EPA and the USS Wisconsin

[DreadnaughtHelper]

Somewhere I once saw a series of photos of the repair work done to the Wisconsin where is showed almost every stage of the work being done. The upper bow section of the ship was removed in 2 sections. The after section needed a bit of plating replacement. They also removed the damaged section in 2 pieces, the bottom of the forefoot was undamaged and was removed as a seperate piece. and then they showed the Kentucky bow piece being lowered into place. It was interesting to see the Wisconsin with her entire bow removed.

I think these were in the Tech Library at LBNSY which means it is probably been recycled long ago.
I wonder if Norfolk NSY still has the photos???

[Dreadnought]

Boy....she sure has a lot of dimples in her butt

*If your plating was that heavy on your tail you might have the very same. When is armor ever pretty except in the mid eveil knights

Thats a Stern baby and its a one of a kind!:))

[RustyBattleship]

*If your plating was that heavy on your tail you might have the very same. When is armor ever pretty except in the mid eveil knights

Thats a Stern baby and its a one of a kind!:))

Actually, the plating underneath the 40 mm gun tubs is not that thick. The gun shields are 5/8" thick STS but the support plating is maybe 3/8" (at most) Medium Steel. Missouri and Wisconsin have 3/4" thick shields as at the time of their construction the London Treaty of weight limitations was no longer worth the paper it was written on.

And all the dents are caused by overzealous tug boat skippers pushing the ship to the pier.

[Never Stock]

Here is the link for Wisky's bow repair.
Collision

[blidgepump]

Fletcher Class Destroyer takes a licking but keeps ticking

Obviously great hands and cool heads prevailed in the collision between these two ships. Speaks well of both the Iowa and Fletcher Class ships for taking punishment.

[Dreadnought]

No doubt the Fletchers were built well. This is Eaton DD510 when she arrived back at the yard for repair.
A bit too close for comfort.

[blidgepump]

Wisconsin damage to Gun # 2

The damage to USS Eaton from USS Wisconsin illustrates a knife like cut between Gun 1 and Gun 2. Hard to tell that these were 5-inchers.
What replaced Gun 2 ? It doesn't look like 5-inch mount.

[Dreadnought]

What replaced Gun 2 ? It doesn't look like 5-inch mount.

*Unfortunately, a lot of folded steel.

It appears as though the second 5" mount (#52) was never replaced with a gun. It seems it was replaced by on several of the ships during their FRAM-1 updates such as DASH,ASROC,SQS-23 SONAR,VDS AND Mk 23 Torp tubes. Or perhaps even a director for the 3" guns they carried during Vietnam. But this one was no doubt an unscheduled update for the ship due to the collision.

I know Rusty and Salty would have had to work on some of these so perhaps we should ask them about the updates.

[surfgun]

I wonder if the Hedgehog launchers were loaded on the Eaton at the time of the collision?

[Dreadnought]

I wonder if the Hedgehog launchers were loaded on the Eaton at the time of the collision?

*Look closely at the two sailors standing pierside. Now look at the ship, on the 01 level (First level above the main deck) in the rectangular mount with the bent cover. IMO looks like a hedge hog launcher to me.

[DreadnaughtHelper]

That was a ASW Morter known as a Weapon Alfa or Weapon Awful to most. Thje USS Eaton was then classified as a DDE or ASW Destroyer Escort. DDE-510, Several of the Fletchers were converted to this configuration in fact the O-Bannon DD-450 was converted while in Mothballs at Long Beach. When the conversion and overhaul was completed, she was hauled back to the rows of DD's mothballed out on the mole.

Also note in the photo above the the Eaton's anchor chain was hauled out and pulled back down her starboard side and welded to the deck aft of the gash in her hull in order to keep her bow reatively straoight and attached to the rest of the ship, if the structure started to 'work' she would have lost the entire bow and could have capsized.

[RustyBattleship]

Oh yes, that is a "Hedge Hog" launcher (or Weapon Alpha as helper pointed out). As a shipfitter apprentice I worked on quite a number of them. The rods you see sticking up at varied angles are actually the firing mechanisms and give the appearance of a thick-haired Hedge Hog.

The projectile is loaded onto the rods much like a rifle grenade fits onto a grenade launcher on a military rifle. It is launched somewhat like a mortar but off of a rod rather than out of a tube.

I recall working on a launcher and had to find an aluminum dummy Hedge Hog for alignments. My supervisor told me where one was (about 3 piers to the west) and let me use his bicycle to get it. It was sort of fun riding back with this rocket looking thing on my shoulder and as I passed two sailors one of them sort of laughed and said to the other, "Look at that guy carrying a BOMB on his shoulder." His buddy replied, "Yeah. And it doesn't seem to bother him either." Note the words in bold at the top of this paragraph.

Well, you gotta have fun sometime.

[Gun Grape]

The Fletcher DDEs had both a Weapon Alpha mount. In place of the 52 mount and a hedgehog launcher, port and starboard where the old 40mm mounts use to be.

Pictures of Weapon Alpha, Hedgehog and USS Nicholas showing the location of both on Fletchers DDEs

[DreadnaughtHelper]

Got any more photos of that Weapon Alfa,? This one was on the pier in New York with the Intrepid museum

[Gun Grape]

One neat one of it on a test stand firing. Another firing a round . And the weapon on the McCain