They could make them out of plastic to lower the cost. They would probably be popular at the other Battleship museums also. I think they would deeply penetrate the souvenir Market and bring in much-needed Revenue!
I see Ryan was in fine form for this video. Everything from "Just like they used to carry the 1 ton shells" to "We want to leave hatches like this one open... but we also don't want small children falling to their death" to your remark about aliens attacking the Missouri. If you keep saying things like these you'll start to give David Fletcher from The Tank Museum a run for his money. If UA-cam asks me about this video I'd have to give it five stars and say it was both informative and entertaining 👍
Rich The battleship related scenes where pretty cool,though for a movie called battleship it was mostly just a destroyer. Honestly it would have been a lot cooler to have it be an alternate history ww2 movie where its a slugout between one of the four Iowas and Yamato.
@@IvorMektin1701 me too lol, she acted as beautifully as she looked lol. Happy I wasn’t the only one that appreciated how hot she was. AND how flat out FUN the movie was, I am a purist and history buff, but I know it’s a damn sci-fi action movie.... so enjoy it for what it is and go on about life, it was entertaining and it didn’t in any way disrespect the Missouri or the vets who served on her...
I worked with someone whom was in gun 1 of the 16" Richard Torney is his name. He would tell me stories of the NJ everyday. Thank for the service of EVERY solider that bunked her.
I served on board the "Big J" 1983-1986. My Condition 3 assignment was Number two turret. Great memories, thanks. BM2 Christopher Beard, 2nd Deck Division.
The Navy should be very satisfied how well their former ship is being cared for . While I’m sure all parts of the ship aren’t ‘showroom’ condition like those of the tour, it’s still a testament to the overall care she is getting. Kudos to you, your staff and volunteers!
The restoration looks great. Many moons ago when I was a teenager I was fortunate to see the New Jersey while it was berthed in Brisbane Australia. Must have been in the late 80's I think. Long time ago. My father was a marine engineer on an oil tanker berthed nearby that we were actually spending the weekend on. We were lucky to meet a generous crew member that took us on a tour of pretty much anywhere we asked that wasn't sensitive. I actually got to go for a look into turret 2!! I came away with a small laminated picture of her firing the 16's and a 20mm casing with a belt link from the gattling gun with the big white radar dome on it. I still have it! I think it was called the phalanx. The guy giving us the tour actually operated this. I also remember all the serious looking marines that were on guard duty at various places around the ship!!
Saw the 16"rs fire from the flight deck of USS Chandler. We were about a half mile ahead of BB-62 at the time. It was the greatest experience in my 4+ years in the Navy.
17:00 "If that's what's happening, it's the least of our worries. Missouri is probably being attacked by aliens at that point." Ryan sneaking in a reference to his secret favorite movie. LMAO
On my last tour of the NJ, you were just cutting through the bulkhead. WOW ! What a great job restoring. I never knew how much money was invested in restoring that ship. I just figured a little bit of paint and turn on the lights. Holy cow, what a tremendous amount of work and money was, and still is invested in that ship. Well done. Looking forward to my next tour when I can get into the engineering spaces. Thank you and all of the people that invested their time to do such a great job. Barry
Normally I "dont condone" cutting holes into stuff for tourists, but in this case I'll make an exception, I'm sure the navy wont mind welding those pieces back in seeing the immaculate condition of so many other things. Outstanding work on fighting the constant battle against corrosion, at this rate you'll be getting ahead of it and from there on it's just maintenance :)
I gotta say that your content always makes me full of so much emotion. My grandfather was a battleship sailor on the Iowa during the Korean Conflict. He always talked about the guns and such. Inspired me to become a sailor myself.
I was on the USS Briscoe in the shipyards in Pascagoula Miss. when the brought the Iowa back. Got to go on board before they started the retrofit. FDR's bathtub was still onboard.. Amazing the work they did to get these ships back to sea.
I do appreciate the effort that has gone into a museum-level restoration of Turret 2, especially in seeking ADA compliance. However, I like to think that a "Service-level" restoration for turrets 1 and 3 for a "Liability-Free" guided-tour option would also be excellent if possible/feasible. Fewer holes to cut, fewer modifications to make, immediately-serviceable machinery and equipment and the like. Maybe even send a few saluting charges from time to time. This is in part inspired by The Chieftain's showcasing of various Tanks in "Runner" status, restored to as much of the original operating state as possible or feasible.
The readers here have to realise that this enthusiasm for retaining great USN military weapons ergo ships is testamount to what makes America ie Americans great people . On your 4 th July take pride in the greatest of your nation and the shoulders of the many giants you all stand upon. T Yet every generation produces it's own giants . The commitment shown by the narrator of the USS New Jersey is just an example of a history of service to the mighty USA. From one of your many friends Down Under Qld Australia .
Amazing amount of work! On my below deck tour of the Missouri the problem I faced was the heat, and the tour was so long I was literally rushing for it to end and to hit the closest working head...on the top deck. Senior citizen here!
First, the microphone quality is amazing, you sound really clear. Second it looks like you’ve done some amazing work on the Jersey since I saw her last in 2011. Thank you for everything you do
That indivdual rung ladder that runs up the "central beam" in turret two, looks like a bit of work all by itself... but then you also remember those floors are covered in oil for moving shells around, and at least to my mind that makes it insane. I cant fathom climbing that several story tall ladder in greasy or oily boots. Damn!
Too cool! Somewhere back in the '80s I was able to spend the morning cruising the Pacific out of Long Beach. My buddy spent a long time serving on that ship.
