The torpedoing of USS North Carolina - 15th September 1942
Вставка
- Опубліковано 7 лют 2023
- Today we, with the help of Rear-Admiral Ronald Henderson, USN, we take a closer look at what happened when a Japanese submarine tested the torpedo defences of the fast battleship USS North Carolina!
Visit the ship here! - www.battleshipnc.com/
Free naval photos and more - www.drachinifel.co.uk
Want to support the channel? - / drachinifel
Want a shirt/mug/hoodie - shop.spreadshirt.com/drachini...
Want a poster? - www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Drachinifel
Want to talk about ships? / discord
Want to get some books? www.amazon.co.uk/shop/drachinifel
Drydock Episodes in podcast format - / user-21912004
Music - / ncmepicmusic
Pinned post for Q&A :)
Why weren't barrage balloons used (much or at all) to help protect ships at sea from air attack in WWII?
Between the Japanese 25mm and that bolt-action single-shot German 37mm, which was the worse AA weapon?
Do you think the German 128mm flak gun could have been a good contender for the top of the list in the heavy AA category?
I have a small care package for you this Saturday @BB-62, my friend. See ya then !!
🚬😎
For this question lets use the U.S 155mm shell used in Land artillery. Say the US navy said sweet we will use the 155mm HE round for our ships(replacing the 5 inch family in this example) so then the navy just needs to make an AP round. Common supply chain etc, Is there a big or worthwhile difference in performance that the Army and navy needed to use not a common shell that can be shared. Granted the Amy guns probably wouldn't need the AP round. Was there any attempt to do that is any of the Navies in the WW2 era?
Just wanted to take a second to reminisce about when Drac was too shy to use his own voice in the reviews, and now here he is in person doing interviews
So proud of you bro
They grow up so fast, his channel is a blessing.
TBH, I kind of miss Machine Voice Drach. It's nostalgic, and with Bruva Alfabusa dropping all his 40K stuff (thanks a heap for that, GW) I'm feeling deprived of my regular dose of text-to-speech dialog. :)
@@richmcgee434 GW like amon goth from Schindler's list just sitting atop their balcony shooting its own fans at random even if it serves no reason... spit on the management
Right. He has a nice voice. He really should look into voice acting.
He has come a long way. When it was just his 5min robo reviews
Well, I was stunned to hear the name of my civilian flight instructor mentioned during this video. Clint Odell trained me for both my Private Pilot's License and later, my instrument rating. While I knew he was a plank holder on the North Carolina, I hadn't known he served as a fireman on the ship. He did tell me a story about going topside one day to catch a much needed smoke in an area, which while it wasn't dangerous to do so, it was against regulations to. As he hunted for a light, a sleeve with four stripes on it, held out a lit match for his cigarette. He and Capt. Ford shared a companionable smoke for a time before they went back to their respective duties. He was an interesting character and an excellent flight instructor.
This a a great story. Thank you for sharing it!
@William Swenson - Drach's interview with Adm. Henderson and your vignette about the shared smoke give the impression that Capt. Ford was a thoughtful man who cared about his crew, and was not a blind stickler for following the rules. In my view, such an attitude is not only reflective of true leadership, but is also manifest of the kind of well-considered flexibility that characterized the US Navy as a whole during the Pacific war. Thanks for your story.
@@Vito_Tuxedo Thank you for your reply. I agree completely with your observation regarding this interchange. Seemingly small encounters such as the one I related can reveal much about the real character of the people involved in them. They also add to the richness of biographies and personal histories. W
Cheers to you. That story about Mr Odell was the highlight of the whole video for me. What a top bloke. Simple yet important job, stuffed up by Murphy, which nine out of ten men would have not worried about, and yet of his own accord, he devised a way to get the job done right. THAT is what makes a ship, or a Country, truly great. I'll bet he was a great pilot and a brilliant instructor.
😁😁😁😁😁👍
Free historical lessons from a Rear Admiral. Thanks, Drach
A Rear Admiral's perspective is real "next-level" content! 👍🙌
@@davidbryden7904 subjective
What is the difference between a rear admiral and a front admiral?
@@thomaspick4123 the rank of Rear Admiral within the US Navy is a rank below Vice Admiral (O-9), it is split into two halves: Rear Admiral Lower Half (O-7) and Rear Admiral Upper Half (O-8). The primary difference between the ranks is what they command.
