There was a previous pinned comment that has since been deleted by the original poster. It claimed most of this story was just a myth, because alot of these event where not documented in the ships log book. And that i was "Cheap and lazy" for just repeating internet lore without sources.This was the opening response to that accusation: Nothing about the misfortune of the USS William D. Porter was known until 1958. When a newspaper report covered a USS William D. Porter Reunion. According to the publication “The Naval Reservist” February 1957 edition, the reunion took place March 15 1958. At the Governor Clinton Hotel, in NYC (now the Stewart hotel). At that reunion, ya know the one comprised of the men that served on the willie dee. The reporter was told these stories, and published them in the newspaper. This led to the pentagon “Reluctanty confirming the story”. This was then Documented and put into print by Naval Historian Kermit “Kit” Bonner. He discusses all the the stories i did in the book Final Voyages. The Citation for this: Turner Publishing Company. (1996). The USS William D, Porter, DD-579 “The Saga Of The Willie Dee.” In Final voyages (pp. 25-27). essay. The ISBN for this book if you’d like to check for yourself is: 1563112892, 9781563112898
Some shit just went down. "Ehh, Boss?" He shot a look at me that shook me to my core, a mix of dread, confidence, and hatred now pierced my mind and I knew full well that whatever was said was gospel. Like the voice of God, incomprehsible yet all powerful- the perfect mix of authority and plausible deniability, "Make that shit disappear like it never even happened." I knew then, I would make an excellent supervisor one day.
The *ONE TIME* I didn't tell everyone to "shut their fucking mouths and fix this shit quick" want the one time time blew up in everyone's face. That shit went so high up a new safety brief was invented. If you EVER hear a safety brief about how "grenades and C4 are not fireworks" or "every vehicle must be signed for at the motor pool", that was because of my crew. And I apologize.
I was on the USS PORTER when she got hit by an oil tanker in the strait of Hormuz in the middle of the night. After 19 hours of damage control and emergency repairs we got the ship into port and as we were laying around exhausted the whole crew kind of mutually came to the agreement that the u.s. Navy needs to stop naming ships after the Porter family.
Which is ironic, as the Porter family is probably the single most decorated family in naval history. William D. Porter (the guy) was a foster brother of *David fucking Farragut*
My favorite part of that story has to be the mental image of the captain calling the _Iowa_ to say "sorry, the torpedo was our bad," the uncomfortable silence that must have followed has all parties involved remember the depth charge incident, and then all nine barrels of the last ship you want to offend turn to bear on their ally. "You've been unfriended. Leave, now."
@@654Crossman Tecnically the entire crew wasn’t arrested but detained and placed under guard until it was determined who was at fault. Only torpedoman Dawson was arrested after the weapons were inspected and it was the tubes assigned to him that where improperly armed.
My great uncle served on the Willie D. He always said that when the plane blew up, everyone on the ship thought they were goners but apparently their guardian angels were working overtime that day.
Willie D did one thing right. She saved the lives of all of her crew, each and every one. As a warfighter she needed a lot of work, but as a ship there's no higher honor.
FDR pardoned the torpedo chief because "We shouldn't punish people because we couldn't properly train them". And I couldn't agree more. Also the Kamikaze that sank the USS Porter was most likely a Val because dive bombers wings were designed in a way that the plane passively pulls up. This is to save the crew if the pilot blacks out in a dive. It would perfectly explain why the plane pulled up underwater after a dive.
I agree with the Spartans way of tossing utter retards off a cliff at birth. Then again we wouldn’t have democrats if we still did that. Waaait a second…
The words of a true leader. While I don't always agree with a number of his Great Depression economic policies (to be fair, they were in uncharted territory), the fact that he was elected to an unprecedented four terms in office is a testament to his leadership skills.
My husband’s grandfather was aboard the USS Iowa for this event. Hubs has talked about his pap seeing the torpedo as they were turning. Such a wild time to be alive!
I was once abord the USS Iowa (highly recommend) and saw a framed picture of the Willie D in the room with FDR's Private tub they had put in for him. There was an author selling a book about the ship's history in there, and overheard me explain the whole torpedo incident to my friends (keep in mind I was about 25 here) and the man stood up and said, I've been here for a week, and seen hundreds of people come in and out of this room, and you're the only one who knew why that picture was there. It both pleased me that it was acknowledged, and made me sad at the same time, since most people don't bother with history anymore. Even when it is a really great tale.
Its not even so much no one cares.. its that shit like this was never taught. Im canadian. We mostly focus on all the shit weve done to the first nations (so really what britain did, and then kindve us at the end) as well as like.. what the 5 beaches are? Thats all i can remember. I got my grandfather watching these videos and hes like "holy shit, dad never talked about ww2 but atleast now im learning this shit now, and its super cool"..
@kameronmyles2013 100%, it's unfortunate but when trying to teach the next generations you only have a limited amount of time. World history was one year, next was American history, another was more focused on government and the branches/laws, I forget the 4 year of high school and what was taught. But in those 4 years, a very VERY limited amount of time can be spent on the major conflicts and stories like this just aren't as big as the blitzkrieg, Germany betraying the SU, Pearl Harbor, etc.
We had “one eye willie” - long story, but a guy that should have never been in the USMC (infantry no less) claimed to be blind in one eye while at school of infantry…. He was given a machine gun to carry as punishment, but then had an accidental discharge during a live fire exercise…
In the Rangers we had a Sergeant Major who blamed every thing on a mysterious Ranger by the name of Harry Grubbs, no one every knew who that fucker was but if the SMAG threw a 'Harry Grubbs' your way if meant you were one fucked up Ranger. A buddy of mine was referred to by the SMAG after one mission as "That fucking Ranger is worse than Harry Grubs!" my bud retired as CSM of a Ranger Bn. True story.
I found the story believable without needing to do any research because I have seen firsthand the slip ups within the modern military. I laughed throughout this video, great presentation.
fun fact- the reason for the jacuzzi tub was because it's one of the treatments for the paraparesis FDR had. Jacuzzi family designed aircraft propellers for WW1. When one of their kids was stricken with paralysis, they got tired of dragging him dozens of miles back and forth many times a month for treatment in a whirlpool tub at the clinic, so they made one at home. Jacuzzi tub was born. I learned that at the Jacuzzi winery in CA that makes a VERY good cabernet, among other good wines. That family still be making great products ( *and* practically printing money cuz they make so much with everything they touch) 😊.
@@RedneckSith The majority of US PT Boats of WW2 had 3 Packard built Merlin engines through a shaft to a propeller, with navigation controlled by rudders. They did not use Water-jet propulsion.
Should be** Used to actually be alot like this. I think I remember a special that covered the event back long before the channel became just another TruTV. Informative & entertaining...
In the late 90s and early 2000s this is what the history channel was. There were like a dozen different war time and cultural event series that did this style of breakdown of the events as they unfolded. Less blatant humor but really quite similar. It was a big part of the reason why i spent so much time watching it. Discovery was the same way with shows like Mythbusters and dirty jobs. 1990-2010 really was the golden age of informative and educational television. And damn do i miss it.
My Grand Father was an industrial appraiser. He was inspecting a WW1 Acheron Class Destroyer used to chase down Bootleggers during prohibition. In the process he identified a bunch of plumbing that didn't belong in the Engineer. All polished and built to Navy Specifications. Long story short. The Chief Engineer built a still into the ships equipment.
