Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Destroyers - Fletcher Class

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • That is on display at the Washington Navy Yard. It is a section of 26" armour that was intended to be used on the
    Japanese Yamato class battleship, pierced by a US Navy 16-inch gun.

    Comment


    • Correct .....

      Originally posted by SlaterDoc View Post
      That is on display at the Washington Navy Yard. It is a section of 26" armour that was intended to be used on the
      Japanese Yamato class battleship, pierced by a US Navy 16-inch gun.

      Correct.

      Does anyone know where the test was conducted?
      The Dahlgren test facility?

      Comment


      • Dd-798 ....

        Originally posted by blidgepump View Post
        As I've recited before .... one of the treats for me with the Fletcher thread is the path of discovery.

        When I was in Washington last week I met a sailor who served on the USS MONSSEN, a Fletcher Class "Square Bridge" DD.
        We shared a subway ride on the "Metro" and he wore a DD-798 ball cap. That was enough to kick the door open and ask leading questions.
        He seemed tickled that someone knew something about the Fletchers and began opening up ... as much as you can on a subway in D.C.
        As always the visit was too brief, but he provided just enough intrigued for me to begin reading up on the Monssen.

        So this thread will get diverted for a few days as we explored DD-798.

        Okay did you notice the anchors missing?

        There was a big Nor'easter in 1962 and two DD were impacted by the storm, DD-798 & DD865

        DD-798 had broken down and was under tow. In the storm, DD-798 broke loose and the Navy tug got slammed by the storm loosing radio contact.
        DD-865 got the call to go look for the Tug and or survivors. The Captain of the tug sailed into harbor and made a phone call to HQ and advised the situation.
        Meanwhile the Fletcher class DD got stranded on the beach..... Interesting story with some more pictures...
        Attached Files

        Comment


        • Originally posted by blidgepump View Post
          There was a big Nor'easter in 1962 and two DD were impacted by the storm, DD-798 & DD865

          DD-798 had broken down and was under tow. In the storm, DD-798 broke loose and the Navy tug got slammed by the storm loosing radio contact.
          One correction: The Monssen (DD-798) hadn't broken down. She had been decommissioned on December 11, 1957 and was being transferred from Boston to Philadelphia when the storm hit. In the pictures of Monssen on the beach, you can clearly see the inactive ship igloos covering some of her smaller gun mounts.

          Comment


          • That makes more sense. Thank you for correction. I did see the igloos but didn't connect the dots. My reference was through a report issued about the storm ( "fake news" or a reporting error ) of a newspaper article that was posted on a Website and then reposted on the extensively modified DD-865, USS Charles R. Ware.

            Comment


            • Dd-865 ...

              USS CHARLES R. WARE (DD-865) .... was the ship sent to look for the tug towing DD-798.
              The Fletcher Class-DD broke loose from the tow and was washed up on the New Jersey beach.
              Interesting is the Ware was just out of refit and viewed as "top heavy by her crew" when she was caught in a famous Nor'easter in 1962.
              While the Ware was looking for the Tug and / or survivors, the captain of the tug and her crew had found safe haven in a harbor.
              Attached Files

              Comment


              • Dd-798

                Berthed at Boston, Monssen was being transfered to Philadelphia when her tow line parted on March 6 1962 and ran aground at Beach Haven N.J., Salvaged after 6 weeks.
                Fate Sold October 21 1963 to Union Minerals & Alloy, New York and broken up for scrap.

                More pictures of DD-798 beached on a New Jersey shore after breaking her tow line as she was headed to the scrapper.
                Attached Files

                Comment


                • Preparing DD-798 for recovery ....

                  These two photos really drive home an appreciation for the effort taken to drag this Fletcher-DD from the New Jersey shore.

                  The lines ran to the beach and the cutting away of the rudder are presented for your review.
                  Attached Files

                  Comment


                  • The youtube video ... about DD-798 ...

                    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oPhvmyyCw0

                    The mechanical voice on this video is a little bit annoying ...
                    Attached Files

                    Comment


                    • Balsa Wood vs. Carley Life Raft ......