Drach: Nice job, shipmate. Thanks for giving me an opportunity to be on your channel. You do great work keeping the memory alive.
Thank you for your service.
Great breakdown and discussion, was able to easily visualise events.
As a brit I can't really thank you for your service, but I can thank you for your service to these seaman's memory and to Drach! Cheers.
Thank you, Sir, for taking the time to share these stories here. I am very thankful for all of those who give of their time volunteering on and sharing the history of BB55 and those who served aboard her.
Admiral Henderson, thank you for sharing your knowledge. I enjoyed your commentary very much.
Thank you, Admiral Henderson.
My dad, who served on the North Carolina for 3 years, told me this story many times; thank you, guy, for letting me hear it again.
We just toured the NC yesterday. Incredible tour and Battleship. Just in awe of those who served on it. God bless your Father for his service!
Probably one of the most effective torpedo attacks in history.
It was the most successful salvo in history. Although I've bested it in War Thunder and Cold Waters. :-)
My father-in-law was part of a 5" crew on the port side when BB55 took the hit. In his words, that's when he decided he'd rather be on the shooting end and finished with 5 war patrols on Sterlet. It was truly an honor to see his name engraved on the crew roster as we entered North Carolina during a visit a few years back.
Five hits out of six torpedoes, mortally wounding a carrier, seriously wounding a battleship, and damaging a destroyer...the Japanese sub captain was a LUCKY A SON-OF-A-B*TCH!
I'd say at least ten percent luck, but getting so close required twenty percent skill and perhaps fifteen percent concentrated power of will.
All skill no luck haha
@@joweeqc98 - And very good equipment. The "Long Lance" torpedoes were excellent torpedoes technically and they had lots of good characteristics; they were fast, they held their course well, and they -- of all things -- amazingly actually exploded when they hit something. US torpedoes at the time were much less effective.
@@brucebear1they were also hard to detect since most of the fuel was burned, it didn't bubble quite as much as other common torpedoes.
Dad was on the Showboat from her commission in April 1941. He talked about this a lot when I was growing up. Said those guys banged on the bulkheads for a couple of days but they couldn't open up that part of the bow after the torpedo hit. Dad said they had to fumigate the entire ship by the time they got to drydock for repairs. Thanks for making this video... dad would have turned 100 years old this year. He passed in 1997.
He would have served on the North Carolina with my grandfather's older brother. I can remember being a young boy and listening to my Poppa and uncles swapping "war stories" they'd probably told each other 100s of times, from Poppa (Army) talking about taking mortar fire in Korea, or Uncle Bob (USMC) talking about Okinawa, or Uncle Elvin talking about "that damned torpedo" when telling this story. Only time I ever heard that man ever curse.
Truly the greatest generation.
@@joshdavis6556 I only wish I remembered every war story dad told me while we were watching an old war movie on tv when I was a kid.
I walked those spaces and touched the steel that made the repair. You can easily tell where the hit was made. Two of the dead were in the shower space close to the torpedo impact. The freaky part of that was that there were three men in that compartment. The survivor was standing between the two that perished in the blast. He found himself naked on top deck with no memory how he got there. The bulk patch installed in Pearl Harbour is easy to spot. It is made out of galvanized sheet metal. It hates paint till this day. I guess that's all that was available at the time.
Drach, this is a *fantastic* video! I may be biased because I have just finished the chapter on the North Carolinas in Friedman's US Battleship Design History. The book talked about the damage in more detail, specifically the deformation of the plating in the decks above, but did not provide nearly as much information about the damage control or repair efforts. Thanks for this, and thanks to Adm. Henderson!
It's a great book.
It was awesome that you came to Wilmington to visit NC- I was happy to see they apparently appreciate the work you do and gave you the proper tar heel welcome!
I always enjoy the experts you bring into the mix. You are so very good at your job. Cheers
J. Hi ? .. ? . . ? ? . .
My uncle served on NC during this time. He told me they were under radio silence on the trip back to Pearl Harbor and outside of the usual routes. He said when they enter the harbor all the ships were saluting them, horns and sailors cheering. It was a huge welcoming for them, something he wouldn’t forget.
So did my dad Frank K. Dunn. I have his battle diary. He talked about this torpedo hit a lot when I was a kid. Small world.
Robovoice 5 min guides to flag officer guests and features at naval history associations. Congratulations Drach.
