Armed Polite Society
Main Forums => The Roundtable => Topic started by: Scout26 on October 09, 2012, 04:28:54 PM
-
Robert is currently into Battleships (Billy Mitchell's tests and WWII not withstanding), so looking around as to where we could go next summer and see a battleship or three came across this website:
http://www.hazegray.org/navhist/gun_ship.htm
Cool list. Wish it had other ships (e.g. Carriers and Subs), listed. But since we've been to the USS Cobia (and spent the night on it), and he's all about Battleships, we're figuring out an itinerary.
He had a blast on the USS Texas. I practically had to pry him off the 3in gun mounts when they were closing.
-
Had my Crypto class graduation photos on the Alabama in Mobile. You can actually crawl around inside the turrets and tour down into the engine room and such. Also walked the deck of the Wisconsin in Norfolk, but you can't (at least in 2004) go inside the ship as it was still buttoned up with the dehumidifiers and such as part of it's mothballing.
-
Cool list. Wish it had other ships (e.g. Carriers and Subs), listed.
Bremerton, WA has a really neat reserve fleet mothballed up there, with 3 Aircraft Carriers of Cold War vintage. The Independence, Constellation, and Ranger.
-
Bremerton, WA has a really neat reserve fleet mothballed up there, with 3 Aircraft Carriers of Cold War vintage. The Independence, Constellation, and Ranger.
Yeah, but can't climb in/on them, and no big guns... =|
-
Oh, the Alabama also has a museum at the same location with some neat aircraft and stuff too, including an SR-71.
-
Yep, thinking about that one. My former 1SG is in Anniston and one of my troops is in Montgomery.
-
If you ever get close to Muskogee OK check out the USS Batfish.
http://www.ussbatfish.com/wm-park.html (http://www.ussbatfish.com/wm-park.html)
-
Been on the USS New Jersey tour twice in Camden, and the Span-Am era cruiser USS Olympia is just across the river with some other ships in Philly.
You can actually look through the manual sights inside a forward turret on the NJ, it's aimed at the Ben Franklin bridge. They even have "spend the night aboard" events.
-
'Nother vote for BB-60. You will also be close to NAS P'Cola, and the Naval Air Museum. Almost as cool as the AF Museum, and a must-see. When I was last there, the had a mockup CV deck with several WWII aircraft on it. And a 40mm you could climb in/on and slue the mount. Way cool.
-
What about flat-tops?
http://usslexington.com/
My suggestion? Pop into Pensacola and see whats there.
Haul ass to Georgia for some civil war stuff
http://portcolumbus.org/
Bebop over to South carolina
http://www.patriotspoint.org/
Slide on up to North Carolina for the....drum roll please.....
http://www.battleshipnc.com/
Drive up the outer banks and see some lightouses, then pop over to Virginia
http://www.usswisconsin.org/
The next leg of your trip is a little longer, up to Taxachussets.
http://www.ussconstitutionmuseum.org/
USS New Jersey, then home?
*expletive deleted* epic.
-
Just saw that the Alabama is in Mobile.
That could get extra *expletive deleted*ing epic. Mobile all the way to the constiution. Seeing our oldest battleship would certainly top it off.
-
Bebop over to South carolina
Cue Scout cussing SC...
-
Just saw that the Alabama is in Mobile.
Navy Aviation Museum in Pensacola...best such museum I even set foot in.
-
Now we know where all the spare gun ships are when the aliens attack.
Finally rented battleship. =)
-
Where are you and how far do you want to travel?
Jamis mentioned Massachusetts, but he missed some of the neat stuff in that direction. The USS Constitution is in Boston, but right down the road (sort of) is New Bedford, where the battleship USS Massachusetts is berthed at (naturally) Battleship Cove. I think there's some smaller Navy boat or ship there, too. And then from New Bedford you go about an hour "south" (it's actually almost due west) on I-95 to New London, and you can visit the USS Nautilus (our first nuclear-powered submarine).
Continuing "south" on I-95, the WW2-vintage carrier Intrepid is a floating musuem in New York City.
-
I've been to the USS North Carolina. They have a pretty exhaustive tour of all the sections of the boat. Not recommended for claustrophobiacs. Like my dad. Thank God I didn't inherit that from him.
