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  • RustyBattleship
    replied
    Originally posted by Gun Grape View Post
    Yes
    Yes, over-the-bow shots and over-the-stern shots were fired. But during modernization we found that the movie booth aft of Turret III on two of the Iowas had its whole port bulkhead caved in. On New Jersey, over-the-bow shots didn't do some of the mushroom vent covers much good either.

    And to answer Bildgepump's question below, 16-inch shots required all decks up to 04 level to be cleared of all personnel. Exceptions were allowed during target practice when the big guns were fired at 90 or 180 degree azimuths. But even then no one was allowed aft of the after stack or forward of the bridge. Ummm, one more exception, if the guns are fired directly athwartships camera personnel (both uniform and non-uniform) were allowed up to the anchor hawse pipes.

    Supposedly there were some cases in WW II where selected AA gunners were ordered to keep at GQ such as those in the 40mm stern gun tubs and the 20mm bow tubs. All other AA gunners amidships remained at GQ. As for those on top of Turrets II & III, I would recommend they head for the nearest coffee pot if I were the Captain or Gunnery Officer. Those turrets would be changing angles and elevations constantly while trying to take out their big targets and the AA crews would just be wasting ammo. Besides, there are no ammo passing scuttles on up the side of the turrets so what they had in their stowage racks behind the shields was all they got.

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  • blidgepump
    replied
    Blown off the bow ....

    Originally posted by Gun Grape View Post
    Yes
    GG,

    Explain to me once again ( I have a short attention span ) how the 40mm gunners
    kept from being blown off the bow with the 14 & 16 inch guns fired!

    Leave a comment:


  • Gun Grape
    replied
    Originally posted by Burnet View Post
    Question: were BB designed to fire their main guns along the centerline--over the deck--as well as broadside
    Yes

    Leave a comment:


  • Burnet
    replied
    Question: were BB designed to fire their main guns along the centerline--over the deck--as well as broadside or were they always intended to be fired at an angle to the centerline?

    Leave a comment:


  • RustyBattleship
    replied
    Originally posted by DonBelt View Post
    Looks like she is working on the SRBOC launchers.
    That is correct. Four SRBOC launcher sets (with 6 SRBOC bases on each set for 24 SRBOC's) were installed on each ship during modernization. The lockers for the launching tubes would be behind or by the right shoulder of the photographer.

    Basically a Super Rapid Blooming Overside Chaff is just a 5-inch mortar shell. Its shape is more like the smaller Hedge Hog anti-submarine mortar/rocket. But rather than dropping the projectile into a tube like a mortar, it is already an "ALL UP" round in its launching tube that also serves as its stowage case inside the lockers. You just take the tubular cases out of the lockers and bolt them down to the foundations as shown in the photo. Then when necessary they are electrically fired and explode in the air to spread out chaff and "fireworks" to (hopefully) confuse an incoming missile.

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  • DonBelt
    replied
    Looks like she is working on the SRBOC launchers.

    Leave a comment:


  • blidgepump
    replied
    Burner Barrel ....

    Originally posted by 85 gt kid View Post


    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.
    Attached Files
    Last edited by blidgepump; 04 Nov 15,, 21:47.

    Leave a comment:


  • 85 gt kid
    replied


    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).
    Last edited by 85 gt kid; 04 Nov 15,, 21:23.

    Leave a comment:


  • RustyBattleship
    replied
    Originally posted by Ken_NJ View Post
    Does the size of the bulbous bow on the Missouri in this video seem larger than it really is? Maybe just a distorted video?

    http://wwiivideoarchives.altervista..../?q=node%2F677
    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.

    Leave a comment:


  • desertswo
    replied
    Originally posted by Ken_NJ View Post
    Does the size of the bulbous bow on the Missouri in this video seem larger than it really is? Maybe just a distorted video?

    http://wwiivideoarchives.altervista..../?q=node%2F677
    No.

    Leave a comment:


  • blidgepump
    replied
    Bulbous is a delicate term.....

    Originally posted by Ken_NJ View Post
    Does the size of the bulbous bow on the Missouri in this video seem larger than it really is? Maybe just a distorted video?

    http://wwiivideoarchives.altervista..../?q=node%2F677
    Hmmmmmm ... large?
    Attached Files

    Leave a comment:


  • Ken_NJ
    replied
    Does the size of the bulbous bow on the Missouri in this video seem larger than it really is? Maybe just a distorted video?

    http://wwiivideoarchives.altervista..../?q=node%2F677

    Leave a comment:


  • RustyBattleship
    replied
    Originally posted by 85 gt kid View Post
    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.

    Leave a comment:


  • 85 gt kid
    replied
    Originally posted by RustyBattleship View Post

    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?

    Leave a comment:


  • RustyBattleship
    replied
    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.

    Leave a comment:

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