Rust Never Sleeps
NAVY TURNS TO ADVANCED COATINGS,
TECHNOLOGY TO COMBAT CORROSION
BY PETER ONG
It looks unpleasant; it looks soiled; the dirty
brown streaks of various shades make the gray paint
look downright spoiled. It’s warship rust, and there’s a
never-ending (online and print) discussion of why U.S.
Navy warships are streaked and caked with rust that
makes them appear less than shipshape and not befitting
a superpower Navy.
In the case of steel warships, rust is a combination
of air, water and iron alloy that combined cause an
electrochemical reaction of hydrogen and oxygen atoms
to iron atoms to produce iron oxide, or corrosion, that
over time bonds to the steel, weakening the metal
structure and causing it to disintegrate.
Debate about getting rid of rust on Navy warships,
especially when they are deployed, goes back and forth
with reasons from online commentators such as not
having enough paint coatings to be environmentally
friendly; to lax U.S. Navy leadership; to ship captains not
pushing their Sailors to scrape off rust; to the Navy just
not caring anymore.
But is that the case? In May 2023 for a Naval News story
on the topic of rust, the author asked Naval Sea Systems
Command (NAVSEA) for its position on tackling the issue.
“NAVSEA has worked successfully for decades to improve
the corrosion-control performance of coatings while
Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) 3rd Class
Caleb Claunch removes rust and old paint from
the aircraft elevator onboard amphibious assault
ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8), Jan. 22, 2023.
simultaneously reducing the adverse impact of coatings
on the environment,” NAVSEA responded. “In the 1990s,
Navy tank coatings had a performance life of five to seven
years, but emitted paint solvents when applied. NAVSEA
worked with domestic and foreign commercial coating
manufacturers to develop ultrahigh solids epoxy tank
coatings that do not contain any paint solvent. Since these
coatings were first applied in the early 2000s, many coated
tanks have remained corrosion-free for 15 to 20 years.
These coatings are required on all Navy ships and have
contributed to extending the drydocking periodicities.”
The response went on to say NAVSEA has transitioned
the fleet from silicone alkyd topside coatings that require
reapplication to new, high-performance and environ
mentally acceptable polysiloxane coatings that provide
extended service life. They allow the use of water solvent
kits to clean paint without emitting harmful chemicals.
NAVSEA said it also adopted high-performance powder
coatings for use on topside parts, as they are hard, dura
ble, color stable and contain no paint solvents.
The Navy also participated in the National Shipbuilding
Research Program that is investigating technologies such
as drones and robots for coating applications.
For 2025, Seapower asked NAVSEA if there have been
any changes to the maintenance approach and attitudes
toward rusting U.S. Navy warships.
“The NAVSEA engineering directorate and warfare
centers provide technical assistance and guidance to
Sailors and industry partners on the application of
naval coating systems that improve corrosion control.
Underwater inspection robots are used as a standard
practice to inspect tanks on ships for corrosion. NAVSEA
also manages ongoing initiatives such as mission
modules with corrosion control tools and pier-side
technical assistance to help facilitate ship’s force in
conducting effective corrosion control on their ships,”
NAVSEA responded via email.
“These efforts have enabled NAVSEA to steadily improve
the corrosion-control performance of coatings while
simultaneously reducing the adverse impact of coatings
on the environment.”
NAVSEA said in May 2023 that Navy warships are now
painted in polysiloxane coatings.
According to a website hosted by the Massachusetts-based
company Dampney Engineered Coatings, “polysiloxane
coatings are industrial protective and maintenance
coatings that used in services characterized by abrasion,
chemicals, extreme UV and high temperatures. The term
polysiloxane refers to a polymer with a silicon-oxygen
backbone. The silicon-oxygen backbone is much more
resistant to the effects of UV radiation than the carbon
carbon backbone of organic polymers.”
Polysiloxanes have “excellent” aesthetic weathering
attributes, including retaining their gloss, are abrasion
and corrosion resistant and are formulated with low
volatile organic compounds, meaning chemicals in the
paint that can be released into the air as it dries.
Potential Solutions
Sailors on a warship under way just can’t paint over the
rust with new paint. Seapower reached out to the RAND
Corp. for their analysis on how to combat warship rust.
“Painting over rust results not in eventual but near
immediate bubbling of rust through the applied paint.
To remove the underlying corrosion source does require
removing the old paint, sanding away the corrosion,
applying primer and then paint,” responded Dr.
