I was fortunate enough to acquire a 1/96 scale scratch built model of the Pittsburgh locally. At 7 feet long, it's the centerpiece display of my mancave!
In those days, there was not much on preheat and post heat of the welds. The heat affected zone, (the area along the welds), was not fully understood as it is today. There was cracking, because of those shortcomings.
44 years ago, when I was a 12 year old nerding out over naval history and lore I made a model of Pittsburgh. There was a banner on the model’s box proclaiming “longest ship in the world”. Being the stat geek I was, I was outraged: “A Baltimore class is only 673 feet long. How could they screw up so bad?” I thought. Then I saw the little box of text with a brief history, lol. This video brought me back. Like all your work, I enjoyed it thoroughly, nostalgia aside. Thanks for everything!
I'm from Pittsburgh , after she was de- commissioned the people and local government here started a campaign to bring the USS Pittsburgh to our city as a floating museum . Things went great up until the time to tow her up the Mississippi and Ohio rivers ( which begins at down town Pittsburgh ) . Only then did someone point out that there are a hell of a lot of BRIDGES between New Orleans and Pittsburgh ! The project was duly scrapped ( along with the cruiser) .
@@ernestimken6969Three sank, 2 wrecked, 220 aircraft destroyed or lost. A major fire in the Lexington that President Ford had a part in containing and finally extinguishing. All during a killer typhoon.
Over the years there were a few proposals to get the Wisconsin moored in Milwaukee or another of the ports. The Navy always told them. Fine. You figure out how to get her there.
My grandfather was on the Pittsburgh, I grew up hearing about when she towed the Franklin, and he was aboard when the bow was ripped off, I can't even imagine how terrifing that must have been. My grandfather would always attend the reunions every year, and was very close to his wartime shipmates.
I'm from Pittsburgh , the story told around here is that when the search plane that was sent out to find the still floating bow section located it , he radioed back to base --- HAVE LOCATED SUBURB OF PITTSBURGH and proceeded to give it's coordinates . The bow was towed to Ulithi atoll and was RE-ATTACHED to the cruiser .
The operational tempo of the fast carrier task force in 1945 never ceases to amaze me. To coordinate so many ships with such a logistics train with 1940s communications half across the world is simply amazing
Please consider doing a video about the WWII cruiser USS Wichita. It was a unique class of its own. That served in the Artic, the Atlantic and the North and South Pacific campaigns. From 1941 to 1945. I believe it is a cruiser you would find interesting.
Ships built during WW2 were rushed to build with poor welding and that is why the bow ripped off. The ships built prior to WW2 like the USS Louisville CA 28 never had bow damage and she went thru (2) typhoons in the Pacific DURING WW2 with minimal damage to hanger doors.
I can see that...... After all pre war I am sure the welders wanted to make the best weld as in war time a ok weld was good enough to do the job to hurry up and get a new ship started... The old quality vs quantity or quantity vs quality debate on what needs to come first...
This is just an observation, nothing more, but that chunk of her bow being lifted out of the water has an awfully clean, straight cut for something that is supposedly being scrapped.
It’s certainly possible they reused the bow. The caption indicates as much. I just haven’t found anything outright stating they did. Not even the Dictionary of Fighting Ships. One of those areas where I’d be happy for people to chime in, really.
@@skyneahistory2306 Squadron-Signal 'US Heavy Cruisers in Action Part 2' page 13 says McKeesport was _not_ grafted back onto Pittsburg. That's pretty authoritative. I've rarely caught them in an error. You'd think the portion broken off would have massive internal deformation. By that time, they could replace a bow in a month or two once a dock opened and there are enough other cruisers that getting her back ASAP wasn't the norm anymore. Why yes, I have a naval library...and will run down a fact needed for a video no matter the obscurity (hint-hint)
@@marckyle5895…it broke off due to the poor welds, it was fine structurally otherwise the ship itself would have buckled under the snapping like other ships dud and there’s photos of the bow being cut apart but no mention of scrapping, if it was scrapped the Navy photos would say so. there is no claims against it being scrapped except that hook so it’s entirely possible that the author made an assumption about it being scrapped and not grafted back on
@@bostonrailfan2427 Wow...that's well... something lol. I think the USN too the all or nothing bow idea to a new extreme! "Did you hear? The USN ships break their bows off like lizard tails! when they're about to be dragged under!"