@@elduquecaradura1468 He was an Industrial Appraiser A Mechanical Engineer who evaluated commercial equipment, factories, ships and so on to determine their value for sales and insurance purposes. My Father was an Aerospace Engineer and second in command on the Lunar Module for Grumman during Apollo. I'm just a retired Fighter Pilot and EE with a carrier spanning 54 years.
The reason why that depth charge fell off the ship. It was because the sailor who strapped it down, didn't pull on the strap and say "That's not going anywhere." Automatically you know that strap was coming loose and the depth charge was rolling off.
I was just informed of this channel today and betweeen this and Operation Preying Mantis video I have come to the conclusion you are the most entertaining presenter on US Navy events. Thank tou for this awssome video. Jess S, veteran OS1(SW)
"Which ship fired that torpedo!?" "The Willy D, sir." "Wait... isn't that the ship filled with greenies?" "Yeah. This is their first actual deployment." "....okay, since no one died, we'll let them off the hook, but they're gonna be transferred FAR AWAY from other ships till they get their shit together." Fast forward to the Alaskan base commander in his party suit, staring at a hole in his front yard, while quietly debating whether to say anything or just go back inside to the party and get someone to fill the hole tomorrow.
Bud, there's already a laser pig fued... We really shouldn't be complimenting any historians for some time, it's like the cuban missile crisis in the yt history sphere rn.
Best line ever: Commander: "Fire torpedo #3!" Chief Torpedo Officer: "Fire F*n what now?!" Just found your channel tonight and have been binging it for about 4 hours, but this moment, by far, was THE best! Thanks for that, man. I needed a good laugh! Keep up the great work!
@@greglemrow3917Not just the President Roosevelts either; one of Theodore’s sons, Theodore Roosevelt III, was the oldest man and the only general to personally storm the beaches of Normandy.
@sirboomsalot4902 his unit was the only unit to make their D-Day+1 objective. Also, while he was leading his troops, strolling up and down the beach in full view of German machine gun fire, waving his pistol and shouting encouragement, he was actually literally dying. He died D-day+3
That's so true. If you think about it the sailors were the unlucky ones who only survived because they were on the luckiest ship in the navy. Sailors shoot a shell into the base commander's front yard: "The ship will be gone tomorrow anyway". Sailors forget to ratchet down depth charges: "Wow that charge wasn't even armed! Good luck it fell off the ship!" Sailors don't shoot down the only kamikaze that actually targeted them: "The ship stays afloat just long enough to get the last crew member aboard. "
The story could be told from the ship's perspective. Like momma trying to raise her kids who keep screwing up, but she gets them through it and then gives everything to save them. Hilarious and then touching
Oh my God dude, I seriously can't tell which part of this story is the best part. But being sunk by an underwater plane is some next-level shit. I lost it. Glad they all came out alive! Your channel is amazing, by the way. I'm not American but I'm always fascinated by war stories and history, and your delivery is amazing. Keep it up!
The base commander part reminds me of one of my grandfathers Korea stories. He was on a “flying boat” whose job was to fly up and down the Chinese coast and log the serial numbers on containers and names of ships going in and out of coast. They were stationed in the Philippines, and one day they weren’t supposed to go out so they went out to town and got smashed. Come the next morning they got ordered to go on patrol since the other aircraft had engine issues. So the extremely hung over crew climbs into their aircraft and start heading toward the South China Sea. The Navigator racked out on their day bed and told my grandfather (the radioman) to wake him up every hour to update the log. The guy would roll over, look at his watch, and write down where they were supposed to be. They entered really heavy fog, and the pilots couldn’t see Jack, but trusted the navigator to know where they were. The pilots started seeing a fast mover going by them on the radar, but couldn’t see it with their eyeballs. After the third time they yelled for the navigator to get up there and figure out where they were. So the hungover navigator comes up and gets a radio fix on their location and…. They’re 20 miles inside Red China…. Those fast movers were Migs, but because they couldn’t see each other no one could shoot them. They quickly turned around and tested back home, not telling a soul the whole deployment.
@@MM22966 yeah! My grandfather says it was the fog that saved them, and just the month before one of their squadron had gotten shot down in the South China Sea, causing a rush between the American and Chinese Navies to recover it and the crew. The admiral said, “if they get there first, we’re going to blow them to hell.” Luckily the US got there first.
Yo! Let QB(Quack Bang)dig it up! We live for this shIt! Keep Gpop's legacy alive. Anyone else? Man shit! I get all mushy listening to the old days. shut up! I'm no pansy. I got dust in my eyes.😁 quack bang!!! Bitches!!!
Man, Roosevelts really DO NOT CARE about being shot at. Teddy takes a bullet to the chest and still gives a speech while FDR literally watches a torpedo almost hit the ship he's on and then pardons the guy who almost killed him. (Fun fact: All the Roosevelt sons served in WW2. Including Teddy's who had already served in WW1. His eldest, Theodore, became a brigadier general during WW2. He was the only general of any rank and of all allied nations to hit the beaches in the first wave on D-Day. He was at Utah and stormed the beach with a gun and his cane.)
@TheBods666 He did not die of heart failure on the beach. It wasn't until the Allies had pushed further out and had captured Cherbourg (D-day +21) that he died from heart failure with his own son sitting with him. He is buried next to many other Americans at the Normandy Cemetary. After the war, the Roosevelts requested that Quentin Roosevelt, the youngest of the Roosevelt brothers who died as a pilot in WWI, be re-entombed at the Normandy Cemetary next to his big brother, Theodore. Their request was granted and so Quentin remains the only WWI KIA buried in a WW2 cemetary so as two brothers could rest next to each other though each died in a different world war.
Imagine being a crew member on the porter, not knowing you sent a torpedo at the president and randomly seeing 9 16" guns FROM YOUR OWN SIDE turn directly at you
@@DROB6980 As well as when the British Commandos sailed in on the HMS Campbeltown. Because it was a ship used in a ramming raid that had a rather *explosive* end during the raid it was last used in.
My grandfather was a signalman in the navy in WWII. One night he got a call to relay an emergency signal. He ran up the stairs in the tower, but there were big waves, and he fell back down the stairs several times, losing track of where he was because they had all lights out. He finally reached what he thought was the top, unlatched the door, and then flew out into the open air, hanging on by one hand to the door latch - he was one level down from the signal nest, where they had a door for stringing a cable between ships for transferring men and goods. His arm got broke as the shipped heaved and the door swung back around - but he got himself back inside. When he told me all this all I could ask was, "What was the message?" He said he had no idea because it was in code.
My dad busted up his knee in the Navy in heavy seas... except it was that he saved the TV in the wardroom that launched itself off the wall (think 1960s CRT). The worst part was the corpsman was seasick from the same seas that gave the TV flying lessons, and couldn't stich him up for hours. I'm not saying that's even in the same zip code as your grandfather's story or efforts, but people VASTLY underestimate what weather past like Sea State 5 starts to look/feel like and do to things.
