Why the Navy Chose to Scrap a $180 Million Poseidon and What It Means for the Fleet
Story by Charles Mitchell • 2h
“Each one of these jets, which are based on the Boeing 737 Next Generation airliner, costs just over $171 million, according to Navy budget documents. So repairing even a seriously damaged example could be cheaper than buying a brand-new one.” That sobering analysis, delivered by a Navy spokesman following the P-8A Poseidon overrun at Kaneohe Bay, peels away the tough math behind the recent write-off of the first Poseidon ever lost by the U.S. Navy.
The accident happened on November 20, 2023, when a Patrol Squadron Four P-8A landed short of the runway at Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay and ended up in the shallow, environmentally sensitive waters of the bay. The nine crew members evacuated safely, but the aircraft’s misery was far from over. For nearly two weeks, the Poseidon sat half-sunk in sea water, its engines and critical systems exposed to corrosive substances. As Rear Adm. Kevin Lenox, in-command on the scene, described it, “The aircraft is in remarkably good condition, and has full integrity,” but only after a complicated and costly salvage effort would the full extent of the damage be known.
The rescue effort was an engineering and environmental masterpiece. Navy divers, aided by civilian contractors, embedded inflatable rollers beneath the 60-ton plane, carefully lifting it from the coral reef to prevent more damage to the environment. The operation, costing an estimated $1.5 million, also included de-fueling nearly 2,000 gallons of fuel from the plane a process never previously performed underwater on a P-8A. “The crew conducted a slow and methodical de-fueling process,” Lenox stated, so fuel was not spilling into the bay and combat potential of the aircraft was preserved as much as possible while it is extracted. Options were explored by officials to crane the aircraft or float it onto the runway. Float bags and other equipment were delivered last week.
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