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This illustration is reportedly of the USS Missouri BB-63 taken during construction.
If so, is the area outlined in yellow the area known as "Broadway on an Iowa Class BB"?
Yes it is. The photo is actually looking AFT of the hull. The deck of Broadway is several inches lower than the molded level of 3rd deck in order to gain access to all main machinery spaces.
The transverse bulkhead at the bottom is on frame 87. The bulkhead up near the top is on frame 151. You can easily see that all 8 boilers are now in place. Their height rises well above the 3rd deck level but leaving enough space for inspection and repair under the splinter deck which is 30" below the armored 2nd deck.
The spaces you see above (behind) the boilers are the 3rd deck plating as all of the propulsion machinery is below that deck. So, since the plating is already in, we can safely assume that in a few months that ship will be ready to go.
Broadway is located a deck above that, running from the barbette of turret 2 to the barbette of turret 3.
Here is a picture from my visit to Missouri a few years ago:
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Sorry, but I have to disagree with you. There is no other "deck" plating below Broadway. The overhead plating is actually the Splinter Deck. But as I said earlier, the deck of Broadway is lower than the normal height of the 3rd deck. As you can see in your beautiful photo, the step to the door sill in the main transverse bulkheads is just about the 3rd deck level. Same with the step at the fireroom door inserted into a bolted plate access for shipping in or out pumps, motors, valves, etc. for any necessary repair or upgrading.
The purpose of dropping the Broadway deck a few inches lower is to give access to the fire rooms with either standard 9-inch sills on one side and 21-inch (as I recall) on the other side. To get to the engine rooms there is an access door to a vestibule than then has a (narrow) inclined ladder down into the space. Of which its overhead is actually the 3rd deck.
You haven't lived until you spent days upon days figuring out what hatches we can go through, what doors we can fit through, what bulkheads can we cut through and whatever else needed to be removed so we could install EIGHT York Air Condition plants. Even then we had to dismantle each plant into its 3 main sections (gauge board, motor & pump assembly and finally the main chill tube unit). On top of that, the main condenser tank had to be cut in two and brazed back together again after squeezng it into the A/C pump room.
Also, if you look at the top of your photo, you can see the monorail used in transporting machinery items for overhaul or replacement and was also the primary means of transporting extra 16-inch rounds of ammo from Turret II to Turret III -- or vice versa.
Oh yes, stepping through that door means keep your head down so you don't crack it open hitting the edge of a monorail (for a while the North Carolina strapped boxing gloves on the ends for protection). By the way, the monorail is what they should have used in that silly movie "Battleship". No way are only four men capable of picking up a 1,900 lb shell on their shoulders. That's what the monorail is for you stupid movie makers.
By the way, the monorail is what they should have used in that silly movie "Battleship". No way are only four men capable of picking up a 1,900 lb shell on their shoulders. That's what the monorail is for you stupid movie makers.
I thought that when I first saw it. I still got a kick out of it even if there were blunders everywhere.
Thank you for the clarification, Mr. Landgraff. I know you have probably forgotten more about these ships than I can ever hope to learn.
When touring BB-63, a few of us were allowed to climb up with a flashlight and take a look into the splinter deck directly above Broadway. I never realized until I saw it for myself how there are passageways through the splinter deck void spaces, including vertical tubes (escape trunks?) leading up.
I think what is confusing me about that construction picture that blidgepump posted is that it appears the area he marked is directly between the engine and boiler rooms, quite a bit lower than I would expect (or recall). Also, the openings through the bulkheads between the engine and boiler rooms do not appear wide enough, and there appears to be 3 steps up to the openings, rather than 1 step up (as can be seen in my photo). Is the actual floor of Broadway elevated from what we can see in the construction photo?
I am also curious about the large bolted down hatch that can be seen at the bottom of my Broadway photo. As I recall, these are located next to each of the engine rooms. What are these for, and where do they lead? Are there spaces below the floor of Broadway, between the boilers, and might that be what we are seeing in the construction photo?
Here are a couple of similar photos of BB-61 under construction.
June 1941, the boilers are all present, with partial decks surrounding. The only indication (that I can see) of Broadway is the section between boilers no. 1 and 2.
In October 1941, now we can clearly see Broadway visible between boilers 5-8, with the forward section obscured by the under-construction splinter deck. Perhaps it is merely the different perspective, but it looks like the section of Broadway is located higher relative to the boilers than in the BB-63 construction photo.