@@marckyle5895 they cut it up but were going to re-weld the seams of the ship anyway so it was just another step in the process…no reason to junk what was already known to fit and the kicker? you can actually see the seams where it was cut in pictures, the original break and the segmentation cuts are visible at times in the 50s photos
@@skyneahistory2306 I gotta wonder, with her shelling Japan so much in WWII then to have her back in the 50's... If anyone though she was one of the same ships that had been lobbing shells at them before?? Good thing she was not a battleship as next 2 wars they got the nick name of island sinkers LOL....
You need to correct your narrative......when describing the main battery 8" guns, you identified the Turrets as "triple gun" Turrets, this is incorrect, those are "three gun" Turrets, the difference being in a three gun Turret each gun can elevate or depress independently of each other... as they do in all classes of battleships post Nevada. In a triple gun Turret all three guns elevate and depress simultaneously, ships of the Pennsylvania class would operate in this manner also. Marty Palmiere EMC(SW)USN(ret.) '75-'99 USS IOWA BB-61 '83-'89
I was fortunate enough to acquire a 1/96 scale scratch built model of the Pittsburgh locally. At 7 feet long, it's the centerpiece display of my mancave!
…was the bow detachable or did the USS McKeesport?🤣😎
@@bostonrailfan2427 Haha, but no, the bow stays on this one.
@@dougpendleton1266 ah, pre-typhoon model! 🤣😎
@@dougpendleton1266the front fell off
In those days, there was not much on preheat and post heat of the welds. The heat affected zone, (the area along the welds), was not fully understood as it is today. There was cracking, because of those shortcomings.
44 years ago, when I was a 12 year old nerding out over naval history and lore I made a model of Pittsburgh. There was a banner on the model’s box proclaiming “longest ship in the world”. Being the stat geek I was, I was outraged: “A Baltimore class is only 673 feet long. How could they screw up so bad?” I thought. Then I saw the little box of text with a brief history, lol.
This video brought me back. Like all your work, I enjoyed it thoroughly, nostalgia aside.
Thanks for everything!
I'm from Pittsburgh , after she was de- commissioned the people and local government here started a campaign to bring the USS Pittsburgh to our city as a floating museum .
Things went great up until the time to tow her up the Mississippi and Ohio rivers ( which begins at down town Pittsburgh ) .
Only then did someone point out that there are a hell of a lot of BRIDGES between New Orleans and Pittsburgh !
The project was duly scrapped ( along with the cruiser) .
a shame it couldn’t go to Erie or Philadelphia so at least it could have stayed in-state
Five destroyers were sunk in that storm.
@@ernestimken6969Three sank, 2 wrecked, 220 aircraft destroyed or lost. A major fire in the Lexington that President Ford had a part in containing and finally extinguishing. All during a killer typhoon.
Over the years there were a few proposals to get the Wisconsin moored in Milwaukee or another of the ports. The Navy always told them. Fine. You figure out how to get her there.
My grandfather was on the Pittsburgh, I grew up hearing about when she towed the Franklin, and he was aboard when the bow was ripped off, I can't even imagine how terrifing that must have been. My grandfather would always attend the reunions every year, and was very close to his wartime shipmates.
One of the most beautiful warships to ever grace the seas.
This channel is great and its growing, great job 👏 👍
i LOVE THIS CHANNEL. SO MUCH HISTORY . Been listening to this a lot at work. Good times!
I'm from Pittsburgh , the story told around here is that when the search plane that was sent out to find the still floating bow section located it , he radioed back to base ---
HAVE LOCATED SUBURB OF PITTSBURGH and proceeded to give it's coordinates .
The bow was towed to Ulithi atoll and was RE-ATTACHED to the cruiser .
the USS McKeysport 🤣😎
really nice presentation. it is appreciated!