Wow really enjoyed that, and fair play to the work you have put in, the effort it takes must be astronomical, but worth it as that turret looks brand new compared! Would love to visit one day
So, UA-cam would not let me add a picture. But I and the Family took a trip to the BB North Carolina. So you're telling me the shells my wife and son hugged on are real and were loaded by WW2 vets? This would have been great info on our Tour. I can imagine your tour would be more insightful than the one we got. PS not a fan of self-guided tours, but your info helped me even on an older ship I was able not only to answer some of my son's questions but someone else's when he said "the New Jersey could be ready to go in 19 hours". I told him I highly doubt that via this channel. KEEP UP THE GREAT VIDS AND WORK
USS Alabama BB 60 in WW2 - During a Japanese air attack on the fleet on 21 February, Alabama's No. 9 5-inch turret accidentally fired into the No. 5 mount, killing five and wounding eleven men. That day, Alabama took part in a sweep to the southeast of Saipan to search for Japanese vessels that might be in the area. There is a plaque on the gun mount in Mobile, Alabama as a memorial to the men that lost their lives due to friendly fire.
I think you'd have some success were you to try to raise funds to start using a 16" as a saluting gun. The locals might want to check their glass insurance, however. ;-D
@@BattleshipNewJersey Just one powder bag without a shell, if the recoil and breech work you can load one bag manually. The whole set + shell really needs that hydraulic rammer.
Can't help but wonder how much work would go into a restoration effort needed to allow a turret to rotate, and the barrels to rotate. It would be great if you rotated a turret on a schedule so folks could see it.
@@MrBlackjimrogan I must have missed that. I suppose it would be unnerving to work in a nearby office building, and see the USS New Jersey train her main battery guns on the building you are in.
How many of the 16" shells are still being stored? I have heard they were all sent to Crane in Indiana and had the explosive removed and placed into storage but the number of them is unclear.
The folks at Battleship Cove very much care as we do. But BBMA got decommissioned nearly 50 years before NJ. So thats a lot more weather with a lot less attention from the navy and their deep pockets.
I’m a little disappointed. Libby and the gang didn’t find a cramped space to shove Ryan into during this video. 😉. Kidding! All of you are awesome! Great video, and I learned a few things. Thanks!
@@BattleshipNewJersey ha! I’ve been in a few dual 5”38cal mounts. I’m 6’2” so I can say ouch. I’ve toured more than a few museum ships. The best was doing it young when I had actual USN combat vets to show me. While touring USS Laffey, I was told how roomy the dual mount was compared to the single mounts on the Benson class.
@@derbuckeyetribe9789 I've never been inside one of the 5" mounts on an Iowa, but I did go into a 5" mount on the Alabama. I'm 5'5" and even though there was enough room for me to move around, it was still cramped. That was one of those times I was glad I'm short. 😁
Since our "working" hoist is only a small motor attached to line that pulls the 5lb plastic shell around, Ryan would have to do it unassisted which is 40 ft of smooth vertical surface. He wouldn't make it far.
I assume the bag type this shown in the exterior picture are normally used to seal the gun muzzle? How do you remove them? Air blast, or someone manually?
Thank you so much for the videos. I was rejected for military service due to heath reasons but i would have went to the navy if i could have! I'll be visiting the New Jersey this summer.
It might be instructive to you to visit the Mesa Verde National Park, and the way they have chosen to provide access to interpretive tours. There are multi-story steep wood ladders visitors must descend to reach a number of the levels.
Fantastic quality restoration by you guys and fab work making it more accessible to visitors. Clearly massive attention to detail. I'd be really interested in hearing about what the navy dehumidification system was, during mothballs. What was set up, how it worked, what areas it covered, what was left when they handed it over to you etc. Could you cover that in a future video perhaps? Thanks
@@BattleshipNewJersey Thanks so much for the reply. I have checked out that video and it's another very interesting one (they all are!) and it did talk about what of the original ships systems are still operated, but it didn't talk about the navy dehumidification etc system? Hopefully you might get a chance to cover that sometime in the future. Cheers
Last time I was there you had a Japanese main gun shell but that was mid 2000s it was massive and I remember the actual 16 inch shells onboard not fiberglass they where incredible. And those high doorways where called knee knockers
I toured the New Jersey when she was active back in 90. I was active Army at the time - and I was beaten and bruised afterwards. What an awesome experience, tho.
You might be interested in visiting the Ward deck gun at the state capitol. It was used to fire the first US shots of WWII, at a midget sub outside of Pearl Harbor.
We carry radios that sometimes work. Otherwise we're pretty good about making sure that everybody knows where everybody should be. In an emergency or when you can't find someone specific, pick up an phone to get the 1MC pa system and call out to the whole ship.
Question: With the oiled floors in the ammunition handling areas of the turret, how did sailors avoid (or reduce) slipping and falling and the attendant injuries?
So at the 6:45 mark, you mention the real shells kept in another part of the museum. I would have thought the Navy would have taken the live shells back and either stored them for some reason or rendered them inert.
Wondering if restoring the 16 inch gun is restricted, but if people are using the 40 and 20mm guns, did the ship fire the 16 inch to, heard that in some places where 16 inch gun won't fire unless the deck is clear of people
It is so fckin' *KEWL* that you guys are doing this!!! 🤯 😳😳😳 You guys are legends, keep doing whatever it is that y'all are doing over there because it is working! I don't think there is a single viewer watching this video that wouldn't want to step on that panel and fire those huge AF guns! 😎🥺
Missouri has a brand new beautiful deck and the most guests so more money to restore but more foot traffic to destroy. NJ has the most open internally. Wisconsin is the new girl so she has had less time to deteriorate. Iowa has the best weather so her exterior work is easier year round.