As a Marine stationed at Camp Lejeune, I often decided to spend Saturdays at the North Carolina. As a boy I had visited numerous times and then again many more times as an adult. I love this ship and I'm glad to see it getting the attention it deserves. I can still navigate my way through the ship in my mind and hope to go back some day. Thanks for making this Drach.
Thank you Admiral Henderson for honoring those lost. Your respect of their sacrifice is appreciated.
To underline a point made by Admiral Henderson, the platform ("Stryker's Bridge") added to the 0-7 level of the foremast structure (BATT TWO / Secondary Conn) gave the XO far more ability to see what was going on. Inside the tower at that level, there are actually four very small compartments which each have two or three small portholes. When you consider how many people who have been on this level in these small spaces (12 Enlisted, 5 Officers according to the signage on the level), it is easy to imagine how little the Executive Officer would have been able to see for himself. The exterior platform gives great all around vision (except for directly aft where the funnels obscure your view). And to underline another point the Admiral made, the "Hidden Battleship" tour is very well worth signing up for when it is offered - it's the tour on which you get to go up into the forward superstructure and see Stryker's Bridge. (The regular tour route takes you up to the bridge on the 0-4 level. The "Hidden Battleship" tour takes you to the 0-10 level and above into the Mk 38 Director.)
I booked the September 2016 "Hidden Battleship" tour, unfortunately Hurricane Michael got in the way. Tour rescheduled for the following January, which turned out to be clear, but the coldest weekend of the winter. Many of the outside decks and ladders were iced up, but temperatures inside of the ship were surely more comfortable than September, and got some nice pix from Stryker's Bridge.
The O'Brian that was Torpedoed with Wasp was an excellent example of whiplash so badly it caused the ship to founder as it was towed back to the states if I remember correctly.
Quite the coincidence that USS New Jersey has two episodes recently, one about torpedo defense design and another about damage control.
Great minds stream alike!
Thank you Admiral for talking with Drach (and us) about North Carolina's most damaging hit and what the crew had to do to deal with it. I've visited the ship and am thoroughly impressed by her state of preservation. I didn't get a chance to visit and see everything I wanted to so my wife and I plan to visit again in the not too distant future. She is an absolutely beautiful Lady.
These videos remind me of what the History channel used to be for a short, bright time.
Thank you and keep it up!
I swear, sometimes it seems like Drach has been cloned...
Right now he's touring the States getting tons of footage, while meeting with the fans and hopefully having a good time of it (and doubtlessly imparting a fair amount of encyclopedic historical and engineering knowledge) and at the same time continuing uploads on his channel.
Time management skills for days...
Truly impressive skills and dedication.
And this coming from someone who was in the US Army LoL.
No doubt !! He's to be admired. He has lent fascinating hours of listening pleasure while I do my hobby- build 1:700 scale waterline model replicas from 1900-1950, mainly WWII. I will be there on Sat. @BB-62 to meet him. Can't wait !!
If it's not Drach I listen to ? It's usually the CBS Radio Mystery Theater with E.G. Marshall from the '70s. Remember those ?.... They're quality radio shows, I love 'em !! And they're all here on UA-cam. All 1,399 of 'em....
🚬😎
The joys (to creators) of UA-cam release-on settings...
Clearly he has a TARDIS and is just hopping back and forth.
Also, can I borrow said TARDIS? there's a few ships I intend to do something about...
@@sawyerawr5783Enterprise possibly?
Takakazu Kinashi. THE pro gamer in the IJN submarine force.
And he got taken down by another sub, while in a sub. While attempting to smuggle in Me-262 intelligence into Japan. That's a pro gamer finish.
Very,very interesting! 80 years ago when my father was in the Navy and I was on the way.
My wife and I visited her in the 60s and found she had a watch dog or watch gator who stopped by for leftovers from the snack bar every evening. They would lower leftover sandwiches from the fantail to the gator. True story! It was a snack bar on shore.
I was stationed in North Carolina on and off during the 60s between tours in Vietnam and before VN.
I went to see the North Carolina in 1973 or 74, the Gator was still there. Someone had painted on the side of the gator BB-55 USS North Carolina.
@@robertkelley3437 No kidding! Thank you so much!
I was a kid in the mid 70s and saw the gators.
North Carolina or Massachusetts are my absolute favorite.. I wished we had Tennessee as a museum ship. Thank you as always for all you do!