The operational tempo of the fast carrier task force in 1945 never ceases to amaze me. To coordinate so many ships with such a logistics train with 1940s communications half across the world is simply amazing
Great video love these ships.😊😊
Please consider doing a video about the WWII cruiser USS Wichita. It was a unique class of its own. That served in the Artic, the Atlantic and the North and South Pacific campaigns. From 1941 to 1945. I believe it is a cruiser you would find interesting.
Ships built during WW2 were rushed to build with poor welding and that is why the bow ripped off.
The ships built prior to WW2 like the USS Louisville CA 28 never had bow damage and she went thru (2) typhoons in the Pacific DURING WW2 with minimal damage to hanger doors.
I can see that...... After all pre war I am sure the welders wanted to make the best weld as in war time a ok weld was good enough to do the job to hurry up and get a new ship started... The old quality vs quantity or quantity vs quality debate on what needs to come first...
The timing, first anson and now Pittsburgh, of course you like the game, a good chunk of us do 😏
Thanks
Thank you
Go Burgh!
This is just an observation, nothing more, but that chunk of her bow being lifted out of the water has an awfully clean, straight cut for something that is supposedly being scrapped.
It’s certainly possible they reused the bow. The caption indicates as much.
I just haven’t found anything outright stating they did. Not even the Dictionary of Fighting Ships.
One of those areas where I’d be happy for people to chime in, really.
@@skyneahistory2306 Squadron-Signal 'US Heavy Cruisers in Action Part 2' page 13 says McKeesport was _not_ grafted back onto Pittsburg. That's pretty authoritative. I've rarely caught them in an error. You'd think the portion broken off would have massive internal deformation. By that time, they could replace a bow in a month or two once a dock opened and there are enough other cruisers that getting her back ASAP wasn't the norm anymore. Why yes, I have a naval library...and will run down a fact needed for a video no matter the obscurity (hint-hint)
@@marckyle5895…it broke off due to the poor welds, it was fine structurally otherwise the ship itself would have buckled under the snapping like other ships dud
and there’s photos of the bow being cut apart but no mention of scrapping, if it was scrapped the Navy photos would say so. there is no claims against it being scrapped except that hook so it’s entirely possible that the author made an assumption about it being scrapped and not grafted back on
@@bostonrailfan2427 Wow...that's well... something lol. I think the USN too the all or nothing bow idea to a new extreme! "Did you hear? The USN ships break their bows off like lizard tails! when they're about to be dragged under!"
@@marckyle5895 they cut it up but were going to re-weld the seams of the ship anyway so it was just another step in the process…no reason to junk what was already known to fit
and the kicker? you can actually see the seams where it was cut in pictures, the original break and the segmentation cuts are visible at times in the 50s photos
It's not the size that matters it's the hammer behind it which counts😅
The Poltava is the longest Battleship. With one turret in Sevastopol and another in Vkadivostok
the titanic is the longest ship in the world. with parts all over the world.
Losing the bows looks a bit like a design defect. Unless it was intended as a missile to sink enemy ships? 😊
Great job as always! Did she basically stay the whole time in her World War II configuration, probably minus a few 20mm guns?
Mostly. Other than replacing the Bofors with 3-inch guns.
@@skyneahistory2306 I gotta wonder, with her shelling Japan so much in WWII then to have her back in the 50's... If anyone though she was one of the same ships that had been lobbing shells at them before?? Good thing she was not a battleship as next 2 wars they got the nick name of island sinkers LOL....
You need to correct your narrative......when describing the main battery 8" guns, you identified the Turrets as "triple gun" Turrets, this is incorrect, those are "three gun" Turrets, the difference being in a three gun Turret each gun can elevate or depress independently of each other... as they do in all classes of battleships post Nevada.
In a triple gun Turret all three guns elevate and depress simultaneously, ships of the Pennsylvania class would operate in this manner also.
Marty Palmiere EMC(SW)USN(ret.) '75-'99
USS IOWA BB-61 '83-'89
Imagine if you could detach your head and send it to outer space, because this was the ship equivalent.
The front fell off
Why does so much happen on my birthday (19th of feb)
USS Yinzer!
Gonna need to have a talk with a welder…
Yeah 1
Wait didn't you just read that caption? Just saying lol.