They are all four in remarkable good condition... for 80 y/o maids😂 Iowa has a defective turret 2, Wisconsin had a fire in mothballs that destroyed a lot of the electric cableing in the conning tower. Missouri is occupied fighting aliens😂 so that leaves NJ... which hasn't seen drydock for nearly 30 years. Fortunately this will change in March, so while today i'd say they are all four more or less in the same condition, in summer the answer will be 100% NJ BB-62!❤
I am glad I am almost plankownee of my famous battleship I served on her in deck dept first division In gorgous long beach sunny southern california 1984-86
@@BattleshipNewJersey these are still the strongest ships for the navy.. See if you guys can get her big 16s working im sure that would be a show Their more than museum... 👍👍 I visit the Wisconsin and mighty mo. The old girls are aching to go to sea again
So I am assuming these ships or atleast the more modern or still useful ships (with some work) are in fact the museam but is their a clause in the contract that the Navy can take the ships back or is this just universally true of all the navy ships in museams?
If you ask me, I would much rather be climbing the ladders than using stairs, I think that would be a cool option (if it isn’t already) it would be cool if you get to decide if u want to use the stairs or the ladders, but that’s just my opinion
Nothing just for hydraulics but there are shops for metal work, machining, wood working, electronics, and motors. So whatever work needed to be done could be done in any of those shops.
@@BattleshipNewJersey I'm assuming hydraulic systems have reusable couplings being from the 40's? That would explain the lack of a dedicated hose shop. You'd simply need the stored bulk hose and appropriate tooling to cut it on a hydraulic press. Though the idea of rebuilding hydraulic motors, rams, and pumps in a machine shop gives me the heeby jeebies.
"So it's easy to "just" chip off and paint new stuff".....Contractor watching this face palms.....that my friends in a nutshell is why people undervalue contracting work. That WOULD be hard and time consuming!!!! If you don't get ALL of that off it will peel and flake again. I love this video series though. Totally fascinating and its like a private tour of the unopened areas that I would want to see!!!!! The whole world is based upon handicapped people and people who would get hurt and sue these days.
If you have any space that is easy to do. That can be an Eagle Scout Project. I know Battleship Cove has had several Eagle Projects done on the various ships. Namely the Kennedy.
Weve had several eagle scout projects on board. Including one right now doing a semi-virtual project documenting the signatures returning crew members have left on a wall.
A great video as always. I’m looking to a comparison of the battleship armor piercing vs high explosive shells. Haven’t found it yet but I’ll keep looking.
@@Bellthorian The physical makeup of the shells. I’m sure the AP back then was nothing like today’s tech. Can’t exactly cut open a battleships projectile but some graphics would be nice.
@@chrisb9960 Google the Massachusetts, they may have pictures of the massive dense penetrator that tipped AP shells to punch through armor. When she smashed the French battleship Jean Bart, after the battle when we were friends again French sailors returned several of the penetrators that were left after the shells penetrated the armor and exploded inside the ship. www.reddit.com/r/WarshipPorn/comments/28acv0/fragment_of_a_16_inch_shell_fired_by_the_uss/
I know it's considered taboo... could you address what happened with the Iowa....just the technical aspect. Big fire and over pressure stuff.... and here's how the vessel reacted? Don't get in the how's or why's? It was this gun.... this much powder..... this is what the ship did to react..... this is what a crew would do. Honest technical stuff.
@@BattleshipNewJersey How did the boat react? What part of the boat did this effect? How did damage control react? This is no different than what you would describe happened with...say...an incoming shell. I know this is sensitive. I'm interested in how damage control worked. What did they flood? What bulkheads were sealed? What prevented the powder magazine from blowing up? This is important stuff because the ships design saved the ship.
@@brentraulston7224 I can help you with that, I was there that day in 16 inch turret one. When the explosion happened it sounded like they fired a round over top of our turret. Within seconds the ship went to general quarters. When you are firing the guns the ship is already in a watertight posture, hatches closed and dogged. The turret was an absolute inferno, damage control teams were not able to get into the turret from outside, even though the hatch to turret two was blown off it was too small for a man with breathing gear to get through. Since the bloomers were also blown off damage control crews were spraying water into the turret through the openings around the guns. Petty officer Mulahey who was one of the magazine petty officers in charge came into the powder flats level of turret two through the annular space. Everyone was dead and there was fires out of control. One mistake they did make was passing all the powder for the upcoming shoot into the powder flats right away instead of waiting for each shot before passing the next series of powder so there was somewhere between 20 to 30 bags of powder in the powder flats that was now on fire. Petty Officer Mulahey immediately sealed up the turret and went to damage control central and initiated flooding the magazines and the powder flats WITHOUT the captains permission. That act of courage and heroism probably saved the ship and he was promoted from Petty Officer Third Class to Second class within a couple of days. As far as what areas did it effect, the explosion was largely contained within the turret. On the outside the decking from the bridge to turret one was scorched as well as the paint. I remember sanding the deck and repainting the front of the ship before we came back to Norfolk. Inside the turret the damage was catastrophic. The walls in the gun room were blown out, the explosion traveled down the powder hoist and that trunk was bulging and had split at the seems. I hope this helps, if you have any more questions I will try my best to answer.
