USS Yorktown Chemical Cleanup Will Cost $5 Million

When the U.S. Navy decommissioned the USS Yorktown and donated it to the State of South Carolina, it left behind far more than a rich maritime history.

A study of the 70-year-old aircraft carrier has found 160,000 gallons of petroleum products, more than 1 million gallons of water and some residual nuclear waste in hundreds of tanks throughout the ship.

It's going to cost $5 million to clean up all the residual toxins, but a 6-month-long survey found no evidence that the chemicals were harming Yorktown visitors nor were they seeping into Charleston Harbor.

Nothing in the report surprised Patriots Point officials. They had known for years that the Yorktown still had many of the chemicals left behind from its 40 years at sea.

Nowadays the Navy more thoroughly cleans retired ships, but in the 1970s there was little concern paid to such mitigation. Many ships on display across the country are uncovering similar issues with chemicals, Patriots Point officials said.

“This is a great first step toward the long-term restoration of the USS Yorktown,” said Patriots Point Executive Director Mac Burdette.  “We’re glad to be able to report that The Shaw Group has found that none of the materials we’re talking about are in a location that could be harmful to our visitors.”

Patriots Point said it will carefully clean up chemicals, and it will turn to the Navy for help.

“If we use due diligence as we begin our restoration work, there is no risk to our employees and no imminent threat to the environment,” Burdette said. “Having said all that, it can’t sit there forever. We have had some preliminary discussions with Sen. Graham and Sen. Scott about how we might approach the United States Navy for assistance and mitigation.”