You should try and talk about the best American tank ace, Lafayette Green pool, one of the few Americans to get the Silver star, the french legion of honor and Belgian fourragere; he was credited with 12 confirmed tanks kills and humorously he lost 3 tanks over the course of 3 months, first to a panzerfaust, second to friendly fire with a P-38, and last to a panther tank
@@titanlord9267 yes he is by far the best American tanker, and he is slept on by comparison of wehraboo tankers, even in German tank communities there’s a lot of slept on ones for example Kurt Knispel the #1 German tank ace with a recorded 168 Tank kills confirmed no less, at-last he was Czech and in the Wehrmacht not the SS so the wehraboos don’t like to talk about him.
This is a great channel for miscellaneous history that most folks have never heard. I love it. I am a former Navy man myself and have a story of Navy mischief and averted mayhem. My Uncle was a Gunnery Officer on the USS King during Vietnam War. He told me that after a war deployment his task group returned to San Diego for some RnR. Along with the King, there was a destroyer that had anchored in the SD harbor and sent its crew out on liberty via boat. In those days, Navy sailors had to wear dress blue uniforms on liberty. So, they went on the town hitting every bar they could find. Up town San Diego had the tallest building in San Diego, called the El Cortez Hotel, with a famous "Sky Room" restaurant at the top with a great view of the harbor. So, these sailors eventually found the El Cortez and went to the top to see what the view was like and get a few beverages. Unfortunate for them, the staff didn't like the looks of them, being well past any kind of sobriety and would not let them in. This was when there was a lot of public animosity to the war, and they attributed the restaurant not letting 'em in them being in the Navy instead of being three sheets to the wind, and became very upset. Theses two sailors happened to be gunners mates. They went back to their ship and went to their gun and turn on the power, trained the guns sights straight at the Sky Room and began loading a 5" 3/8 projectile into the gun when they were caught by the quarter deck watch. Another three minutes and bye bye Sky Room atop the El Cortez Hotel! If anyone has heard that story and knows the name of the ship would be great to know.
I’ve never been in the military, but the line saying “anyone that’s ever served, or been in a blue collar job will try cover up a mistake” is so true 😂
Grandpa (Mom's side) was a Signalmen in the Navy during WW2. When he passed my Grandmother gave me his "signal card deck" with his name on it. Easily one of my favorite pieces of personal possesions of his. He always told us about his tour in the Pacific as one big adventure (He would see a little bit of the European theatre, but mostly Pacfic), and that being attacked by Zeroes was just something you simply "had to put up with". Later, I learned he and a shipmate were accredited with shooting down 2 enemy aircraft attempting to surprise attack them while in harbor as they were unloading cargo. (He mostly rode on merchant ships) and got his name in the paper. Or the time he said they spotted an enemy parascope and he sniped it with with one of the guns on the ship and watched as ships went chasing after it. Or the monkey they befriended and had on a jump from one island to the next on a run. I never tire of hearing those stories and more. I only remember hearing one story that choked him up and said that bothered him the rest of his life was when they were on their way home after the war, they were having a little fun gathering on deck, when a sailor went overboard and they never found him (Complete accident). The war was over and he was gone like that. He only told that story once. He was so damn proud of his time in the service and I am damn lucky to of had such a great man as a Grandpa. If I amount to a sliver of who he was, I'd consider myself fortunate. Tell these stories Ladies and Gents and their memory will never be forgotten. Thanks FE for sharing these stories.
That's rough. It's likely that his shipmate was sucked into the screw. 😓 Being able to stop the shaft quickly without reversing it is not easy to accomplish and takes a lot of practice.
Awesome channel, just found you. This needs to be a movie. You did leave one "reportedly" funny story out. During the pardon process, FDR called the USS Porter's Captain (Lt Commander Walter) into his office for a face to face meeting. FDR told Walter he wanted to know ONE thing. FDR then joking asked him "HOW DID YOU MISS A LARGE BATTLESHIP!".
I work for a contractor for a large financial services company, one of the biggest in the country and everything is recorded and its that way in my line of business as well. 😂😂😂 "well.. it all worked out, with any luck, they'll never know"
My father was a sonar man on the Willy D during the torpedo incident. He never mentioned being arrested, but he was transferred to a different ship. He said that was the fate of most of the crew. This tranferred allowed him to get home once during the war while crossing the country.
I noticed your musket in the background for home defense just as the founding fathers intended. Even has a triangle bayonet since triangle bayonet wounds are impossible to stitch up causing the fourth rapscallion to bleed to death waiting on the police.
That's a myth. The triangle was less likely to break than a blade or spike, and they absolutely could stitch a wound from it. Matt Easton has a video about that.
I spent a year in Iraq, some of it as a radio op and 240B gunner on a humvee, and can attest to the fact that MANY things which happened on patrol did not make any logs, official or otherwise. 😂
Yup! Along the boarder there "may have been" a small invasion into Iran with Bradley tanks being led by a retarded Lt. Luckily they were finally turned around by a Platoon Sgt yelling over comms, "Do a 180 right now and follow your trail out! ..AND DON'T LISTEN TO THE LT!" 😂😂
As someone that watched a guy shoot himself in the leg with his own 240B(mounted on an MRAP) I can agree... when a certain level of stupidity is reached, no one wants to be the one that passes that shit up. edit: Bonus points for anyone that can guess the "how".
My late great aunt was a WAVE in the Navy in WWII, working in the battle history section of the Naval Archives in Washington DC. Basically her job was to act as a stenographer during interviews of ship captains and admirals who described the events of specific Naval battles in WWII to Naval historians. She held a top secret clearance and said the job was fascinating and that there were many details of WWII that were left out of official press releases and histories, forever locked in the archives. I imagine that the detailed official history of the USS William D. Porter is locked up there too.
Not only was the Fletcher one of if not the most numerous fleet destoryera of WW2, it is also considered by many to be one of the best fleet destoryers of WW2. At least at the destoryer class, the US didn't just spam ships, they spammed very good ships, as opposed to the "good enough" in some of the other classes, like the earlier production cruisers for instance.
Until the upgrade came with the Sumners and later on the Gearings, a class of ship i think might still be in use today with some nations (Also very good looking regarding the Sumners)
I read tin can sailors, and its insane what the fletchers that were there did to those two japanese cruisers. Just gutted the entire topside with accurate 5" fire...
this man needs his own production crew, great videos. would love to see a video on B-17 crews in WWII. my grandpa flew 35 missions from April to august of 44 and told some intense stories like having to turn around mid-mission because a radio controlmen went temporarily insane during particularly heavy flak and turbulence and started rocking back and forth under the radio table in the fetal position. he flew on D-day as well as operation cobra and bombed Hitlers V2 rocket sites.
Honestly after Dan Daly, I'm waiting for the Chesty Puller and Audei Murphy. One of the most decorated Marines, and the most decorated US soldier in history. With plenty of nearly unbelievable events to fill roll time.
Wish that the WW2 guys were recorded. The stories that they could share. It is such a loss without them. Glad that there are channels like this to talk about them. They really were heros.
About the naval round on the commander's house I believe it... anyone who has been in the military know that the most dangerous thing on the planet, is a bunch of enlisted men with too much free time in their hands... when you get that combo, shit goes south every time
As a prior service Marine, now a trucker, and listen to these on my morning commute and I have to say, watching/ hearing these sure makes the workload much more bearable. Keep up the good work brother!
