Visiting on board Naval Ships.....

[RAL's_pal?]

Originally Posted by RustyBattleship

I'm pretty much done collecting shipyard memorabilia also.

You never picked up a brass Zippo Commerative lighter on the Jersey? It was a 40 year Jersey/ 50th Anniversary Zippo with the commissioning dates (the last date being incorrect). There were the numbered Jersey ceramic steins also. On the sea trials, once the ship got far enough out to sea, the ship store starting selling cigarettes at $4 a carton so a lot of yardbirds stocked up on cigarettes. They could have cared less for lighters, steins, shirts or hats.

You never got back to me about the Golf Course set up (I always thought it was located in Los Alamitos because that's where the base is).

[RustyBattleship]

Originally Posted by RAL's_pal?

You never picked up a brass Zippo Commerative lighter on the Jersey? It was a 40 year Jersey/ 50th Anniversary Zippo with the commissioning dates (the last date being incorrect). There were the numbered Jersey ceramic steins also. On the sea trials, once the ship got far enough out to sea, the ship store starting selling cigarettes at $4 a carton so a lot of yardbirds stocked up on cigarettes. They could have cared less for lighters, steins, shirts or hats.

You never got back to me about the Golf Course set up (I always thought it was located in Los Alamitos because that's where the base is).

Oh, I have lighters from the BBs plus a lot of other souvenirs such as beer steins, bumper stickers, jackets, hats, tie clips, etc. I'll probably just pack most of the stuff into some boxes for my heirs to take care of. Stuff of no real importance can be tossed.

As for the Golf Course, its address is Cypress but it shares a common boundary with Seal Beach NWS. They are going to tear down the old pro shop, cocktail lounge and restaurant. Funny thing, I built some tables for that restaurant about 10 years ago.

The new center is almost completed where everything will be in one building.

[SnowLeopard]

Originally Posted by RAL's_pal?

.........
I see they were drydocked in all 3 drydocks. One shot I have is from one in DD 2.........

You have a shot of DD2, the Barry?????? BLIMEY! You must go back quite a way!

(ref: navsource.org)
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("From a galaxy far, far a way ................... but not far enough!"--tagline in a comic in The Battlion, (wtte))

[RAL's_pal?]

Originally Posted by SnowLeopard

You have a shot of DD2, the Barry??????

Not quite, in this paragraph the "DD 2" is used to mean Dry Dock #2" The yard started accepting ships for drydocking around 1943. I'm sure by then that Barry was no longer around.

[Dreadnought]

Hey you have a floating "cement factory" in your dry dock.:

[RAL's_pal?]

I see this board is starting to suffer from inactivity, but not as bad as Warships1, so I'll try to get this ball rolling by asking cRusty a question.

So, how about a report on your latest trip to "rust bucket central." At least you can identify your "crew" in the picture you sent out. I know one of the old timers sitting at the table but no one else. Maybe we can also get the "birthday boy" to chip in an opinion if he's not too stuffed on cake and ice cream.

[Dreadnought]

Yes Mr. L anything to report about Iowas condition during your last inspection?

[avon1944]

I have visited a number of ships mainly due to the fact that living in San Francisco, with fleet week annually has given me the opportunity. My father also worked at Hunters Point shipyard and I go a chance to visit ships on 'open house days'. I am referring to when ships are the dock and you get to tour the ship. As a child I have been on;
USS Gato Class sub
USS Oriskany
USS Helena (back when she only had guns)

As an adult I have visited;
USS San Francisco
USS Enterprise
USS Stethem (DDG-63)
USCGC Sherman (USCGC-722)

I would like to go on a -LHD & USS Missouri.

Adrian

[LauraLou]

I'm 15 and I've seen a couple of ships. My dad's in the navy and he was explaining how everything works, it was quite interesting, except the long explanation about how they bring up the anchor . I climbed up one of those vertical ladder things and it had been a long day (I'd been up since five) so once I got to the top I just lay down down and told my dad I couldn't go on anymore lol. He took me to see HMS Victory too, I love history so it was really fascinating seeing the conditions they used to work in.

[Horrido]

BB Missouri, Olympia SSN 717 (Los Angeles flight I), Laffey DDG (Spruance-class), S 56 Soviet WW II diesel, Pegas Russian training sailing ship, and a Foxtrot Soviet diesel.

Originally Posted by SnowLeopard

Little thing on the SSN. I got momentarily lost on it but then I remembered the diagrams I had memorized over the years, reoriented myself, and went on my way.

How do you get lost on an SSN? They're so tiny! When I toured the Olympia in high school, the officers swarmed me. They were really nice, squirrelly, and enthusiastic, promoting Anapolis, and asking about my interest level in submarines, bombarding me with questions, testing my knowledge and background. Unfortunately, I only lasted about 20 minutes on the thing before claustrophpobia overcame me and crawling out the torpedo tube felt like the greatest idea in the world, if it got me outside. I felt really bad for them, it looked like someone has informed them of a miscarriage after a much hoped-for pregnancy.

Has anyone visited or worked on a US warship, and then seen a Russian warship of the same catagory? I have heard the Russian ships have poor welding, rough workmanship.

There has been a great deal of propaganda by the west claiming that Soviet (now read Russian) equipments are inferior in concept, design and manufacture.

The Pegas was a beautifully maintained ship.