                      A little light reading this evening about life rafts....


                      Horace Carley was the forefather of the Balsa wood float used on the Fletchers. Carley Float's saved countless sailors from death in cold and perilous waters.

                      His invention apparently did not earn him his fortune, or bring him widespread recognition. Days before his death, he received news that the Carley Life Float Company was close to sinking, due to competition from a rival shipbuilder, and ongoing tussles over patent rights.

                      "The Carley float was formed from a length of copper or steel tubing 12-20 inches (30-50 cm) in diameter bent into an oval ring. The ring was surrounded by a buoyant mass of kapok or cork, and then covered with a layer of canvas rendered waterproof via painting or doping. The metal tube was divided into waterproof compartments with vertical baffles. The raft was thus rigid, and could remain buoyant, floating equally well with either side uppermost, even if the waterproof outer was punctured. The floor of the raft was made from a wood or webbing grating. Boxes containing paddles, water, rations and survival equipment were lashed to the floor grating. Men could either sit around the rim of the raft, or, if in the water, cling to rope loops strung around its edge." Source Horace Carley Foundation
                      Attached Files

                      Comment


                      • Great features .... or ????

                        "Invented as far back as 1902 I believe. Still in use in WW2........... .....but why?

                        It had a few good things going for it.

                        It would still float when damaged.
                        It was tough enough to survive getting battered against the side of a ship.
                        It didn't matter which way up it landed in the water.
                        It could be mounted on any flat surface for storage.
                        It was easy to launch, needing no specialized techniques or training.
                        It could support a large number of survivors.
                        It was the best thing available."

                        It was not a survival craft that could ever make the lifeboat redundant, but supplemented the lifesaving equipment already onboard. Read survivors reports from merchant ships (ADM 199/2130 onwards if your interested) and the virtues of the life raft become readily apparent.

                        Given the choice which would you prefer, an RN carley float (with limited food and water) or try and tread water for three days while you wait for a rescue ship? I'd play the percentages myself."


                        Originally posted by blidgepump View Post
                        A little light reading this evening about life rafts....


                        Horace Carley was the forefather of the Balsa wood float used on the Fletchers. Carley Float's saved countless sailors from death in cold and perilous waters.

                        His invention apparently did not earn him his fortune, or bring him widespread recognition. Days before his death, he received news that the Carley Life Float Company was close to sinking, due to competition from a rival shipbuilder, and ongoing tussles over patent rights.

                        "The Carley float was formed from a length of copper or steel tubing 12-20 inches (30-50 cm) in diameter bent into an oval ring. The ring was surrounded by a buoyant mass of kapok or cork, and then covered with a layer of canvas rendered waterproof via painting or doping. The metal tube was divided into waterproof compartments with vertical baffles. The raft was thus rigid, and could remain buoyant, floating equally well with either side uppermost, even if the waterproof outer was punctured. The floor of the raft was made from a wood or webbing grating. Boxes containing paddles, water, rations and survival equipment were lashed to the floor grating. Men could either sit around the rim of the raft, or, if in the water, cling to rope loops strung around its edge." Source Horace Carley Foundation

                        Comment


                        • Carley Life Raft ... details ..

                          The Carley float was a form of invertible life raft designed by American inventor Horace Carley. Supplied mainly to warships, it saw widespread use in a number of navies during peacetime and both World Wars until superseded by more modern rigid or inflatable designs. Carley was awarded a patent in 1903 after establishing the Carley Life Float Company of Philadelphia. The Carley Life-Raft, or Carley Float is a form of collapsible, reversible life raft patented by Horace S. Carley in 1899 & 1902. Buoyancy was provided by a oval or capsule shaped frame made of tubular sheet copper, sheathed with cork. The copper frame had internal watertight dividers, providing additional subdivision, but primarily as strength members. The cork was held in place firstly with wire, which was then wrapped in wire cloth and a heavy canvas. The canvas was then painted with waterproof paint. From this ring, a rope webbing held a wooden grating, which served as a platform able to pass through the ring (hence, reversible).