-
Where are you and how far do you want to travel?
We're in Chicago. I'll get two weeks straight with him next summer. And I was thinking about MA as a possibility. There's the USS Taxachusettes and the all-gun Heavy Cruiser USS Salem there as well.
And the USS Alabama is BB60, the last one right before the Iowa's.
Going back to VA to see the USS Wisconsin is another possibility, maybe with a swing through Camden/Philly to see the Olympia and the USS New Jersey. Also maybe get to do some more Civil War Battlefields (Self guided CD tours are the bomb!!!)
We did a WWII Sub (USS Cobia) up in Wisconsin 2 years ago when he was a Cub Scout. The only thing he liked was playing on the deck gun (shocking).
Carriers don't have lots of guns sticking out on them. To him, Battleships are where it's at (or was). Just thinking and considering right now. One thing I do know. The USS Missouri is right out. (Anyone want to guess what his absolute favorite BB is? Go ahead, guess, I dare you.)
And yes George, I'm not driving to or through South Cackalacky ever again.
-
Too bad Big Mo is out (and I understand why). They do a great tour of the ship, and you could make a morning out of The Missouri, The Arizona Memorial, and the Bowfin Sub Museum next door to the Arizona Museum.
Something very cool about standing on the deck of the battleship where WWII in the pacific ended, and looking across the water at the Arizona Memorial and seeing where (for the U.S.) the war began.
Interesting note, from our tour guide on the Missouri...many Japanese tourists visit Pearl Harbor and the Arizona Memorial...
Very few come over and tour the Missouri...
-
I've been to Hawaii twice. Went to the USS Arizona both times. I was surprised both times by the number of Japanese tourists visiting.
I'm not surprised that they don't go to the USS Missouri.
I won't say that a Hawaii trip is completely out, maybe if I invest in some short term government instruments.* ;)
*aka, Lottery Tickets.
-
We're in Chicago. I'll get two weeks straight with him next summer. And I was thinking about MA as a possibility. There's the USS Taxachusettes and the all-gun Heavy Cruiser USS Salem there as well.
And the USS Alabama is BB60, the last one right before the Iowa's.
Going back to VA to see the USS Wisconsin is another possibility, maybe with a swing through Camden/Philly to see the Olympia and the USS New Jersey. Also maybe get to do some more Civil War Battlefields (Self guided CD tours are the bomb!!!)
We did a WWII Sub (USS Cobia) up in Wisconsin 2 years ago when he was a Cub Scout. The only thing he liked was playing on the deck gun (shocking).
Carriers don't have lots of guns sticking out on them. To him, Battleships are where it's at (or was). Just thinking and considering right now. One thing I do know. The USS Missouri is right out. (Anyone want to guess what his absolute favorite BB is? Go ahead, guess, I dare you.)
And yes George, I'm not driving to or through South Cackalacky ever again.
If you'll be in south VA the still-newish Marine Corps Museum is apparently worth seeing. I assume there will b a few guns on display. ;)
-
Not a battleship, but a neat, and sobering, tour potentially within reach: U505 in Chicago. The director's cut DAS BOOT extra material makes the DVD worthwhile.
-
Been in and through the U505. Neat (and everything is in German, which upsets the tour guide when you start reading the dials and whatnot.)
Again, Turrets, Big Guns, and Lots of 'em.
And if we hit VA again, the Marine Corps Museum is on the list.
-
And yes George, I'm not driving to or through South Cackalacky ever again.
We love you too Dave. =D
-
We love you too Dave. =D
What the hell was Abe smoking/drinking when they told him SC had seceded and he said "Oh hell no, we need to get them back in the Union!!" ??
-
And yes George, I'm not driving to or through South Cackalacky ever again.
There's a story I must have missed. What happened in South Cackalaxative?
-
There's a story I must have missed. What happened in South Cackalaxative?
Last year Scout came down and linked up with the APS Southern Contingent while he was visiting some Army buddies. His clutch *expletive deleted* the bed after towing his popup up the Godforsaken Mountain I was living on. This state also makes no sense to him and he didn't appreciate the local scenery of trailer parks :lol:
-
Out of curiosity, how many of the late-model battleships were actually built, and where are they all now? Does anyone have a comprehensive list?