@@Bellthorian Hey... thanks for just being there!! I've read a few things....but this was a great technical view. Relatively speaking..how close was the ship to being lost? Worst case scenario? Would it had been an HMS Hood explosion? Were there things in place to prevent worst case scenario? Is there built in engineering to help a situation like this? TIA
@@brentraulston7224 As to how close were we to losing the ship, I can't say. I was trapped in turret one for quite a while after the explosion. However Petty Officer Mortenson who was the leading expert on 16 inch guns in the world was racing around in the turret trying to flood Turret two's power flats. The look on his face said we were in deep shit. I was totally unaware of the potential danger until I saw his face. If even a single magazine detonated it would have set off the other ones in a chain reaction and the ship would have disintegrated like the Hood, killing almost everyone. Only 3 men survived the Hoods magazine detonation that killed 1,415 men. I don't know what you mean by built in engineering but there is damage control center and damage control lockers through the ship with fire fighting equipment, shoring material, materials for plugging holes, etc. Everyone in the crew gets some damage control/fire fighting training. In todays Navy Damage Control is an actual rate where that is specifically their job. It wasn't like that when I was in.
Ryan - "In case that the Navy ever wants to take it back"
Me - "so your saying that there is a chance?"
ryan- "cause we dont want kids falling to their death"
Me- "so your saying there is a chance"
“There are no obsolete”
- Master Oogway
@keith moore Space Battleship USS New Jersey?? Lol
@keith moore a space battleship would be badass.
@@SixcCamaro1 it’s so cramped in those spaces I don’t know where the wave motion gun would go.
I think the fiberglass 16 inch shells would be a hit at the gift shop!
I would love to buy one and have it delivered to Australia.
They could make them out of plastic to lower the cost. They would probably be popular at the other Battleship museums also. I think they would deeply penetrate the souvenir Market and bring in much-needed Revenue!
@@sideshowbob1544 Well, the AP shell replica might deeply penetrate the souvenir market but the HP replica not so much.
@@dieselyeti The AP might penetrate, having a HE also in Stock might blow the bank though
Yep..make plastic replica to make them into giant piggy banks..kids would agrAvate parents like crazy to get one
I see Ryan was in fine form for this video. Everything from "Just like they used to carry the 1 ton shells" to "We want to leave hatches like this one open... but we also don't want small children falling to their death" to your remark about aliens attacking the Missouri. If you keep saying things like these you'll start to give David Fletcher from The Tank Museum a run for his money. If UA-cam asks me about this video I'd have to give it five stars and say it was both informative and entertaining 👍
ikr
he needs to grow some distinctive kind of manly facial hair before he can give fletcher or willy a run for their respective monies.
@Isaac Matthews well said lol, I liked that moment too
I can’t even begin to describe how cool is that you have the shell hoists set up so they actually run
Omg Ryan's Battleship reference about the Missouri being attacked by aliens is hilarious!
That movie was awful but Rihanna was stunning.
Rich The battleship related scenes where pretty cool,though for a movie called battleship it was mostly just a destroyer.
Honestly it would have been a lot cooler to have it be an alternate history ww2 movie where its a slugout between one of the four Iowas and Yamato.
@@redenginner
I was too busy looking at Rihanna 😍
But I was expecting a ridiculous movie and wasn't disappointed
@@IvorMektin1701 me too lol, she acted as beautifully as she looked lol. Happy I wasn’t the only one that appreciated how hot she was. AND how flat out FUN the movie was, I am a purist and history buff, but I know it’s a damn sci-fi action movie.... so enjoy it for what it is and go on about life, it was entertaining and it didn’t in any way disrespect the Missouri or the vets who served on her...
I was thinking the same thing. The way he said it was absolutely perfect
I worked with someone whom was in gun 1 of the 16" Richard Torney is his name. He would tell me stories of the NJ everyday. Thank for the service of EVERY solider that bunked her.
I served on board the "Big J" 1983-1986. My Condition 3 assignment was Number two turret. Great memories, thanks. BM2 Christopher Beard, 2nd Deck Division.
I was there as well from 1984 thru 1988. GMG2 Eric Shaw. Great memories .
GMG2 Shaw. Good chance we ran into each other. I was onboard from Oct 28 1983- July 1986.
I was on Chandler 86 West Pac and New Jersey was firing 16" guns. Coolest thing I saw in the Navy.
The Navy should be very satisfied how well their former ship is being cared for . While I’m sure all parts of the ship aren’t ‘showroom’ condition like those of the tour, it’s still a testament to the overall care she is getting. Kudos to you, your staff and volunteers!
The restoration looks great. Many moons ago when I was a teenager I was fortunate to see the New Jersey while it was berthed in Brisbane Australia. Must have been in the late 80's I think. Long time ago. My father was a marine engineer on an oil tanker berthed nearby that we were actually spending the weekend on. We were lucky to meet a generous crew member that took us on a tour of pretty much anywhere we asked that wasn't sensitive. I actually got to go for a look into turret 2!! I came away with a small laminated picture of her firing the 16's and a 20mm casing with a belt link from the gattling gun with the big white radar dome on it. I still have it! I think it was called the phalanx. The guy giving us the tour actually operated this. I also remember all the serious looking marines that were on guard duty at various places around the ship!!
Saw the 16"rs fire from the flight deck of USS Chandler. We were about a half mile ahead of BB-62 at the time. It was the greatest experience in my 4+ years in the Navy.
Also, would love to know what the LEAST ready compartment on the ship is, and what it looks like. (Aside from possibly the catacombs)
Can't get enough of this content. Huge remedy for the monotony of this past year.
“But we also don’t want small children falling to their death”. 🤣
are we sure we dont want that
Museum has no sense of fun
17:00 "If that's what's happening, it's the least of our worries. Missouri is probably being attacked by aliens at that point."