I can now clearly see how I misspoke by suggesting that Broadway is "a deck above", and I appreciate the correction. Digging out my deck plans, I can see how Broadway is lower than the 3rd deck height aft, but ramps upward forward of boilers 1 and 2.
Last edited by Dan_Bickell; 11 Sep 15,, 20:03.
Reason: fixing picture links
Dan Bickell said: I am also curious about the large bolted down hatch that can be seen at the bottom of my Broadway photo. As I recall, these are located next to each of the engine rooms. What are these for, and where do they lead? Are there spaces below the floor of Broadway, between the boilers, and might that be what we are seeing in the construction photo?
You will find several bolted "Soft Patches" (as we ex-shipfitters called them) to provide passage for removal of motors, pumps, valves, etc. out of the Engine Rooms. The items are then continued on up through the large hatch amidships starboard of Broadway to the 2nd Deck. From there, several other soft patches continue on up through Main Deck, 01, 02 & 03 levels.
Unfortunately, the modernization design we were instructed to make was adding armored deckhouses for the CIWS guns right over at least two of those weather deck soft patches. Oh well. If we ever had to we could start chopping some holes through the bulkheads until we could get those items out onto main deck for a crane to pick them up.
You also said: When touring BB-63, a few of us were allowed to climb up with a flashlight and take a look into the splinter deck directly above Broadway. I never realized until I saw it for myself how there are passageways through the splinter deck void spaces, including vertical tubes (escape trunks?) leading up.
Oh yes, that 30-inch deep "void" between the armored 2nd deck and the splinter deck provided lots and lots of space to run wireways, plumming, vent ducts AND escape trunks. I've got another story to tell about how we were to improve accesses to the escape trunks but the method NAVSEA wanted would only allow 1 man in at a time. I came up with a better idea and NAVSEA was already writing the SHIPALT to modify them my way. But then other people in D.C. had other "peaceful" ideas of how to use the money, including closing the entire Naval Complex on Terminal Island.
Besides, it's Happy Hour now at the VFW post I hang out at and one of there members wants me to autograph my book that he bought.
Oh yes, that 30-inch deep "void" between the armored 2nd deck and the splinter deck provided lots and lots of space to run wireways, plumming, vent ducts AND escape trunks. I've got another story to tell about how we were to improve accesses to the escape trunks but the method NAVSEA wanted would only allow 1 man in at a time. I came up with a better idea and NAVSEA was already writing the SHIPALT to modify them my way. But then other people in D.C. had other "peaceful" ideas of how to use the money, including closing the entire Naval Complex on Terminal Island.
Besides, it's Happy Hour now at the VFW post I hang out at and one of there members wants me to autograph my book that he bought.
Was that during the reactivation or part of the 1992 overhauls they were gonna have?
Was that during the reactivation or part of the 1992 overhauls they were gonna have?
It would have been part of the overhauls. Instead of widening the bottom of the trunk to take an Eliason door (which would have required moving some of the main intake valves) I proposed cutting out the existing 18" X 30" inch 4 dog door and replacing it with a modified 26" X 66" quick acting door. For the door's frame to properly fit, we would have to cut out 5" down the center thus making it a 21" wide door.
That way all machinery space crewmen can go through the door and up the ladder with the last man in closing the 21X66 door. With the Eliason "balanced" door, only one man could get in but had to close the door to climb up the ladder. Then each man after him would have to wait to take there turn.
Stupid.
The only thing about the original SHIPALT was to increase the size of the upper deck hatch from 21" to 25" and we had no problem (upon our inspections) with that.
It looks like a telephoto lenswas used which fore shortens objects further away. The photos I show of New Jersey's forefoot on pages 197, 204 & 205 of my boo are more realistically in proportion.
Hey Desert what is a burner barrel? Also the reason I ask is apparently they have 50 of them pulled from the Wisconsin and they're opening up a fire room but if critical pieces of the boilers is pulled wouldn't that be against her donation agreement (not that the Navy cares though)? Seems strange that they would pull them for no reason.
Here's the info from FB (stupid pic won't paste underneath).
Hey Desert what is a burner barrel? Also the reason I ask is apparently they have 50 of them pulled from the Wisconsin and they're opening up a fire room but if critical pieces of the boilers is pulled wouldn't that be against her donation agreement (not that the Navy cares though)? Seems strange that they would pull them for no reason.
Here's the info from FB (stupid pic won't paste underneath).
Finally, a question that I might be able to answer or provide an illustration..... ( with do respect to our resident O-6 )
Machinist's Mate 3rd Class Michael Baldock, assigned aboard amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4), changes a burner barrel to prevent soot build up.
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