I can’t get enough of your videos. The unique stories combined with your humor and delivery are unmatched. I learned a few hours ago of the passing of a great story teller and World War Two hero named Vincent Speranza. He had “ given aid and comfort” to the wounded during the battle of the bulge in a bombed out church in Bastogne. Decades later, when he returned to Bastogne, he learned that they now serve a beer called airborne (with a mini helmet to drink out of) You should do a video/tribute for him.🇺🇸🍻
You should TOTALLY become a history professor. Or an itinerant lecturer. A lecture or class taught by you would be life-changing. I mean, learning should always be so goddamned entertaining.
Technically speaking we still went with the other option when making the Iowas. They looked at making a larger one with 18" guns, but opted for making six "line" ships rather than one or two world class behemoths. And they're the only ones still floating 😂.
@RenniaTrayvold we could have made them bigger, and even had plans to do so, but the war kicking off meant we never got around to making bigger canal locks in Panama, so the Iowas were the biggest we could make and operate.
@@braith117 There were other reasons why the Montanas were canceled as well. I was specifically referring to the Iowas designs, which were all finalized before we got dragged in.
My goodness, this video is amazing. I found your channel an hour ago as a recommend after watching a Yarnhub video. I saw War Daddy and gave it a shot, quickly followed by Last War Chief and this one and I absolutely love it. You have a great way of explaining things, whether it is the funny stuff, the confusing and illogical actions and also the sad parts. You have definitely earned this sub. I really needed the laugh I got from this video, thank you.
15:37 Ok quick explanation about the names. During WW2 the US developed a set of codenames for quick identification of Japanese planes. Bombers were given Female names (D3A "Val", B5N "Kate", G4M "Betty", etc) while Fighters were given Male names (Ki-43 "Oscar", Ki-84 "Frank", Ki-44 "Tojo", etc)
@darkdruidsvale The official Allied reporting name given to the A6M was "Zeke." The term "Zero" came from the Japanese designation of Naval Type 0 Carrier Fighter which was shortened to Reisen or "Zero Fighter" by its pilots. Both "Zeke" and "Zero" were used interchangeably by the Allies throughout the war.
Great story. Even better story telling. As a brother electrician, got my IBEW commercial industrial journeyman ticket in 1996 in Silicon Valley, now for the last 11 years work for myself as a licensed contractor, every person who works in the trades has had or been witness to some complete screw up made by someone or a couple of people, even foreman screw up and the incident must never be spoken of again and definitely can't make it back to the shop. If it does, we all are gonna lose our jobs. And then there is the time when you can't hide the fact that something didn't go as planned and the Superintendant of Manpower and the Project Manager just happen to be on site and you know heads are gonna roll, but those suits are actually cool about it because they were in the field for many years before taking the desk job and they know it's best that the owners don't find out that they ate ten grand worth of material or tools or whatever. We're electricians but we know shit runs downhill. We didn't need the plumbers to teach us that one. LOL
LMMFAO! That outro was my squad in Iraq! How we did so much stupid shit and survived was amazing enough! The fact we never got into real trouble was supernatural.!
During my first deployment we were driving up to a friendly checkppoint which had a M1 tank sitting at it. The tank decided (I'm assuming to screw with us) to rotate its turret towards us and I quickly found myself staring down the barrel of a very large tank with a very large gun on it. Knowing what that feels like, I cant even begin to image what looking down 9 16 inch barrels would feel like.
Love the video, absolutely hilarious. And some info regarding Japanese plane names: fighters were named after boys, such as Zeke (the zero), Oscar, Pete, frank and so on. Bombers and transports were named after girls like Val, Kate, Betty, Judy and on and on. Now you know the code naming details of Japanese planes for ww2
You forgot to mention that not only did the Willie D. Excell at destroying Japanese zeros. But also excelled at destroying not one, not two but three american fighters as well.
Love it! Great videos and I really dig these longer ones. My father (Army SFC retired), myself (Army SPC) and my brother (Marine SGT) have binge watched pretty much everything you've put up. Thanks for your service and keep them coming. P.S. You covered combat engineers, but have you covered Sappers yet?
Please consider covering the story of Emmett Tullia aka Stroke 3 in the Package Q strike on Iraq. He was targeted 6 times by SAMs and despite a failure to deploy malfunction for both his chaff and his flares, he still made it out without a scratch on pure maneuverability.
Anyone that's been in the military can tell you many stories of screw ups taking place. As for the US Navy in WWII, like the Army and Marine Corps, it grew in size quite a bit. With so many new ships, there's a lot of freshly recruited personnel. There's only so much pre-war experienced, trained guys you have. It's my personal belief that there's more screwups out there that just isn't recorded, talked about. Willie D is just unlucky in that her screwups are the ones that people are talking about now decades after. How many US Navy warships out there can make the claim they fired at the President of the United States? As unlucky as this ship was, IMO, she offset all of that when she finally sank. The Battle of Okinawa was a bitterly fought one in air, land, and sea. Radar and Anti-Aircraft Picket Duty by the Destroyers was a dangerous job, the US Navy literally put their DDs out there as Kamikaze bait and not the more valuable Battleships and Carriers. The best gift Willie D did with her bad luck is that none of her crew died in this. As for FDR going easy on Willie D's crew, he probably understood that the expanded military had training and experience issues. Also, FDR having a grand time of the "assassination attempt" reflects that he loved the whole thing. He grew up as a huge fan of the navy, having a large collection of books about the subject. FDR was also Assistant Secretary of the Navy from 1913-1920. He was a huge fanboy of warships.
Killer video as always! I hope you can do USS Enterprise CV-6 soon, I can’t think of a more awesome combo than a badass narration to go with a badass ship!
IJN sends one of her elevators into the stratosphere becoming the US Navy's first satellite. Enterprise: (Spits out oil and mangled steel) "Big whoop bitches I still got two more, and more 20mm Oerlikons than Geneva is comfortable with. Come at me everything."
11:02 Honestly, I love this detail because it means that there had to be a single moment in those men's head. As those cannons turn to face them where they thought they were gonna be shot for treason
Bro, I have been consuming your content for about 2ish months off & on. You have excellent delivery, I comment on youtube videos less than the average bear. However, I will take the small amount of time to write this comment. Like you, I love the people that make America awesome. I appreciate the effort you exert to create this genre of content. The understanding of the importantance of storytelling is a lost human behavior. Thank you for presenting these pieces of history.
It's a real shame that YT won't let you properly tell a story, because this, of all the stories you've posted, this one really needed "Y'all ain't gonna believe this shit..." to properly set the mood. Great post, I've not heard any of these tales before and this was FUN to listen to.
The same question I've asked myself for repeatedly. Like am I unlucky because I've been hit by two different cars. Two separate occasions while riding a bike. Went off. The stern of a boat I was working on was drown and brought back. Was solo hiking the AT and while walking up the side of a mountain outside of Port Clinton, Pennsylvania, the tree root that was used for a step snapped as I put my weight on it and I tumbled ass over tea kettle down the mountain and did nothing but tear my ACL and I was still able to drag myself to the top of the mountain so I could use the phone I had with me to call 911. I've lived through all this shit and that's not even everything. That's just some of the major stuff. So am I unlucky for having had all that shit happen or am I lucky for still being alive
Heres the mind fuck both at the same time luck isnt a pendulum or a side of a bridge its a schrodinger kat the only thibg for certain is the amount of luck but its a double edged sword good way to think of it is mo money mo problems
Another BANGER of a video, would love to see you do an episode on Sir Adrian Carton De Wiart- he served in 3 wars (inc. WW1 and WW2) was pretty much unkillable and an absolute madman, he has a crazy story.
