Even if a big carrier can't be sunk--which I think is an untenable position--it can be put out of action until long after a war is won or lost.
After extensive cleanup and reclamation in the wake of a July inferno, the amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard will be decommissioned in San Diego next week before being towed elsewhere to be scrapped, the Navy said in a statement.
Navy officials said in November that while Bonhomme Richard was salvageable, the time and price of repair — five to seven years at an estimated $2.5 billion to $3.2 billion — were too steep to warrant saving the 22-year-old ship.
Bonhamme Richard is not a big carrier. But the fire demonstrates the kind of damage that can be done without sinking a ship that still renders it useless.
How long would the war have been over before the ship returned to duty if that had been wartime damage?
And yes, I assume it would be slapped together faster during a war. But still, the ship would be out of action for a long time. Even assuming an enemy didn't strike it in port doing even more damage.