Ryan sneaking in a reference to his secret favorite movie. LMAO
On my last tour of the NJ, you were just cutting through the bulkhead. WOW ! What a great job restoring. I never knew how much money was invested in restoring that ship. I just figured a little bit of paint and turn on the lights. Holy cow, what a tremendous amount of work and money was, and still is invested in that ship. Well done. Looking forward to my next tour when I can get into the engineering spaces.
Thank you and all of the people that invested their time to do such a great job.
Barry
Missouri's being attacked by aliens at that point. LOL! XD
The fact the Ryan eluded to there being a stash of live 16' rounds packed away, gives me great comfort.
Wow! Dearest thanks for restoring and maintaining that beautiful ship!
“Missouri is being attacked by aliens at that point”. 😂
timestamp?
@@Markyroson 17:03
Normally I "dont condone" cutting holes into stuff for tourists, but in this case I'll make an exception, I'm sure the navy wont mind welding those pieces back in seeing the immaculate condition of so many other things.
Outstanding work on fighting the constant battle against corrosion, at this rate you'll be getting ahead of it and from there on it's just maintenance :)
"Keep off this hoist"
Swabee gonna Swabee.
I gotta say that your content always makes me full of so much emotion. My grandfather was a battleship sailor on the Iowa during the Korean Conflict. He always talked about the guns and such. Inspired me to become a sailor myself.
I was on the USS Briscoe in the shipyards in Pascagoula Miss. when the brought the Iowa back. Got to go on board before they started the retrofit. FDR's bathtub was still onboard.. Amazing the work they did to get these ships back to sea.
"Keep off THIS Hoist". So which hoist can I get on???
I do appreciate the effort that has gone into a museum-level restoration of Turret 2, especially in seeking ADA compliance. However, I like to think that a "Service-level" restoration for turrets 1 and 3 for a "Liability-Free" guided-tour option would also be excellent if possible/feasible. Fewer holes to cut, fewer modifications to make, immediately-serviceable machinery and equipment and the like. Maybe even send a few saluting charges from time to time.
This is in part inspired by The Chieftain's showcasing of various Tanks in "Runner" status, restored to as much of the original operating state as possible or feasible.
The readers here have to realise that this enthusiasm for retaining great USN military weapons ergo ships is testamount to what makes America ie Americans great people . On your 4 th July take pride in the greatest of your nation and the shoulders of the many giants you all stand upon. T
Yet every generation produces it's own giants . The commitment shown by the narrator of the USS New Jersey is just an example of a history of service to the mighty USA. From one of your many friends Down Under Qld Australia .
I love the “No Smoking” sign right next to the powder chute.
Part of damage control😂
I live in California and I want to move to NJ just to volunteer on the ship. I think it would be an awesome experience.
Wow fantastic restoration! Very interesting and impressive
Amazing amount of work! On my below deck tour of the Missouri the problem I faced was the heat, and the tour was so long I was literally rushing for it to end and to hit the closest working head...on the top deck. Senior citizen here!
First, the microphone quality is amazing, you sound really clear. Second it looks like you’ve done some amazing work on the Jersey since I saw her last in 2011. Thank you for everything you do
That indivdual rung ladder that runs up the "central beam" in turret two, looks like a bit of work all by itself... but then you also remember those floors are covered in oil for moving shells around, and at least to my mind that makes it insane. I cant fathom climbing that several story tall ladder in greasy or oily boots. Damn!
Do you ever have any requests from movie studios to film on the battleship?
Nah, that all goes to Mighty Mo... film crews love filming in Hawaii😂
Too cool! Somewhere back in the '80s I was able to spend the morning cruising the Pacific out of Long Beach. My buddy spent a long time serving on that ship.
Turret 2 crawl was awesome! I can't wait to come back and hopefully visit the Machine Shop someday.
"you're welcome for the stairs"
Jokes on you, I would have rather taken the ladder
Nice, we need those 16" Guns against invading aliens
I saw an old video that you all had a 25mm Bushmaster on board. Do you still have it, or has it been passed on to another ship?
We do still have a pair of them, yes. They've been demilled and are still in the process of being restored to an aesthetic end
@@BattleshipNewJersey LOL, that's the one weapon system you have that I could actually work on (besides small arms)! Thanks for the fast reply!!
Glad you are back to work
Wow really enjoyed that, and fair play to the work you have put in, the effort it takes must be astronomical, but worth it as that turret looks brand new compared! Would love to visit one day
Thank you.
that’s so cool getting to fire a WWII battleship gun. even if it’s a blank
I toured the Missouri when it first open in Hawaii and again when additional area was opened. Wonderful impressive battleships.
So, UA-cam would not let me add a picture. But I and the Family took a trip to the BB North Carolina. So you're telling me the shells my wife and son hugged on are real and were loaded by WW2 vets? This would have been great info on our Tour. I can imagine your tour would be more insightful than the one we got. PS not a fan of self-guided tours, but your info helped me even on an older ship I was able not only to answer some of my son's questions but someone else's when he said "the New Jersey could be ready to go in 19 hours". I told him I highly doubt that via this channel. KEEP UP THE GREAT VIDS AND WORK
Is the ship required to still have life rafts and life vests?