Your guest is tailor made for YT appearances. Clear, concise and explains things in an orderly and intuitive fashion. Would love to see him again. Also would love to see an episode focused on the loss of Wasp herself.
Tip of the cap to I-19. Has to be the most devastating torpedo spread of the war.
@Jared Haas Does Mogami torpedoing five army transports still count in one spread?
After my Dad done his basic training on the USS Indianapolis at the very beginning of 1942 he remained on the Showboat till the war ended.
Being a Pipefitter, he was part of the 1st crew the US sent in to help rebuild Japan.
Crazy times no doubt.
Thank you so much for posting this vid!
Thank you Admiral Henderson for your commentary. My nephew and brother in law enjoyed their boy scout stay there as well! He's been interested in all aspects of the military thanks to your startup in his journey.
Drach, another great video, can't thank you enough.
If our work encourages ONE young person to consider military, police, fire, EMT, first responder, then it is worth it. Thanks for your support.
Many years ago I had the Revell kit of the North Carolina and you could get a 33 1/3 rpm record about the "Showboat". Wish I still had both!
While in Wilmington on business in the 2000's there was time to visit the ship so I went aboard. The late 1930's/early 1940's technology was still impressive.
The Alabama is also quite impressive...
I've been aboard Two Iowa-class BBs USS New-Jersey |BB-62| and USS Wisconsin |BB-64| In Camden NJ and Norfolk VA
Dad was on the NC... we built that model when I was a kid in the 70's 👍
Hello Admiral it's pleasure and privilege to see you!
I can't praise the "Hidden Battleship" tours enough! You get to visit numerous sections of the ship that few people ever have the opportunity to see. You can visit the repaired section and see bent beams and the unpainted repair plates marked for BB55 that the Pearl Harbor repair crews had prepared while the ship was enroute there for the repairs. I always try to schedule my visits to the coast to coincide with a hidden battleship tour. Totally worth the effort!
American Battleships seem able to take some major damage. When they are not tethered together in a harbor during peace time. When a combination of design and damage control teams can keep the ship at speed. Despite a gaping hole in her side.
Excellent designs and men of iron courage and true grit.
Yes. That was nice to see another _North Carolina_ video.
As I mentioned last time - I was born in North Carolina and my father returned to Camp Lejeune
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_Corps_Base_Camp_Lejeune
for his last assignment (which included sitting on a boat off Cuba in 1962). The day he retired we went to the _North Carolina_ memorial on our way out.
This was also the second model ship I ever built.
So - I've always had an attachment to this ship and it's nice to see another video on it.
One thing. As I mentioned last time - I dropped dimes in a can when I was 9 years old to help buy the _North Carolina_ .
I can understand why South Dakota didn't buy their ship as it would be somewhat difficult to get her there - but - I can't excuse Washington for not buying there's.
.
We do have a memorial for the USS South Dakota in Sioux Falls.
Very interesting as always…That 6th torp aka “Golden BB” almost sank three ships with one spread! North Carolina is well worth the visit too…Been aboard her twice.
Excellent video - many thanks to Admiral Henderson for participating and sharing his knowledge and experience.
The 'Stryker's Bridge' puts me in mind somewhat of the preference for open bridges on RN ships during WW2. As far as I recall, the view expressed by commanding officers afloat was that, despite the weather issue associated with it, "when fighting against aircraft it is useful to be able to see them".
I visited USS North Carolina November 2013. It is such a beautiful ship, which is being maintained magnificently.
North Carolina was the first museum ship I visited and has remained my favorite every since. This was a very interesting vid. Thanks!
You bring us so many fascinating guests, Drach; thank you!
Thats a true salty USN Chief PO for you. "Give me a half a bottle of whiskey and I will go get them" That has to be one of the most classic quotes from a US Navy Chief ever...
Drach: This is a superb follow-up to your recent video tour of USS _North Carolina,_ and the human dimension it adds brings the torpedo incident to life, cranking up the depth & meaning to 11. As the video began to wrap up, I thought, "What?!? Already???" Many thanks to Adm. Henderson for his commentary. I couldn't help thinking that there was a lot more detail he could have added, and I look forward to any future interviews with him. Well done, as always! 😎
Don't know whether this is a coincidence but this perfectly complements yesterday's Battleship New Jersey video on torpedo protection.
