Hey Ryan, I'm a retired CIWS Chief. The correct console you're looking for is a MK 340 Mod 4 Remote Control Panel (RCP). Good luck, but there are still foreign navies using parts from these. There should be some Mod 4 chassis's out there somewhere since no modern ship has 4 mounts.
They should have some stuff stored in the trunk of that Ford Pinto out there in San Diego parking lot. It's the one with all the parking violation that cover the car. A little hard to notice from all the others at first sight unless ya look 4 all the pink and orange violation stickers dating back to the 70s
@@kennethwise7108 Out of commission should mean they’ve removed specifically the shells and replaced them. Chances are, some could be left de-electronic’d and unscrapped.
I am a former marine who was introduced to museum ships when I lived in Rhode Island and went to Battleship Cove in Fall River. I've been on the Massachusetts, North Carolina Alabama, Yorktown, Lexington, Texas, Midway, Wisconsin, and the other ships on display at these museums. I am always appreciative of the work performed by the volunteers and paid staff who restore and maintain these ships. I am especially impressed by your dedication to the restoration and preservation of the New Jersey. I would encourage all visitors to contribute money beyond the admission price of the museum ships to help with further restoration. And please...do not steal anything. Much of the items on these ships is irreplaceable.
Ok I’ll come clean Ryan. On my last visit in May I was going to pocket one of the 16”shells in the parking area. My plan was foiled when I tried to lift 10 times my body weight at least AND I realized it wasn’t going to fit in my pocket. I settled for a magnet of the ship from the gift shop.
Agreed... Aggravates the heck out of me to hear or see things like this... I used to volunteer @ AF museum... And after putting in work, it made me quite angry to see folks taking or attempting to take stuff off of the aircraft that was searched for in the first place to read place missing items...
@@MK0272 I do greatly appreciate US bill of rights, which protects against things like 'Imprisonment by museum curator' and 'depravation punishments', so I am glad that they cannot do this. However, I do wish that stealing public property, particularly for novelty, carried heaver sentences, despite the fact that we are protected from excessive fines.
@@ObiwanNekody Yeah, well, a guy can wish, can't he? Stealing from a museum is particularly bad because you can't exactly go out to your local department store and buy a replacement. There are only X number of each item out there, and once they're gone, they're gone for good.
I actually stopped by the new Jersey today, I just got out of the military and it was great that I got in for free. I've only seen the north Carolina before that so I'll have to take his word that it's the world's greatest battleship.
visited the North Carolina (nc) a few years ago. did my walking tour with my two teenage sons and my hubby(45Yrs.Old). after 4-5 minutes he had a small group of kids following him. even the tour guides looked at him funny as he was not a guide. about an hour later the kids came back and I went to find him...... he was in Turret #1 just standing there, eyes closed and just breathing .... wtf I said. he was crying. .. he then said that he was just "there" a second ago with all his buddies on his first ship and that the NC still smelled like a battleship. His battleship, the Jersey. and for just that second he was 18 again, haze gray and underway in '85.
@@tammywehner3269 Tammy, if he was 18 in 1985 he would have to have been born in 1967. If your husband is 45 years of age now, he would have been born in 1976. Maybe my math is wrong.
@@tammywehner3269 Still happens to me as well. A smell or a sound or a picture will have me 20 again and back on the USS Kansas City (AOR-3). Coming up on 31 years in September since I went ashore for the last time. Absent friends and old memories will get you every time.
@@leppyomalley993 I'd guess a transposition error. 54 yo rather than 45. I graduated high school in 1985. Pushing 54 real hard...like 9 weeks away now.
15:39 I've visited New Jersey a couple of times since she opened and every time I visited, the level of care and attention to detail in the restoration in the spaces I visited was such that it seemed as though the ship was ready to cast off and get under way. Of the museum ships I've visited, New Jersey is one of the ones that still feels like she's truly alive.
I have never visited a museum ship, but the one thing I think would be missing is the sound. An active ship is a living thing and by the sounds she makes I could tell what we were doing or about to do. I can remember getting ready to leave port and how hour by hour the sounds/tempo of a ship kept increasing. Like a giant rousing from a slumber to go out and make things happen
The Yorktown has some audio recordings and such but you are right. The nearly constant sound of the hydraulics turning the rudder on a fast frigate is something that you will never forget. Take Care, John
@@penultimateh766 Kind of? Betamax is the failed VHS which like a cassette tape used a magnetic strip to store data. A Floppy disk was a disk that stored data in a similar manner but were housed in a container that was fairly flexible. They came in 8 inch and 5 1/4 inch sizes while 3 1/2 inch came in the style of the save button in a hard plastic case. Several youtube channels cover this better than I ever could.
I won’t lie, I’m a bit bummed out that they didn’t let you film whilst you were working but that’s not your fault of course. Glad you guys got some useful stuff out of this trip!
It makes sense. Pictures or video from inside the ships could give foreign countries an idea as to the material condition and potential capabilities of the reserve ships should they need to be reactivated for a war.
I've been on these trips; you have no idea how hard it can be not to take photos because you know you may never see that space or vessel again. But if you want to be asked to come back, you play by their rules.
I am glad they don't, it would just piss me off. I remember seeing some of those ships in service and what they looked like then. For me its like walking into a grave yard and everywhere I turn is a head stone with the name of a friend or acquaintance on it.
@@derfvader6951 I was in Norfolk Naval Shipyard for nine months and McKee and Simon Lake were nested together. I went onboard with some people and got one of the gentlemen who managed them to give us a tour. The interior spaces were actually in remarkably good condition
The Hornet has had people try to remove items during a large event when the ship is rented out. Once a party goer tried to walk off with a helmet and when the elderly Hornet security volunteer (a veteran) intervened the thief pushed him to the deck and took off. Hard to take off on a carrier as you still need to get past the security brow which of course the thief didn't. Nonetheless, we have had midnight thieves several times try to get aboard in the early morning hours only to be surprised by a few that sleep on the ship though the week. Some scamper over the barbed wire gate over the water while one actually jumped overboard. Even had one thief try to remove copper wire from the ship's live 440 feed. That could have been one hell of a firework.
@@tbm3fan913 OK, war stories time: Copper thieves were, back about 20 years ago, a HUGE problem in the area of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada and the whole region, extending all the way east to the Niagara river. I was working for Rogers Communications on their internet service product support line. One afternoon, the entire service goes out for all of Ontario. We get a massive call spike, reporting no internet service, and so we start working on the problem. Everyone had a working cable modem, connected to our network, and could drop and restore the IP address information without trouble, and we could ping them from our workstations (which, btw, had normal internet access at this time). Before long, we found out what had happened. Rogers was, at that time, renting fiber-optic cable capacity from Bell Canada (the phone company that runs all the physical phone lines in Canada and the main long distance network) to connect the Rogers network in Ontario (which was mostly Ottawa and Toronto and Toronto's suburbs) to a major backbone in the US. There was a bridge with this fiber optic cable we were on, plus another one, on it to cross a river. Idiot copper thieves thought they were copper and cut each one with an axe finding out they weren't. We were down for about three days, and only that short because we convinced Bell to let our fusion-splice crew (which did this kind of work all the time on the fiber optic parts of the cable system and were MUCH faster at it than Bell's crews were) go in and complete splicing the cable back together.
I recall a movie about that tour of Europe that Samuel Clements went on (the one where he was rumored to have died, and when he heard of it sent a telegram "Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated"). One of his (randomly selected) traveling companions kept trying to steel bits of the architecture and statuary as souvenirs. With a geologists hammer. The truly horrendous thing about this is that while the specific individual is probably fictional, the practice was absolutely NOT fictional. People really did that in the 19th century.
Ryan I was active Navy '94-'98. I served with a EM and a BM who both where on the New Jersey in the early 90s. Some of the stories... I spent my years on ARD5 The Waterford. Keel laied In '52 I believe. Old school Navy. As an adult I spent 2 nights on The New Jersey with my boy scouts. Thank you. As well as I have toured NJ about 5 times. She is vintage! Reminds me of "home". In 2017 we had the opportunity to tour The G.W.Bush in Norfolk. It was cool but not home. I made a promise I will visit all of the Iowa class BB. So being in Norfolk I toured the Whisky as well. She brought me home. I'm told its the Ozone from the old electronics. But ill take a Iowa over the new G.W. B any day. Thanks for keeping her going. I will be back to visit again! ENFN Wotring
I like that whether it is wear from historical use, or as a museum. An art museum near me has had one centerpiece artifact that has been in place for a few decades, and the finish on the floor is visibly wearing. It gives a sense of the passage of time, not just for the item, but also for the museum, that we are a part of the history of the item.
One idea for some help sourcing strange light bulbs, indicators, displays, readouts, etc...Contact Fran Blanche (she has a UA-cam channel under that name and she's got a workshop in Philadelphia) and she knows a great deal about all kinds of strange and outdated items, including being able to source many weird and wonderful things. (She specializes somewhat in NASA items from the 1960's, but you never know what she might be able to get for you.)
Some of the most immersive elements when I visited the museum in terms of what it was like for the crew on board was definitely hearing the 1mc, ship's bells, and some of the entertainment that was to be had, like the backgammon & chess tables, the TV showing the battleships music show, and the displays about crossing the equator or the ship's acting troupe. All the things we lay people don't immediately think of as battleship- like you said, the ATM & the pay phone are going to be great additions! Especially if you can get the payphone working- the novelty of calling mom & pop from a battleship would be sweet! (And maybe make a few dollars, too)
I like your ultimate goal, Ryan. I believe one of the Titan Missile Silos is set up this way, either to look like the crew just walked away from their billeting area or it actually is as it was the day the site was decommissioned. This definitely gives a building (or a battleship) orders of magnitude more historical significance.