Great story, but I’d like to point out one thing: you said that the US chose to make a ton of ships instead of making a few big, badass battleships (yet much of this story involved the Iowa lol). The US definitely chose to do both, which was why there were only a few Iowa class battleships.
I believe in the Iowa class' case, they designed the ship for high speed so it can keep pace with the carriers, and had state of the art firing control and radars for extreme accuracy in any conditions. This made them manoeuvrable and quick, but also deadly accurate over long distances. They were also really well armoured and had great AA gun emplacements, making these ships much more ready for the new era of naval warfare compared to the battleships of other nations, especially Japan's.
Also the Germans poured more resources into UBoats, and Japan made the mistake of thinking naval war wasn't going to be fundamentally changed by airplanes. And they had less resources than the US to produce with. Yamato and Bismark were ships nobody wanted to get into a gun battle with, and planes were key to their destruction.
The Iowa class was a 6 ship order in 1939 well before USA entered the WWII. The Iowa and her 3 sister ships are the last battleships made by the USA. the last two hulls were laid down but canceled after the war. The USA did not order more battleships but everything fing else. Your statement is incorrect they were already paid for.
The fact that we're talking about the mine today means it definitely was not just forgotten they didn't get the immediate intense rage. They got the slowly simmered and cooked to just the right degree rage that is going to hurt you way worse in the long run. They've had time to cool down and think of a proper punishment
Good for you for expanding your brand, brother. I love the longer videos and the production value. I kinda miss the janky low quality stuff of old, but I do love that we're getting quality and funny short documentaries. Great work and thank you for releasing this on my birthday 😀
I believe my uncle served on the Willie D. Going completely off memory from when I was about 10. What I do know for sure is my uncle served in the navy for 30 years and while in WWII he served on a destroyer. I also know he received some kind of stomach wound that gave him problems for the reset of his life. He retired as an PO3 (E-4). He refused all promotions after reaching E-4. I believe that makes him career mafia.
At 1:00 I was laughing my ass off that for a brief tenth of a second it said “Tomato” instead of Yamato 🤣🤣🤣 I love this channel. I absolutely love history (I’m a history major) and I love the way you deliver it.
cheers mate, dont know whats more entertaining, your funny punchy delivery, the honest sledging or that beautiful rifle behind you, great stuff, many thanks, Bravo Zulu ;)
When I first watched this I was wondering, "Why would a destroyer launch a torpedo at a jacuzzi tub..?" Also, "Literally and figuratively, the longest sitting president" made me pull over while I was driving home last night. I didn't want to have to explain why I was laughing hysterically in an accident report...
There was a previous pinned comment that has since been deleted by the original poster. It claimed most of this story was just a myth, because alot of these event where not documented in the ships log book. And that i was "Cheap and lazy" for just repeating internet lore without sources.This was the opening response to that accusation:
Nothing about the misfortune of the USS William D. Porter was known until 1958. When a newspaper report covered a USS William D. Porter Reunion. According to the publication “The Naval Reservist” February 1957 edition, the reunion took place March 15 1958. At the Governor Clinton Hotel, in NYC (now the Stewart hotel). At that reunion, ya know the one comprised of the men that served on the willie dee. The reporter was told these stories, and published them in the newspaper. This led to the pentagon “Reluctanty confirming the story”. This was then Documented and put into print by Naval Historian Kermit “Kit” Bonner. He discusses all the the stories i did in the book Final Voyages.
The Citation for this:
Turner Publishing Company. (1996). The USS William D, Porter, DD-579 “The Saga Of The Willie Dee.” In Final voyages (pp. 25-27). essay.
The ISBN for this book if you’d like to check for yourself is:
1563112892, 9781563112898
Nice
That dude raged quit because you gave him facts.
Thank you for not letting his smart ass just rage delete lol
Well, you're not lazy.
Fucking love the chubby electron guy…. Fuck em! Can’t everyone be cool as fuck my guy! Your the jam keep the vids coming bud!!!
As an ex Marine that now is a construction superintendent, "can we fix this without telling the boss?" Is EXACTLY what happens! So fucking accurate.
thank you!!!
Some shit just went down.
"Ehh, Boss?"
He shot a look at me that shook me to my core, a mix of dread, confidence, and hatred now pierced my mind and I knew full well that whatever was said was gospel.
Like the voice of God, incomprehsible yet all powerful- the perfect mix of authority and plausible deniability,
"Make that shit disappear like it never even happened."
I knew then, I would make an excellent supervisor one day.
The *ONE TIME* I didn't tell everyone to "shut their fucking mouths and fix this shit quick" want the one time time blew up in everyone's face. That shit went so high up a new safety brief was invented. If you EVER hear a safety brief about how "grenades and C4 are not fireworks" or "every vehicle must be signed for at the motor pool", that was because of my crew. And I apologize.
100% accurate like "did anyone see your finger?" "no boss i got it in my front pocket"😂😂
@@YaMomsMilkMan "Good, it can be reattached. Have a few days off."
I was on the USS PORTER when she got hit by an oil tanker in the strait of Hormuz in the middle of the night. After 19 hours of damage control and emergency repairs we got the ship into port and as we were laying around exhausted the whole crew kind of mutually came to the agreement that the u.s. Navy needs to stop naming ships after the Porter family.
which porter? modern or ww2?
@@flamingrubys11Modern, DDG-78. She hit a tanker in 2012
Which is ironic, as the Porter family is probably the single most decorated family in naval history. William D. Porter (the guy) was a foster brother of *David fucking Farragut*
@@sirboomsalot4902 Yup. They were all tied up in the early history of the "modern" Navy just before and after the Civil war.
hey at least yall arent known for trying to cap the fuckin president, that would suck ass paperwork wise
My favorite part of that story has to be the mental image of the captain calling the _Iowa_ to say "sorry, the torpedo was our bad," the uncomfortable silence that must have followed has all parties involved remember the depth charge incident, and then all nine barrels of the last ship you want to offend turn to bear on their ally.
"You've been unfriended. Leave, now."
Don’t forget they were told to leave by Sempter Iratus Admiral King.
To quote ED209: You have 20 seconds to comply!
@@Isolder74And the entire crew was arrested in GTMO. Only thing that saved them, was FDR's sense of humor.
@@654Crossman Tecnically the entire crew wasn’t arrested but detained and placed under guard until it was determined who was at fault. Only torpedoman Dawson was arrested after the weapons were inspected and it was the tubes assigned to him that where improperly armed.
@Isolder74 "Then maybe you should have trained him better, fuckwits. Full pardon." -FDR, summarized
An old water grunt told me about Willy D Fletcher. He basically summed up that this particular Fletcher wasn't just a clown, but the *ENTIRE* circus.
HAHA
im writing that one down
when they find the wreck of the willie d, someone should place some clown shoes on it.
*HONK HONK*
Who the hell was their CO? Jack Sparrow?
My great uncle served on the Willie D. He always said that when the plane blew up, everyone on the ship thought they were goners but apparently their guardian angels were working overtime that day.
