European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 24, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday september 24, 1985 the stars and stripes Page 17 for Sale tugboats mine sweepers aircraft carriers. T he five wooden Hull ships All had see better , despite their run Down condition and obsolescence government marketing experts in Europe knew they would have Little trouble Selling them to a commercial buyer. All they needed was Assurance that the ships once again were . Property. Given to France under the military assistance program map in 1953, the five coastal mine sweepers were returned to . Custody this year after thousands of hours at sea. The assistance program provided military hardware to Friendly countries in the Post world War ii years. Now that the French no longer needed the ships Thler release was a foregone conclusion. As it does with obsolete aircraft armoured vehicles howitzers and other equipment returned to the . By foreign countries the government sold the ships that had been wasting away in the Harbor of Brest France to the highest bidder. The Sale on july 10 by sealed bid was directed by the european regional office of the defense Reutell leation and marketing service arms in Wiesbaden. Twelve qualified buyers entered bids with a dutch firm paying a High bid Price of $45.395 for each of the 320-ton ships originally built at a unit Cost of $1,950,407. Buyer from Britain France Italy and the Netherlands submitted bids Lor the Azalee glycine Eglantine Lobelia and Mimosa the names of wild Flowers Given to the ships by the French. The successful dutch bidder w. Mantel inc., Amsterdam has towed the five ships from Brest to the Netherlands and plans to dispose of them As scrap. They Are Nice old ships but it is impossible to find a buyer who could put them to commercial  said company official Jan mantel. They Are not economical to operate and they would have to be modernized at considerable Cost so we will sell them As scrap. Our bid Price was based on their potential Worth As  mantel whose firm deals in nonmagnetic Metal said the engines will be returned to general motors the manufacturer for their value As spare parts. Mine sweepers other Light vessels some passenger vehicles and training and cargo aircraft Are among items that May be sold for commercial use provided they Are demilitarized. But such equipment As howitzers fighter aircraft armed warships and armoured vehicles must be sold to foreign governments or sold As scrap because they could fall into the hands of terrorists or unfriendly Powers. In Europe aging equipment returned to the United states usually attracts a number of bidders. Mantel of Amsterdam has bid on property in the past and expects to continue to bid on future offerings. There always seem to be buyers for ships says Tom Trent a Dod marketing specialist who has sold everything from aircraft carriers to tugboats. At Chol of for arms s regional office in Wiesbaden Trent handled the Sale of the five mine sweepers. In his former Job As chief of ship sales at arms s regional office in Columbus. Ohio he sold some of the Navy s largest ships. We used to get from $ i million to $3 million Lor an aircraft Carrier even after All the vital military equipment had been  Trent said. In Europe the gradual return of aging equipment by foreign governments to the . Has resulted in an Active sales program to sell material no longer needed to commercial buyers. In 1983 the european Region sold 10 t-6 Trainer air Rall turned by Italy for $5.025 each and a c-47 gooney Bird one of the most famous aircraft in military history to a buyer in Denmark Lor $10,000 the january 1984 Sale of 104 howitzers on location in Italy attracted 22 qualified buyers. The successful bidder an Augusta ga., scrap dealer paid $3.951 each for the 155mrn 25-ton pieces. In May of this year the european Region sold a tugboat in Lisbon to a buyer from the azores Lor $14,876. Hardware that cannot be adapted to commercial use May be sold to foreign governments. Under the foreign military sales program. 130 m47 tanks were sold 120 to the Netherlands and 10 to Britain in december 1984 for $7,100 each. Aging armoured vehicles sold to foreign governments usually Are used in training sometimes Lor target practice. Helmut Jahnke. Chiel of the re utilization division at the Wiesbaden office says the current . Inventory of map property is valued at $100 million a figure that is based on acquisition costs. This includes mine sweepers submarines frigates and corvettes Jahnke Points out. He says the acquisition value of map equipment still held by foreign countries is several billion  the idea behind the assistance program was to provide equipment to countries in the Post world War ii period when they lacked the capacity or the Money to build their own Jahnke said. Most of this equipment was Given to foreign governments in the late 1940s and Early 1950s with the proviso it be returned when no longer needed. The first equipment began coming Back in the mid 1960s. It first was screened Lor . Use before being hollered for sate. Now every year equipment is being returned to .  Jahnke says the vast majority of equipment still held by foreign countries is in military depots. Equipment still exists in 23 countries including All nato countries. Jordan. Saudi Arabia. Nigeria. Liberia and Zaire. It was quite a Large program that Drew Littie fanfare at the time of its  Jahnkow said. But it now is drawing to a close. Most probably by the late 1980s All of this equipment will have been returned and disposed  mine i deepen of thit tort were recently for through the arms in Wiesbaden