I was on a school trip to DC in the beginning of June and the last day we had, we went to Philadelphia and drove past the New Jersey, SS United States, and all those cool decommissioned ships. Wish we had more time there
I want to see the New Jersey look like it did when she was finally decommissioned, that's the ship I would like to see. Glad to hear you got some good stuff, love those old computer drives in the back.
Im sorry. I hilariously though of Ryan holding kids by the ankles from turrett 2 shaking them saying "where's my dogging wrench. I know you have it Johnny" lol I know he wouldn't do this. But the thought made me laugh so hard I cried.
I served on the FFG-7 Oliver Hazard Perry as a Midshipman during the summer of 1985. It makes me feel old seeing the Perry Class Frigates being stripped and scrapped. ha ha ha So many great memories of serving on her and the crew was so much fun.
Me and my best friend yesterday stopped at the Philadelphia naval yard on our way back from Beach it was a great and quick stop to get to see all the ships there and the ships that will be scraped soon
The biggest thing I love to read are stories from the crew. That and the signage that tells about the operation of equipment, procedures, watch bills, and so on. Another thing that brings history to life is pictures in the spaces where certain events occurred. Some years ago I was on the Coast Guard cutter Igham when it was still at Patriot's Point. There was a large room in the aft end of the ship in which they had a board telling the story of a rescue she was involved in. Someone had taken a couple of rolls of pictures of the rescued survivors in that same room, and the museum staff had set up pedestals with those pictures at the positions those pictures were taken from. A person could be standing facing one of the displays in, say, the back corner of the room and look up to see the overhead, the light fixtures, the equipment, the first aid boxes, and so on from exactly the same perspective the camera had. It was very easy to picture bedraggled survivors in that very same room, and it really brought the story to life.
Check out their unrestored engine room and lower regions of turret one that also has not been restored. Grease still seeps up from the floor that was used to help move 16" rounds.
First thanks for all you, the volunteers and workers at the museum do! Second, I have volunteered at the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space museum long ago and always was bothered by the small pilferage, I was told that the ships bridge captain's chair had the leather cut off of it by someone as a souvenir in the first weeks it was open! Another visitor was caught in the nose wheel well of the A-12 with pliers looking for something to take. Third to answer your question I love interacting with the real equipment. Kids interactive displays are different, but I enjoyed the turret tour where my son and I got to see the parts of the ship and he got to operate the shell hoist. Great stuff! I love optics and whenever possible like to look through periscopes and understand how they work. Even the act of turning the handle on a hatch to see how the mechanism works is a lot of fun when you have never had the chance to see or feel it in person.
I think one thing that gives me the sense of a place or a device being used, and I know this is obvious, is the wear on things like handles or places that have been gripped or pushed. I also enjoy the things that link to an older Navy, such as brass, rope, wood, etc., like a binnacle, that let you know this thing is part of a line of things going back to the Constitution or the Victory.
The thing that really would set what shipboard life was like would be able to eat in the mess, from the same trays, and same menu as the sailors who served. I recall in an earlier video you stated that because the ship is not allowed to make steam, the galley is not functional. Which kind of kills the enlisted mess operation. However, you may be able to serve an officer's mess with brought on board electrical appliances or catering.
@@johnnyrebel3340 Beyond that problem there's also the safety issue. They'd have to strip asbestos lining from the boilers, they'd have to make sure there were NO leaks or weaknesses in the entire steam system, fuel system and seawater system. They'd have to source fuel to keep her running which would be exorbitant. Keep in mind a steam leak at those pressures and temperatures is invisible but deadly. These boilers are approaching 100 years old. I get it, I really do. I would LOVE to see these ships under their own power but it's just not feasible, financially, safety wise or security wise.
12:50 Depending on how exactly the control panels are set up to be installed, you could look at taking some sheet metal and trimming it with a plasma torch or even a grinder, then tapping holes to match with the already existing ones so that you can slot in the retrieved CIWS console and have the surrounding spaces not be empty racks
For engineering components you could try an old LHA, the plants on these were pieced together from WWII ships from recip feed pumps to the fire and flushing pumps.
Ryan, my wife works at URBN in the Navy Yard and I make her watch your videos every night :) She said if you ever have to go back to the Navy Yard to strip, especially the Kennedy since it's right outside her building, she offers to bring you water :) The Kennedy might have the CIWS console you need too...
I've done the same thing for the museum ship USS Comanche. We got parts off of the Sub tender, Nereus and the oiler Ponchatoula from the reserve fleet in Suisuin Bay, California. The next year we got parts off of the Perry class frigates Sides and Jarrett up in Bremerton. The thing that got to me was the sailor art they had done to make the ships feel like home, including custom graphics in the floor tile and on the bulkheads.
Hydration bladder backpacks are your friend. 3L of water is easy to carry, and if you put ice in the bladder before you fill it with water, it's very nice.
9:25 Maybe it's just my background in computers, but I keep getting distracted by those Commodore 1541 disk drives. I'm sure those ships, in the early 90's, could have a few Commodores or XT-class PCs for crew to use in their leisure time. Those of us in the retro/vintage computer community love keeping systems like those alive.
Well, my prized US Navy ship trinket is a 1941 Monarch 10EE lathe complete with Navy stampings. Unfortunately no idea which ship it came off of. Won it at auction from Florida State U.
I see old add on floppy computer drives on the shelf behind you! Hahaha! That actually makes me excited. You can use them to recreate the desk of a Marine Unit Diary Clerk or Navy equivalant. In the early 1990's the only people in the administrative office that had computers were the office Commanding Officer, the Unit Diary Clerk and maybe the office Senior NCO. Computers were rare, the internet as we now know it did not exist but it did exist for the military. Our office had a direct connection to the Pentagon. All of our personnel, training and unit information entered in the computer would be uploaded over night to the Pentagon's computers & updates downloaded. So our office was the most secure and authorized personnel only space in the unit besides the armory. Those floppy disk drives would have been used to input computer updates not obtained online. We would have used them to make a back up of the days information incase something went wrong with our connection over night. Finally we may have made copies of a Marines personal file or any sort of letters typed concerning them and clipped it in a plastic sleeve inside there Service Record Book if they were transfering to a new unit. That way when they arrived the disc could be used to quickly add that Sailor, Marine, Airman or Soldier to the units list and schedules and list quickly.
Yea, I worked on the Underwood as a pipe filter at Metro Machine in Norfolk, VA in May of '91 where every day hit 95 degrees. My work was in the engine room and had no ventilation. Also worked on the John B Radford, the Ticonderoga, the Saipan and some others but I can't remember their names. On July 4th of '91, a short distance down the river while taking a short break, I could see and hear the commissioning of the Arley Burk while standing on the flight deck of the Saipan.
I visited LST-393. There was a vintage phonograph player and 1930's & 1940's vintage records nearby, on display. Very nice. Every little thing that helps us believe we've walked back in time, to the ship's era of service, is important.
As someone who has a two year old I hope to be dragging to museums for years I can’t tell you how much it bothers me that parents don’t teach kids to value this history and preserve for others, or worse still take it themselves.
My kids have been on the Massachusetts JPK and Lionfish as well as the North Carolina. Trying to get up to see the Yorktown and Laffey. I have been on the Wisconsin and Alabama. Would love to see the Texas.
Coolest things i have seen on a museum ship was the magazine where they stored nuclear weapons (it was guarded 24/7 by a marine i'm pretty sure that's what it was used for but i could be wrong that trip was a while ago) the bomb/torpedo workshop the engines and the catapults aboard the USS Yorktown. They also have a Vietnam war display its not on the ship but i loved seeing the AH-1 Cobra and Huey they have on display and all the different weapons that were used in the war. I also had the opportunity to go on the USS Clamagore before it was closed. The whole thing was cool but seeing the engines sonar and how torpedoes worked were the coolest parts. It's unfortunate they are going to sink it. There is a preservation group fighting to get it renovated i hope they succeed. It's the only surviving example of a GUPPY upgraded submarine. They most likely won't though it is in extremely bad shape and they were supposed to sink it 2 years ago.. If they do sink it i hope they take everything out of it and build an exhibit on land that simulates being inside of a submarine. Also good luck on finding the CIWS control panel you guys need i wish i could help. I also hope i can visit one day Battleship New Jersey is on the top of the list of museum ships i want to see.
Do what they do at the Petrified Forest Natl Park - Put up a display that tells of the bad karma attached to stealing from the ship. You might invent the ghost of a sailor who haunts the thief until the item is returned.
Or assign a relevant deity to seeking vengeance. Poseidon is a good choice, as his portfolio covers the sea, storms, and earthquakes. Neptune also works, as he's a Roman sea-god and parallel's Poseidon, and also covers naval victories (and figures in the long-standing tradition of Crossing The Line ceremonies for sailor's first time crossing the equator).
When I was in HS I took as trip to the Philly Navy yard with my metal shop teacher to get 2 lathes and a mill. The stuff they had was amazing and the machines came out of a hole cut in the side of a ship they called an oiler. For a gearhead it was one of my favorite trips during HS.
When I was aboard Pampanito as a scout, one of the things that made it really feel like people had lived aboard was limited because submarines are so cramped, but the game boards built into the table were great. Aboard Hornet, the mess was in active use because I was there as part of a big scouting event, so actually eating there and having all the food prep equipment there as well as the mess trays being the real deal was a big benefit to that understanding. We also were using a wardroom as a training room, and there were still things like coffee makers and ice machines in there. Aboard Jeremiah O'Brien, the sailor art on the forward gun emplacement was a good one, but the cruise I went on was a working, active trip aboard it so the real impression was that she's still a functional ship as opposed to an impression of life aboard during the war.
Hi, having been involved in HMS Belfast in the late 80/90s the most notable missing thing is noise and vibration. Easy to solve by putting vibration plates on trunking or main fire pipelines, goes right through the ship, speakers just don’t do it properly The other thing if feasible is to reinstate the galley to feed visitors, people go for authentic features, a burger bar does just does not crack it. Good luck with the ship, must come and visit before I cross the bar Yours Aye Ray Vincent 🇬🇧
When I go through museum ships I look for how complete it still is. This helps me get the full picture of what the troops were doing in their daily routine.
