US Navy is Blasting its Own Warship with Torpedoes and Live Missiles

Hello everyone, and welcome back to the Fluctus channel. When an American warship reaches the end of service, the Navy does not simply abandon it. Some vessels become museums, some enter reserve storage, others are dismantled, and a carefully selected few complete their final mission as targets during live-fire sinking exercises. Decommissioning begins by removing the ship from active service. Ammunition, fuel, classified equipment, reusable machinery, and hazardous materials are taken away. Records are closed, systems are preserved or stripped, and the commissioning pennant is lowered. The ship may then wait for donation, recycling, foreign transfer, storage, or disposal. USS Bonhomme Richard followed an especially painful route. After a major fire burned aboard the amphibious assault ship for four days in July 2020, the Navy concluded that restoring it would cost more than building a comparable replacement. The ship was decommissioned in April 2021 and prepared for towing to a dismantling facility. Its departure demonstrated how even a massive warship can transition from national asset to recyclable steel. Other retired ships become realistic targets during SINKEX events. Before being released offshore, each vessel passes through certified cleaning. Trash and floating debris are removed along with petroleum products, mercury, fluorocarbons, and other environmentally harmful material. Openings may be prepared, sensors positioned, and the hull towed into a controlled range far from normal shipping. During RIMPAC 2018, the target was the decommissioned tank landing ship X USS Racine. 25 nations, 46 ships, 5 submarines, about 200 aircraft, and 25,000 personnel participated in that year's wider exercise around Hawaii and Southern California. The target allowed submarines, surface ships, and aircraft to coordinate tracking and live firing against an actual hull. Aboard the Los Angeles-class submarine USS Olympia, Sailors prepared a UGM-84 Harpoon Anti-Ship Missile. Weapons personnel followed checklists, verified the assigned tube, confirmed connections, and cleared the compartment. Combat system operators loaded targeting data, while command personnel confirmed range safety and firing authorization. Once ordered, compressed systems expelled the encapsulated weapon from the tube. After reaching the surface, the capsule separated, the missile's engine ignited, and the harpoon flew toward ex-Racine. Submarine torpedoes follow a related but distinct process. Crew members inspect the weapon, move it carefully into the torpedo room, align it with a tube, and use hydraulic equipment to slide it inside. The breech door is sealed, safety conditions are verified, and the tube is flooded before the outer door opens. Only after target data and authorization are confirmed can the weapon be launched. Coordinated SINKEX attacks reveal how different forces share targeting information and sequence their weapons. Aircraft can strike from above, surface ships launch missiles or naval gunfire, and submarines attack below the waterline. Engineers then study where each weapon hit, how damage spread, and how long the target remained afloat. The battered hull also exposes weaknesses concealed during computer-based training. RIMPAC 2022 continued this method when multinational forces sank ex-USS Rodney M. Davis and ex-USS Denver. The first target went down in water approximately 15,000 feet deep, about 50 nautical miles north of Kauai. Such exercises provide data and experience impossible to reproduce with simulations alone. Ships not selected for live fire may leave under tow for reserve fleets or recycling yards. USS Fort McHenry departed Mayport in 2021 after decommissioning, beginning its journey away from active service. At locations, including Pearl Harbor, rows of inactive hulls can wait while officials determine their final disposition, whether sunk, stored, donated, or cut apart. Every retired ship enters a controlled process and aircraft face an equally organized final journey. The most recognizable American Aircraft Retirement Center is the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group beside Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona. Commonly called the Boneyard, the facility occupies roughly 2,600 acres and has cared for close to 4,000 aircraft at a time, Making it the world's largest military aircraft storage and preservation site. Southern Arizona offers ideal conditions. Low humidity limits corrosion, little rainfall reduces weather damage, and the hard alkaline soil supports heavy aircraft without extensive concrete paving. The nearby runway also allows many airplanes to complete their final flight directly into storage, rather than arriving in pieces by road. In January 2018, a C-130 equipped through the Avionics Modernization Program arrived for storage. After its final landing, ground crews guided the transport from the active runway toward Amarg. Engines shut down, records transferred, and technicians began deciding which configuration of preservation the aircraft required. Some stored machines may later return to flight, while others become sources of parts, test articles, or recyclable material. Induction begins with documentation and safety work. Crews remove classified equipment, ammunition-related components, and hazardous materials. Fuel and oil systems are drained or treated, batteries are disconnected, Technicians inventory the aircraft and record its conditions so every removed component remains traceable. Aircraft intended for long-term preservation receive protection against dust, sunlight, moisture, and wildlife. Openings are sealed, vulnerable