Still of the view that the torpedo damage to North Carolina was a contributing factor to the loss of Hornet at Santa Cruz.
Elaborate please.
@@bebo4807 The repairs lasted until November, so she missed Santa Cruz.
@@gregorywright4918 which deprived Task Force 17 of significant Anti-Aircraft support which combined with the screw up in fighter direction. Allowed the IJN aircraft to damage and crippled Hornet. Resulting in her loss.
Hello Drach, my favorite ships are the USN 4-piper destroyers built after WW1 and their use in WW2. I would very much like to see a show about USS Ward (DD 139, APD 16) or USS Borie (DD 215), or about the various conversions to other types of ships they underwent. Thanks!
When you go board the USS North Carolina BB-55, be sure to take a trip about 4 hours south to visit Patriots Point Charlestown, SC and board the Yorktown, CV-10. It's worth the drive if you have the time.
Charleston alone is worth the drive. Don't forget the USS Laffey!
I enjoy hearing exerts on a subject share their knowledge. Thank You Adm Henderson.
Thank you Rear-Admiral Henderson for your valued commentary.
My question is a question for the engineers out there. Considering all of the countries that participated in World War 2, it seems that the Italians, and the Japanese both had some of the best Torpedoes available. My question is what the Japanese Torpedoes been just as good in the Atlantic Ocean as they were in the Pacific, or would they have had malfunctions like everybody else due to the different climates and other variables?
I hope you get a reply; now I'm curious too
As far as I know japanese torpedoes did not rely on a magnetic fuse. So I suspect that they would not had those issues that others experienced.
According to my, admittedly, limited understanding of how the instruments and guidance systems worked there should be nothing making them less effective. Materials should also not make a difference to my understanding. Even north atlantic temperatures should not make a difference at that point in time.
The biggest factor would be ship design and fire control systems. Ships would have to be adapted for atlantic operations but that's little to do with the ships themselves.
From navweaps:
Unlike most other navies before World War II, the Japanese spent much time improving their warhead pistols by conducting live-fire exercises. This led to a very reliable inertia pistol, although the USN reported that it was sensitive to disturbances in the water, such as when it passed through a ship's wake. This may have been caused by the torpedomen resetting the pistol contact force to a much lower level. See Type 93 torpedo. Magnetic pistols were developed and accepted into service in July 1944, but the results, if any, are unknown.
Admiral Henderson actually led the Hidden Battleship Tour I took yesterday (group 3).
My goodness, I could listen to the Admiral all day!
I just recently visited her last month, it was amazing, I’m hoping to visit all of the battleships by the end of next year, I only have Missouri and Alabama left.
The US Navy is somewhat famous for getting things done for favors. We traded two 40 pound cans of coffee for a $35k dollar transmitter (1960's dollars), I 'm not sure how we paid the crane operator to move it from one mothballed ship to ours. Whisky may have been involved.
I believe the term for navy barter is comsuer or consume?
@@charlesrowan4632 cumshaw
If I’m not mistaken there are 2 additional tours in addition to the hidden battleship tour that take place on the North Carolina. One of them was called firepower and was all about the main guns. Not sure if the other 2 are still offered.
I’m North Carolina Born and raised. When I was young the did a light show at the battleship during the spring and summer. It started after dark and they had flame throwers mounted in the muzzle of all 9 main guns to simulate firing. The also had a bunch of .50 calls on the bow that would be fired remotely. When they were telling the story of the torpedo hit what I can only assume was a small charge would go off under the water along side the ship that would send a big geyser into the air. It was an awesome experience.
Such unique insight! Drach, you're making great contributions to preserving naval history and making it much more readily available. THANK YOU!
A point of correction. Abandon ship was ordered 35 mins after the initial torpedo hits not 12 hours later according to the 15 Sept 42 Loss in Action report.
Also the Torpedo that hit O’Brien did not blow her bow off but rather blew a chunk of the lower section off. The Torpedo hit caused whipping and shock damage that compromised her structure and the result was after repairs that were supposed to see her back to the states she suffered progressive major structural failure in moderate seas leading to the loss of the ship. Her loss in action report is also available online and makes interesting reading. But the facts of her loss are very different from what the Admiral describes.
I believe that Wasp was actually abandoned twice. After the first order was given, a salvage crew came aboard to try to save her and was later forced to abandon her again when additional internal explosions occurred.
