In article , Fred J. McCall
wrote:

"Charles Talleyrand" wrote:

:Nah, I don't think that adds up.

So construct your case for why it doesn't.

I doubt if Charles has any prospect of doing so.

:Finally, I would be suprised if the cost of a CVN with airwing was dominated
:by
:the saleries of the crew. I've always assumed without evidence the cost was
:more in parts and mainenence and fuel (for the planes).

Multiply it out. Rough grab of 7,000 crew. Just paying them amounts
to over 1/4 billion dollars per year. Now add in the cost manning for
all of the shore establishment that helps with maintenance and
such....

Yes, it all adds up. To put it in a more historical context, RN pay
rate mid-18th century for an able seaman was 24 shillings a month
(before deductions, but the govt didn't get any of the deductions).
His victuals were valued [by NAM Rodger, source of the other figures,
too, and good enough for me] at 25s a month; lunar months in each case.
Hmm, that's GBP 31 16s 6d per annum. Ordinary seamen and landsmen were
paid a little less, higher grades substantially more, but they all had
to eat. So if we multiply the AB rate plus victuals by the ship's
complement, we will not be far wrong as to the total. So a 64-gun 3rd
rate, with 500 men, would have cost just under 16,000 GBP annually in
food and wages alone. That's at least equivalent to 70,000 dollars[1] .
_Constitution_ had fewer people but they were better paid and fed, so
we're in the right ballpark. And that cost is before you've spent a
penny on cordage, spars and sailcloth, never mind powder and shot. Or
medical supplies. Not to mention Fred's shore establishments, which did
not (and do not) come cheap.

Comparing these figures with various construction costs other people
have come up with, it would seem that annual running costs of around a
third of construction costs, in the age of fighting sail, is not only
plausible: it's probably well below par for the course.

Warships have *always* been expensive to run.



[1] Dollar exchange rates (and much other interesting currency stuff)
may be found at the fascinating
http://www.eh.net/hmit/

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