Soooo.. can your uncle confirm that all of the stories were true?
Willie D did one thing right. She saved the lives of all of her crew, each and every one. As a warfighter she needed a lot of work, but as a ship there's no higher honor.
The Willie D does dumb shit, but never caused a true disaster, and always protected her special boys.
Think their guardian angles pulled ALOT of OT watching after them.
@migoy13 he can neither confirm nor deny.
Idk why, but the "Longest sitting President, both literally and figuratively" joke made me laugh WAY harder than it should have, lmao 🤣🤣🤣🤣😭😭😭😭
brilliant
History nerd creds. achieved.
FDR pardoned the torpedo chief because "We shouldn't punish people because we couldn't properly train them". And I couldn't agree more.
Also the Kamikaze that sank the USS Porter was most likely a Val because dive bombers wings were designed in a way that the plane passively pulls up. This is to save the crew if the pilot blacks out in a dive. It would perfectly explain why the plane pulled up underwater after a dive.
gangster move for sure
The gansterest of moves indeed
@@the_fat_electricianAlso, super passive-aggressive. "I'm forgiving you because y'all are incompetent."
I agree with the Spartans way of tossing utter retards off a cliff at birth.
Then again we wouldn’t have democrats if we still did that. Waaait a second…
The words of a true leader. While I don't always agree with a number of his Great Depression economic policies (to be fair, they were in uncharted territory), the fact that he was elected to an unprecedented four terms in office is a testament to his leadership skills.
My husband’s grandfather was aboard the USS Iowa for this event. Hubs has talked about his pap seeing the torpedo as they were turning. Such a wild time to be alive!
"Sometimes you've gotta fight fuck up's with fuck up's." Is not only truly words of wisdom but, ones that are earned through experience.
I was once abord the USS Iowa (highly recommend) and saw a framed picture of the Willie D in the room with FDR's Private tub they had put in for him. There was an author selling a book about the ship's history in there, and overheard me explain the whole torpedo incident to my friends (keep in mind I was about 25 here) and the man stood up and said, I've been here for a week, and seen hundreds of people come in and out of this room, and you're the only one who knew why that picture was there. It both pleased me that it was acknowledged, and made me sad at the same time, since most people don't bother with history anymore. Even when it is a really great tale.
It's a beautiful ship.
I DO! Congratulations and Bravo Zulu from an old US Navy veteran and History Buff. Just discovered your channel and Love It! Keep It Up!
I was aboard in December. I wish I could have spent an entire day on that ship, and it still would not have been enough.
Its not even so much no one cares.. its that shit like this was never taught. Im canadian. We mostly focus on all the shit weve done to the first nations (so really what britain did, and then kindve us at the end) as well as like.. what the 5 beaches are?
Thats all i can remember. I got my grandfather watching these videos and hes like "holy shit, dad never talked about ww2 but atleast now im learning this shit now, and its super cool"..
@kameronmyles2013 100%, it's unfortunate but when trying to teach the next generations you only have a limited amount of time. World history was one year, next was American history, another was more focused on government and the branches/laws, I forget the 4 year of high school and what was taught. But in those 4 years, a very VERY limited amount of time can be spent on the major conflicts and stories like this just aren't as big as the blitzkrieg, Germany betraying the SU, Pearl Harbor, etc.
Anyone who's a veteran can tell you every unit has "THAT guy". Usually referred to as Carl. This ship is a flotilla's version of Carl.
I couldn’t say it better myself
dammit carl!!!
Joe schmuckatelli
We had “one eye willie” - long story, but a guy that should have never been in the USMC (infantry no less) claimed to be blind in one eye while at school of infantry…. He was given a machine gun to carry as punishment, but then had an accidental discharge during a live fire exercise…
In the Rangers we had a Sergeant Major who blamed every thing on a mysterious Ranger by the name of Harry Grubbs, no one every knew who that fucker was but if the SMAG threw a 'Harry Grubbs' your way if meant you were one fucked up Ranger. A buddy of mine was referred to by the SMAG after one mission as "That fucking Ranger is worse than Harry Grubs!" my bud retired as CSM of a Ranger Bn. True story.
I found the story believable without needing to do any research because I have seen firsthand the slip ups within the modern military. I laughed throughout this video, great presentation.
fun fact- the reason for the jacuzzi tub was because it's one of the treatments for the paraparesis FDR had. Jacuzzi family designed aircraft propellers for WW1. When one of their kids was stricken with paralysis, they got tired of dragging him dozens of miles back and forth many times a month for treatment in a whirlpool tub at the clinic, so they made one at home. Jacuzzi tub was born. I learned that at the Jacuzzi winery in CA that makes a VERY good cabernet, among other good wines.
That family still be making great products ( *and* practically printing money cuz they make so much with everything they touch) 😊.
Oh, Jacuzzi was a brand name that got the bandaid fate. Huh.
I knew that kid. Dr Jacuzzi was a professor at a college I worked at in the 90s. He was a great guy.
Fun fact: Jacuzzi also designed and manufactured the water jets for the PT Boat.
@solarprophet5439 Jesus they really do be printing money
@@RedneckSith The majority of US PT Boats of WW2 had 3 Packard built Merlin engines through a shaft to a propeller, with navigation controlled by rudders. They did not use Water-jet propulsion.
This is what the history channel should have been.
Friggin agreed!!
Should be**
Used to actually be alot like this. I think I remember a special that covered the event back long before the channel became just another TruTV. Informative & entertaining...
@@RuralTowner Before the dark times. Before the empire.
@@DudleyVGC Something like that
In the late 90s and early 2000s this is what the history channel was. There were like a dozen different war time and cultural event series that did this style of breakdown of the events as they unfolded. Less blatant humor but really quite similar. It was a big part of the reason why i spent so much time watching it. Discovery was the same way with shows like Mythbusters and dirty jobs. 1990-2010 really was the golden age of informative and educational television. And damn do i miss it.
My Grand Father was an industrial appraiser. He was inspecting a WW1 Acheron Class Destroyer used to chase down Bootleggers during prohibition. In the process he identified a bunch of plumbing that didn't belong in the Engineer. All polished and built to Navy Specifications. Long story short. The Chief Engineer built a still into the ships equipment.
Based as fuck lmao
impressive, and what did your granddad do?
@@elduquecaradura1468 He was an Industrial Appraiser A Mechanical Engineer who evaluated commercial equipment, factories, ships and so on to determine their value for sales and insurance purposes. My Father was an Aerospace Engineer and second in command on the Lunar Module for Grumman during Apollo. I'm just a retired Fighter Pilot and EE with a carrier spanning 54 years.
@@wmffmwI think he meant, what did your grandfather do about the still?
Acheron class was British
The reason why that depth charge fell off the ship. It was because the sailor who strapped it down, didn't pull on the strap and say "That's not going anywhere." Automatically you know that strap was coming loose and the depth charge was rolling off.
Please don’t ever stop making these videos. I love this shit and no one does it better than you.
you keep watching I'll keep making um
@@the_fat_electrician Challenge Accepted.
@@the_fat_electricianohh I watch em! Three times!!
I was just informed of this channel today and betweeen this and Operation Preying Mantis video I have come to the conclusion you are the most entertaining presenter on US Navy events. Thank tou for this awssome video.
