Battleships

[George S.]

I toured the USS Missouri a number of time when it was moored at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, WA. The Missouri was next to the USS New Jersey. That was quite a sight to see two Iowa-class battleships at the same dock!

At the time the Missouri was here, tours were open to the public. You could walk out to the bow on the main deck, walk around the the Number One Maiin Gun Turret, and go up to the "Surrender Deck" where the Japanese surrender ceremony took place. There was a recording playing of part of the ceremony where McArthur read his closing speech. Very strange feeling to stand there next to the brass plaque on the deck that marked the location of the signing table and listen to the recording!

The Captain's In-port Cabin was open as was the Officer's Wardroom so you could walk thru and get some sort of idea what the ship was like.

From what I have read, the now "Ex-Missouri" and the three other battleships are no longer carried on the rolls and they have been all gutted to the extent that they could not be put back into commission.

 

[cgv69]

I been to both the USS Yorktown museum (Charleston) and the USS Intrepid museum (NYC). Both where very cool but I have yet to see a battleship up close.

The sub at the Yorktown museum confirmed something I already knew. There is no way in hell you would ever get to do sub duty!

I'm more of a plane guy as I still think the AF museum in Dayton is the coolest one I've been to. Someday, one way or another, I will make it to the Smithsonian in DC!

 

[Parker Dean]

Interesting thread, but how come it wasn't locked for not being firearms deleted?

What, battleships don't have guns?

 

[TNGO]

the five Sullivan brothers who perished on the USS Indianopolis.

The Sullivan brothers served on USS Juneau.

Someday, one way or another, I will make it to the Smithsonian in DC!

The Air & Space Museum annex at Dulles airport (Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center) has a nice collection of aircraft cannon and MGs. Along with an Arado Ar-234, P-47, Fw-190, the Enola Gay, the Dash-80 Boeing 707 prototype, and many other famous aircraft.

 

[Old NFO]

I may be mistaken, but when I was at Newport two summers ago, I could have sworn that the other carrier was Saratoga, not America.

Oops, you're right Misanthrope- My bad... I had just come from a meeting discussing the plan for USS America and crossed the wires... My one and only carrier was Coral Sea, and when I flew I had a little cheater card with the names.numbers of ours... I spent all my time learing the bad guys cues, weaps, ranges, etc... Boy do I feel dumb... :banghead:

For a gun thread- the armoury on the ships is fairly extensive, especially on carriers, as they store not only the Marine Det's weaps, but also the boat crews, airdales, M-60's from the helo's etc. Quite a set of toys!

 

[Trebor]

I was always amazed that those two huge missiles on the fantail of the Little Rock were anti-aircraft missiles. I believe they were actually multi-stage IIRC. As I recall they were intended to take down Soviet Bombers, and yes I do recall learning that they could be equipped with nuke warheads. I also recall learning that every time they fired one (never fired in action, of course), they had to re-paint most of the fantail.

The Talos system used a solid rocket booster to launch the missle. After launch they were propelled by a ramjet. The missles are out of service now but, interestingly enough, they were more capable then their replacements. The Talos had a over 50 mile range and reached speeds in excess of Mach 1.

They were used in action. The U.S.S. Long Beach shot down a North Vietnamese MiG with one during the Vietnam war.

(There's also an unconfirmed story that the Galveston shot down a SOVIET MiG that got too close to a carrier group around 1968 or so. That one may or may not have happened)

 

[Trebor]

The gentleman who captured the U-505 was Rear Admiral Daniel V. Gallery

Gallery wrote several absolutely hilarious books about the Navy after his retirement. "Cap'n Fatso" and "Stand By To Start Engines" are two of his funniest. He also wrote a serious novel called "The Brink" about a nuclear standoff between a Soviet and American ship. He has written other books, just can't remember them off the top of my head.

Yep, I've always had an interest in him after reading about his plan to capture a U-Boat that resulted in the capture of the U-505. I have his books "Now Hear This" and "U-505." I had a third book, but I can't think of the title right now myself. I'll have to look for a copy of "The Brink."

 

[Hkmp5sd]

Another good vessel to visit is the C.S.S. Hunley in Charleston, SC.

 

[Pappy John]

Interesting thread, but how come it wasn't locked for not being firearms deleted?

Howzat for firearms related?

 

[dasmi]

Or that

 

[Hkmp5sd]

Hey, don't forget us bubbleheads....

Submarines can bite too! Just one little torpedo...

 

[SkyDaver]

The Panama Canal web site has some pictures of the USS New Jersey when it was being towed out to the West Coast.

http://www.pancanal.com/eng/photo/camera-java.html

 

[Husker1911]

I'm terribly envious of all these posts. I live in the Omaha area, not too many ship museums here. (Hey, a WWII sub and a minesweeper). However, we have a kick a$$ Strategic Air Command museum, with an SR-71 banking overhead within the walls of the museum. The gunstore I manage is in Bellevue, home of Offutt AFB, where Air Force 1 landed 9/11/01.

 

[Old NFO]

Hey, don't forget us bubbleheads....

Good pics Hkmp5sd, was that a 37 or a 48? Of course you had to have the pics taken by an Airdale You guys couldn't see that far....