Bradley Martin, a retired U.S. Navy captain and senior
policy researcher at RAND. Thus, deployed warships
exhibiting external rust don’t have an easy fix if the
temporary solution is to paint over the rust streaks that
Sarcos Technology and Robotics Corp.’s Guardian DX Teleoperated Dexterous Robot
prepares for an upcoming scenario on the forecastle of the Self Defense Test
Ship in 2022 as part of the Repair Technology Exercise, or REPTX. The robot, with
attachments added to its “hands,” can use laser technology to scrape off or remove
surface paint that is peeling or exhibiting corrosion.
ostensibly Sailors often can’t reach from a skiff bobbing
at the waterline, even with the proverbial 10-foot pole
(attached to a roller).
“There certainly should be priority on finding and
correcting corrosion that presents a safety hazard,
threatens watertight integrity or the ability to combat
battle damage,” Martin said in an email. “Concern about
appearance, while understandable, can be an invitation
to ignore the more fundamental issues. The concern with
cosmetic appearance could be counterproductive if crews
paint over rust for the sake of short-term appearance.
“The problem is fundamentally time and opportunity,
and also, failure to design ships without rust-making
pockets and to apply paints (which can be eco-friendly)
in availability periods that are resistant to rust or easy to
clean in the event of running rust,” Martin said.
Some commentators believe in constructing new
LASER PHOTONICS
A laser ablation rust removal system aboard a World War II battleship. Laser systems
are being used by the U.S. Navy in dry dock and under way. This system is being used
at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard as of January 2025.
destroyer tenders or using mission module shipping
containers with painting supplies, tools and
perhaps robotics to help with rust control. The last
destroyer tender, the USS Shenandoah (AD 44) was
decommissioned in 1996, but an expeditionary sea base
or a large uncrewed surface vessel with paint workshop
Mission Modules could work.
“These [ships with paint Mission Modules] could be
very helpful in assisting with preservation of deployed
forces. However, there would still be the issue of finding
sufficient time to properly do the work,” Martin said.
As for using robots to assist in rust removal and painting,
Martin said, “robots can be very helpful in preserving
spaces like tanks and voids, which are difficult for people
to reach. It’s not clear these would be particularly helpful
with topside corrosion where the answers are likely
matters of better paint that both protect and allow easy
cleaning of running rust, elimination of rust markers on
ship’s sides, and simple allowance of time for ships to
perform preservation.”
Removing Rust with Lasers?
According to the Florida-based company Laser
Photonics, the financial impact of corrosion on military
assets have been large, reported by the Department of
Defense at $20.6 billion in 2016.
“For just the Navy alone, which includes ships, subma
rines and aircraft, the figure was at $8.6 billion,” says a
company blog entry written by David Thierer, a marketing
specialist at the company, and titled “Laser Cleaning: The
U.S. Navy’s Secret Weapon in the Battle on Rust.”
SEAPOWER DECEMBER 2025
“Now, the Navy has a new, modern tool in its arsenal in
the battle to maintain its fleet. Laser cleaning technology
from Laser Photonics can blast the rust off ships, even
when they are at sea,” he wrote.
“The prescribed method to remove rust is to first remove
the rust deposits and then coat the surface with primer
and rust-resistant paint. This often requires the current
paint to be removed to expose the corrosion beneath. The
Navy goes through roughly 25 to 30 million gallons of
paint per year to maintain its fleet,” Thierer wrote.
In an email, the company wrote that “laser ablation
systems are currently being used in multiple areas
fleet wide. There are also multiple studies and tests
being conducted to further expand the areas where our
technology could be implemented. Laser systems can
be used in both public and private ship repair facilities
during pier side and drydock availabilities, as well as
onboard under way naval vessels.”
Regarding the challenges of laser rust removal, Laser
Photonics said, “lack of understanding and training
are the traditional challenges encountered today. At
Fonon Technologies [the company’s Florida-based
defense partner], we provide proper training on the safe
and effective use of laser cleaning systems to shipyard
personnel. It is then the responsibility of the Navy to
implement laser safety officer certification and qualify
their personnel for laser system operation.”
According to a June article from NAVSEA, “Using lasers
to remove coatings and corrosion from U.S. naval vessels
may soon become a reality based on recent testing
conducted by Shop 71, Painters, Blasters, Tile setters, at
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance
Facility.
“Laser ablation, which is widely used in the commercial
automotive and aerospace industries, is proving to
be easy to perform, while being cleaner, quieter and
reducing the amount of vibration mechanics are exposed
to versus legacy methods.”
NAVSEA said Shop 71 first performed laser ablation on
USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) in 2019, with follow-on testing
occurring on USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) a couple of
years later with good results and has since purchased
several laser ablation systems for further evaluation.
Peter Ong is a freelance writer with U.S. and International Federation of Journalists media
credentials who lives in California. He writes articles for defense, maritime and emergency vehicle
publications.