I was lucky enough to get a guided tour of HMS Belfast from one of her old officers a few years ago. I think that shop could make just about anything, but there

I was lucky enough to get a guided tour of HMS Belfast from one of her old officers a few years ago. I think that shop could make just about anything, but there were a couple of things which if broken would have crippled the ship. Some piece of steering gear was the main one, IIRC. Just too big to fabricate on board, and not really replaceable without a drydock. A minor correction: I think you meant Columbia. Challenger was destroyed by a leaking seal in the solid rocket booster while still in the launch phase. Not something fixable while in flight.