the first eight boats unseaworthy.
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A common factor exists. In every case, the people who come from where the work gets done were ignored. Sound exactly like 11 September or Challenger? Yes.
Virtually everything being replaced does not work or is in massive cost overrun.