Sad to hear about the Hall. I have been on that ship several times when I was stationed down in MS. I have helped her moor to the dock so many times I lost track.
I think we can all imagine what that would look like: Lots of rooms with all metal walls, floors, and ceilings, with random brackets and other assorted mounting points for things. Quite sad, really. Like a once-bustling office that's had all the useful stuff taken out but not been emptied by a new occupant yet.
My story is a little different but these ships you talk about bring back a lot of memories. In Portland, Oregon we have the Portland Rose Festival every year and it’s been going on for 114 years , but the tradition of military ships and I’m not sure when it started the Navy, Cost Guard, Corp of Army Engineers and the Canadians military departments where invited to bring there ships up the Columbia River then the Willamette River to the sea wall right in the middle of downtown. Well as a kid I would go all over these ships then later if you had connections through the Cost Guard Auxiliary or the Navy League you where able to ride in the ships either up river from Astoria or down river to Astoria then take a chartered bus back to Portland. I did that for years and it was a lot of fun. One year I was also involved it working civilian personal boarding of a navy ship one year in that I was a member Blue Back council of the Navy League of the United States that handled all the civilian personal to board the ship and I was the last person to board the ship and give the command to the navy personnel and river pilots to pull the gang way and cast off all lines because all the civilian guests where aboard and accounted for, that was really a exciting moment in my life and I’ve forgotten all about till now watching this video. But of course 9/11 changed a lot of that and budget cuts etc the display of ships now has really declined then you add in our current situations, who knows.
I was stationed on the USS Curts FFG-38 out of San Diego (used as a target in a sink-ex).I never remember having an ATM or a pay phone on my ship. If we needed cash we went to the disbursing officer (and this was after 2000). I can still mentally find my way through a Perry Class FFG and it's been almost 20 years since I was onboard. I still have a couple of souvenirs from my time onboard (what sailor doesn't).
I worked aboard the USS Edson DD-946 the entire 14 years (1989 - 2004) she was at the Intrepid Museum (was a former crew member 1970 -1972). We would often go to the Philly yards to get spares, etc. Maybe things were a little different then, we were able to replace most of the equipment in radio central for instance. There was even the time I opened a compartment that was most likely the ET shop. It was like the crew just stepped out for lunch...everything was there. Oscilloscopes, meters, signal generators, and the thing that made my life much easier on the Edson, a fully functional Hickok vacuum tube tester!!! I got the entire 1MC system running again using that....lol Also, from the IC room a complete ship's entertainment control system, switch panels, reel-to-reel, cassette decks, CD players, pre-amps, QSC 75 volt balanced line power amps. You could hear that system on the next pier. Also high on the "get" list were things like vacuum tubes, 1MC speakers, signs, DC equipment, and stuff that would keep "disappearing" SPA-35 repeater control knobs, spanner wrenches, fuses, and fuse holders, colored light indicator lenses on equipment, and sound-powered phone receptacle covers. I guess people needed them for the systems they had at home.
If only I had $1.00 for every time I was dragged out of my rack to go chase a failing 12AX7 tube in the MK 19 gyro cabinet or one of the Synch-amps. Ditto for every dial telephone handset cord, SP phone plug, SP phone receptacle, SP handset, SP headset, MC microphone cord, T&D line plug, etc. which I repaired or replaced after being exposed to either the elements or Deck department. I seem to remember the Pre-Amp tubes on the 1MC having a quite pleasant violet glow whenever somebody keyed up a mic, with the Finals being a yellowish-white color and rather bright. Our SITE system was much newer. In addition to the multi-channel audio system, we ran 2 cable TV channels underway, and both broadcast and Cable TV (if available on the pier) while in port. For our 2 CATV channels we could source from local studio, VHS, Betamax, 8mm film, or (my project) the CATV feed from the Helo deck. All of the berthing areas had color TV's and VCRs, courtesy of the Morale, Welfare and Rec fund. Sailors being sailors, local VCRs generally played content that would not be considered suitable for the SITE programming.
This was a fascinating video of what it takes to make it look alive, which is probably my favorite Ryan-ism. its truly sad that people pilfer from these ships and other historic sites, it may seem cool, or even rewarding thst you got away with it, but how woild YOU feel if one of your prized possessions, something you worked hard physically and financially or emotionally to obtain, was taken by a visitor....history belongs to all of us! please respect these sites!
I work in FMS and my customer owns 2ea. Oliver Hazzard Perry FFG's. When I worked at SIMA Mayport on those things we dealt with obsolescence issues. Fast forward 25 years later many of these ships are now flying foreign countries flags and oddly enough many of the components in need are surprisingly the SAME ones that we needed back in the 90's! LOL
I haven't seen any of your displays, but I generally like displays that make a ship look lived-in. Like sheets on beds, personal artifacts, dining tables with perhaps some mannequins in period uniform having breakfast, kitchens with (reproduction) foodstuffs in skillets and on cutting boards, etc.
Years ago, one of the guys I served with asked a bunch of us to help him with some repairs he had to make to his back porch. I showed up with a bunch of "extra" gear as they referred to it. I was mocked for having bought hardhats for everyone and insisting that they put them on. That mockery ended about 15 seconds after we started when my pal, the homeowner, had a large chunk of wood fall directly onto his hardhat. Since it stunned him a little (although that may have been shock & surprise) with the hardhat on, it possibly could've knocked him out if it had hit his bare head. Never disparage or underrate the use of safety equipment.
EN2 Goeke here, It was nothing they did, but I really got a kick out of how you could still smell the JP5 on the USS Midway when I went back to see her (1988-1990). The smell just seemed to hang everywhere. Do you know, I've often heard that the Midways design was basically drawn out from and laid out on an lowa class destroyers keel? Does the New Jersey have the same 12 boiler, 4 engineroom setup as the Midway? I have a picture of the two side by side from above and their lengths are the same. Your channel is quickly becoming my favorite. Thanks
Thanks for posting this, I was wondering about this. When I was active duty Army (going through ordnance LT course at Aberdeen in the summer of 1998), I was in Philly and saw the Iowa tied up, from the highway. I drove in, drove right up to the gangplank, grabbed a hard hat and acted like I belonged, and walked up onto the deck for a few moments before heading back down before someone asked who I was. Even at the time I wondered what kinds of spares they might have had for those ships as I saw pallets of stuff that looked new, sitting on the deck
The thing I recognize/look for on all the museum ships I've been on is 'the smell of life.' Fuel, lubricants, sweat, 'grunge,' the things that prove a ship was 'alive,' thanks to her crews.
For Carriers it would have to be the 5-inch turrets as well as Aircraft. For Battleships I would have to say it would be seeing the Gun turrets as well as the Sickbay.
i would like to see the ships the way they it was when i left it i was on the R E Kraus DD 849 and i visit the JPK DD 850 in Fall river but it is not the same oh yes i was on the New Jersey two years ago nice job she is looking good hope to be back soon keep up the good work thank you for all your hard work
That is fantastic! I am stoked you found some Phalanx CIWS gear, as a previous CIWS tech my biggest irritant with those panels was replacing those hellbegotten peanut bulbs that always burnt out. Does the museum light the consoles in CIC or the local control units? Pro tip for replacing those peanut bulbs, grab a gov issue black ballpoint pen, take it apart, you can use one of the halves to easily unscrew the old bulbs and screw in the new ones. Any active duty folks who dont know..this is a huge time saver, especially if you have large hands.
We do light up the consoles in CEC (we have CIC and CEC on the Iowas and these consoles are in CEC) as best we can but we get to use more modern lights and they aren't connected to the rest of the computer or anything, so much simpler
Ryan something that You said at about 2;45 mins from the End rings Very true . " Every day take one Item to where It goes to make the Ship seem more alive " Decades ago I had to spend 3 Weeks In Rome at short Notice during Deer Season . On Some Days our activity was over early while there was still Daylight so I walked over to Fort Stanwix . It was Winter and I was alone most Days with no Docents so I had to self interpret . I was in the living Quarters with no Fire in the Fire place and was not Dressed warm enough for Hunting like I usually would be During December . There were almost no Personal Belongings in the Room . Except for a Pair of Homemade Mittens made out of a Blanket . I put them on to Keep Me warm while I was in that Room . I returned them to Their spot when I left the room . I visited Fort Stanwix many times that December but the Lucky Mittens are the Things I always remember . It is the little Things that make a Great Museum .
Rome. Everyone thinks of Italy. So, when I saw Fort Stanwix, I knew it was New York. I was stationed at Griffiss AFB from 1972-77. I did tour Fort Stanwix way back then.
@@klsc8510 Yes and there was a Lot of Bocce ball courts around Town ,Ha ha . We were doing Work at the Train Station . We visited the Air Base and Fort During the Bicentennial when the reconstructed Fort Stanwix looked New . Amazing what a Few Decades do . Thank you for your Part in winning the Cold War .
@@markcantemail8018 Thanks for the thanks! So you was there when I was. Funny how people almost cross paths. My part back then was maintaining a computer system called 465L SACCS. SAC Automated Command and Control System. Think of it as a cross between e-mail and twitter. Really just two dumb terminals that were in the Bomb Wing Command Post. But state of the art when the system was installed in 1962! Now all the racks and racks of equipment can be put on just one computer chip! I loved working on it back then. I did 21 years between the Air Force and the Michigan Army National Guard. So I was Vietnam Era, Cold War, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. For the last, going to war at age 49 is a trip! I just did a micro small part in all. Still a part that had to be done. That is what we all did.
I haven’t been on a ship before but I would think that putting in either personal effects in the berthing spaces or making the mess deck look used might be a nice touch.
I was wondering what type of shape that the OHP’s were in. I remember seeing the pay phone on my ship. It wasn’t used much while I was aboard. Thank for sharing.
