If these ships are supposed to be "reserve ready", but plainly appear to be floating wrecks, is there a potential scandal brewing here (Misrepresenting the status of an ostensibly viable fleet)?
Also, what is the statutes of limitations for the photographers since they broke many laws to do this?
> If these ships are supposed to be "reserve ready"
They were supposed to be, that's why even in 2011 there were only 75 left from a highpoint of ~400. Most of the mothball fleet hasn't been considered reserve-ready in decades, although it really depends on the ship (e.g. the Sea Shadow has been maintained until 2006)
Not likely. It's common knowledge that this is a bunch of floating hulks (eg it's been a frequent topic of reporting in Bay Area newspapers the whole time I've lived here), the only scandal on the horizon is the Navy's potential liability for contaminating the bay by having all these ships gradually disintegrating in it.
> Also, what is the statutes of limitations for the photographers since they broke many laws to do this?
I thought of the same thing. This amounts to a confession that they went there. The danger is if something happened to them and there had to be a rescue operation. Say if one of them fell or fractures a limb or something like that.
There are various states of readiness for these ships. Some of them are floating wrecks as you say, others are actually sealed and have dehumidifiers running inside them to keep rust down etc. Then there is the Ready Reserve fleet which is staffed 24/7 and have a 5-10 day activation window. See NDRF ( bit.ly/108AKrG ) vs RRF ( http://1.usa.gov/107ak6i )
If these ships are supposed to be "reserve ready", but plainly appear to be floating wrecks, is there a potential scandal brewing here (Misrepresenting the status of an ostensibly viable fleet)?
Also, what is the statutes of limitations for the photographers since they broke many laws to do this?