And it ain't propaganda, at least in terms of workmanship. The Foxtrot was a real mess. I had a welder friend with me, and he couldn't help but comment on the shoddy welds and construction. He wanted off that thing ASAP, as if he fully expected it to sink right there at the pier. The Foxtrot was a product of 1974, was clunky, and a WW II submarine veteran who happened to be there had a shocked and disturbed look on his face, commenting his fleet boat was in most ways more advanced and better constructed and designed. When I saw the An-225 transport, it looked as though the plates had been rough-hewn, pounded with a sledgehammer to mould and conform to shape, riveted shut, and where the plates still refused to comply and align, WELDED shut!

[Master Chief]

Wow, this one is going to take some time. After 12 years in the navy, I think I fogot more then I can rember. But I was on a few soviet warships. My father who was in the navy for 26 years, when I was a teenager took me to see the Marshal Ustinov the second of the soviet Slava class cruisers, back in July of 1980. This is one of the reasons I joined the navy. Lets see after boot, in 1987, I was on the USS Fox CG-33 a Belknap class cruiser. Older ship but still had a great air deffence. Was also on the USS Virginia CGN-38, and the USS South Carolina CGN-37 And the Older BB. Was on the USS Long Beach CGN-9, USS Dewey a coontz class DDG, and also a few of the adams class DDG's Was on a few of the Spru-cans Oldendorf DD-972,Kinkaid DD-965,
did a seatour on the USS Scott DDG-995, also was on the USS Valley Forge CG-50 now this was not the VLS msl. launch ship this was still the older Mk-26 launcher. ( sad to see the first 6 ships passed up by the UK) now they are deep sixed. Never did a sea tour on a carrier, was on a few thats about it. To big for me. Over seas I got to go on a few of the Uk's fine ships. The type 42, and the type-22's. Seen a few soviet foxtrots SSK's and finished my navy on tour on the USS Halyburton FFG-40. Another high point got to go on a russian Krivak II, and seen up close a russian sovremenny class DDG. That is just off the top of my head. I will look threw my old pictures and seatour books. The navy is a great place to see the world. ( bulls#!t) all you see is the sea.

[Seahorse]

I ve lived off Oil Tankers and VLCC's for last 5 yrs, but never had the fortune to visit a warship... but for us sailors the irresistible beauty is still the Queen Mary 2....
I remember once we had a fire drill at sea...QM2 passing by...and next thing I saw , I had drenched the Chief Officer with my fire hose! a real beauty she is, i tell you.
The cadets n enggs all climbing the mast t have a look at the pool!
(my first post on WAB)

[Dreadnought]

While driving to work this morning, I look over in the channel which was heavy with fog. All I could make out was a mast with the stars and stripes flying. Upon closer inspection I find the USN Winston Churchill DDG-81 A block IIA Burke class destroyer coming up the Delaware river.Apparently she'll be here tied up for the weekend. Looks like I'm going aboard tommorow.

I'll try to have the pics posted from tommorow on Monday.

[TopHatter]

Originally Posted by Dreadnought

Upon closer inspection I find the USN Winston Churchill DDG-81 A block IIA Burke class destroyer coming up the Delaware river.Apparently she'll be here tied up for the weekend. Looks like I'm going aboard tommorow.

Lucky #%&@$!

Let's see...updating my list and finally a few active-duty ships!:

USS San Juan (SSN-751)
USS Hue City (CG-66)
In a perfect world I would have been able to tour a Flight IIA Burke, USS Roosevelt at the same time

USS Constitution (Technically active!)

USS Massachusetts (BB-59)
USS Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. (DD-850)
USS Lionfish (SS-298)
PT-617
PT-796

And finally a couple of foreign warships.
ARC Tayrona (Columbian Navy Type 209/1200) On Active Duty
Hiddensee (Soviet-built Tarantul I class corvette)

And (again) in a perfect world, I would have tried to finagle a tour on HMS Ocean back when she was visiting Miami on her shakedown cruise some years back. Too bad I was with people who don't jones on that sort thing.
Got to see her up close though, she was a beaut!

There was also a Fleet Week in Fort Lauderdale last weekend with a wide cross-section of the USN visiting...was I able to go? Of course not!

[Ray]

I can't say about Soviet naval equipment, but I can about the aircraft and weapons having used both.

I have also used American weapons.

American weapons are aesthetically very beautiful and a pleasure to possess. But they require very intense maintenance and are not what is said in our Army as "being soldier proof" i.e. cannot stand up to rough handling and use. They are like Hollywood actresses. Very temperamental,but beautiful!

Russia equipment are like peasant women. Rough, crude but very reliable and are 'soldier proof'. The AK 47 is an example where even the US troops have used it, I believe, in Iraq in preference to their own.

One has to see Russian helicopters to believe! Such crude rattletraps and yet the fly! The cockpit of a Mi 17 is like a cut and paste job, as if held in place by spittle and when it is airborne, one wonders if the panels will fly out or not! Awfully crude and an eyesore.

Their AN 12 or even the An 32 is so noisy (in the cargo area) that when one gets off the aircraft, one can't hear for more than half an hour and one has a headache! As bad as the Fairchild Packets we had! Real awful.

But then the IL 76 is not. It is quite a good looker and has the instrumentation that looks most sophisticated. Great for short take off and landings. But then, a guzzler of ATF! Very expensive on fuel. I believe all their aircraft are fuel guzzlers. Maybe the Russians don't care about the use of fuel!

I have driven the Russian origin tanks. Good and with very low silhouette. But very cramped and claustrophobic. So are their ICVs.