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Third anicdote; titanium is pretty expensive stuff. Online metals is selling a 3"x12"x12" piece for $1.7k. If your hull was 200' long, 15' in diameter you'd nee

Third anicdote; titanium is pretty expensive stuff. Online metals is selling a 3"x12"x12" piece for $1.7k. If your hull was 200' long, 15' in diameter you'd need $486M just for the raw titanium on the hull. That seems high just for the hull, even for a nuclear sub. Google is saying the whole thing is probably about $2B and I'd expect all the other stuff in there to cost a lot.

paulmd 11y ago
A naval yard is not paying small-lot retail prices for their materials.
restalis 11y ago
The supply has something to do with the price and the USSR had no shortage of titanium, so the accounting in your example would have been valid only for one side of the iron curtain.