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Discussion
Are we going to let this happen to our mothballed fleet? |
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I'm happy that the Iowa finally has its day in the sun. She is going to join her sisters as a museum. It is too bad that such a proud ship had to sit and rot for all these years after a tragic accident. And anyone that says it was a suicide needs to dig a little more and read the real story. Unfortunately the men who were truly responsible never got the punishment deserving the deaths of so many sailors.
Massey |
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Determined to be over ramming of powder in the breach after Navy blamed one of the dead, later said they were sorry. The real shame in these fleets is the waste in taxpayer money for the security and other costs involved in storing them. The world and instruments of war have changed and most of these ships are outdated, and not worth keeping , even in time of war.
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Over ramming yes but that was only part of the cause. The powder compound was never approved by NAVSEA and the gun boss was experimenting with powder from WWII that was never rated to be used with the size shell that was in the gun. Also the unapproved powder was pulled from ships use during WWII because it could ignite spontaneously through friction. 3 similar explosions happened during WWII onboard battleships before the Iowa class ships ever got a taste of sea water. The Navy pulled these from use to be tested later and never got around to testing it. 40 years later someone decided to do unapproved testing and we all know what happened.
Massey |
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Back on topic - another potential tragedy - read the link:
http://www.chron.com/news/houston-te...ll-1697395.php History of USS Texas: The USS Texas was decommissioned in 1948, having earned a total of five battle stars for service in World War II, and is presently a museum ship near Houston, Texas. Among the world's remaining battleships, Texas is notable for being the oldest remaining dreadnought battleship. She is also noteworthy for being one of only six remaining ships to have served in both World Wars. Among US-built battleships, Texas is notable for her sizable number of firsts: - the first US battleship to mount anti-aircraft guns - the first US ship to control gunfire with directors and range-keepers - the first US battleship to launch an aircraft - the first US battleship to become a permanent museum ship - and the first battleship declared to be a US National Historic Landmark. . |
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Now something that is missed is that all the ships at Suisun Bay are in NON-preserved storage (which not truly 'mothballed'). Mothball storage means that the ship is covered and preserved, vulnerable electronics are removed, exposed weapons mounts covered (cocooned), hull opening sealed. and the temperature and humidity kept (via outside powered A/C's) at specific ranges. Iowa and her sister did not just sit at Bremerton for 40 years but were specially prepared to stay there. Suisun bay is a different deal. And while the pics are nice the guys in the site were TRESPASSING on a military reserve and probably contributed to demise of those ships by adding to the wear and tear.
Foo |
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In the mid-90s I was lucky enough to see three of the four Iowa class ships in Bremmerton, including the Missouri. Yes, they were actually mothballed/preserved. A few years later I walked the decks of the Missouri in Pearl Harbor.
These vessels and many others have no remaining military value, and sadly not all decommissioned ships can be preserved. But we try to save the ones with the most historical value: http://www.hnsa.org/location.htm#usa . |
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Sad to say but at some point the navy has to step in and remind the people who have these ships that they are responsible for maintaining as well as displaying them. Too many (Texas, Olympia, Lexington) are moldering away and rather than being fixed and worked on that they are becoming a safety hazard. One of the problems they are having with Texas is that is that if they moved her out of her current berth would be considered a hazard to navigation in the Houston Ship Channel (they are afraid that even the wakes of the passing ships traffic can spring her seams and cause her to sink).
The parks and organizations that have these ships need to have a realistic idea of the truly enormous amounts of time and money involved in preservation of these ships (I spent 6 years hanging off the sides of USN ships, and another year working for a shipyard). Go to nearly any Navy base on any weekday and I will bet that one nearly every pier you will see at least someone working over the side on the waterline and hull. Now look at poor Texas, that pretty blue paint (measure 23?) and lots of tourists walking topside, but do you see anyone working over the side. Now I am no a lover of hanging over the side of a ship but if they have volunteers maybe they need to spend less time being tour guides and more time chipping and painting! P.S. Sorry for the deck ape rant, but I spent a lot of time working on ships to watch people whine about how they are moldering away, If museums are going to have these ships then they need to work more of PRESERVING these ships. If they are sitting at Suisun Bay then someone high up has made a decision about their fate. Current laws say that combatant ships need to be scrapped in U.S. yards and the number of them capable of dealing with stuff (heavy metals, classified materials, sheer size and amounts of steel to deal with) is very very limited. We now 'expend' more than a few combatant ships every year at SINKEXs (target sinkings) and artificial reefs trying to get rid of the backlog, but places like Suisun Bay still exist because of it. Foo |
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When the Navy gave the Iowa class battleships to the museums they left a clause in the sales contract that stated if the need was ever to arise again where these ships would be needed to be put into service that the museum would turn the ships back over. The order of return is New Jersey, Wisconsin, Missouri and last the Iowa. The NJ choosen as the first since she has been used the most (in all conflicts since WWII up to Desert Storm). The museums are also supposed to keep a meterial condition of the ship in a way that the turn over can be completed in 90 days. For the Missouri this ment almost 6 months in drydock after she arrived in HI to complete work that was canceled when she was in Bremerton. It will be a sad day if these ships would ever have to be used again since it would mean that some one found a way to make aircraft useless. Not that I would mind seeing the Iowa class ships back under their own power, I think they are some of the most beautiful and graceful ships to ever take to the seas, but to know that our aircraft are useless frightens me.
Massey |
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Or they have to go somewhere (like the gulf) where there is so little warning of an attack that all that armor in necessary.
Foo |
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No, sorry, the ARA Santisima Trinidad was the leading ship at the Argentine invasion of the Falklands on April 2nd 1982. The naval and ground force commanders were on board the destoryer for this first real military action of the Falklands war. This I think qualifies it as 'leading the war against Britian'.
BTW the Super Etendard only sunk two British ships while A4 SkyHawks sunk four and damaged many more. So fighter pilots and iron bombs led the way in destruction. It would of course be different if fought today...... . |
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Last edited by zozer; Jan 28, 2013 at 03:05 PM.
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One of the volunteers on the USS Wisconsin told me a problem the museums that own these ships are having is to open any of the interior spaces to tours they must meet current EPA laws FOR NEW CONSTRUCTION. This causes the cost of maintaining and restoring the ships to go up significantly.
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