[EDIT TO ADD]I found a complete list http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_battleships_of_the_United_States_Navy.
Now -- can someone tell me at what hull number we start considering them to be "modern" (or WW2-era) battleships? Then I'll start looking up to where they have been retired.
There's lots of fascinating info out there. I think I see how I'll be spending the weekend.
Battleship Cove is looking good. Did I say New Bedford? Wrong -- Fall River. (I knew that.) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battleship_Cove
-
Any of the Fast Battleships would be considered modern WW2. North Carolina, South Dakota and Iowa classes.
ETA:
Of the 10 fast battleships completed, the following still exist:
North Carolina BB-55 - Wilmington, NC
Massachusetts BB-59 - Battleship Cove, Fall River, MA
Alabama BB-60 - Mobile, AL
Iowa BB-61 - San Pedro, CA
New Jersey BB-62 - Camden, NJ
Missouri BB-63 - Pearl Harbor, HI
Wisconsin BB-64 - Norfolk, VA
Sadly, none of the two Alaska class survive today. Those were of the very rare designation of CB, or "Large Cruiser".
-
Here's the good info:
Aircraft-carrier museums
USS Hornet Museum; Alameda, CA – USS Hornet (CV-12)
Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum; New York City – USS Intrepid (CV-11)
USS Lexington Museum on the Bay; Corpus Christi, Texas – USS Lexington (CV-16)
USS Midway Museum; San Diego, California – USS Midway (CV-41)
Patriots Point; Charleston, South Carolina – USS Yorktown (CV-10)
Battleship museums
See also: USS Arizona Memorial, USS Maine, and USS South Dakota[3]
Battleship Memorial Park – USS Alabama (BB-60)
Pacific Battleship Center - USS Iowa (BB-61)
Battleship Cove – USS Massachusetts (BB-59)
Battleship Missouri Memorial – USS Missouri (BB-63)
Battleship New Jersey Museum and Memorial – USS New Jersey (BB-62)
USS North Carolina Battleship Memorial – USS North Carolina (BB-55)
USS Texas (BB-35)
USS Wisconsin (BB-64)
-
Ooo, thanks wiki. Picture of the USS Alaska CB-1 next to the USS Missouri BB-63. Gives a good comparison between them. The Alaska's were armed with 12"/50 guns. Pretty fookin' big for a "cruiser". =D Also visible at the bottom of the pic is a CVE pocket carrier and a couple destroyers, you know, for scale.
(https://armedpolitesociety.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2Fd%2Fd1%2FUSS_Missouri_%2528BB-63%2529_and_USS_Alaska_%2528CB-1%2529_at_Norfolk%252C_Virginia%252C_1944.jpg&hash=bd9384955e09fb832de994c7b3cbf2685860a4d2)
-
That would appear to be USS Cowpens, CVL-25.
The Mighty Mo docked near The Mighty Moo. =D
-
I stand corrected, it's not the USS Cowpens CVL-25, but the USS Croatan CVE-25.
Be a better pic if it were the Cowpens.
:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
-
The Mighty Moo. =D
:rofl:
And now for something a little different, another Navy vessel that carried the moniker "Mighty Mo".
(https://armedpolitesociety.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.patriotfiles.com%2Farchive%2Fsealtwo%2Fzero02%2FMightyMo.jpg&hash=d0ed0acf8f673ab0f594ab1e134fa2fe96bff40a)
Mighty Mo, SEAL Team ONE's heavily armed Mike boat (LCM) is ambushed in the Rung Sat Special Zone, a four hundred square mile mangrove swamp surrounding the main (Long Tau R.) and alternate (Soi Rap R.) shipping channels between Saigon and the South China Sea.
On Friday night, 7 OCT 66, Mighty Mo was on the upper Dong Tranh River. Also on the same river was a force in excess of 150 NVA reroute to attack the PBR base at Nha Be'. (This was revealed in documents captured in a later SEAL operation.) When the NVA heard Mighty Mo's engines they quickly set up an ambush on both sides of the narrow river. The first shot was a direct hit amidships with a motar round. The SEALs and crew of Mighty Mo responded with five .50 caliber machine guns, two .30 calibers, a mortar and a recoilless rifle. When the battle was over everyone aboard the Mike boat was wounded and fifty-eight enemy were dead.
