Mothballing involves more than tying up a ship and leaving it unattended. Strong insecticides protect stored vessels, and useful or perishable fittings are removed before long-term reserve. Upholstery is the concrete example of material that would normally come off the ship. A reserve fleet therefore still requires preservation work and decisions about which equipment remains installed. Operating costs fall, but mothballing is an organized logistical state rather than neglect.
Notable Point · 22:13-22:42
What mothballing a warship actually involves
A brief aside explains that reserve ships are treated with strong insecticides and stripped of vulnerable fittings rather than simply tied up and abandoned.