                          Carley floats were virtually unsinkable, the robust metal frames being well protected from damage and the cork being intrinsically buoyant. As a result they were used extensively by a number of Allied nations, particularly during World War II, where damage from shrapnel or munitions would not render the float inoperable. The floats were available in a number of sizes, which could be 'nested' in eachother, allowing 2 or 3 floats to be stored flat. Warships and merchant vessels could quickly increase their lifesaving capacity by mounting sets of floats on exposed decks or bulkheads, with only a few tie-down points required. They were durable enough to withstand the elements & light enough to be thrown overboard when needed.



                          Photo: Carley life rafts on the stern of HMAS Sydney while on convoy duty in the Bass Strait, 4 September 1941 which illustrates the "Nesting of a smaller Carley raft inside a larger float."




                          Originally posted by blidgepump View Post
                          "Invented as far back as 1902 I believe. Still in use in WW2........... .....but why?

                          It had a few good things going for it.

                          It would still float when damaged.
                          It was tough enough to survive getting battered against the side of a ship.
                          It didn't matter which way up it landed in the water.
                          It could be mounted on any flat surface for storage.
                          It was easy to launch, needing no specialized techniques or training.
                          It could support a large number of survivors.
                          It was the best thing available."

                          It was not a survival craft that could ever make the lifeboat redundant, but supplemented the lifesaving equipment already onboard. Read survivors reports from merchant ships (ADM 199/2130 onwards if your interested) and the virtues of the life raft become readily apparent.

                          Given the choice which would you prefer, an RN carley float (with limited food and water) or try and tread water for three days while you wait for a rescue ship? I'd play the percentages myself."
                          Attached Files
                          Last edited by blidgepump; 15 May 17,, 00:38.

                          Comment


                          • Raft on a Fletcher-DD ....

                            The 2100-Ton Fletchers were a large improvement over previous DD's.
                            But space remained at a premium... thus placing life rafts required some optimization of space!
                            This illustration provides a sample of that ingenuity ...
                            Attached Files

                            Comment


                            • No. 2 .... and No. 1 ....

                              Some ships are thought of as "Lucky Ships" .... the USS De Haven (DD 469) was the first 2,100-ton Fletcher-class destroyer lost in World War II having been in commission only 133 days, the second shortest career (after Meredith, DD 726) of all United States destroyers in the war.
                              Last edited by blidgepump; 25 May 17,, 03:40.

                              Comment


                              • Fletcher sinks BB tale .....

                                Originally posted by USSWisconsin View Post
                                A Fletcher class destroyer even sank a battleship!

                                Second Salvo at Surigao Strait
                                Issue: Naval History Magazine - October 2010 Volume 24, Number 5
                                By Admiral James L. Holloway III, U.S. Navy (Retired)
                                Naval Historical Center
                                More than six decades after the largest naval battle in history, the U.S. destroyer Bennion now can claim her rightful credit in the sinking of a Japanese battleship.
                                Second Salvo at Surigao Strait | U.S. Naval Institute
                                It's been a few moons since our old thread contributor USSWisonsin post this article in Naval History Magazine.... but last Friday I got a personal signed copy of the article from an old friend who has constantly been a "quiet supporter" of the Fletcher thread on WAB. As he desires to remain unidentified I wanted to give a shout out to say thank you for the signed article while wishing you smooth seas with following winds. Thank you for your service! I really like this passage and am sharing a quote from the article on Memoiral Day weekend.

                                "When the first destroyer in our division reached the firing point, the enemy was just 6,000 yards away. Each of the three destroyers in the column in succession executed a hard turn to starboard, launching five torpedoes when the enemy bearing was on the port beam. When it was the Bennion ’s turn, the bridge called out: “Launch torpedoes!” The battleship Yamashiro completely filled the viewing glass of my optics. The crosshairs were stabilized on the waterline just below the foremast. Plot was repeating, “We have a good solution.” Glowing dials showed the torpedo tubes were trained clear and the torpedo gyros set. I pushed the “fire” button on the console and stood up to see our five fish shoot out of their tubes. I heard them slap the water. All were running hot and straight."

                                Comment

                                Working...
                                X