In other words do not put gasoline in it. The p250 is twice the pump in gallons per minutes than the newer P100 for similar mass but it used gasoline and the navy got rid of it for safety reasons.
If you're ever shorthanded for a strip trip I'd gladly fly myself out! I love seeing how these large machines work and I can't think of any better way to experience that then to see one being dismantled!
I know from experience that Ryan was loving the chance to go "scrounging". In February 1993, I was assigned to USS Constellation (CV-64) as a Signalman First Class (SM1). Connie was just completing a three year overhaul and modernization at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. We managed to get permission to spend two whole days scrounging on about eight Charles F Adams class Guided Missile Destroyers (DDG's) which had just been authorized to scrap in the early 90's. As there was really no active ships in Philly by this time, we were the first to go onboard. It was a scroungers paradise, you cannot imagine the ecstasy we felt almost running through checking every ship. I cannot remember the names of them all, but I do remember Charles F. Adams (DDG-2) Claude V. Ricketts (DDG-5) Lawrence (DDG-4) and Conyngham (DDG-17). There was a civilian shipyard worker (yardbird) sitting in the Chiefs Mess on the first ship with a portable heater and he said go ahead and take what we wanted. I looked into the signal shelter on one of the ships and saw a nice wall safe mounted inside. We broke the plexiglass window and crawled inside to remove the safe. We had a little Ford Ranger truck and that thing made numerous trips back to Connie loaded down with lockers, tables, lighting fixtures, telephones, searchlight parts and binocular stands. By the third day it was snowing and we were sloshing around the decks, but having a blast. The USS Forrestal was in Philly getting her last overhaul before decommissioning and their Signal Gang caught wind of what we were doing and tried to get in on the looting frenzy, but we had already removed all the good stuff. We probably saved the Navy $100,000 dollars in supplies and parts on those trips and I was set up for the next two years with parts to trade with other ships when we arrived back in San Diego. In 2003 I went back on Connie to see a friend who was a Signalman on there. They still had some of my stash from Philly parts ten years later! What a great memory. Lance Schoenbaum SMC (SW/AW) USN Retired
My old gramps help build Connie at the Brooklyn Navy Yard before they shut it down. He was a marine plumber. He ran his ass off her when she caught fire during construction. He passed away in 1976 at the age of 76. For 30 years or more he built warships for the navy. He was one short tempered salty bastard I’ll say that.
@@map3384 Yes Connie had a plaque in Hangar Bay #1 with the names of the people who died during that fire. I am sure your grandfather had some good stories to tell and some interesting ships he worked on. Brooklyn Navy Yard at one time was the Navy's premier government shipyard.
@@lanceschoenbaum1358 Ow absolutely. The Showboat, USS North Carolina, USS Iowa, USS Bon Home Richard, USS Oriskany. A number of British warships which came into the yard for repairs. USS Forestall and USS Saratoga for refits and lots of Essex class carriers during SCB27 modernization programs. He saw USS Enterprise rotting away in the 1950s. His name was Irving Oberfeld.
@@map3384 That is awesome, would have loved to see those Essex getting their angle deck and steam cats installed. A funny coincidence, every ship you mentioned I have been on except the North Carolina. Iowa is in Los Angeles and have taken several tours. Bonnie Dick (CV31) and The mighty O (Oriskany) I was privileged to go on in Bremerton back in the mid 1980's while in mothballs. We were able to scrounge some equipment from both for the my ship at that time, the USS Ranger. And finally Forrestal I visited in Philly yard just before commissioning and Saratoga I was able to trade some equipment with while inport Mayport Florida in the early 90's. Great ships all of them, famous names in the Navy.
4:46 This shot makes me rather sad. See that 117 hull number back there? That's my old ship, the former USS El Paso (LKA-117). She was the last "gator freighter" that will ever be built. I served aboard her as a gunner's mate from St. Patrick's Day 1975 to mid-November 1976. Three Carib cruises and one Med cruise later and I was a world traveler, and totally in love with the sea. I miss those days, though there were times that I hated them back then. We took on a hurricane with that ship, and won, making it safely to port while the rest of our squadron went back out to sea to ride it out. Days gone by, and an old man's memories now.
Having worked in shop 300 (Design), I’ve seen both New Jersey & Missouri in dry dock, & spent 2 days on a shakedown Cruise, on New Jersey when the ship was suddenly deployed to the gulf. (Libya) in 1983. They removed us civilian contractors a day after swearing us into the Navy. (It’s in the rules, folks)... I was the third guy on the copter flying us back from San Diego where we were picking up ammo & Nukes... Do a video on shipyard workers who got “Shanghai’ed” into the Navy... hundreds were killed in WW 2, and we shipyard workers have stories.... Boy, do we have stories....
Kind of a bummer couldn't film at least some of the process, not your fault of course. Say- what is that sign with the semaphore flags and alphabet over Ryans left shoulder at the ending portion of the video for? Thanks again for the quality content, and thanks for the teak, the teak fitting and the Memorial Day flown flag, we have it flying over our place 25 feet up!
Love the vids, glad you guys found some good stuff to use from the other ships. Also love the old Commodore 64 floppy drives that were behind you, I still have mine in working condition ;)
You are an incredible asset to U.S. Naval history and I am personally proud of you. Do you have a mente? A young person you lead and teach? If not, please find one.
Really neat video. Its probably going to be a long while before the active fleet isn't still searching for CIWS parts. I wonder what happened to some of the console mock ups used in the sets for films like Battleship or The Last Ship...if nothing else, I feel like there are people who could fabricate the console face for the right price. Those Navy Cash machines are a great find! I don't know if they worked differently in the 80's but I recall they could only put money on a 'Navy Cash Card' for use at the ship's store, for paying mess bills and for MWR events. They weren't exactly an 'ATM' as they would not dispense cash. On a separate note, I'd have a hard time walking through Sammy B., know her history and that she's going to be scrapped and not pocketing anything I could find. I hope NHHC has combed through that ship for objects that tell the story of her mine strike in 1988.
Wonder if you would be able to do yours of some of the old Navy buildings left at the Philly Navy Base. I lived there as a kid when my dad was stationed there. Awesome memories;
Curious in the background was a former Newport class LST thought they'd either been all scrapped or sent to the bottom like the 2 I deployed on- San Bernadino and Tuscaloosa both sunk as targets.
I also toured the Saratoga in 1968 as a Boy Scout at the Philadelphia Naval Yard. It was great that the Navy made the ship available to the public. I wonder if they still have similar programs in effect.
The Coast Guard decommissioned Ten 378 High Endurance Cutters which all had CIWS units on the sterns. The CIWS units were removed. The last one was done this year. I am not sure where the removals were done either at Alameda Naval base or the Coast Guard Base. I am sure the Navy reclaimed them.
I agree 💯. The story of USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG-58) surviving that mine strike is incredible. What an outstanding crew that was to save her from foundering. It's too bad Ryan couldn't do any shipboard archeology on the Roberts. The repairs of the mine damage where the new engine room module was installed is probably interesting. I hope someone from the Navy had the foresight to document that for posterity.
It is sad. I think The Roberts would have made a great museum ship. Simply incredible story of how she survived that mine strike. I'm sure you are proud to have served on a ship with such a venerable history. Thank you for your service! 🇺🇸
Hey Ryan,
I'm a retired CIWS Chief. The correct console you're looking for is a MK 340 Mod 4 Remote Control Panel (RCP).
Good luck, but there are still foreign navies using parts from these. There should be some Mod 4 chassis's out there somewhere since no modern ship has 4 mounts.
Thank you for your service sailor!
They should have some stuff stored in the trunk of that Ford Pinto out there in San Diego parking lot. It's the one with all the parking violation that cover the car. A little hard to notice from all the others at first sight unless ya look 4 all the pink and orange violation stickers dating back to the 70s
I work FMS and Block 1 BL 0 stuff is not supported by Raytheon anymore
@@kennethwise7108 Out of commission should mean they’ve removed specifically the shells and replaced them. Chances are, some could be left de-electronic’d and unscrapped.
@first letter of the alphabet most of the Block 0 stuff isn't compatible with later model baselines so it's kind of a moot point.
I am a former marine who was introduced to museum ships when I lived in Rhode Island and went to Battleship Cove in Fall River. I've been on the Massachusetts, North Carolina Alabama, Yorktown, Lexington, Texas, Midway, Wisconsin, and the other ships on display at these museums. I am always appreciative of the work performed by the volunteers and paid staff who restore and maintain these ships. I am especially impressed by your dedication to the restoration and preservation of the New Jersey. I would encourage all visitors to contribute money beyond the admission price of the museum ships to help with further restoration. And please...do not steal anything. Much of the items on these ships is irreplaceable.
Amen. Semper Fidelis.
They obviously picked the right guy to curate that ship.
The ship picked him after a through review.
They picked the right pro scavenger as curater :-)
Ryan looked broken, and that was only by lunch time! You can tell he kept going because he loves it.
Ok I’ll come clean Ryan. On my last visit in May I was going to pocket one of the 16”shells in the parking area.
My plan was foiled when I tried to lift 10 times my body weight at least AND I realized it wasn’t going to fit in my pocket.
I settled for a magnet of the ship from the gift shop.
Haha. Imagine Ryan walking outside and saying “who took the 16in shell” and your car sitting there with the suspension blown out.
@@GeigerMotorsports Ryan: "Not again."
I’ll get the crane
Seeing personal effects in lockers and paperwork, pens, nameplates on desks is what’s really cool.
Very well said people stop stealing the ship’s items
Agreed... Aggravates the heck out of me to hear or see things like this... I used to volunteer @ AF museum... And after putting in work, it made me quite angry to see folks taking or attempting to take stuff off of the aircraft that was searched for in the first place to read place missing items...
Stealing from public museums is one of those painfully selfish things people do.
Too bad they can't reactivate the brig and put some of those thieves on bread and water for a while...
