BB-61

[tbm3fan]

For those who like big ships. Shot these photos Tuesday when aboard the Roanoke and Wabash looking for desirable parts. Second page starts the 60+ new photos. Editing feature obviously doesn't work for changing Bb to BB as it refuses to alter USS Hornet CV-12 CVS-12

[NumberDummy]

Originally Posted by tbm3fan

For those who like big ships. Shot these photos Tuesday when aboard the Roanoke and Wabash looking for desirable parts. Second page starts the 60+ new photos. Editing feature obviously doesn't work for changing Bb to BB as it refuses to alter.

Thanks for the pics.

BB-61 USS Iowa, one of four Iowa Class Battleships

BB-62 USS New Jersey / BB-63 USS Missouri / BB-64-USS Wisconsin.

On the Mighty Mo, Hawaiian shirts are sold in the gift shop with these BB's on them.

On the carrier USS Midway (CV-41), now moored in San Diago, the same shirts with CV's on them are sold in its gift shop.

[00BlueOvalRanger]

I LOVE the Iowa Class Battleships!!!!!!! Thanks for sharing!!!!


My youngest son and I were part of a group of Boy Scouts that stayed overnight onboard the USS New Jersey, back in January!




What a thrill!!!!!!!!
We spent Saturday night and Sunday morning, living the way that sailors lived aboard ship during WWII.
We slept in the enlisted crew bunking area, we took our meals in the enlisted mess, and especially. . . stood in line (from one end of the ship to the other) waiting for our meals!
(It definitely taught the 300 pre-teens/teens and 'adult escorts' a little patience!!!!!!! Especially the younger boys and girls!! And some of the women-folk, too!)


The Iowa looks like she needs some 'attention' (read as TLC).
The teak decks are in dire need of attention, and she sure could use a coat of paint.

On the 'behind the scenes' tour of the New Jersey, we learned that the only reason for the teak decks was to help 'insulate' (lower temps) below deck.
The temperatures would be as much as 15-20° lower (summertime or 'tropics') where the teak decking was.
(Or, 15-20° warmer, during winter months.)

[rebocardo]

Thank you for the pictures. I imagine a teak deck is also a bit nicer to fall on, walk on, or to sit on, especially in weather extremes. Probably would cost a small fortune to replace it, how come they do not keep it up, absolutely no money for it?

[NumberDummy]

Currently, the USS Missouri (BB-63) is in drydock at Pearl Harbor having most of teak decking replaced.

The hull all along the waterline is rusty, all this will be repaired.

The Missouri is slated to come out of drydock early next year, and will return to its same mooring alongside Ford Island where the USS California (BB-44) was moored 7 December, 1941.

"She...who must be obeyed" and I were in Hawaii (Oahu) 6/22/2009 thru 7/3/2009.

While she spent time on the beach, I was touring all the US Militairy Installations, Pearl Harbor, Punchbowl Cemetary, took every historical tour except the helicopter tour.

[00BlueOvalRanger]

I just remembered!!!!!!!!

A couple of years ago (maybe longer) I ordered a couple of ink pens that were made from some of the teak, from the decks of the USS Iowa!
The pens came with a certificate stating that the teak was actually part of the ship, also.

I gave one to my dear old Dad, and kept the other for myself.
Dad won't use his pen.
He has it displayed on his fireplace mantel, alongside a photo of one of his old ships. . . . LSM 185.

[tbm3fan]

Originally Posted by rebocardo

Thank you for the pictures. I imagine a teak deck is also a bit nicer to fall on, walk on, or to sit on, especially in weather extremes. Probably would cost a small fortune to replace it, how come they do not keep it up, absolutely no money for it?

That is the $10,000,000 question. Any city that decided to take the Iowa as a museum would not only have to show good financially resources they would also have to replace the teak deck. The government won't do it and therein lies the Catch 22. No place wants that immediate big bill as the deck is a definite safety hazard with buckled boards waiting to trip you. The last time the deck might have seen care would have been when pulled out of mothballs by Reagan and the the regular care it got until 1990.

The paint is not an issue. Most is faded with some areas repainted by a contractor about 4-5 years ago. Couldn't figure out who or why that is and why it just stopped. Fortunately 3 layers of paint is good and easy to deal with. If one could see 8 layers of paint on a steel surface sitting for 20 years you wouldn't believe the hidden damage. Last, remember the hulls on these ships are very thick and none of them would ever be in danger of getting rust through in them unlike the Intrepid in New York. Carrier hulls are thinner and will get holes.In fact I don't think the hull on an Essex Class Carrier is more than 1 inch thick in most places outside of the thicker torpedo belt. There are places on the Hornet where I can measure the thickness of the original hull since modifications in the 1950's added blisters extending the beam of the ship.

[Old93junk]

Great pictures!..........The old gal looks like a sleeping giant, waiting for the call to war for her 16" guns to ruin someones real estate. Magnificent warship.

[Nitramjr]

Originally Posted by rebocardo

how come they do not keep it up, absolutely no money for it?

