Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!ames!xanth!ukma!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!osu-cis!att!cbnews!charette@edsews.eds.com
From: charette@edsews.eds.com (Mark A. Charette)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Are Aircraft Carriers Obsolete ?
Message-ID: <3426@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Date: 24 Jan 89 03:00:43 GMT
References: <3350@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Sender: military@cbnews.ATT.COM
Organization: EDS/TSD - Troy, MI
Lines: 20
Approved: military@att.att.com


In article <3350@cbnews.ATT.COM>, military@att.att.com (Bill Thacker) writes:
> I seem to recall reading that Enterprise (and, presumably, all later
> carriers) is equipped with a "hosedown" facility, to rinse the outside
> of the ship with seawater; originally, the intent was for decontamination
> following a nuclear attack.  I wonder if this can be used against
> chemical agents (if it does, in fact, exist).

As far as I know (having spent nine years in the Navy on a number of
different types of ships, including CVAN-65) ALL the U.S. Navy ships (at
least destroyer and larger) have a sea water wash-down system. Whether it
is effective for washing a chemical or biological agent off the decks and
bulkheads would depend on the CBW carring agent. It wouldn't be too hard to
develop a carrying agent that was unaffected by salt water.

-- 
Mark Charette             "People only like me when I'm dumb!", he said. 
Electronic Data Systems   "I like you a lot." was the reply.
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