Thanks for the correction. I was referring to the second abandon ship and decision to scuttle her. The point is she was abandoned and scuttled in the early morning of 16 September 1942. Eye witnesses such as Ben Blee on Pensacola reported O’Brien struck in the bow. You are quite correct that the collateral damage led to her unseaworthiness and eventual foundering 30 days after being torpedoed. Fortunately, no loss of US life.
@@ronhenderson4164 looking at her loss in action report I see the following. I’m
Going to truncate the narrative a bit since I’m typing on my phone.
1445 Hit by two Torpedoes
Numerous explosion recorded between 1445 and 1520
1520 ship ordered abandoned
1600 Abandon ship complete. Minor explosions continuing.
1627 Large Explosion
1746 Extremely Violent Explosion
1757 and 1758 Large Explosion
1908-2011 Five Torpedoes fired by Lansdowne three hits
2011 Fires Spread to Stern
2100 WASP sank bodily, going down by the bow.
I don’t see anything in that loss in action report that supports her being re-boarded and then abandoned a second time. The picture I see is of fires and explosions raging out of control until she is torpedoed between 1908 and 2011 with her ultimately sinking at 2100.
Right now I have a single source for her loss in action report and I’m looking for a copy elsewhere to try and validate what I have.
@@jetdriver OK, Action report is a better source. Mine was the Blee book we use for tour guides. Thanks for clarification.
@@jetdriver Also, some controversy whether she was hit by 2 or 3 torpedoes. I believe 3, since after the first two there were lots of explosions - probably hard to tell which was torpedo and which was secondaries. Either way, mortally struck. I was under impression abandoning was after midnight with salvage crew but I defer to the loss in action report.
Amazing account and detail. NCs defense of BIG E is almost never talked about. Hearing it from a rear admiral reminds us of the many unsung heros of the pacific fleet.
An excellent video very informative and well done. nice Job by the Rear Admiral too.
Not Rear Admiral Jingles though. 😃
Thank you both for a very interesting episode on USS North Carolina.
BB NC Also remains the only USN capital ship to have sunk a restaurant
Didn't sink it - just left a bruise! Purple Heart is still there on the spot
Drach, great video! Thank you for continuing to bring us wonderful naval history content, and I greatly appreciate you as an interviewer. You contribute very meaningfully without getting in the way of your guests and what they have to share.
One of the first models that I built was North Carolina, making it a sentimental favorite. As always, thanks, Drach and guest!
Excellent Work ..Really enjoyed the drone shots and technical drawings, not to mention top shelf guest and this fascinating story .. I believe this channel is the go to source for Naval History .. Touche Drach ..!
Thank you and Rear-Admiral Henderson for creating and uploading this excellent (as usual) video.
Thanks, Admiral, Drach and team. Never a waste of time.
Outstanding. The admiral was clear and concise. A very enjoyable brief.
@Drachinifel I am so happy to see talk more about my favorite ship of all time. The USS North Carolina!
Great interview and discussion! Ron's a great guy, and has done a crazy amount of research on the North Carolina.
Awesome breakdown of the torpedoing of the US ships including obviously the North Carolina with the Admiral, great content and interview as always 👍
This guy is a great guest / story teller ! Love this one
Excellent upload this week! Love it when you have guests like this....even better that his sound setup doesn't make my ears bleed! ( I listen on headphones and sad to say most of the guys you have as guests don't have nearly as nice a sound quality as the good Admiral Henderson here )
Fabulous video. Love seeing these types of video with guests. The interaction between Drach and the Admiral was very good.
My favorite channel since the day I discovered it;
A pleasure to watch and pleasure to share with my friends (many of whom are now subscribers) spreading the word as well.
Just visited the North Carolina, my first ever experience on board a WW2-era ship, and my guide touched base on this incident without going into too much detail. Came straight to this channel afterward hoping that I'd find a video on it, and, as always, Drac never disappoints.
Thank you for doing so much in-depth research into the naval battles of the war, I know I'm not the only one with an immense appreciation for your content and attention to detail.
Great video and interview Rear-Admiral Ronald Henderson and Drach.
Excellent guest. Great job Drach
What an awesome video and great interview. Thanks to the Admiral. I toured BB55 as a young boy in the 70s and my bucket list includes going back.
Excellent video and interview. I didn't know that part of the history of BB-55 and its crew.