For the reduced crew, yes. But no point, because she has less than 20 feet of water under the keel😂
USS Alabama BB 60 in WW2 - During a Japanese air attack on the fleet on 21 February, Alabama's No. 9 5-inch turret accidentally fired into the No. 5 mount, killing five and wounding eleven men. That day, Alabama took part in a sweep to the southeast of Saipan to search for Japanese vessels that might be in the area. There is a plaque on the gun mount in Mobile, Alabama as a memorial to the men that lost their lives due to friendly fire.
I think you'd have some success were you to try to raise funds to start using a 16" as a saluting gun.
The locals might want to check their glass insurance, however.
;-D
We would never fire the 16in guns. Its not safe to do so.
@@BattleshipNewJersey Yes, I know, I wasn't being serious (although you couldn't necessarily know that).
Cheers
@@BattleshipNewJersey Just one powder bag without a shell, if the recoil and breech work you can load one bag manually. The whole set + shell really needs that hydraulic rammer.
@@dariuszrutkowski420 that was brought up in an earlier vid, "it's not dignifying"
@@BattleshipNewJersey why ???
Can't help but wonder how much work would go into a restoration effort needed to allow a turret to rotate, and the barrels to rotate. It would be great if you rotated a turret on a schedule so folks could see it.
im pretty sure Ryan said the Navy specifcally prohibits them from doing this.
@@MrBlackjimrogan I must have missed that. I suppose it would be unnerving to work in a nearby office building, and see the USS New Jersey train her main battery guns on the building you are in.
@@MrBlackjimrogan Iowa has rotated and elevated, all hand cranked though. Takes hours.
@@2manycatsforadime yeah i meant they dont repower the machinery. Hand cranking it....that would have taken a while.
How many of the 16" shells are still being stored? I have heard they were all sent to Crane in Indiana and had the explosive removed and placed into storage but the number of them is unclear.
We keep them for a reason its still life left in them .. 👍👍👍
All the shells, accelerant and the ability to make them have been destroyed long ago.
@@beedalton9675 Nobody keeps them, they're all gone.
Very cool. Thanks
I love watching these videos keep them coming
Defueling the ship was recently mentioned, how was that done. Was aboard Yorktown just over a year ago and they were still pumping out fuel.
you really really need to sell the fiberglass or even plastic shell recreations online or in the store! That would be a totally awesome thing to have!
Ryan, I wish Battleship cove in Massachusetts cared as much about their ships as you do. It breaks my heart to see them rotting away.
The folks at Battleship Cove very much care as we do. But BBMA got decommissioned nearly 50 years before NJ. So thats a lot more weather with a lot less attention from the navy and their deep pockets.
I’m a little disappointed. Libby and the gang didn’t find a cramped space to shove Ryan into during this video. 😉. Kidding! All of you are awesome! Great video, and I learned a few things. Thanks!
That 5in gun mount was tighter than you'd think! I ran into far more things in there than usual!
@@BattleshipNewJersey ha! I’ve been in a few dual 5”38cal mounts. I’m 6’2” so I can say ouch. I’ve toured more than a few museum ships. The best was doing it young when I had actual USN combat vets to show me. While touring USS Laffey, I was told how roomy the dual mount was compared to the single mounts on the Benson class.
@@derbuckeyetribe9789 I've never been inside one of the 5" mounts on an Iowa, but I did go into a 5" mount on the Alabama. I'm 5'5" and even though there was enough room for me to move around, it was still cramped. That was one of those times I was glad I'm short. 😁
@@BattleshipNewJersey We know that he can fit through a 16" barrel, but can he climb a 16" shell hoist?
Since our "working" hoist is only a small motor attached to line that pulls the 5lb plastic shell around, Ryan would have to do it unassisted which is 40 ft of smooth vertical surface. He wouldn't make it far.
I assume the bag type this shown in the exterior picture are normally used to seal the gun muzzle? How do you remove them? Air blast, or someone manually?
"We want to leave hatches like this one open, but we also don't want small children falling to their death"
Quote of the day
In order to prevent panic, do you inform local law enforcement before you fire the guns, or do you have a set schedule?
We call local PD and the CG across the river from us.
Thank you so much for the videos. I was rejected for military service due to heath reasons but i would have went to the navy if i could have! I'll be visiting the New Jersey this summer.
It might be instructive to you to visit the Mesa Verde National Park, and the way they have chosen to provide access to interpretive tours. There are multi-story steep wood ladders visitors must descend to reach a number of the levels.
Fantastic quality restoration by you guys and fab work making it more accessible to visitors. Clearly massive attention to detail.
I'd be really interested in hearing about what the navy dehumidification system was, during mothballs. What was set up, how it worked, what areas it covered, what was left when they handed it over to you etc.
Could you cover that in a future video perhaps?
Thanks
Check this out: ua-cam.com/video/lK9ofM6ef5g/v-deo.html
@@BattleshipNewJersey Thanks so much for the reply.
I have checked out that video and it's another very interesting one (they all are!) and it did talk about what of the original ships systems are still operated, but it didn't talk about the navy dehumidification etc system?
Hopefully you might get a chance to cover that sometime in the future.
Cheers
Last time I was there you had a Japanese main gun shell but that was mid 2000s it was massive and I remember the actual 16 inch shells onboard not fiberglass they where incredible. And those high doorways where called knee knockers
I cannot wait to go see this ship
Lots of hard work
Poor Ryan is tall enough that he has to both crouch and high step through those doors.
Everybody has to do that. After I got out of the navy, it took me about six months to stop doing that when going through normal doors.
I toured the New Jersey when she was active back in 90. I was active Army at the time - and I was beaten and bruised afterwards. What an awesome experience, tho.
Very cool! Hope you open a museum in Minnesota.
