Navy Ships Have an $800,000 Flushing Problem

What happens when you combine about 4,000 sailors and narrow pipes?

 

According to a new report from the Government Accountability Office, toilets on a pair of Navy aircraft carriers have a flushing problem.

The sewage systems on the USS Gerald R. Ford and USS George H.W. Bush were designed with pipes too narrow to handle the amount of sailors who flush at the same time. 

To fix the problem, the ships may need regular acid flushes that will run about $400,000, per ship. 

According to a report in the Virginian-Pilot, the system is similar to those on commercial aircraft, only scaled up for 4,000 people. 

The report found 150 other maintenance problems in the Navy's fleet that could run a $130 billion tab.

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