Falklands War aluminum ship fires (Sheffield, Belknap, JFK)

Used to explain the Navy's two-step relationship with aluminum superstructures: enthusiasm in the 70s, retreat after Falklands-era fires, return for littoral combat ships.

Back in the 70s the Navy was interested in aluminum for superstructures on surface ships. Then after the Falklands War — the Sheffield caught fire, the Belknap caught fire with the JFK, the first JFK carrier — the Navy got out of aluminum. Then with the littoral battlefield they got back into aluminum as the only thing that's going to work. That's why we built aircraft out of aluminum: it's the only thing that's going to work. That's why we'd like to build automobiles out of aluminum, and we are heading towards aluminum and magnesium, because lightweight materials save energy, okay. They also allow you to go faster — it's sort of obvious.