Ask An Expert- Battleships

[bbvet]

Rusty,

Nice to know the differences between the ships and how/when they were implimented.

Hank

[Dreadnought]

Rusty,

Interestingly, BB62 never had these vent modifications done to her turrets.

Hank

Agreed.

[Dreadnought]

Also one might want to consider that although perhaps in heavy seas they still had one of the most advanced FC systems ever created for any countries BB's Japan, Germany, British etc.

From the reports I have read, no weather conditions outside of fog for spotting purposes ever impaired their gunnery. Heavy seas included.

[desertswo]

Also one might want to consider that although perhaps in heavy seas they still had one of the most advanced FC systems ever created for any countries BB's Japan, Germany, British etc.

From the reports I have read, no weather conditions outside of fog for spotting purposes ever impaired their gunnery. Heavy seas included.

That's a fact. It may have been analog on a grand scale, but that fire control computer, which was state of the art in WWII, still could shoot pretty much as well as a MK 68 system at least, if not a MK 86.

[KJakker]

Booklet of General Plans for USS North Carolina, BB-55?

I am seeking help in finding some information on the USS North Carolina, BB-55.

I will be visiting the USS North Carolina BB-55 museum this coming week and have been putting together a folder of information about the ship to take with me. Things like data on the guns from NavWeaps.com, info on the gunnery fire control system and shells from Fire Control Fundamentals, NAVPERS 91900, 1953 and U.S. Explosive Ordnance, OP 1664, 1947 over at the Historic Naval Ships Association, plus photographs from the NavSource.org Battleship Photo Archive BB-55 USS North Carolina, info from the official Battleship North Carolina website, and the North Carolina-class battleship and USS North Carolina (BB-55) pages at Wikipedia plus a handful of other diagrams I have found online over the years.

However I have been unable to find an online copy of the Booklet of General Plans for ether USS North Carolina (BB-55) or USS Washington (BB-56). I would like to ask if anyone has a copy or knows of a link to where a copy of the North Carolina or Washington's plans can be found?

Also I remember reading somewhere that the Steering Gear Room on the North Carolina class was outside of the armor box/citadel made by the belts and fore and aft armor bulkheads and so was protected by its own armor. I think something like 10 to 14 inches of class B armor was mentioned, however I can't seem to locate where I read this. Does anyone have any info on the Steering Gear protection of the North Carolina class?

If you know of any other online sources of information about the North Carolina or have any advice for when I am aboard her please let me know.

Thank you.

[85 gt kid]

Bu

These are what yiu need. She's a fun ship though, plan to spend atleast 3 hours on her and take plenty of pics!

[BB55Fan]

Here is a 22 MB main deck image. (hope I'm doing this right.)

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ste5zaiop7...ain%20deck.jpg

[Ken_NJ]

Article on Gizmodo. Mostly pics and a video nobody hasn't seen already. It was probably already discussed here, the third picture down with the broadside for port and starboard, just a photo op? Does not look like every gun was firing, unless it was timing.

Spectacular photos of the US Navy's most powerful battleship ever

[bbvet]

The last day on the gunline in 1969, we (NEW JERSEY) fired a 9 gun salvo to port, then one with all 10 5"/38's; turned south and did the same thing from the starboard side; and then headed east for CONUS. (May have been in reverse order!) Photos in our Cruise Book.

Hank

[RustyBattleship]

Here is a 22 MB main deck image. (hope I'm doing this right.)

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ste5zaiop7...ain%20deck.jpg

Here's something a bit interesting and odd; When LBNSY received all of the Iowa class drawings in 1981, we went through alot of them as well as several reels of micro-film.

On one of the micro-film reels we found the plan view, side view and end view drawnings of BB-55. I made copies of those drawings and sent them to the ship for their historical archives.

Why? They showed the ship with a different arrangement of the propellers and Quad 14-inch guns in the three turrets. In other words, they were the original concept for that class and at least one copy deserved to be aboard that ship.

Even of more "what a small world it is" nature, the rolled up full size reproducable plans also included a full profile drawing of the USS Indiana (BB-58). Out on the pier was the New Jersey being modernized with hundreds of workers scrambling all over her. We farmed in workers from all over. Philadelphia was low on work so they sent some of their Naval Shipyard people to Long Beach (particularly electricians & pipe fitters). One of them, working as an electrician in our newly armored Comm Center on Main Deck, was a bit up in years but very happy to be working on that ship because he served on the Indiana in WW II.

When I returned to the office, I pulled that plan and had a full size copy made of it and I showed it to him the next morning. He was very impressed that we had that plan. He merely said, "Yup. That's my ship alright." Then he was at a loss for words (except "Thank you") when I handed him the plan and said, "It's yours to take back home".

[85 gt kid]

Quad 14"s would have been something to see. Make a new Super Heavy shell and they'd have meant business . But 16"/45s work too .

[Gun Grape]

Quad 14"s would have been something to see. Make a new Super Heavy shell and they'd have meant business . But 16"/45s work too .

Or even the 16/50s of the Iowa class ;)

[RustyBattleship]

Or even the 16/50s of the Iowa class ;)

Don't forget, we were still trying to be the "good guys" and follow the law. In order to meet London Treaty weight limits the 16"/45 guns selected to be mounted in triple turrets were lighter than the 14-inchers in quad turrets.

So they say. I think what actually happened is that we found out that both Japan and Germany disregarded the Treaty limits with their Yamato and Bismarck class Battleships and we responded with putting bigger guns on our three "Fast Class" Battleships and still gained a weight reduction as well as having greater fire power.

If not for the enemy's "super" Battleships, the 14-inchers would be most advantageious in shore bombardments laying in 12 rounds per salvo vs. 9.

But that's just my personal opinion.

[Stitch]

Article on Gizmodo. Mostly pics and a video nobody hasn't seen already. It was probably already discussed here, the third picture down with the broadside for port and starboard, just a photo op? Does not look like every gun was firing, unless it was timing.

Spectacular photos of the US Navy's most powerful battleship ever

I'm a little concerned about the seventh photo down, where they show all of the journalists & photographers topside on the ship when it's firing a full broadside; I was under the impression that the blast pressure from a 16" shell (not to mention a full broadside!) could rupture eardrums and cause nausea in some cases? Rusty? Dread? Were sailors, let alone civilians, allowed topside when the big guns were being fired? I had heard somewhere that all personnel had to be below decks with hatches dogged when the 16's were fired?

[85 gt kid]

Or even the 16/50s of the Iowa class ;)

I like the way you think GG :fish:. They'd be heavy though.......need a bigger boat .