Ship that was to be a homeless shelter is sunk.

[pintobean]

Several groups in Hawaii had been trying to convert the former USS Acadia into a homeless shelter and training center. I guess they couldn't work it out. A few weeks ago, it was towed out to sea, used for target practice and sunk.



http://waikikibeachoutreach.info/
http://www.usmc.mil/unit/mcasiwakuni/Pages/2010/09/Aerialunitssinkboatduringlive-firetraining.aspx

[Chulanowa]

1. That is so amazingly fucked-up

"I would rather throw it away than let someone like you have it"

[madmax]

2. That's the freakin mentality. nt

[liberal N proud]

6. Totally fucked up

[pintobean]

7. Actually, the Navy was all for the idea

They needed to see a workable plan before they could release the ship. A workable plan was never a reality. It seemed like a great idea, but the conversion and upkeep costs would be extremely high.

[TheMadMonk]

11. Reckon it was a bloody stupid idea from the get go.

A) where are you going to park the bloody thing? If the occupants can't be on and off in an instant they won't get on at all. This means a permanent berth.

B) No portholes = 24/7 lighting = a waste of money.

C) Salt air = CONSTANT maintenance requirements.

[backscatter712]

15. Good points.

Certainly, the people trying to make the shelter had their hearts in the right place, but maintaining ships isn't cheap - corrosion issues would ensure the ship would require constant repairs, then there's mooring fees on what would be prime real-estate, etc.

Probably cheaper to build an old fashioned shelter on shore. Or I'd have to look this up, but I remember a study that said that paying for homeless people to get apartments is actually cheaper than keeping them in a shelter - efficiency apartments have cheaper rent than paying for a big building, and the security issues with shelters goes away. Seems counterintuitive, but it's true!

Aha! Linkage:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-03-25-homeless_N.htm

[Dappleganger]

3. NIMBY's win again. nt

[gateley]

4. Maybe they read Snow Crash where a huge flotilla of people drifted around the

world and were unwelcome wherever they went.

[TheCowsCameHome]

5. What a waste..........

[Terra Alta]

8. it's sad

Better to sink it than to put it to good use huh.. it's sad but a statement to how society treats the homeless.. worse than trash..

[pintobean]

13. They couldn't find a good use

The shelter plan sounded great, until you start thinking about how that would actually work. It wouldn't work without massive, ongoing costs. The Navy listened for about 2 years and never heard a workable plan.
The ship had been in mothball for sixteen years. They had tried selling it, but there was absolutely no interest. Sinking her saves the taxpayers from useless upkeep costs.

[RC]

9. Shoot it, kill it destroy it. that's all they know.

Doesn't say much about the mentality of the military types. Like a 6 year old with a 3 foot stick.
If we didn't do so much shooting, killing and destroying, we wouldn't need such a large military all over the world in the first place now would we?

[Name removed]

10. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[GreenPartyVoter]

12. Was that really all you had to add to the conversation? :^(

[aikoaiko]

14. I wonder if it will form a new artificial reef

perhaps a little lemonade from the lemons.