Jess S, veteran OS1(SW)
Did you just sign with your rate and warfare device??? C'mon 😂😂😂 that's so nerdy
More like badass.@@fruitlandgrizzly
@@johnboe412 Roger.
V/R ET2 (SCW/EXW)
Fair winds and following seas, shipmate. 🙂
"Which ship fired that torpedo!?"
"The Willy D, sir."
"Wait... isn't that the ship filled with greenies?"
"Yeah. This is their first actual deployment."
"....okay, since no one died, we'll let them off the hook, but they're gonna be transferred FAR AWAY from other ships till they get their shit together."
Fast forward to the Alaskan base commander in his party suit, staring at a hole in his front yard, while quietly debating whether to say anything or just go back inside to the party and get someone to fill the hole tomorrow.
"They're leaving in a few days anyway. Someone fill that shit in."
Yes, the best history channel uploaded a new video.
When you learn more from this channel than you do from the ACTUAL HISTORY CHANNEL
Bud, there's already a laser pig fued... We really shouldn't be complimenting any historians for some time, it's like the cuban missile crisis in the yt history sphere rn.
Ancient Transdimensional Aliens does not approve of this message.
Bro is treading on sam o' nella
The captain realizing that he fired a life torpedo instead of a dud
Best line ever:
Commander: "Fire torpedo #3!"
Chief Torpedo Officer: "Fire F*n what now?!"
Just found your channel tonight and have been binging it for about 4 hours, but this moment, by far, was THE best!
Thanks for that, man. I needed a good laugh!
Keep up the great work!
That got me on the ground catching my breath lol
FDR almost died and from what I understand, did not care. He really do be related to Teddy Roosevelt.
The Roosevelts were the most ganster presidents.
@@greglemrow3917, They got debuffs from God but still made history.
@@greglemrow3917Not just the President Roosevelts either; one of Theodore’s sons, Theodore Roosevelt III, was the oldest man and the only general to personally storm the beaches of Normandy.
@@sirboomsalot4902yep, and he got a Medal of Honor for it too. Of course, this was after his death which had occurred a month later in July of 1944.
@sirboomsalot4902 his unit was the only unit to make their D-Day+1 objective. Also, while he was leading his troops, strolling up and down the beach in full view of German machine gun fire, waving his pistol and shouting encouragement, he was actually literally dying. He died D-day+3
I still think her greatest achievement was that she went down with no souls on board, protecting her crew to the very last moments.
There's something to be said about ships having a soul, perhaps she was protecting them from themselves all along...
the greatest honor a ship can have is dying alone, because that means she protected her crew to the end
The machine spirit
That's so true. If you think about it the sailors were the unlucky ones who only survived because they were on the luckiest ship in the navy.
Sailors shoot a shell into the base commander's front yard: "The ship will be gone tomorrow anyway".
Sailors forget to ratchet down depth charges: "Wow that charge wasn't even armed! Good luck it fell off the ship!"
Sailors don't shoot down the only kamikaze that actually targeted them: "The ship stays afloat just long enough to get the last crew member aboard. "
The story could be told from the ship's perspective. Like momma trying to raise her kids who keep screwing up, but she gets them through it and then gives everything to save them. Hilarious and then touching
Oh my God dude, I seriously can't tell which part of this story is the best part.
But being sunk by an underwater plane is some next-level shit. I lost it.
Glad they all came out alive!
Your channel is amazing, by the way. I'm not American but I'm always fascinated by war stories and history, and your delivery is amazing.
Keep it up!
The base commander part reminds me of one of my grandfathers Korea stories. He was on a “flying boat” whose job was to fly up and down the Chinese coast and log the serial numbers on containers and names of ships going in and out of coast. They were stationed in the Philippines, and one day they weren’t supposed to go out so they went out to town and got smashed. Come the next morning they got ordered to go on patrol since the other aircraft had engine issues. So the extremely hung over crew climbs into their aircraft and start heading toward the South China Sea. The Navigator racked out on their day bed and told my grandfather (the radioman) to wake him up every hour to update the log. The guy would roll over, look at his watch, and write down where they were supposed to be. They entered really heavy fog, and the pilots couldn’t see Jack, but trusted the navigator to know where they were. The pilots started seeing a fast mover going by them on the radar, but couldn’t see it with their eyeballs. After the third time they yelled for the navigator to get up there and figure out where they were. So the hungover navigator comes up and gets a radio fix on their location and…. They’re 20 miles inside Red China…. Those fast movers were Migs, but because they couldn’t see each other no one could shoot them. They quickly turned around and tested back home, not telling a soul the whole deployment.
Lucky. There was a long string of US and allied aircraft that got shot down in the 50's in exactly those circumstances.
@@MM22966 yeah! My grandfather says it was the fog that saved them, and just the month before one of their squadron had gotten shot down in the South China Sea, causing a rush between the American and Chinese Navies to recover it and the crew. The admiral said, “if they get there first, we’re going to blow them to hell.” Luckily the US got there first.
@@navy1lord1 Under normal circumstances, they would probably have been a war in the late 50's. I guess Korea sort of killed any enthusiasms.
Yo! Let QB(Quack Bang)dig it up! We live for this shIt! Keep Gpop's legacy alive. Anyone else?
Man shit! I get all mushy listening to the old days. shut up! I'm no pansy. I got dust in my eyes.😁 quack bang!!! Bitches!!!
Man, Roosevelts really DO NOT CARE about being shot at. Teddy takes a bullet to the chest and still gives a speech while FDR literally watches a torpedo almost hit the ship he's on and then pardons the guy who almost killed him.
(Fun fact: All the Roosevelt sons served in WW2. Including Teddy's who had already served in WW1. His eldest, Theodore, became a brigadier general during WW2. He was the only general of any rank and of all allied nations to hit the beaches in the first wave on D-Day. He was at Utah and stormed the beach with a gun and his cane.)
Teddy Junior was awarded the Medal of Honor for actions on that beachhead, directing troops and, vehicles underfire to locations he could use them.
Love to have a teddy or ike even a JFK for a president
Didn't Brig General Roosevelt died of a heart attack on the beach on D-Day.
@TheBods666 He did not die of heart failure on the beach. It wasn't until the Allies had pushed further out and had captured Cherbourg (D-day +21) that he died from heart failure with his own son sitting with him.
He is buried next to many other Americans at the Normandy Cemetary. After the war, the Roosevelts requested that Quentin Roosevelt, the youngest of the Roosevelt brothers who died as a pilot in WWI, be re-entombed at the Normandy Cemetary next to his big brother, Theodore. Their request was granted and so Quentin remains the only WWI KIA buried in a WW2 cemetary so as two brothers could rest next to each other though each died in a different world war.
@@TheBods666 A month later in bed.
Imagine being a crew member on the porter, not knowing you sent a torpedo at the president and randomly seeing 9 16" guns FROM YOUR OWN SIDE turn directly at you
"It was a misinput! You calm down!"
I bet there were a lot of soiled shorts in that days laundry
@@DROB6980 As well as when the British Commandos sailed in on the HMS Campbeltown. Because it was a ship used in a ramming raid that had a rather *explosive* end during the raid it was last used in.
To misquote Lazerpig: "A little bit of poo came out."
