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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This is a conversation I’ve had a number of times over the years, but this article is a great read about just how far behind the United States Japan was in industrial capability. I thought the gap was really huge, but I was wrong.

It was, in fact really, really huge. Or maybe even huger:

To an outside culture, particularly a militaristic one such as Japan’s, America certainly might have appeared to be ’soft’ and unprepared for a major war. Further, Japan’s successes in fighting far larger opponents (Russia in the early 1900’s, and China in the 1930’s) and the fact that Japan’s own economy was practically ’superheating’ (mostly as the result of unhealthy levels of military spending — 28% of national income in 1937) probably filled the Japanese with a misplaced sense of economic and military superiority over their large overseas foe. However, a dispassionate observer would also note a few important facts. America, even in the midst of seemingly interminable economic doldrums, still had:

• Nearly twice the population of Japan.
• Seventeen time’s Japan’s national income.
• Five times more steel production.
• Seven times more coal production.
• Eighty (80) times the automobile production.

Furthermore, America had some hidden advantages that didn’t show up directly in production figures. For one, U.S. factories were, on average, more modern and automated than those in Europe or in Japan. Additionally, American managerial practice at that time was the best in the world. Taken in combination, the per capita productivity of the American worker was the highest in the world. Furthermore, the United States was more than willing to utilize American women in the war effort: a tremendous advantage for us, and a concept which the Axis Powers seem not to have grasped until very late in the conflict. The net effect of all these factors meant that even in the depths of the Depression, American war-making potential was still around seven times larger than Japan’s, and had the ’slack’ been taken out in 1939, it was closer to nine or ten times as great!

Of particular interest is the discussion of how much difference a loss at Midway would have made in the long run.

Moonlight illuminates the forecastle aboard the guided missile destroyer USS Cole as Sailors prepare for an early morning replenishment-at-sea. Cole is participating in Exercise Joint Warrior 09-2, a United Kingdom-led, multinational and multiwarfare exercise designed to improve interoperability between allied navies as well as to prepare for a role in combined operations during upcoming deployments. Photo by Seaman Matthew Bookwalter

UPDATE: Another shot of the Cole taking a shot below:
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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.

In service since 1970, the amphibious transport dock USS Nashville (LPD 13) ends her service today.

Nashville was featured on MO when she was involved with testing the Fire Scout UAV. Here’s a photo posted in 2006:

RQ-8A Fire Scout during autonomous landing and take-off tests with the amphibious transport dock ship USS Nashville (LPD 13) in 2006.

Somali pirates open fire on U.S. Navy helicopter

Somali pirates holding a hijacked ship off the coast of Somalia fired at a U.S. Navy helicopter as it made a surveillance flight over the vessel, the first such attack by pirates on an American military aircraft, the Navy said Thursday.

The helicopter, which is based on the USS Chancellorsville, was not hit and there were no injuries, the Navy said.

The ship our guys were watching has been held by Pirates since April. April.

Two Northrop Grumman-built Ships — Dewey (DDG 105) and New York (LPD 21) — Delivered On Gulf Coast in the Same Week

PASCAGOULA, Miss. and AVONDALE, La., Aug. 25, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) delivered two ships to the U.S. Navy this week at its Gulf Coast shipyards in Pascagoula, Miss. and Avondale, La. Company and Navy officials signed documents officially transferring custody of the Aegis guided missile destroyer Dewey (DDG 105) in Pascagoula on Monday, Aug. 17 and the amphibious transport dock ship New York (LPD 21) at the New Orleans facility on Friday, Aug. 21.

Northrop Grumman delivered two ships to the U.S. Navy this week: the Aegis guided missile destroyer Dewey (DDG 105) in Pascagoula on Monday, Aug. 17 and the amphibious transport dock ship New York (LPD 21) at the New Orleans facility on Friday, Aug. 21.

Does that image look a little odd?

Mystery surrounding Russian cargo ship grows

Things have been pretty sketchy since this story broke, and what we have heard has been a bit strange. Some claim the piracy story is a cover for something bigger.

All this seems a bit much for a boat load of timber.

Meanwhile: Admiral: Navy must ‘de-romanticize’ piracy

France confirms Russian-manned ship found

A Russian-manned cargo ship that vanished in the Atlantic last month has been found near Cape Verde, the French Defense Ministry said Friday.

Ministry spokesman Capt. Jerome Baroe said Cape Verde coast guards confirmed the Arctic Sea was discovered Friday afternoon about 520 miles off the former Portuguese colony off the West African coast.

Russian navy searches Atlantic for missing ship

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev ordered that “all necessary measures” be taken to find the missing ship, and the Russian navy turned all of its vessels in the Atlantic — including three landing ships, a frigate and two nuclear-powered submarines — to search.

Finnish police said they also were assisting in the investigation.

What are the Finns doing? Scouring the streets of Helsinki for a 300-foot cargo carrier?

Anyway, at least those subs off the United States’ east coast have something to do.