Aluminium promised valuable weight savings in superstructures and other topside fittings, especially when radars and missile equipment were pushing weight high in a ship. That made it attractive during the period in which Albany's unusually tall arrangement was created. The 1975 USS Belknap collision and fire, where aluminium components melted away, provided a severe warning about the material's behaviour under intense heat. The example shows why damage-control resilience and structural survival can outweigh peacetime displacement savings, encouraging a return to steel for structural work.
Notable Point · 7:36-8:02
Why aluminium lost favour in warship structures
A discussion of topweight turns to the fire risks of aluminium fittings and the renewed appeal of structural steel.