How quickly a large warship can be scrapped

How long would it take to scrap a large warship?

A ship can be stripped of important equipment over weeks or a few months and then cut down very rapidly, but careful recovery of maximum material value takes longer than simply making the hull disappear.

The panel points to the speed with which Invincible-class hulls were dismantled after reaching Turkish breakers. Removing sensitive or reusable equipment is the slower initial stage and may take weeks or months. Once a hull reaches an industrial shipbreaking yard, visible demolition can proceed in days. The total schedule depends on whether the owner wants only to eliminate the ship or to recover the greatest possible value from machinery and materials. That distinction explains why different disposal estimates can both be accurate.