[Llarry]

In a lamentable sign of the difficulties faced by the U.S. industry to build and maintain warships -- particularly submarines -- the USS Boise (SSN 764), a Los Angeles class nuclear-powered attack submarine -- will be decommissioned.

The Boise's story is a sad one -- she was commissioned in 1992 and entered into the overhaul process in 2015. For over ten years Boise has been in overhaul or has been idle. US$800 million of taxpayer money has spent on her overhaul and yet the process is only 22 percent complete. The total overhaul cost, were it to continue, would be about US$3 billion! The Navy finally decided that it was simply not worth it.

62 Los Angeles class attack submarines were completed and 23 remain active.