@@MK0272 I do greatly appreciate US bill of rights, which protects against things like 'Imprisonment by museum curator' and 'depravation punishments', so I am glad that they cannot do this. However, I do wish that stealing public property, particularly for novelty, carried heaver sentences, despite the fact that we are protected from excessive fines.
@@ObiwanNekody Yeah, well, a guy can wish, can't he? Stealing from a museum is particularly bad because you can't exactly go out to your local department store and buy a replacement. There are only X number of each item out there, and once they're gone, they're gone for good.
I actually stopped by the new Jersey today, I just got out of the military and it was great that I got in for free. I've only seen the north Carolina before that so I'll have to take his word that it's the world's greatest battleship.
visited the North Carolina (nc) a few years ago. did my walking tour with my two teenage sons and my hubby(45Yrs.Old). after 4-5 minutes he had a small group of kids following him. even the tour guides looked at him funny as he was not a guide. about an hour later the kids came back and I went to find him...... he was in Turret #1 just standing there, eyes closed and just breathing .... wtf I said. he was crying. .. he then said that he was just "there" a second ago with all his buddies on his first ship and that the NC still smelled like a battleship. His battleship, the Jersey. and for just that second he was 18 again, haze gray and underway in '85.
@@tammywehner3269 Tammy, if he was 18 in 1985 he would have to have been born in 1967. If your husband is 45 years of age now, he would have been born in 1976. Maybe my math is wrong.
@@tammywehner3269 Still happens to me as well. A smell or a sound or a picture will have me 20 again and back on the USS Kansas City (AOR-3). Coming up on 31 years in September since I went ashore for the last time. Absent friends and old memories will get you every time.
@@leppyomalley993 I'd guess a transposition error. 54 yo rather than 45. I graduated high school in 1985. Pushing 54 real hard...like 9 weeks away now.
I visited New Jersey not too long ago-I’m only a couple hours away. :-)
15:39 I've visited New Jersey a couple of times since she opened and every time I visited, the level of care and attention to detail in the restoration in the spaces I visited was such that it seemed as though the ship was ready to cast off and get under way. Of the museum ships I've visited, New Jersey is one of the ones that still feels like she's truly alive.
I have never visited a museum ship, but the one thing I think would be missing is the sound. An active ship is a living thing and by the sounds she makes I could tell what we were doing or about to do. I can remember getting ready to leave port and how hour by hour the sounds/tempo of a ship kept increasing. Like a giant rousing from a slumber to go out and make things happen
The Yorktown has some audio recordings and such but you are right. The nearly constant sound of the hydraulics turning the rudder on a fast frigate is something that you will never forget.
Take Care, John
I love the random stack of commodore disk drives on the shelf behind you at 10:10
Yeah, I instantly recognized those 1541 floppy drives. Old school!
@@mikeh.8912 What the he** is a "floppy" drive?? Is that like a "Betamax"?
@@penultimateh766 trolling!!!
@@penultimateh766 Kind of? Betamax is the failed VHS which like a cassette tape used a magnetic strip to store data. A Floppy disk was a disk that stored data in a similar manner but were housed in a container that was fairly flexible. They came in 8 inch and 5 1/4 inch sizes while 3 1/2 inch came in the style of the save button in a hard plastic case. Several youtube channels cover this better than I ever could.
Ikr, good ol 1541 :3
I won’t lie, I’m a bit bummed out that they didn’t let you film whilst you were working but that’s not your fault of course. Glad you guys got some useful stuff out of this trip!
This!!! (Oh well, rules are rules!)
It makes sense. Pictures or video from inside the ships could give foreign countries an idea as to the material condition and potential capabilities of the reserve ships should they need to be reactivated for a war.
I've been on these trips; you have no idea how hard it can be not to take photos because you know you may never see that space or vessel again. But if you want to be asked to come back, you play by their rules.
I am glad they don't, it would just piss me off. I remember seeing some of those ships in service and what they looked like then. For me its like walking into a grave yard and everywhere I turn is a head stone with the name of a friend or acquaintance on it.
@@derfvader6951 I was in Norfolk Naval Shipyard for nine months and McKee and Simon Lake were nested together. I went onboard with some people and got one of the gentlemen who managed them to give us a tour. The interior spaces were actually in remarkably good condition
Maddening to hear people take items from museum ships.
That does ask for some of the traditional punishments for theft on a navy ship...
The Hornet has had people try to remove items during a large event when the ship is rented out. Once a party goer tried to walk off with a helmet and when the elderly Hornet security volunteer (a veteran) intervened the thief pushed him to the deck and took off. Hard to take off on a carrier as you still need to get past the security brow which of course the thief didn't. Nonetheless, we have had midnight thieves several times try to get aboard in the early morning hours only to be surprised by a few that sleep on the ship though the week. Some scamper over the barbed wire gate over the water while one actually jumped overboard. Even had one thief try to remove copper wire from the ship's live 440 feed. That could have been one hell of a firework.
@@TheEvertw Cool, sell tickets.
@@tbm3fan913 OK, war stories time: Copper thieves were, back about 20 years ago, a HUGE problem in the area of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada and the whole region, extending all the way east to the Niagara river.
I was working for Rogers Communications on their internet service product support line. One afternoon, the entire service goes out for all of Ontario. We get a massive call spike, reporting no internet service, and so we start working on the problem. Everyone had a working cable modem, connected to our network, and could drop and restore the IP address information without trouble, and we could ping them from our workstations (which, btw, had normal internet access at this time).
Before long, we found out what had happened. Rogers was, at that time, renting fiber-optic cable capacity from Bell Canada (the phone company that runs all the physical phone lines in Canada and the main long distance network) to connect the Rogers network in Ontario (which was mostly Ottawa and Toronto and Toronto's suburbs) to a major backbone in the US. There was a bridge with this fiber optic cable we were on, plus another one, on it to cross a river. Idiot copper thieves thought they were copper and cut each one with an axe finding out they weren't. We were down for about three days, and only that short because we convinced Bell to let our fusion-splice crew (which did this kind of work all the time on the fiber optic parts of the cable system and were MUCH faster at it than Bell's crews were) go in and complete splicing the cable back together.
I recall a movie about that tour of Europe that Samuel Clements went on (the one where he was rumored to have died, and when he heard of it sent a telegram "Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated").
One of his (randomly selected) traveling companions kept trying to steel bits of the architecture and statuary as souvenirs. With a geologists hammer. The truly horrendous thing about this is that while the specific individual is probably fictional, the practice was absolutely NOT fictional. People really did that in the 19th century.
Ryan
I was active Navy '94-'98. I served with a EM and a BM who both where on the New Jersey in the early 90s. Some of the stories...
I spent my years on ARD5 The Waterford. Keel laied In '52 I believe. Old school Navy.
As an adult I spent 2 nights on The New Jersey with my boy scouts. Thank you.
As well as I have toured NJ about 5 times. She is vintage!
Reminds me of "home".
In 2017 we had the opportunity to tour The G.W.Bush in Norfolk.
It was cool but not home.
I made a promise I will visit all of the Iowa class BB. So being in Norfolk I toured the Whisky as well. She brought me home. I'm told its the Ozone from the old electronics. But ill take a Iowa over the new G.W. B any day.
Thanks for keeping her going. I will be back to visit again!
ENFN Wotring
a light coating of grease on dogging wrenches and other tools may deter a casual thief
DYKEM Hi spot blue.
I like to see the wear and tear on surfaces, places where you can tell thousands of soldiers have walked, or grabbed a handle.
I like that whether it is wear from historical use, or as a museum. An art museum near me has had one centerpiece artifact that has been in place for a few decades, and the finish on the floor is visibly wearing. It gives a sense of the passage of time, not just for the item, but also for the museum, that we are a part of the history of the item.
One idea for some help sourcing strange light bulbs, indicators, displays, readouts, etc...Contact Fran Blanche (she has a UA-cam channel under that name and she's got a workshop in Philadelphia) and she knows a great deal about all kinds of strange and outdated items, including being able to source many weird and wonderful things. (She specializes somewhat in NASA items from the 1960's, but you never know what she might be able to get for you.)
Good shout, Fran's great.
Some of the most immersive elements when I visited the museum in terms of what it was like for the crew on board was definitely hearing the 1mc, ship's bells, and some of the entertainment that was to be had, like the backgammon & chess tables, the TV showing the battleships music show, and the displays about crossing the equator or the ship's acting troupe. All the things we lay people don't immediately think of as battleship- like you said, the ATM & the pay phone are going to be great additions! Especially if you can get the payphone working- the novelty of calling mom & pop from a battleship would be sweet! (And maybe make a few dollars, too)
“One day i want this ship to look like the crew just got off of it”. That’s a fantastic goal.
I'm super distracted by the Commodore 1541 disk drives in the background. 9:31
Then I wasnt seeing things! LOL
I like your ultimate goal, Ryan. I believe one of the Titan Missile Silos is set up this way, either to look like the crew just walked away from their billeting area or it actually is as it was the day the site was decommissioned. This definitely gives a building (or a battleship) orders of magnitude more historical significance.
Had a friend that worked at the Minute Man National Historic Site its pretty cool.
www.nps.gov/mimi/index.htm
I was on a school trip to DC in the beginning of June and the last day we had, we went to Philadelphia and drove past the New Jersey, SS United States, and all those cool decommissioned ships. Wish we had more time there
I want to see the New Jersey look like it did when she was finally decommissioned, that's the ship I would like to see. Glad to hear you got some good stuff, love those old computer drives in the back.
Im sorry. I hilariously though of Ryan holding kids by the ankles from turrett 2 shaking them saying "where's my dogging wrench. I know you have it Johnny" lol
I know he wouldn't do this. But the thought made me laugh so hard I cried.
TBF, everyone sailor in the navy has swiped a dogging wrench at some point, by accident or on purpose.