 

[shep854]

Hkmp5sd, the target ship looks like a Brit Leander-class frigate. Any idea what it was? It sure doesn't look like a US design.

A torpedo tube could be considered a pneumatic/hydraulic gun. THERE! Now it's gun-related!

 

[Hkmp5sd]

It was a Mk. 48 fired from a British submarine at a former British target. No idea what type of target it used to be.

 

[cls12vg30]

Wow! Great pics! They better not lock this thread, it's one of the more interesting in recent memory...

Another good vessel to visit is the C.S.S. Hunley in Charleston, SC.

Didn't Clive Cussler have a hand in locating and raising the Hunley? Or am I thinking of the Monitor? I'm surprised the Hunley is on display already, it can't be more than 5 years ago that they raised her.....

The Sullivan brothers served on USS Juneau.

You are correct, sir. You know as I was typing that, I was thinking they were on the Indianapolis, but the timeline wasn't working out right in my head, since the Indianopolis was sunk shortly before the Japanese surrender (having just delivered an atomic bomb to Tinian), and I'm pretty sure the Sullivans perished earlier on, early enough for their namesake ship to see action in that war, which I'm pretty sure I remember it did.

Thanks for clearing up the cobwebs in my memory.

 

[shep854]

I was wondering, since the paint looked like USN.

[Obligatory gun reference] Do they make those in a CCW version? [/obligatory gun reference]

 

[AirForceShooter]

I got you all beat.
I was on the New Jersey when it fired a complete broadside.
The Captain was fully aware he was probably the last man in the US Navy that would ever get the chance and took full advantage of it.
I've been close , very close, to B-52 strikes and this broadside was lot's more. It was incredible and the smile on the Captains face was something to behold.
When the guns were fired the whole ship moved.
And you know how they say you can see the round leaving the barrel. You Can. I know it's an optical illusion but it seems the shell comes out of the Barrel and just hangs in the air and then ZIP off it goes. Smoke , fire, lots of noise. And you just know at the other end hell is arriving very fast.
I'm Air Force but that day I loved the Navy.

AFS

 

[280PLUS]

A torpedo tube is a 3000 PSI air gun.

Here's another link for you. The passing of another great ship. The only one in the fleet named after a Civil War hero. The name has been retired for political correctness I hear. The first of her name was the same ship the Brits packed full of explosives and rammed the drydock doors at St. Nazaire. DDG-14 was the third Buchanan. Destroyers had guns too. Just not quite as big.

http://sinkex.uss-buchanan-ddg14.org/

BTW it turned out my old XO was COMNAVSURFPAC complete with 3 stars when this went on. I emailed him and asked him to please drop something big on her for me. To this day I claim that GBU-24 as MY BOMB!

 

[Hkmp5sd]

Didn't Clive Cussler have a hand in locating and raising the Hunley? Or am I thinking of the Monitor? I'm surprised the Hunley is on display already, it can't be more than 5 years ago that they raised her.....

Yep, that's the one. They are still working on it, but giving tours on Saturdays.

 

[roo_ster]

Ya'll are whetting my appetite to see some navy ships

********

I've only ever visited two ships.

The first was a Russkie guided missile sub located in St Pete, Florida. (It was hte one butchered in the filming of that Harrison Ford sub movie. Sadly, that butchering ruined it for exhibitions.)

I determined that I would not have done well on a sub (6', currently 275#). It was a really cool example of that early missile technology. The sub had to surface, raise a portion of the bow up to expose the missiles, which were in two 15deg tubes, and then fire them

Also, the exterior surface of the sub was covered in this tire-like rubber riveted to the outer hull.

******

The other ship was the USS Cairo at Vicksburg, MS. It is an iron-clad river ship the Union used to control the Mississippi.
http://www.nps.gov/vick/cairo/cairo.htm

13 big guns, to include a 32 pounder Woof, woof!!

****

 

[oneshooter]

USS Texas,BB-35
Commissioned 1914
10ea-14"/45cal in 5 twin turrents
4ea-5"/45cal single hull mounts (1945)
Several "Firsts"
First USN BB to launch aircraft from a turrent platform (1919)
First USN BB to carry radar (1939)
First USN BB to have refridgerated air (1926)
First USN BB to show "talkie"movies (1927)
First Marine Division "Read in" on board (1941)
First battleship Memorial in the nation (1948)
National Historic Landmark
National Historic Engeneering Landmark ( Triple Expanding Steam Engines,the largest ever put in a Battleship,21,300hp each)
Only surviving "Dreadnought Class" BB left
Served in the Atlantic, African, and Pacific campaigns
Earned 5 Battle Stars in WW2

 

[TNGO]

I visited the Texas three years ago. I'm glad someone had the foresight to preserve a WW I-era battleship. It's a cryin' shame that BB-43 wasn't saved!

The Tennessee, New Mexico and Colorado-class BBs, with their clipper bows, were very handsome ships, especially after their WW II modernizations.

 

[Tory]

What's a "turrent" ???

"...5 twin turrents...a turrent platform"

Obviously not a typo.

There is "tOrrent" and "Current;" neither of which would seem to apply.

Is TURRET the word you are attempting to use?