philo Loc: philo, ca

thanks for all of the positive reply's. Go Navy

ProfScott

Great shots! I really love the old battle wagons; from such an incredible era of sea warfare. But, by the time WWII cranked up, the allied and axis powers were beginning to understand that they were gigantic floating targets. As early as the Battle of Midway, PacCom was realizing that carriers were the way to project power over great distances. In the Battle of Denmark Strait, the Germans sank the HMS Hood in a matter of minutes losing almost the entire crew and then the Brits found the Bismarck a few days later, damaged a bit during the encounter with the Hood and heading for dry dock, and sunk her, as well. This was May of 1941, six months before the U.S. was attacked at Pearl, here by air power launched from carriers hundreds of miles away by the Japanese. And, everyone knows the outcome of that battle, including the sinking of the Arizona. Few realize that all nine battleships in Pearl that day were destroyed or heavily damaged. Fortunately, all but the AZ and the Utah were salvaged and repaired.
The Tirpitz, Bismarck's larger brother, brought fear to the allies just by its existence, although it spent most of the war not far from Norway. Occasionally suffering mild damage and incessantly short of fuel, the Tirpitz hid in the fjords. Even so, the allies sent a battle force in March of 1944 to attack it, thinking that the Tirpitz was about to go to sea again. This force included six carriers, two battleships and two cruisers, and 16 destroyers! Scoring 15 direct hits from carrier-launched dive bombers, the Tirpitz was only out of duty for two months. Finally, in November 1944, the Brits found it at sea and, dropping 12,000 Tallboys, hit one of the ships magazines, and capsized it in ten minutes. For all of this, the Tirpitz fired its main guns only once in warfare.
The largest battle ship ever constructed was the Mushashi (72,000 tons) commissioned in mid-1942 and only saw limited sea warfare. It was sunk by the allies on 24 October 1944 in the Battle of Leyte Gulf in the South Pacific. It took 19 torpedo and 17 bomb hits from carrier-launched aircraft to sink it.
The USS Missouri, in 1944, became the last battleship commissioned by the Navy and the last to be decommissioned in 1992. Its last appearance was in the movie Battleship (2012) and had to be towed around in order to get the proper shots because it had not moved under its own power since decommissioning two decades prior. The era of the battleship is long gone. The only question that remains is who is older, the Missouri or Liam Neeson? Answer: Neeson was born in 1952.
The Missouri is seaworthy, but it would take probably $1B to convert to modern electronic and rocket-based warfare. It's 15" guns on its deck are worthless. And, it would take a fleet of cruisers and destroyers to protect it from a modern assault.
I hope some would enjoy a bit of sea warfare history.

philo Loc: philo, ca

thanks for the history

woodweasel Loc: bellingham Wa

A very pleasant set , thank you for sharing your captures

hassighedgehog Loc: Corona, CA

This is the USS Iowa, also could be made battle ready. It is in San Pedro, CA. part of LA Harbor.

(Download)

PAR4DCR Loc: A Sunny Place

Great images Philo! I spent the night on the USS Alabama in Mobile, Al. with a bunch of scouts. They have several areas of the vessel that are still functional. What a vessel she was!!

Don

canarywood1 Loc: Sarasota,Florida

The Oklahoma was beyond repair after she was raised, so she was scrapped, only the Arizona and the Utah remain on the bottom.

pendennis

The technology for the 16" naval rifles is long gone, as are the powder charges for them. The powder bags were made at the Indiana Naval Ammunition Depot at Charlestown.

The Iowa class had 16" 45 caliber rifles, three per gun house, and three gun houses. The rifles are mounted on turrets, but the protective covering is properly referred to as a gun house.

The bags used a nitro-cellulose powder, set off by a smaller bag of black powder, and the black powder was either electrically or percussion ignited. The smoke you see after the rifles are fired, is a charge of nitrogen used to expel unburned powder and debris.

IF the battleships were re-activated, it would be with modern rail guns and additional Tomahawk missiles.

IDguy Loc: Idaho

Alas, she wouldn’t last a minute with today’s missiles.

philo Loc: philo, ca

that;s one of the reason that today the carrier and subs are our main ships.

mas24 Loc: Southern CA

The USS Iowa was America's largest Battleship during World War 2. So impressive, that it made the front cover of Life Magazine on October 30, 1944. The surrender was aboard the USS Missouri, early September 1945, lead by 5 Star Army General, Douglas MacArthur. It has been rumored that ship was chosen, because it was the home State of President Harry S. Truman. Who was President for less than six months then.

donb17

Great pictures. My dad served on the Alabama (BB-60) for 2 1/2 years during WWII. She was decommissioned in 1947 and was towed to Mobile Bay as a memorial where she rests today. I love the battleships, but they have been obsolesced. I also love the great clipper ships, but they, too, are obsolete.
Don

philo Loc: philo, ca

someone wanted a sailing ship here is one that was docked in Norfolk

DickC Loc: NE Washington state

Great photos of a great ship, thanks for sharing!!

DJ Mills Loc: Idaho

Thanks for the shot. It reminds me of a grade school teacher I had in the 1950s. He used to tell us about being a sailor on the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay when the formal surrender after WW2 took place. That many years ago I was too dumb to realize what an unusual experience that would have been. Too late to ask him now. Rats!