I served on the FFG-7 Oliver Hazard Perry as a Midshipman during the summer of 1985. It makes me feel old seeing the Perry Class Frigates being stripped and scrapped. ha ha ha So many great memories of serving on her and the crew was so much fun.
Me and my best friend yesterday stopped at the Philadelphia naval yard on our way back from Beach it was a great and quick stop to get to see all the ships there and the ships that will be scraped soon
My best friend and I....
The biggest thing I love to read are stories from the crew. That and the signage that tells about the operation of equipment, procedures, watch bills, and so on. Another thing that brings history to life is pictures in the spaces where certain events occurred. Some years ago I was on the Coast Guard cutter Igham when it was still at Patriot's Point. There was a large room in the aft end of the ship in which they had a board telling the story of a rescue she was involved in. Someone had taken a couple of rolls of pictures of the rescued survivors in that same room, and the museum staff had set up pedestals with those pictures at the positions those pictures were taken from. A person could be standing facing one of the displays in, say, the back corner of the room and look up to see the overhead, the light fixtures, the equipment, the first aid boxes, and so on from exactly the same perspective the camera had. It was very easy to picture bedraggled survivors in that very same room, and it really brought the story to life.
I'm just imagining Ryan's Raiders tactically moving through a ship, wrench drawn, demounting everything they can find xD
i like to see machined surfaces that haven't been painted solid on a museum ship. Oh, and usable grease points on bearings.
I could not work on a museum ship, I'd have this uncontrollable urge to get things working again, which seems to be a no no
Check out their unrestored engine room and lower regions of turret one that also has not been restored. Grease still seeps up from the floor that was used to help move 16" rounds.
First thanks for all you, the volunteers and workers at the museum do!
Second, I have volunteered at the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space museum long ago and always was bothered by the small pilferage, I was told that the ships bridge captain's chair had the leather cut off of it by someone as a souvenir in the first weeks it was open! Another visitor was caught in the nose wheel well of the A-12 with pliers looking for something to take.
Third to answer your question I love interacting with the real equipment. Kids interactive displays are different, but I enjoyed the turret tour where my son and I got to see the parts of the ship and he got to operate the shell hoist. Great stuff! I love optics and whenever possible like to look through periscopes and understand how they work. Even the act of turning the handle on a hatch to see how the mechanism works is a lot of fun when you have never had the chance to see or feel it in person.
I think one thing that gives me the sense of a place or a device being used, and I know this is obvious, is the wear on things like handles or places that have been gripped or pushed. I also enjoy the things that link to an older Navy, such as brass, rope, wood, etc., like a binnacle, that let you know this thing is part of a line of things going back to the Constitution or the Victory.
The thing that really would set what shipboard life was like would be able to eat in the mess, from the same trays, and same menu as the sailors who served. I recall in an earlier video you stated that because the ship is not allowed to make steam, the galley is not functional. Which kind of kills the enlisted mess operation. However, you may be able to serve an officer's mess with brought on board electrical appliances or catering.
@@johnnyrebel3340 Beyond that problem there's also the safety issue. They'd have to strip asbestos lining from the boilers, they'd have to make sure there were NO leaks or weaknesses in the entire steam system, fuel system and seawater system. They'd have to source fuel to keep her running which would be exorbitant. Keep in mind a steam leak at those pressures and temperatures is invisible but deadly. These boilers are approaching 100 years old. I get it, I really do. I would LOVE to see these ships under their own power but it's just not feasible, financially, safety wise or security wise.
12:50 Depending on how exactly the control panels are set up to be installed, you could look at taking some sheet metal and trimming it with a plasma torch or even a grinder, then tapping holes to match with the already existing ones so that you can slot in the retrieved CIWS console and have the surrounding spaces not be empty racks
Me seeing Ryan packing a bag: "we're going on an adventure!"
For engineering components you could try an old LHA, the plants on these were pieced together from WWII ships from recip feed pumps to the fire and flushing pumps.
Ryan, my wife works at URBN in the Navy Yard and I make her watch your videos every night :) She said if you ever have to go back to the Navy Yard to strip, especially the Kennedy since it's right outside her building, she offers to bring you water :) The Kennedy might have the CIWS console you need too...
We checked the Kennedy for that console a few years back. No luck.
I have naval ship back ground, use to volunteer on the battleship Wisconsin in Norfolk Va. To fix, paint and repair many different areas.
I've done the same thing for the museum ship USS Comanche. We got parts off of the Sub tender, Nereus and the oiler Ponchatoula from the reserve fleet in Suisuin Bay, California. The next year we got parts off of the Perry class frigates Sides and Jarrett up in Bremerton. The thing that got to me was the sailor art they had done to make the ships feel like home, including custom graphics in the floor tile and on the bulkheads.
Hydration bladder backpacks are your friend.
3L of water is easy to carry, and if you put ice in the bladder before you fill it with water, it's very nice.
9:25 Maybe it's just my background in computers, but I keep getting distracted by those Commodore 1541 disk drives. I'm sure those ships, in the early 90's, could have a few Commodores or XT-class PCs for crew to use in their leisure time. Those of us in the retro/vintage computer community love keeping systems like those alive.
Well, my prized US Navy ship trinket is a 1941 Monarch 10EE lathe complete with Navy stampings. Unfortunately no idea which ship it came off of. Won it at auction from Florida State U.
I see old add on floppy computer drives on the shelf behind you! Hahaha! That actually makes me excited. You can use them to recreate the desk of a Marine Unit Diary Clerk or Navy equivalant. In the early 1990's the only people in the administrative office that had computers were the office Commanding Officer, the Unit Diary Clerk and maybe the office Senior NCO. Computers were rare, the internet as we now know it did not exist but it did exist for the military. Our office had a direct connection to the Pentagon. All of our personnel, training and unit information entered in the computer would be uploaded over night to the Pentagon's computers & updates downloaded. So our office was the most secure and authorized personnel only space in the unit besides the armory. Those floppy disk drives would have been used to input computer updates not obtained online. We would have used them to make a back up of the days information incase something went wrong with our connection over night. Finally we may have made copies of a Marines personal file or any sort of letters typed concerning them and clipped it in a plastic sleeve inside there Service Record Book if they were transfering to a new unit. That way when they arrived the disc could be used to quickly add that Sailor, Marine, Airman or Soldier to the units list and schedules and list quickly.
Yea, I worked on the Underwood as a pipe filter at Metro Machine in Norfolk, VA in May of '91 where every day hit 95 degrees. My work was in the engine room and had no ventilation. Also worked on the John B Radford, the Ticonderoga, the Saipan and some others but I can't remember their names. On July 4th of '91, a short distance down the river while taking a short break, I could see and hear the commissioning of the Arley Burk while standing on the flight deck of the Saipan.
I visited LST-393. There was a vintage phonograph player and 1930's & 1940's vintage records nearby, on display. Very nice. Every little thing that helps us believe we've walked back in time, to the ship's era of service, is important.
As someone who has a two year old I hope to be dragging to museums for years I can’t tell you how much it bothers me that parents don’t teach kids to value this history and preserve for others, or worse still take it themselves.
My kids have been on the Massachusetts JPK and Lionfish as well as the North Carolina. Trying to get up to see the Yorktown and Laffey.
I have been on the Wisconsin and Alabama. Would love to see the Texas.
I like the engine room and generator, areas, and the massive size. I try to imagine what it would be like working in those areas.
HOT!!! First and only ever experienced with heat rash....
Coolest things i have seen on a museum ship was the magazine where they stored nuclear weapons (it was guarded 24/7 by a marine i'm pretty sure that's what it was used for but i could be wrong that trip was a while ago) the bomb/torpedo workshop the engines and the catapults aboard the USS Yorktown. They also have a Vietnam war display its not on the ship but i loved seeing the AH-1 Cobra and Huey they have on display and all the different weapons that were used in the war. I also had the opportunity to go on the USS Clamagore before it was closed. The whole thing was cool but seeing the engines sonar and how torpedoes worked were the coolest parts. It's unfortunate they are going to sink it. There is a preservation group fighting to get it renovated i hope they succeed. It's the only surviving example of a GUPPY upgraded submarine. They most likely won't though it is in extremely bad shape and they were supposed to sink it 2 years ago.. If they do sink it i hope they take everything out of it and build an exhibit on land that simulates being inside of a submarine.
Also good luck on finding the CIWS control panel you guys need i wish i could help. I also hope i can visit one day Battleship New Jersey is on the top of the list of museum ships i want to see.
Do what they do at the Petrified Forest Natl Park - Put up a display that tells of the bad karma attached to stealing from the ship. You might invent the ghost of a sailor who haunts the thief until the item is returned.
Flogging and keelhauling are suitable punishments. I hate thieves.
keelhauling is serious stuff on an Iowa class BB. Especially one that hasn't moved or been cleaned in a while.
Heh, haunted by the ghost of the war hero, L. Ron Hubbard. Doomed to chase thieves with an E-meter for eternity ☺️
Or assign a relevant deity to seeking vengeance. Poseidon is a good choice, as his portfolio covers the sea, storms, and earthquakes. Neptune also works, as he's a Roman sea-god and parallel's Poseidon, and also covers naval victories (and figures in the long-standing tradition of Crossing The Line ceremonies for sailor's first time crossing the equator).
Also kind of like taking rocks from the volcanos in Hawaii... Pele will get you!!!
When I was in HS I took as trip to the Philly Navy yard with my metal shop teacher to get 2 lathes and a mill. The stuff they had was amazing and the machines came out of a hole cut in the side of a ship they called an oiler. For a gearhead it was one of my favorite trips during HS.
When I was aboard Pampanito as a scout, one of the things that made it really feel like people had lived aboard was limited because submarines are so cramped, but the game boards built into the table were great.
Aboard Hornet, the mess was in active use because I was there as part of a big scouting event, so actually eating there and having all the food prep equipment there as well as the mess trays being the real deal was a big benefit to that understanding. We also were using a wardroom as a training room, and there were still things like coffee makers and ice machines in there.
