# New Ferries Are Benched For Leaks (NYC)



## Thirdrail7 (Dec 2, 2017)

I guess the railroad isn't the only industry having trouble with their new equipment. The number is now at 7.

https://nypost.com/2017/11/26/de-blasios-beloved-ferries-are-already-out-of-service/



> Mayor Bill de Blasio’s new ferry fleet can barely stay afloat, with at least five new boats pulled out of service to fix potentially disastrous leaks — three of them still sitting in dry dock, The Post has learned.
> 
> The Coast Guard ordered repairs following inspections that uncovered “heavy pitting” in the aluminum hulls of the three idled vessels, USCG Warrant Officer Allyson Conroy said





> City officials had promised the watercraft — which cost about $4 million each — would be built “with the latest in 21st-century maritime technology and best design practices.”
> But sources said workers were welding metal patches onto the leaky hulls while experts scramble to figure out why corrosion was causing the 3/16-inch aluminum to fail so soon.
> “There are holes the size of a pencil inside, below the water line,” said one source familiar with the problem.
> “In theory, you can lose one compartment, but if you get a hole punched the size of your fist in one compartment, with the water pressure, it can implode and the compartment can sink quick.
> ...


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## railiner (Dec 14, 2017)

Hmm...seems like the trouble is only with the Hornblower operated ferries....AFAIK, the NY Waterways operated ferries don't have those troubles.....


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## keelhauled (Dec 15, 2017)

The Hornblower ferries were all built new last winter by two Gulf Coast shipyards. It sounds like aluminum and steel components weren't sufficiently isolated, leading to galvanic corrosion in the aluminum. One variant of the Navy's Littoral Combat Ship had the same problem.


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## Ryan (Dec 16, 2017)

keelhauled said:


> One variant of the Navy's Littoral Combat Ship had the same problem.


Yes, but they figured out the problems on the first hull years ago.


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## Green Maned Lion (Dec 16, 2017)

Hence why he used the lexical clarity of the past tense.

Speaking of lexical clarity, are you sure, this being New York, what kind of leaks the boats are dealing with. All over NYC the amonia can be overpowering.


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## Ryan (Dec 16, 2017)

Green Maned Lion said:


> Hence why he used the lexical clarity of the past tense.


Yes, I noted that. My point was that LCS figured it out after one hull, whereas these guys didn't seem to figure it out until they had 7 of them in service before figuring it out.


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## Green Maned Lion (Dec 16, 2017)

The LCS (about the silliest project our navy has ever undertook) has been under a microscope. The NY ferries are mostly a graft grab. The watchers are hired for their vision impairment.


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