BB-60

[AZRedhawk44]

Look at the size of those guns!

So, the info plaques there say the guns are 16 inch, 45 caliber.  I don't get it.  The shells they have lying around the park are 16 inches in diameter, sure.  Where's the 45 come into play?  I noted that is was not .45 caliber, but rather 45 caliber.  But still, what's it mean?  Obviously not 45 inches, since the shell is 16 inches.

From the main gun firing room:



This is interesting... I had no idea that the WWII era battleships could carry scout aircraft.



Supposed to carry an OS2U Kingfisher pontoon plane.  Would it actually launch the plane from the rail there, or was that just storage?  The crane in the stern was for recovering planes after they landed in the water near the ship.  Would the crane also drop them in the water for a water take-off?

I LMAO'ed at the reminder written on the 20's:



And I figured G98 would like this one...



Calamity Jane.

[MicroBalrog]

Typically in artillery guns the length is expressed in calibers.

So the gun is 16-inch, but 45 times that in length.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/16%22/45_caliber_Mark_6_gun

Note barrel length there is notes as '45 calibers'.

[MicroBalrog]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caliber#Caliber_as_measurement_of_length

[Hutch]

The Alabama was a North Carolina-class, one of two.  (you can probably guess the other) The Iowas had 16-inch 50 caliber rifles, and were a skosh longer, faster, and heavier as well.  Yep, they flung the Kingfishers off that ramp, and recovered them with the crane.  My reading said that the cats were powered by black powder, but I disbelieve that.  The Alabama provides an opportunity to descend into the barbette on one of the turrets, but don't recall which one.  There were spare barrels for the 40mm Bofors ringing the barbette, and ostensibly provided a little bit more protection.  Tight quarters in the turret, even as big as they are outside.

Neat old boat.  We shall never see their like again.

[Gewehr98]

Way Cool!!!

A tall tail D-Model BUFF.  Water injected engines (extra thrust for takeoff), gunner riding by his lonesome way out back,  getting pitched and tossed to steamed hamburger consistency with even minor adjustments in pitch and yaw.

SAC threw all of their D-Models into the Vietnam fray, giving them Big Belly bomb bay modifications.  This saved the G and H models for nuclear alert.  Hence the SEA camo upper/black lower paint for night time sorties over North Vietnam.



 

[Jamisjockey]

Yes, the scout aircraft were.launched from the rail. 

[AZRedhawk44]

Yes, the scout aircraft were.launched from the rail. 

I've been trying to find Youtube footage of this, but my search is fail.  I'd love to see footage of one actually taking off this way.  I'm incredulous that we had a functional fixed-wing propeller driven launch system that only required this 80 to 100 foot sled to launch.

What were the mechanics of the launch system?  Did the ship head into the wind and the plane took off starting at the aft end of the ramp, pointed about 20 degrees off from the center of the ship?  Or was the ramp pointed straight to the side of the ship for launch, and the plane would fall 10-20 feet during take off and just barely clear the waves before leveling off?

Just blows my mind.  2-3 aircraft lengths to take off, in a lightweight prop plane, from the back of a pitching ship... using pontoons with no landing gear.

[Jamisjockey]

Pretty much just a steam powered catapult, plus launching into the wind. 

Linky

http://www.pacificaviationmuseum.org/pearl-harbor-blog/u-s-scoutobservation-floatplanes-in-world-war-ii

[Tallpine]

If you were going 20kts into a 20kt wind, some of those old prop planes could almost fly at 40 knots.

[K Frame]

The United States and Britain had observation aircraft on battleships as early as the 1920s, IIRC.

Some catapults were powered by a black powder charge, but it proved to be WAY too violent.

US catapults were high-pressure hydraulic, and were also quite violent.

The steam catapult wasn't developed until after World War II.

[MechAg94]

I thought pretty much all the larger gun ships used scout planes prior to the development of radar.  They opened fire nearly over the horizon so they needed someone to call in corrections. 

[MillCreek]

Linky

http://www.pacificaviationmuseum.org/pearl-harbor-blog/u-s-scoutobservation-floatplanes-in-world-war-ii

A very interesting photo at the link showing a mass rescue of personnel.  If the scoutplanes picked up just one downed pilot, they could fly back to the ship.  If they picked up multiple people, they sat them along the wings and taxied back to the ship over the open sea (!).

[geronimotwo]

If you were going 20kts into a 20kt wind, some of those old prop planes could almost fly at 40 knots.

if the boat were going 20 knots into a 20 knot wind, then add 20 for the plane coming off the catapult, not to mention the 40 ft drop to the ocean.  seems doable, but i'm not sure which plane they were using?  didn't they have a high wing monoplane for scouting?

[K Frame]

"didn't they have a high wing monoplane for scouting?"

Multiple types, both biplanes and monoplanes.

[coppertales]

I wonder what the tail number of that Buff is.  I may have worked on that one during my Vietnam adventure. It depends on wether or not it was a U-Tapao or Guam bird......chris3

[AZRedhawk44]

I wonder what the tail number of that Buff is.  I may have worked on that one during my Vietnam adventure. It depends on wether or not it was a U-Tapao or Guam bird......chris3

5500071

[BobR]

I've been trying to find Youtube footage of this, but my search is fail.  I'd love to see footage of one actually taking off this way.  I'm incredulous that we had a functional fixed-wing propeller driven launch system that only required this 80 to 100 foot sled to launch.

Try this @ about 20 seconds in:  http://www.criticalpast.com/video/65675068717_United-States-battleship_United-States-aircraft_aircraft-in-flight-and-in-formation_World-War-II


Some countries even used subs to launch scout planes from:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PGXyxZV62M


bob

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

thanks!

[AZRedhawk44]

Thanks, Bob!  Awesome.

[K Frame]

Neat!

Some of that footage looks older than 1935, though. Several of the battleships still had the cage masts...

AH! OK. Colorado and Tennessee class battleships still had their cage masts at the start of World War II.

Looks like the one launching the sea plane is a Colorado class ship, and the one at the very end of the film is a Tennessee class.