Aboard Jeremiah O'Brien, the sailor art on the forward gun emplacement was a good one, but the cruise I went on was a working, active trip aboard it so the real impression was that she's still a functional ship as opposed to an impression of life aboard during the war.
Hi, having been involved in HMS Belfast in the late 80/90s the most notable missing thing is noise and vibration. Easy to solve by putting vibration plates on trunking or main fire pipelines, goes right through the ship, speakers just don’t do it properly
The other thing if feasible is to reinstate the galley to feed visitors, people go for authentic features, a burger bar does just does not crack it.
Good luck with the ship, must come and visit before I cross the bar
Yours Aye
Ray Vincent 🇬🇧
When I go through museum ships I look for how complete it still is. This helps me get the full picture of what the troops were doing in their daily routine.
Sad to hear about the Hall. I have been on that ship several times when I was stationed down in MS. I have helped her moor to the dock so many times I lost track.
Was hoping to see what a stripped ship looks like
I think we can all imagine what that would look like: Lots of rooms with all metal walls, floors, and ceilings, with random brackets and other assorted mounting points for things. Quite sad, really. Like a once-bustling office that's had all the useful stuff taken out but not been emptied by a new occupant yet.
My story is a little different but these ships you talk about bring back a lot of memories. In Portland, Oregon we have the Portland Rose Festival every year and it’s been going on for 114 years , but the tradition of military ships and I’m not sure when it started the Navy, Cost Guard, Corp of Army Engineers and the Canadians military departments where invited to bring there ships up the Columbia River then the Willamette River to the sea wall right in the middle of downtown. Well as a kid I would go all over these ships then later if you had connections through the Cost Guard Auxiliary or the Navy League you where able to ride in the ships either up river from Astoria or down river to Astoria then take a chartered bus back to Portland. I did that for years and it was a lot of fun. One year I was also involved it working civilian personal boarding of a navy ship one year in that I was a member Blue Back council of the Navy League of the United States that handled all the civilian personal to board the ship
and I was the last person to board the ship and give the command to the navy personnel and river pilots to pull the gang way and cast off all lines because all the civilian guests where aboard and accounted for, that was really a exciting moment in my life and I’ve forgotten all about till now watching this video. But of course 9/11 changed a lot of that and budget cuts etc the display of ships now has really declined then you add in our current situations, who knows.
Love the Commodore 5.25 inch floppy drives on the rack behind you, Ryan. Those bring back some memories.
I was stationed on the USS Curts FFG-38 out of San Diego (used as a target in a sink-ex).I never remember having an ATM or a pay phone on my ship. If we needed cash we went to the disbursing officer (and this was after 2000). I can still mentally find my way through a Perry Class FFG and it's been almost 20 years since I was onboard. I still have a couple of souvenirs from my time onboard (what sailor doesn't).
I worked aboard the USS Edson DD-946 the entire 14 years (1989 - 2004) she was at the Intrepid Museum (was a former crew member 1970 -1972). We would often go to the Philly yards to get spares, etc. Maybe things were a little different then, we were able to replace most of the equipment in radio central for instance. There was even the time I opened a compartment that was most likely the ET shop. It was like the crew just stepped out for lunch...everything was there. Oscilloscopes, meters, signal generators, and the thing that made my life much easier on the Edson, a fully functional Hickok vacuum tube tester!!! I got the entire 1MC system running again using that....lol
Also, from the IC room a complete ship's entertainment control system, switch panels, reel-to-reel, cassette decks, CD players, pre-amps, QSC 75 volt balanced line power amps. You could hear that system on the next pier.
Also high on the "get" list were things like vacuum tubes, 1MC speakers, signs, DC equipment, and stuff that would keep "disappearing" SPA-35 repeater control knobs, spanner wrenches, fuses, and fuse holders, colored light indicator lenses on equipment, and sound-powered phone receptacle covers. I guess people needed them for the systems they had at home.
If only I had $1.00 for every time I was dragged out of my rack to go chase a failing 12AX7 tube in the MK 19 gyro cabinet or one of the Synch-amps. Ditto for every dial telephone handset cord, SP phone plug, SP phone receptacle, SP handset, SP headset, MC microphone cord, T&D line plug, etc. which I repaired or replaced after being exposed to either the elements or Deck department.
I seem to remember the Pre-Amp tubes on the 1MC having a quite pleasant violet glow whenever somebody keyed up a mic, with the Finals being a yellowish-white color and rather bright. Our SITE system was much newer. In addition to the multi-channel audio system, we ran 2 cable TV channels underway, and both broadcast and Cable TV (if available on the pier) while in port. For our 2 CATV channels we could source from local studio, VHS, Betamax, 8mm film, or (my project) the CATV feed from the Helo deck. All of the berthing areas had color TV's and VCRs, courtesy of the Morale, Welfare and Rec fund. Sailors being sailors, local VCRs generally played content that would not be considered suitable for the SITE programming.
This was a fascinating video of what it takes to make it look alive, which is probably my favorite Ryan-ism. its truly sad that people pilfer from these ships and other historic sites, it may seem cool, or even rewarding thst you got away with it, but how woild YOU feel if one of your prized possessions, something you worked hard physically and financially or emotionally to obtain, was taken by a visitor....history belongs to all of us! please respect these sites!
Ironic that the Hull is now so stripped out that it's just the hull.
I work in FMS and my customer owns 2ea. Oliver Hazzard Perry FFG's. When I worked at SIMA Mayport on those things we dealt with obsolescence issues. Fast forward 25 years later many of these ships are now flying foreign countries flags and oddly enough many of the components in need are surprisingly the SAME ones that we needed back in the 90's! LOL
I haven't seen any of your displays, but I generally like displays that make a ship look lived-in. Like sheets on beds, personal artifacts, dining tables with perhaps some mannequins in period uniform having breakfast, kitchens with (reproduction) foodstuffs in skillets and on cutting boards, etc.
Years ago, one of the guys I served with asked a bunch of us to help him with some repairs he had to make to his back porch.
I showed up with a bunch of "extra" gear as they referred to it. I was mocked for having bought hardhats for everyone and insisting that they put them on.
That mockery ended about 15 seconds after we started when my pal, the homeowner, had a large chunk of wood fall directly onto his hardhat.
Since it stunned him a little (although that may have been shock & surprise) with the hardhat on, it possibly could've knocked him out if it had hit his bare head.
Never disparage or underrate the use of safety equipment.
I had an internship with NAVSEA in Philly and also got to go onboard the decommissioned ships to salvage some parts, what a coincidence haha
EN2 Goeke here, It was nothing they did, but I really got a kick out of how you could still smell the JP5 on the USS Midway when I went back to see her (1988-1990). The smell just seemed to hang everywhere. Do you know, I've often heard that the Midways design was basically drawn out from and laid out on an lowa class destroyers keel? Does the New Jersey have the same 12 boiler, 4 engineroom setup as the Midway? I have a picture of the two side by side from above and their lengths are the same. Your channel is quickly becoming my favorite. Thanks
Thanks for posting this, I was wondering about this. When I was active duty Army (going through ordnance LT course at Aberdeen in the summer of 1998), I was in Philly and saw the Iowa tied up, from the highway. I drove in, drove right up to the gangplank, grabbed a hard hat and acted like I belonged, and walked up onto the deck for a few moments before heading back down before someone asked who I was. Even at the time I wondered what kinds of spares they might have had for those ships as I saw pallets of stuff that looked new, sitting on the deck
10:34 They used Commodore 64 disk drives for its weapons guidance system. Very authentic.
Is that for real? I was going to comment about seeing them behind him.
The thing I recognize/look for on all the museum ships I've been on is 'the smell of life.' Fuel, lubricants, sweat, 'grunge,' the things that prove a ship was 'alive,' thanks to her crews.
For Carriers it would have to be the 5-inch turrets as well as Aircraft. For Battleships I would have to say it would be seeing the Gun turrets as well as the Sickbay.
i would like to see the ships the way they it was when i left it i was on the R E Kraus DD 849 and i visit the JPK DD 850 in Fall river but it is not the same oh yes i was on the New Jersey two years ago nice job she is looking good hope to be back soon keep up the good work thank you for all your hard work
You guys are lucky to have such great support from the USN
That is fantastic! I am stoked you found some Phalanx CIWS gear, as a previous CIWS tech my biggest irritant with those panels was replacing those hellbegotten peanut bulbs that always burnt out. Does the museum light the consoles in CIC or the local control units? Pro tip for replacing those peanut bulbs, grab a gov issue black ballpoint pen, take it apart, you can use one of the halves to easily unscrew the old bulbs and screw in the new ones. Any active duty folks who dont know..this is a huge time saver, especially if you have large hands.
We do light up the consoles in CEC (we have CIC and CEC on the Iowas and these consoles are in CEC) as best we can but we get to use more modern lights and they aren't connected to the rest of the computer or anything, so much simpler
Ryan something that You said at about 2;45 mins from the End rings Very true . " Every day take one Item to where It goes to make the Ship seem more alive " Decades ago I had to spend 3 Weeks In Rome at short Notice during Deer Season . On Some Days our activity was over early while there was still Daylight so I walked over to Fort Stanwix . It was Winter and I was alone most Days with no Docents so I had to self interpret . I was in the living Quarters with no Fire in the Fire place and was not Dressed warm enough for Hunting like I usually would be During December . There were almost no Personal Belongings in the Room . Except for a Pair of Homemade Mittens made out of a Blanket . I put them on to Keep Me warm while I was in that Room . I returned them to Their spot when I left the room . I visited Fort Stanwix many times that December but the Lucky Mittens are the Things I always remember . It is the little Things that make a Great Museum .
Rome. Everyone thinks of Italy. So, when I saw Fort Stanwix, I knew it was New York. I was stationed at Griffiss AFB from 1972-77. I did tour Fort Stanwix way back then.