You might be interested in visiting the Ward deck gun at the state capitol. It was used to fire the first US shots of WWII, at a midget sub outside of Pearl Harbor.
Thank you for the video.
I have to assume you have installed Wi-fi in some areas since cell signals would be challenged by armor.
There is wifi in the ward room and crews mess. That's it.
@@BattleshipNewJersey How does the staff and volunteers communicate?
We carry radios that sometimes work. Otherwise we're pretty good about making sure that everybody knows where everybody should be. In an emergency or when you can't find someone specific, pick up an phone to get the 1MC pa system and call out to the whole ship.
Just about any metal will block Wi-Fi signals. Wi-Fi is very low power, only about 10 to 100 milliwatts.
@@lexington476 That was the point of my question. How about an answer?
Such a great video!
You think you can contact Wargaming Houston to do some sort of sponsorship deal to help with the restoration?
Question: With the oiled floors in the ammunition handling areas of the turret, how did sailors avoid (or reduce) slipping and falling and the attendant injuries?
Its only light oiled, just takes a little practice.
You said y’all restored a engine room? Does that mean the ship is capable of moving on its own? Or is it completely reliant on tug boats?
The steam plant is not functional. The engine room was restored superficially only.
@@BattleshipNewJersey ok thanks So it’s more for touring the ship then function.
What did the navy do with the five inch gun mounts which were removed from the Iowa's, during reactivation and modernization?
Tomahawk and such😂
When you fire the guns are the shells blanks or real and if they are real where do you shoot them at
They are a blank
So at the 6:45 mark, you mention the real shells kept in another part of the museum. I would have thought the Navy would have taken the live shells back and either stored them for some reason or rendered them inert.
These are real shells but not really Live shells, they are BL&P, blind loaded and plugged. So inert, but still real.
do you pack the black powder or just loosely fill? Nice that you simulate a 5" going off however the GMs watching know what a real round is like.
Wondering if restoring the 16 inch gun is restricted, but if people are using the 40 and 20mm guns, did the ship fire the 16 inch to, heard that in some places where 16 inch gun won't fire unless the deck is clear of people
It is so fckin' *KEWL* that you guys are doing this!!! 🤯 😳😳😳 You guys are legends, keep doing whatever it is that y'all are doing over there because it is working! I don't think there is a single viewer watching this video that wouldn't want to step on that panel and fire those huge AF guns! 😎🥺
Which one of the Iowa class battleships is in the best condition?
Missouri has a brand new beautiful deck and the most guests so more money to restore but more foot traffic to destroy. NJ has the most open internally. Wisconsin is the new girl so she has had less time to deteriorate. Iowa has the best weather so her exterior work is easier year round.
They are all four in remarkable good condition... for 80 y/o maids😂
Iowa has a defective turret 2, Wisconsin had a fire in mothballs that destroyed a lot of the electric cableing in the conning tower. Missouri is occupied fighting aliens😂 so that leaves NJ... which hasn't seen drydock for nearly 30 years. Fortunately this will change in March, so while today i'd say they are all four more or less in the same condition, in summer the answer will be 100% NJ BB-62!❤
I am glad I am almost plankownee of my famous battleship I served on her in deck dept first division
In gorgous long beach sunny southern california 1984-86
When was the last time the 5 inch were fired for real? Great content!
The 80s
@@BattleshipNewJersey sink ex 89?
@@BattleshipNewJersey these are still the strongest ships for the navy.. See if you guys can get her big 16s working im sure that would be a show
Their more than museum... 👍👍 I visit the Wisconsin and mighty mo. The old girls are aching to go to sea again
@@beedalton9675 I suspect the Navy would have one very choice word for the museum if the 16" guns were to show signs of life. "Revoked."
I saw footage of Sink Ex ‘89 once... not sure if it still exits, but it was amazing.
The people in Philadelphia must love when you fire the 5 inchers
We almost always get a call from someone across the river asking what the occasion is.
What happened to the 12", 14", and 16" shells after WW2?
Did that guy at the end say you could shoot the salute cannon for a donation?
You can fire the saluting gun ($50) and the 5in gun ($500) for a donation.
So I am assuming these ships or atleast the more modern or still useful ships (with some work) are in fact the museam but is their a clause in the contract that the Navy can take the ships back or is this just universally true of all the navy ships in museams?
If you ask me, I would much rather be climbing the ladders than using stairs, I think that would be a cool option (if it isn’t already) it would be cool if you get to decide if u want to use the stairs or the ladders, but that’s just my opinion
Did the ship have a hydraulics shop for rebuilding components and making hoses?
Nothing just for hydraulics but there are shops for metal work, machining, wood working, electronics, and motors. So whatever work needed to be done could be done in any of those shops.
@@BattleshipNewJersey I'm assuming hydraulic systems have reusable couplings being from the 40's? That would explain the lack of a dedicated hose shop. You'd simply need the stored bulk hose and appropriate tooling to cut it on a hydraulic press.
Though the idea of rebuilding hydraulic motors, rams, and pumps in a machine shop gives me the heeby jeebies.
Question when the battleship was decommissioned were the fuel tanks drained or engines run till they burnt up the fuel that was left ?
The tanks were drained and cleaned.
So are the 16in guns aimed at the bridges for just in case emergencies.
They're aimed at NYC.
I remember finding the hatch into the Massachusetts' turrets when I was a child.
Will NJ's main guns ever be restored to be able to fire again?
Nope. We not believe it to be safe to do so.
@@BattleshipNewJersey That is a pity.
@@BattleshipNewJersey If you find a fresh set of barrels somewhere, would that change the situation?
