Battlewagon Wednesday – 10 Jun 2009
10 Jun 2009
The long-awaited return of the weekly battleship fix.
Lots of scans from old ONI recognition manuals. Very much worth a look. Here’s part of the USS West Virginia (BB 48):
The WEST VIRGINIA, originally built as a unit of the COLORADO Class, is now patterened after the TENNESSEE, differing principally in the main battery. Serious damage to the CALIFORNIA and slight damage to the TENNESSEE at Pearl Harbor resulted in condsiderable wartime alterations to both units and the modernization of their armament. An additional hull has been built around the original, providing greater beam, underwater protection and stability. This class now bears close resemblance to the SOUTH DAKOTA Class. A somewhat more prominent stack and four instead of three turrets are the main differences between this group and the SOUTH DAKOTAs.
I hadn’t realized that an entirely new outer hull had been added to the West Virginia.
Decaying warships in limbo
The ships in Suisun Bay include USS Iowa (BB 61). Here’s a bird’s eye view from Bing:
USS Iowa in Suisun Bay near San Francisco, CA
Book details service history of battleship
Info on Battleship Oklahoma BB-37 by Jeff Phister, Thomas Hone, and Paul Goodyear
The comprehensive history of the USS Oklahoma from its christening in 1914 to its final loss in 1947. The authors tell how the Oklahoma served in World War I, participated in the Great Cruise of 1925, and evacuated refugees from Spain in 1936. But the most memorable event of the ship’s history occurred on December 7, 1941.
Beer on a Battlewagon: 13th Annual Garden State Beer Festival featuring Self Guided Visit of the Battleship New Jersey on Saturday, June 20th:
The Garden State Craft Brewer’s Guild will hold their 13th Annual Beer Sanpling Event on the Battleship New Jersey. This is a rain or shine event held on the Fantail under tents. Food & Specialty Vendors will be present along with entertainment from 1:00-5:00. Festival ticket also offers a logoed sampling glass and a self-guided tour of the most decorated Battleship in U.S. History.
If you go, send Murdoc pictures.
June 10th, 2009 at 4:11 pm
The correct terminology for the addition is called a “blister”. It doesn’t cover the entire length of the hull, just a portion. Generally, blisters are added to hulls in order to add buoyancy and maintain stability when extra topweight has been added to the ship, such as extra weapons or sensors. Of course, you can go overboard. For instance, when the carrier USS Midway was reblistered toward the end of her career, they actually managed to hamper her seakeeping ability.
Most of the older USN battleships were blistered during their post-Pearl Harbor reconstruction so that their secondary armament suite could be updated and expanded.
June 10th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
Okay, if that’s what they did it makes a lot more sense. I’m familiar with adding blisters. It was the “additional hull has been built” that threw me for a loop. I was going to look into it more tonight.
June 10th, 2009 at 8:11 pm
Holy Mother of…
…
This takes me back when I was trying to build the SDF-1 Macross out of mismatched pieces of Lego.
When I move out…I’m buying a big bucket of em and just be a kid again. ~__~
June 11th, 2009 at 8:37 am
Lego Yamato,
That is wicked kewl… :)