I used to volunteer at the Charlestown Navy Yard here in Boston. We were the crew that maintained the (ex) USS Cassin Young. 10-15 of us would spend the better part of each Saturday chippin' and dippin' just trying to keep the tourist areas maintained - mostly weather deck, the gun mounts and a few compartments off the main deck. The bridge was also accessible as was one or two berthing compartments below. It was a never ending battle to keep this 2200± ton vessel presentable. And this was part of the National Park. I can't even imagine what it would take to operate and maintain a 65,000 ton BB.

I've heard that the ex-USS Salem down in Quincy MA has fallen into bad state of repair mainly due to lack of funding. I think it is private. We also have the ex-USS Massachusetts a couple hours away. There really is a limited number of people who want to see these things and many of them are either too old or live too far away to ever see one. It's a shame but I see some historic vessels being scrapped in the not-too-distant future.

By the way, great pictures Mike. Some of the Iowa looks ready to set sail. Some of it looks sad and neglected. None of it looks nearly as good or intimidating as she did the last time I saw her down on Pier 11 in NOB Norfolk in the mid-80's.

[horsepuller]

Great pictures, Mike! Thanks for sharing!

I have two coworkers that sailed on the New Jersey during the naval bombardment of Beirut in 1984. One was a BT (boiler tech) and the other was a throttle man (operated the throttle board.) They have a lot of sea stories.

[tbm3fan]

Originally Posted by Nitramjr

I've heard that the ex-USS Salem down in Quincy MA has fallen into bad state of repair mainly due to lack of funding. I think it is private. We also have the ex-USS Massachusetts a couple hours away. There really is a limited number of people who want to see these things and many of them are either too old or live too far away to ever see one. It's a shame but I see some historic vessels being scrapped in the not-too-distant future.

Same goes for a carrier except maybe the Midway which generates so much money each month they can hire people to do ship work. I have been restoring the Hornet since I walked on in May 1998. Saw her sitting in the rain at Pier 3 NAS Alameda and just knew I had to go and help her. So far I have spent 1200 days and several thousand dollars on her. The volunteers used to number in the hundreds in the early days. I happen to be both an Air Group member and Ship restoration member. The Air Group has about 25 volunteers nowadays, A few new ones lately including two I saw last week washing my plane. Both were late 20's with pony tails and so forth. I looked over to the Air Group head and nodded my head towards them and he said it is ok. When they learned I was the plane captain who restored the plane they peppered me with questions. Looks like they will turn out ok as plane volunteers.

However, getting ship restoration people is very hard and we are down to I bet less than 40. Most are older and work on inside compartments below the hanger deck. These are relatively clean and need sprucing up. I work the Island and am the only person to do so both in and out. Keeping the Island water tight is pretty much fallen on me to correct where I can and then call in Tom when I need metal welded. The ships paid crew is pretty much useless as they have no emotional investment in the ship. I can foresee my schedule of exterior restoration of the Island and interior restoration of O8, O9 and O10 as consuming the next 5-7 years of my time. Of course today I couldn't paint on the Nav Level as Americas Most Wanted was filming in the Bridge. Spent the time inside on O8.

[tbm3fan]

An idea of what interior work in the Island involves given the ravages of the elements over time. I strip the entire trunk down to either bare metal or to the fabric sound covering which requires a deft touch so the metal paint scrapper doesn't tear it. Even more delicate taking the paint off the asbestos wrapped pipe lines. Recondition all the hardware and fab any other pieces I might need like rusted brackets. This prep work is easily 6 months and then 2 days to paint.

[Nitramjr]

If I wasn't on the wrong coast, I'd come help you in a minute, Mike.

What kept the ship I volunteered on going was the mostly ex-Navy guys who had a love for ships and had the emotional attachment necessary to do this kind of work. There wasn't a more proud group when every October the ship was taken out on Boston Harbor for "Sea Trials". I had to give it up due to time constraints and I was getting tired of the BS politics that was getting in the way from the Park Service goofballs. I wish there was a CV in the area because I'd volunteer in a second.

There has been talk of trying to get my former ship, the USS John F. Kennedy, to be a museum in Boston. I don't see it ever happening - cost a fortune to maintain and I can't imagine Boston losing 1079' of valuable deep water pier. It will end up in some forgotten fleet somewhere until one day it is scrapped or towed to see to become either a target or a man-made reef.

[rebocardo]

> The government won't do it and therein lies the Catch 22

OIC - wish I had the money to have it done.

My wife took my kids to the submarine in NH and they were pretty thrilled with that :-)

[tbm3fan]

I wish I had it too then I would put her next to the Hornet who she sailed with in 1944-45 providing AA coverage. The Hornet was attacked 59 times and never hit. One of the few to escape the kamikaze. Was it luck or skill of her gunners and her screen around her?

1) Hornet left, Bennington right
2) Same shot of the aft flight deck as yesterday only in 1945 with Avengers front and Helldivers rear