@@klsc8510 Yes and there was a Lot of Bocce ball courts around Town ,Ha ha . We were doing Work at the Train Station . We visited the Air Base and Fort During the Bicentennial when the reconstructed Fort Stanwix looked New . Amazing what a Few Decades do . Thank you for your Part in winning the Cold War .
@@markcantemail8018 Thanks for the thanks! So you was there when I was. Funny how people almost cross paths.
My part back then was maintaining a computer system called 465L SACCS. SAC Automated Command and Control System. Think of it as a cross between e-mail and twitter. Really just two dumb terminals that were in the Bomb Wing Command Post. But state of the art when the system was installed in 1962! Now all the racks and racks of equipment can be put on just one computer chip! I loved working on it back then.
I did 21 years between the Air Force and the Michigan Army National Guard. So I was Vietnam Era, Cold War, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. For the last, going to war at age 49 is a trip!
I just did a micro small part in all. Still a part that had to be done. That is what we all did.
I love what y'all are accomplishing with the New Jersey... I only wish that the Texas would generate this kind of interest.
I haven’t been on a ship before but I would think that putting in either personal effects in the berthing spaces or making the mess deck look used might be a nice touch.
I was wondering what type of shape that the OHP’s were in. I remember seeing the pay phone on my ship. It wasn’t used much while I was aboard. Thank for sharing.
A number are being Sink ex'd.
Ryan you are fantastic at your job. You are truly a battleships best friend.
In other words do not put gasoline in it.
The p250 is twice the pump in gallons per minutes than the newer
P100 for similar mass but it used gasoline and the navy got rid of it for safety reasons.
If you're ever shorthanded for a strip trip I'd gladly fly myself out! I love seeing how these large machines work and I can't think of any better way to experience that then to see one being dismantled!
Thank you ryan for doing a fine job taking care of such a prize of a vessel that and of course my favorite the missouri
I know from experience that Ryan was loving the chance to go "scrounging". In February 1993, I was assigned to USS Constellation (CV-64) as a Signalman First Class (SM1). Connie was just completing a three year overhaul and modernization at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. We managed to get permission to spend two whole days scrounging on about eight Charles F Adams class Guided Missile Destroyers (DDG's) which had just been authorized to scrap in the early 90's. As there was really no active ships in Philly by this time, we were the first to go onboard. It was a scroungers paradise, you cannot imagine the ecstasy we felt almost running through checking every ship. I cannot remember the names of them all, but I do remember Charles F. Adams (DDG-2) Claude V. Ricketts (DDG-5) Lawrence (DDG-4) and Conyngham (DDG-17). There was a civilian shipyard worker (yardbird) sitting in the Chiefs Mess on the first ship with a portable heater and he said go ahead and take what we wanted. I looked into the signal shelter on one of the ships and saw a nice wall safe mounted inside. We broke the plexiglass window and crawled inside to remove the safe. We had a little Ford Ranger truck and that thing made numerous trips back to Connie loaded down with lockers, tables, lighting fixtures, telephones, searchlight parts and binocular stands. By the third day it was snowing and we were sloshing around the decks, but having a blast. The USS Forrestal was in Philly getting her last overhaul before decommissioning and their Signal Gang caught wind of what we were doing and tried to get in on the looting frenzy, but we had already removed all the good stuff. We probably saved the Navy $100,000 dollars in supplies and parts on those trips and I was set up for the next two years with parts to trade with other ships when we arrived back in San Diego. In 2003 I went back on Connie to see a friend who was a Signalman on there. They still had some of my stash from Philly parts ten years later! What a great memory. Lance Schoenbaum SMC (SW/AW) USN Retired
My old gramps help build Connie at the Brooklyn Navy Yard before they shut it down. He was a marine plumber. He ran his ass off her when she caught fire during construction. He passed away in 1976 at the age of 76. For 30 years or more he built warships for the navy. He was one short tempered salty bastard I’ll say that.
@@map3384 Yes Connie had a plaque in Hangar Bay #1 with the names of the people who died during that fire. I am sure your grandfather had some good stories to tell and some interesting ships he worked on. Brooklyn Navy Yard at one time was the Navy's premier government shipyard.
@@lanceschoenbaum1358 Ow absolutely. The Showboat, USS North Carolina, USS Iowa, USS Bon Home Richard, USS Oriskany. A number of British warships which came into the yard for repairs. USS Forestall and USS Saratoga for refits and lots of Essex class carriers during SCB27 modernization programs. He saw USS Enterprise rotting away in the 1950s. His name was Irving Oberfeld.
@@map3384 That is awesome, would have loved to see those Essex getting their angle deck and steam cats installed. A funny coincidence, every ship you mentioned I have been on except the North Carolina. Iowa is in Los Angeles and have taken several tours. Bonnie Dick (CV31) and The mighty O (Oriskany) I was privileged to go on in Bremerton back in the mid 1980's while in mothballs. We were able to scrounge some equipment from both for the my ship at that time, the USS Ranger. And finally Forrestal I visited in Philly yard just before commissioning and Saratoga I was able to trade some equipment with while inport Mayport Florida in the early 90's. Great ships all of them, famous names in the Navy.
4:46 This shot makes me rather sad. See that 117 hull number back there? That's my old ship, the former USS El Paso (LKA-117). She was the last "gator freighter" that will ever be built. I served aboard her as a gunner's mate from St. Patrick's Day 1975 to mid-November 1976. Three Carib cruises and one Med cruise later and I was a world traveler, and totally in love with the sea. I miss those days, though there were times that I hated them back then. We took on a hurricane with that ship, and won, making it safely to port while the rest of our squadron went back out to sea to ride it out. Days gone by, and an old man's memories now.
Have you checked with the Mothball Fleet here in the James River in VA?
Having worked in shop 300 (Design), I’ve seen both New Jersey & Missouri in dry dock, & spent 2 days on a shakedown Cruise, on New Jersey when the ship was suddenly deployed to the gulf. (Libya) in 1983. They removed us civilian contractors a day after swearing us into the Navy. (It’s in the rules, folks)... I was the third guy on the copter flying us back from San Diego where we were picking up ammo & Nukes... Do a video on shipyard workers who got “Shanghai’ed” into the Navy... hundreds were killed in WW 2, and we shipyard workers have stories.... Boy, do we have stories....
Kind of a bummer couldn't film at least some of the process, not your fault of course. Say- what is that sign with the semaphore flags and alphabet over Ryans left shoulder at the ending portion of the video for? Thanks again for the quality content, and thanks for the teak, the teak fitting and the Memorial Day flown flag, we have it flying over our place 25 feet up!
Love the vids, glad you guys found some good stuff to use from the other ships. Also love the old Commodore 64 floppy drives that were behind you, I still have mine in working condition ;)
8 bit Guy would be doing his nut !
You are an incredible asset to U.S. Naval history and I am personally proud of you. Do you have a mente? A young person you lead and teach? If not, please find one.
love it! right around 10:46 behind Ryan are two old Commodore 1571 floppy disk drives.. had a few of those back in the day!
Really neat video. Its probably going to be a long while before the active fleet isn't still searching for CIWS parts. I wonder what happened to some of the console mock ups used in the sets for films like Battleship or The Last Ship...if nothing else, I feel like there are people who could fabricate the console face for the right price. Those Navy Cash machines are a great find! I don't know if they worked differently in the 80's but I recall they could only put money on a 'Navy Cash Card' for use at the ship's store, for paying mess bills and for MWR events. They weren't exactly an 'ATM' as they would not dispense cash.
On a separate note, I'd have a hard time walking through Sammy B., know her history and that she's going to be scrapped and not pocketing anything I could find. I hope NHHC has combed through that ship for objects that tell the story of her mine strike in 1988.
This blows me away. I have toured several museum ships and forts and never dreamed of stealing a "souvenier"
the ship next to the 113 is the USS Mobile LKA 115 spent 4 months aboard her in 1988 Marine detachment
Wonder if you would be able to do yours of some of the old Navy buildings left at the Philly Navy Base. I lived there as a kid when my dad was stationed there. Awesome memories;
Curious in the background was a former Newport class LST thought they'd either been all scrapped or sent to the bottom like the 2 I deployed on- San Bernadino and Tuscaloosa both sunk as targets.
I was aboard the USS Newport, during a cold weather training mission in Norway, as a USMC motor vehicle operator. Memorable.
I toured the USS Saratoga aircraft carrier when I was in the boy scouts. While it was active. It was amazing and those memories are still so vivid.
I also toured the Saratoga in 1968 as a Boy Scout at the Philadelphia Naval Yard. It was great that the Navy made the ship available to the public. I wonder if they still have similar programs in effect.
The Coast Guard decommissioned Ten 378 High Endurance Cutters which all had CIWS units on the sterns. The CIWS units were removed. The last one was done this year. I am not sure where the removals were done either at Alameda Naval base or the Coast Guard Base. I am sure the Navy reclaimed them.
I would enjoy a video about USS Samuel B. Roberts and Operation Praying Mantis.
I agree 💯. The story of USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG-58) surviving that mine strike is incredible. What an outstanding crew that was to save her from foundering. It's too bad Ryan couldn't do any shipboard archeology on the Roberts. The repairs of the mine damage where the new engine room module was installed is probably interesting. I hope someone from the Navy had the foresight to document that for posterity.
Dudes wearing a chambray shirt! That was the working uniform shirt type I was issued. 👍🏼👍🏼😁
I think the Library was my favorite "Oh yeah, people lived here" room.
Have you asked to get a chance to go thru a carrier that's been decommissioned to see if it has the multi system controls for the CIWS?
Served on the Roberts, 01-03 A-div. Sad to hear she's being scraped and my space was empty, a little disappointed not to see the inside again
It is sad. I think The Roberts would have made a great museum ship. Simply incredible story of how she survived that mine strike. I'm sure you are proud to have served on a ship with such a venerable history. Thank you for your service! 🇺🇸
Damn you have a cool job, Ryan.