Archive for the ‘Battlewagons’ Category

Just saw it. It’s the first time I’ve paid any attention to it.

Oh dear Lord.

UPDATE: Speaking of commercials, Murdoc is sure disappointed in Eastwood for that Chrysler or Detroit or whatever commercial. No more commercials for Murdoc tonight.

Tattooed veterans wanted for book

On Saturday, veterans with tattoos are invited to the Battleship New Jersey to have their photos taken for a new book by photojournalist Kyle Cassidy.

His upcoming book will feature military tattoos of veterans from all branches of the service and any era. Cassidy will be on the forecastle taking photos from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Murdoc interviewed Cassidy a few years ago about his book Armed America.

Cassidy’s been working on this tattoo book for a while.

Battleship USS Wisconsin moored downtown Norfolk during Fleet Week Hampton Roads 2009. Wisconsin serves as a museum at the National Maritime Center - Nauticus. Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Santos Huante

Bayonne Naval Supply Depot, New Jersey

Bayonne Naval Supply Depot, New Jersey Photographed on 15 April 1953 with ships in reserve. The two large ships at right on the near side of the peninsula are Alaska (CB-1) and Guam (CB-2). The next two ships astern are North Carolina (BB-55) and Washington (BB-56). Further astern are (from outboard to inboard) Fargo (CL-106), Albemarle (AV-5) and Wakefield (AP-21). The carriers Enterprise (CV-6) and Franklin (CV-13) are at the far left. Also present are the escort carriers Card (CVE-11), Croatan (CVE-25), Mission Bay (CVE-59), and Guadalcanal (CVE-60) along with the cruisers Providence (CL-82), Little Rock (CL-92), Spokane (CLAA-120) and Fresno (CLAA-121). One of the two CLAAs is tied up outboard of the Alaskas. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives.

That’s quite a reserve fleet. In fact, toss in a few destroyers and you’ve got yourself a surface navy all right there. Just waiting for the cutting torch.

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USS Missouri heading to shipyard for makeover

The 65-year-old ship is in good shape, but it still needs to go to Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard for repairs because rust is protruding from peeling paint in areas and the teak wood deck is warped and bent in others.

The ship’s exterior is due to be sanded down and repainted in a $15 million overhaul paid for by memorial reserve funds and a Department of Defense grant.

“Rust never sleeps as they say,” said Michael Carr, the memorial’s president. “It’s a big job. It has to be done.”

Meanwhile, self-guided iPod tours of Missouri are now available.

Museum installs big guns

On Monday, two cannons, once part of the mighty USS Pennsylvania battleship, finally pointed skyward near the entrance to the Pennsylvania Military Museum.

The historic 14-inch barrels had been on pallets since arriving by truck May 20 from the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren, Va. For 64 years, the guns rested in a scrapyard until the museum, once the Navy agreed to loan them, raised more than $40,000 to bring them to Boalsburg.

The guns been removed in 1945 when new ones were installed on the ship.

Japanese battleship Ise from 1945 ONI drawing:

Drawing of Japanese battleship Ise as seen in US Office of Naval Intelligence publication ONI-222-J dated Jun 1945

After the loss of six carriers at the Battle of Midway in June, 1942, Ise had her two rear 14″ turrets removed and a flight hanger installed as seen in this drawing. Aircraft could be launched but not directly recovered, though the plans called for float planes as part of her force which could be brought back aboard after water landings.

No combat flight ops were ever conducted by the Ise and she was sunk in 1945.

USS North Carolina visitors up 12.3%

The North Carolina Zoo, state aquariums and the Battleship North Carolina all beat last year’s numbers for the month.

“It’s very affordable and we’re not far away,” said Heather Loftin, with the Battleship North Carolina.

Most attractions that saw the bump are only a day trip for most in the state, and they’re affordable.

“As far as affordable it’s a no-brainer. It takes as much gas for me to go to the airport as it does for me to get down here,” said Norm Vuchetich, a Goldsboro resident.

Tourism experts said that’s a winning combination in this economy.

Danton wreck found in deep water

The French pre-dreadnought Danton, sunk by a German U-Boat in 1917 in the Mediterranean, was found in 2007 and positively IDed this spring. She sits upright over 3,300 feet down and appears mostly intact. Video, maps, and images at the BBC page.

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‘I sank the Bismarck but only found out 59 years later’: British pilot learns of his place in history: Swordfish pilot who hit the Bismark’s rudder only found out it was him in 2000. Not really sure how this could have been a mystery for so long.

Group set to salvage parts of battleship Yamato

Despite jaw-dropping costs and immense technical difficulties, business leaders here plan to salvage parts from the sunken World War II imperial battleship Yamato…Panel members said they hope to at least raise the 2,780-ton main guns and the front portion of the hull, which they say bear distinctive Yamato characteristics.

Are they kidding?

Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus: Okay, this is only battleship-related because a BB makes an appearance at about 0:39 of the trailer:

We watched this last night. The megashark eats the battleship. Seriously. It was the USS Missouri. Mighty Mo is devoured, but Debbie Gibson somehow manages to survive. I was hoping to have a screenshot of a battleship with a big bite out of it, but apparently the special effects budget didn’t allow for that.

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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.

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This post went live a bit earlier but was incomplete. I pulled it until I could get more battlewagons into it. My apologies.

A previous edition of Battlewagon Wednesday linked to a skateboarding event held aboard USS North Carolina (BB 55). It seems that not everyone thought that the event was appropriate: Battleship skaters an outrage

Here’s an example:

The history of the USS North Carolina shows that many a brave soul lost his life in the defense of our Country on the decks of that ship. Would you have skateboarding amongst the Honor Guard of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier? Common sense dictates that there is a time and place for everything.

To be honest, I guess I didn’t think there was anything wrong with it at all. What do you guys think?

Diving on Maine's wreck - U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph.

Remembering Mainers on board the USS Maine

What the history books don’t give us is much information about the crew. Where were they from? USS Maine’s company of 350 men were from 23 states and 15 countries. Twenty-two sailors were African Americans.

Who were the casualties from Maine? The Bath Daily Times informs us there were two “Boys from Bath” on the doomed ship, John Sweeney and Frank Talbot. Sweeney worked in the boiler shop at the Bath Iron works for ten years and left in 1897 to join the ship. For some reason he was not listed on the ship’s roster and thus was not initially reported as dead. A third casualty, Clarence Lowell, was born in Bath, but moved to Augusta.

A very well-researched article by Harry Gratwick.

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USS California (BB 44) under construction at Mare Island Naval Shipyard. The only dreadnought-era battleship built on the West Coast.

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USS Michigan (BB-27) Photographed by O.W. Waterman, Hampton, Virginia, circa 1916-17. She is wearing horizontal 'two-tone' paint scheme, possibly a camouflage experiment. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph.

USS Michigan (BB 27)
• Class: South Carolina
• Laid down: 17 December 1906
• Launched: 26 May 1908
• Commissioned: 4 January 1910
• Decommissioned: 11 February 1922
• Displacement: 16,000 tons
• Length: 452.8 feet (138.0 m)
• Beam: 80.3 feet
• Draft: 24.5 feet
• Speed: 18.5 knots
• Armament:

8× 12″ guns in 4 turrets

22× 3″ guns

4× 1pdr gun

2x .30cal machine guns

2× 21″ torpedo tubes

• Complement: 51 officers, 818 men

More battlewagons below!
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