No, the barrels aren't so much the issue as the massive amount of powder.
Although it would be neat to see I think the money would be better spent on other areas and on the rather expensive drydocking process.
Ladder in the LST 1166 was like those to get into the engine room
One of these days Olympia is going to shoot back! Then you guys are in trouble! 😂🧐
She does sometimes! Those are good days.
I want one shell. We need to make new battleships because they are usefull and it would be interesting to see how the build would turn out .
"So it's easy to "just" chip off and paint new stuff".....Contractor watching this face palms.....that my friends in a nutshell is why people undervalue contracting work. That WOULD be hard and time consuming!!!! If you don't get ALL of that off it will peel and flake again. I love this video series though. Totally fascinating and its like a private tour of the unopened areas that I would want to see!!!!! The whole world is based upon handicapped people and people who would get hurt and sue these days.
If you have any space that is easy to do. That can be an Eagle Scout Project. I know Battleship Cove has had several Eagle Projects done on the various ships. Namely the Kennedy.
Weve had several eagle scout projects on board. Including one right now doing a semi-virtual project documenting the signatures returning crew members have left on a wall.
A great video as always. I’m looking to a comparison of the battleship armor piercing vs high explosive shells. Haven’t found it yet but I’ll keep looking.
What specifically are you looking for? Maybe I can help.
@@Bellthorian The physical makeup of the shells. I’m sure the AP back then was nothing like today’s tech. Can’t exactly cut open a battleships projectile but some graphics would be nice.
@@chrisb9960 Try this one ua-cam.com/video/2lxFFPOv0kE/v-deo.html
@@chrisb9960 Google the Massachusetts, they may have pictures of the massive dense penetrator that tipped AP shells to punch through armor. When she smashed the French battleship Jean Bart, after the battle when we were friends again French sailors returned several of the penetrators that were left after the shells penetrated the armor and exploded inside the ship. www.reddit.com/r/WarshipPorn/comments/28acv0/fragment_of_a_16_inch_shell_fired_by_the_uss/
Me myself ! How many years did it take to get these Battle Wagons to go to WAR ?
Disclaimer: "No Philadelphians were harmed during the filming of this video"
The black shells look realistic :^)
I know it's considered taboo... could you address what happened with the Iowa....just the technical aspect. Big fire and over pressure stuff.... and here's how the vessel reacted? Don't get in the how's or why's? It was this gun.... this much powder..... this is what the ship did to react..... this is what a crew would do.
Honest technical stuff.
This is our video on the event
ua-cam.com/video/8D6v48cXvRo/v-deo.html
@@BattleshipNewJersey How did the boat react? What part of the boat did this effect? How did damage control react? This is no different than what you would describe happened with...say...an incoming shell. I know this is sensitive. I'm interested in how damage control worked. What did they flood? What bulkheads were sealed? What prevented the powder magazine from blowing up? This is important stuff because the ships design saved the ship.
@@brentraulston7224 I can help you with that, I was there that day in 16 inch turret one. When the explosion happened it sounded like they fired a round over top of our turret. Within seconds the ship went to general quarters. When you are firing the guns the ship is already in a watertight posture, hatches closed and dogged. The turret was an absolute inferno, damage control teams were not able to get into the turret from outside, even though the hatch to turret two was blown off it was too small for a man with breathing gear to get through. Since the bloomers were also blown off damage control crews were spraying water into the turret through the openings around the guns. Petty officer Mulahey who was one of the magazine petty officers in charge came into the powder flats level of turret two through the annular space. Everyone was dead and there was fires out of control. One mistake they did make was passing all the powder for the upcoming shoot into the powder flats right away instead of waiting for each shot before passing the next series of powder so there was somewhere between 20 to 30 bags of powder in the powder flats that was now on fire. Petty Officer Mulahey immediately sealed up the turret and went to damage control central and initiated flooding the magazines and the powder flats WITHOUT the captains permission. That act of courage and heroism probably saved the ship and he was promoted from Petty Officer Third Class to Second class within a couple of days. As far as what areas did it effect, the explosion was largely contained within the turret. On the outside the decking from the bridge to turret one was scorched as well as the paint. I remember sanding the deck and repainting the front of the ship before we came back to Norfolk. Inside the turret the damage was catastrophic. The walls in the gun room were blown out, the explosion traveled down the powder hoist and that trunk was bulging and had split at the seems. I hope this helps, if you have any more questions I will try my best to answer.
@@Bellthorian Hey... thanks for just being there!! I've read a few things....but this was a great technical view. Relatively speaking..how close was the ship to being lost? Worst case scenario? Would it had been an HMS Hood explosion? Were there things in place to prevent worst case scenario? Is there built in engineering to help a situation like this? TIA
@@brentraulston7224 As to how close were we to losing the ship, I can't say. I was trapped in turret one for quite a while after the explosion. However Petty Officer Mortenson who was the leading expert on 16 inch guns in the world was racing around in the turret trying to flood Turret two's power flats. The look on his face said we were in deep shit. I was totally unaware of the potential danger until I saw his face. If even a single magazine detonated it would have set off the other ones in a chain reaction and the ship would have disintegrated like the Hood, killing almost everyone. Only 3 men survived the Hoods magazine detonation that killed 1,415 men. I don't know what you mean by built in engineering but there is damage control center and damage control lockers through the ship with fire fighting equipment, shoring material, materials for plugging holes, etc. Everyone in the crew gets some damage control/fire fighting training. In todays Navy Damage Control is an actual rate where that is specifically their job. It wasn't like that when I was in.