surfaces covered, and selected systems treated with preservative compounds. Engines may be flushed with protective oil, while tires, landing gear, and exposed metal receive periodic attention. The process turns a flight-ready machine into a stable package that can remain outdoors for years. One of AMARG's most visible materials is SprayLat, a removable protective coating. Workers first clean and mask the aircraft, covering windows, seams, ducts, intakes, and other openings. A dark base layer seals the surface. Crews then spray a white outer layer that reflects Arizona sunlight and reduces interior temperatures. The coating dries into a tough skin but can later be peeled away if the aircraft returns to service or undergoes maintenance. Storage does not mean inactivity. Teams conduct inspections, control corrosion, remove requested parts, and move aircraft between categories. A component taken from one retired airplane can keep another operational aircraft flying. Entire airframes may also return to service after extensive regeneration, requiring technicians to remove coatings, inspect structures, restore systems, install engines, and perform ground tests. Before regeneration begins, engineers compare stored records with the receiving unit's requirements. Missing components are replaced, wiring is tested, and corrosion inspections determine whether returning the aircraft to flight remains economical and safe. Aircraft selected for disposal move into a demolition sequence. Workers remove reusable engines, avionics, landing gear, and specialized materials. Fluids are captured, hazardous substances separated, and the remaining structure is made safe. Heavy equipment then breaks the airframe into manageable sections. Wings, tails, and fuselage panels are cut or crushed before metals are sorted for recycling. This work requires careful identification because aircraft are not made from one metal. Separating those materials improves recycling value and prevents contamination. AMARG therefore functions as far more than a desert parking lot. Every arriving aircraft is assigned a future, whether that means preservation, component recovery, renewed flight, museum transfer, testing, or recycling. Submarines require an even more complicated retirement because their hulls once carried nuclear reactors beneath the ocean. Nuclear-powered submarines cannot be parked indefinitely or sunk during ordinary weapons exercises. Their reactors, fuel history, classified equipment, and massive pressure hulls require a specialized disposal program. In the United States, much of this work occurs at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington, through the Ship Submarine Recycling Program. Retirement begins before cutting. The submarine is defueled under strict controls, with spent nuclear fuel removed for secure handling. Weapons, batteries, oils, refrigerants, and reusable equipment are taken out. Classified systems are removed or destroyed, and contaminated areas are surveyed. Only after radiological boundaries and work procedures are established can large-scale dismantling begin. In June 2019, workers guided the former attack submarine USS James K. Polk into dry dock at Puget Sound. Once water was pumped away, teams gained access to the underside of the hull. Temporary services supplied lighting, ventilation, electricity, and on-site fire protection. Workers first strip external fittings and open access points. Insulation, piping, cables, pumps, and internal equipment are removed in a planned sequence. Materials are surveyed and sorted, so conventional scrap remains separate from regulated waste. Cutting crews use industrial saws, torches, and remotely operated equipment where appropriate, working around the submarine's thick, high-strength steel. The reactor compartment receives special treatment. After nuclear fuel and accessible equipment are removed, the compartment is isolated from the forward and aft sections. Open ends are sealed with heavy steel bulkheads, creating a robust transportation package. The prepared reactor compartment package can then be moved for long-term disposal at an authorized federal site rather than being mixed with ordinary scrap. Removing an entire hull section requires precise support. Cradles and transporters are positioned beneath the curved steel segment before final connections are cut. Engineers calculate the section's weight and center of gravity. Then confirm that supports, routes, and lifting equipment can carry the load. As the section separates, workers watch for unexpected movement and maintain exclusion zones. Large shipyard cranes take over when pieces must cross the dry dock or reach a barge. Rigging teams inspect cables, shackles, and attachment points before connecting them to the hull. A signal person coordinates with the crane operator, who gradually takes the weight. The section rises slowly, clears surrounding structures, and travels toward its prepared landing area. Remaining bow and stern sections are reduced further, reusable metals are separated, machinery is processed, and steel is cut into sizes that recycling facilities can handle. Every lift, cut, and shipment is documented, especially when material passes through radiological controls. From warships expended during SINKEX to aircraft preserved at AMARG and submarine hulls dismantled at Puget Sound, military retirement is a major engineering mission. These processes recover useful materials, protect sensitive technology, support training, and manage environmental hazards long after active service ends. That is the end of this video. I hope you enjoyed it. Make sure to subscribe to this channel so you don't miss any of our new content. Thank you.