And here we see the origins of SWCC boats. :lol:
-
A first shot bullseye on a moving target with a mortar. Astonishing.
-
What the hell was Abe smoking/drinking when they told him SC had seceded and he said "Oh hell no, we need to get them back in the Union!!" ??
I have asked myself that same question, many many times. What could have been an amicable divorce turned into a domestic violence incident followed by spousal beatings and alimony payments.
-
Bremerton, WA has a really neat reserve fleet mothballed up there, with 3 Aircraft Carriers of Cold War vintage. The Independence, Constellation, and Ranger.
We do have the Turner Joy, it is maintained as a floating museum.
We had the Missouri before she was sent to Hawaii; I was able to take a tour before she left. I actually have a friend who worked in the engine room before she was decommissioned post-Desert Storm.
Seattle has Fleet Week in August, I think they still do tours of a variety of active vessels.
-
Given the newer rail-gun-ish tech coming down the pike, I'd like to see some nuke-powered fast cruisers, at least. Nukes for the juice, HEAVY for the projectile mass.
IIRC, some crazy engineers were trying to include guidance on the projectiles. My assumption is cheap & easier GPS. If they can manage some sort of active guidance, I wonder if a smaller version of the rail guns could be used as an anti-aircraft/anti-missile system?
-
Last year Scout came down and linked up with the APS Southern Contingent while he was visiting some Army buddies. His clutch *expletive deleted* the bed after towing his popup up the Godforsaken Mountain I was living on. This state also makes no sense to him and he didn't appreciate the local scenery of trailer parks :lol:
Hmm. I'm sure he was the very picture of stoic, diplomatic, tolerance. ;/
-
I recommend the Wisconsin in Nawfak. You can hit Nauticus which is ok, Mariner's Museum in Newport News for some old school history such as seeing the Monitor remains, maybe get up to Baltimore and see the USS Constellation as well as a WWII sub. If it was a long trip hit Charleston Patriots park(No BBs, but a cool DD, WWII sub, and Aircraft carrier), and Wilmington. I could even possibly take you aboard the Naval station and see some of the modern gun-free stuff up close. (If I knew when you were coming)Probably hard to get a tour, not much general visitation, but not impossible.
If he likes big guns some of the coastal fortifications from the Spanish-American period are really neat.
-
I recommend the Wisconsin in Nawfak.
If you would watch NCIS, you would know the proper pronunciation is "Norfuk". They find any excuse they can to say that. :lol:
-
Cue me cussing out Scout: coming to my town, and not letting me know. Bloody damn flatlanders!
-
Cue me cussing out Scout: coming to my town, and not letting me know. Bloody damn flatlanders!
1) I was escorting a herd of Cub Scouts to spend the night on USS Cobia.
2) I didn't know you lived there!!!!
-
1) I was escorting a herd of Cub Scouts to spend the night on USS Cobia.
2) I didn't know you lived there!!!!
Ah, the art of cat herding!
The other parents give me odd looks when I bark things like "Eyeballs!"
Were I the full blown den leader, they'd be trained to respond correctly.
-
The other parents give me odd looks when I bark things like "Eyeballs!"
Were I the full blown den leader, they'd be trained to respond correctly.
You rang?
(https://armedpolitesociety.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww2.wkrg.com%2Fmgmedia%2Fimage%2F294%2F0%2F386810%2Flarge-florida-eyeball%2F&hash=009972b2c23da4d1bdf936683bf46711cb02876a)
-
Hmm. I'm sure he was the very picture of stoic, diplomatic, tolerance. ;/
Precisely, I tried to re-start the Civil War.
>:D >:D [ar15] [ar15]
-
Precisely, I tried to re-start the Civil War.
>:D >:D [ar15] [ar15]
Ha! Reminds me of a Yeoman Warder giving a tour at Buckingham. "Guy Fawkes is notable as the only man in history to enter Parliament with honest, noble intentions, a clear agenda, and the resources to see it through. As you may recall, he tried to blow the place up." :rofl:
-
>1) I was escorting a herd of Cub Scouts to spend the night on USS Cobia.
2) I didn't know you lived there!!!!<
Psha! We could have smuggled you some Jack, at the least.
Sad part? We lived within an easy walk of the Cobia at the time...