Thank you for your work. Congrats from Brasil.
In the late 80's I was at the North Carolina during a commemoration of historical events involving the Ship. There was a mock air attack by WW2/post WW2 era piston aircraft. It was quite a show but another event occurred that afternoon that wasn't advertised beforehand. A group of Japanese men, all wearing suits and ties walked up the gangplank and then amidships, turned and faced the grandstand. It was then announced these men were survivors of the I-19 who came all the way from Japan (with their families) to face the surviving crew of the North Carolina to apologize for the torpedoing of their ship. That prepared statement was made, they saluted the crew in the grandstand and received a return of salute and standing ovation from the crowd. There was only a handful of these men left from the I-19. I recall they were all very kind. Glad I got to witness that event.
I really enjoy these type videos. Excellent summary of the torpedo strike and subsequent events. Thank you, Drach and Adm Henderson
Great video I've visited North Carolina, but the story of the fireman handle probably was due to the fact that the Navsea bureaucracy doesn't work as much during wartime. From a former US sailor.
Amazing interview thanks
Thanks to each of you for passing on your knowledge.
This is another absolutely great video, just like so many others where you bring in a person with extreme knowledge and experience in the US Navy. This US admiral was quite excited to tell you/us all about the torpedoing of the USS Carolina. His detail and maps were terrific as well. You do an amazing job of getting these type of interviews, which reflects only on your well-known reputation.
Whoops - USS North Carolina!
Excellent presentation! Admiral Henderson did an excellent job describing what some historians call the "luckiest torpedo shot in history". Of course, the IJN I--19 was commanded by Commander Kinashi, and he had at his disposal a very lethal weapon in the Long Lance torpedo, which many Allied ships would fall victim to in the Solomons Campaign.
It would be interesting to hear Adm. Henderson to go more into detail on damage control efforts on the Wasp.
I've taken my parents and my immediate family to visit this grand old fighting ship several times since the 1970's. Thanks for the fascinating backdrop and the inside glimpses of its wartime history.
Great conversation
IJN: *torps USS North Carolina*
USS NC: "I'll be back, and with better guns."
Great interview Drach! Thanks as always! Now ship suggestion. BB-42, USS Idaho. She was involved in nearly every major bombardment in the Pacific and was the only boat in her class to get the 5-in/38 gun upgrade. I think she's also the only BB to run herself completely out of main gun armament in a bombardment. I'd love to see a video from you on her. Cheers!
Outstanding, thank you both. Go Navy!
"North Carolina has a torpedo defense system that is pretty good." "The torpedo defense austen worked pretty well. It was designed against a 600lb warhead and it was hit by a nearly 900lb torpedo and the vitals weren't breached."
Meanwhile, in WoWS, there are heavy cruises with almost as much TDS XD
12 minutes in and really enjoying this, kudos to the guest good sir Drach
My grandfather was on the BOFORS mount located behind and above turret 2, by the bridge. He was on the opposit side of the impact, and had a perfect view of it. He said the blast made the ship shudder like a wet dog and the column of water was higher than he was. I have a picture of the bow of the ship taken from his station if you are interested, as well as a very interesting story about an event in WW2 not many people know of.
Great interview, very complete. Thanks.
Glorious stuff. Thanks very much
My utmost thanks to two very compent people. Thoroughly enjoyable.
Excellent narrative of the torpedoimg of my state's namesake. The mention of the cemetery on Tonga with the bodies of her crewmen was interesting. When you were in North Carolina, did you have a chance to visit the British cemetery on Ocracoke Island containing the bodies of sailors from HMS Bedfordshire?
I visited and revisited the NC.
Around 08, very nicely done display, thankyou
Great video, Drach. The North Carolina is a great sight from a nice waterfront lunch in downtown Wilmington.
Wonderful episode- job well done 👍
My wife and I toured the North Carolina about twenty-five years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. Our favorite place in the ship was probably not what one would think of and that is probably why we liked it so much and that was the galley. There was a mixer in there similar in looks to one my father had in his donut shop only it was about 100 times larger. We marveled at the size of that thing but considering that when you were going to mix up some batter or bread dough you were going to be doing it for about 1400 (guessing) people at a time. The entire ship was great though, not just the galley. Two other great ships to tour are the carrier Lexington in Corpus Christi (an Essex class carrier) and the carrier Midway in San Diego.