My grandfather was a signalman in the navy in WWII. One night he got a call to relay an emergency signal. He ran up the stairs in the tower, but there were big waves, and he fell back down the stairs several times, losing track of where he was because they had all lights out. He finally reached what he thought was the top, unlatched the door, and then flew out into the open air, hanging on by one hand to the door latch - he was one level down from the signal nest, where they had a door for stringing a cable between ships for transferring men and goods. His arm got broke as the shipped heaved and the door swung back around - but he got himself back inside. When he told me all this all I could ask was, "What was the message?" He said he had no idea because it was in code.
That is the greatest story I’ve ever heard
He was supposed to send a message about the ships extended warranty. 😉😁
"Do you have a moment to talk about our lord and savior Jesus Christ?"
I got no words, I'm stunned, but I had to let you know I read your post.
I mean, damn!
My dad busted up his knee in the Navy in heavy seas... except it was that he saved the TV in the wardroom that launched itself off the wall (think 1960s CRT). The worst part was the corpsman was seasick from the same seas that gave the TV flying lessons, and couldn't stich him up for hours. I'm not saying that's even in the same zip code as your grandfather's story or efforts, but people VASTLY underestimate what weather past like Sea State 5 starts to look/feel like and do to things.
You should try and talk about the best American tank ace, Lafayette Green pool, one of the few Americans to get the Silver star, the french legion of honor and Belgian fourragere; he was credited with 12 confirmed tanks kills and humorously he lost 3 tanks over the course of 3 months, first to a panzerfaust, second to friendly fire with a P-38, and last to a panther tank
Lafayette green pool is a guys name? Sounds like some fishing spot in louisiana lol
you're missing his 258 other kills. If his kills were counted like Michael Wittmann's, he would be the #1
@@titanlord9267 yes he is by far the best American tanker, and he is slept on by comparison of wehraboo tankers, even in German tank communities there’s a lot of slept on ones for example Kurt Knispel the #1 German tank ace with a recorded 168 Tank kills confirmed no less, at-last he was Czech and in the Wehrmacht not the SS so the wehraboos don’t like to talk about him.
@@elilachappa3330 the funny part is he is from Odem Texas, a 6 hour drive from the Louisiana border
So he lost three tanks? How many tank crew members did he lose?
This is a great channel for miscellaneous history that most folks have never heard. I love it. I am a former Navy man myself and have a story of Navy mischief and averted mayhem. My Uncle was a Gunnery Officer on the USS King during Vietnam War. He told me that after a war deployment his task group returned to San Diego for some RnR. Along with the King, there was a destroyer that had anchored in the SD harbor and sent its crew out on liberty via boat. In those days, Navy sailors had to wear dress blue uniforms on liberty. So, they went on the town hitting every bar they could find. Up town San Diego had the tallest building in San Diego, called the El Cortez Hotel, with a famous "Sky Room" restaurant at the top with a great view of the harbor. So, these sailors eventually found the El Cortez and went to the top to see what the view was like and get a few beverages. Unfortunate for them, the staff didn't like the looks of them, being well past any kind of sobriety and would not let them in. This was when there was a lot of public animosity to the war, and they attributed the restaurant not letting 'em in them being in the Navy instead of being three sheets to the wind, and became very upset. Theses two sailors happened to be gunners mates. They went back to their ship and went to their gun and turn on the power, trained the guns sights straight at the Sky Room and began loading a 5" 3/8 projectile into the gun when they were caught by the quarter deck watch. Another three minutes and bye bye Sky Room atop the El Cortez Hotel! If anyone has heard that story and knows the name of the ship would be great to know.
I’ve never been in the military, but the line saying “anyone that’s ever served, or been in a blue collar job will try cover up a mistake” is so true 😂
If the boss didnt see it, it never happened
Grandpa (Mom's side) was a Signalmen in the Navy during WW2. When he passed my Grandmother gave me his "signal card deck" with his name on it. Easily one of my favorite pieces of personal possesions of his. He always told us about his tour in the Pacific as one big adventure (He would see a little bit of the European theatre, but mostly Pacfic), and that being attacked by Zeroes was just something you simply "had to put up with". Later, I learned he and a shipmate were accredited with shooting down 2 enemy aircraft attempting to surprise attack them while in harbor as they were unloading cargo. (He mostly rode on merchant ships) and got his name in the paper. Or the time he said they spotted an enemy parascope and he sniped it with with one of the guns on the ship and watched as ships went chasing after it. Or the monkey they befriended and had on a jump from one island to the next on a run.
I never tire of hearing those stories and more. I only remember hearing one story that choked him up and said that bothered him the rest of his life was when they were on their way home after the war, they were having a little fun gathering on deck, when a sailor went overboard and they never found him (Complete accident). The war was over and he was gone like that. He only told that story once.
He was so damn proud of his time in the service and I am damn lucky to of had such a great man as a Grandpa. If I amount to a sliver of who he was, I'd consider myself fortunate. Tell these stories Ladies and Gents and their memory will never be forgotten. Thanks FE for sharing these stories.
You have indeed been blessed to have had a Grandpa such as that.
Fair winds and smooth seas, Grandpa BigEKc0cwp!
@@rodneymartin6154 Thank you, brother!
Well said
That's rough. It's likely that his shipmate was sucked into the screw. 😓 Being able to stop the shaft quickly without reversing it is not easy to accomplish and takes a lot of practice.
Awesome channel, just found you. This needs to be a movie. You did leave one "reportedly" funny story out. During the pardon process, FDR called the USS Porter's Captain (Lt Commander Walter) into his office for a face to face meeting. FDR told Walter he wanted to know ONE thing. FDR then joking asked him "HOW DID YOU MISS A LARGE BATTLESHIP!".
I hope that is true. That would be amazing.
Down Periscope 2
You missed, how could you miss! He was 3 feet in front of you?!
From someone who just got out of a big engineering company, that "can we fix this without telling the boss" quote goes ALL THE WAY UP BABY!!
I work for a contractor for a large financial services company, one of the biggest in the country and everything is recorded and its that way in my line of business as well. 😂😂😂 "well.. it all worked out, with any luck, they'll never know"
My father was a sonar man on the Willy D during the torpedo incident. He never mentioned being arrested, but he was transferred to a different ship. He said that was the fate of most of the crew. This tranferred allowed him to get home once during the war while crossing the country.
I noticed your musket in the background for home defense just as the founding fathers intended. Even has a triangle bayonet since triangle bayonet wounds are impossible to stitch up causing the fourth rapscallion to bleed to death waiting on the police.
that one is specifically for red coats I have something else for any other intruders lol
That's a myth. The triangle was less likely to break than a blade or spike, and they absolutely could stitch a wound from it. Matt Easton has a video about that.
@@ivanthemadvandal8435I bet you're fun at parties
😂😂
@@moose1986 You're assuming he gets invited to parties.
I spent a year in Iraq, some of it as a radio op and 240B gunner on a humvee, and can attest to the fact that MANY things which happened on patrol did not make any logs, official or otherwise. 😂
Yup! Along the boarder there "may have been" a small invasion into Iran with Bradley tanks being led by a retarded Lt. Luckily they were finally turned around by a Platoon Sgt yelling over comms, "Do a 180 right now and follow your trail out! ..AND DON'T LISTEN TO THE LT!" 😂😂
Hahah i believe it. Thank you for your service👍
As someone that watched a guy shoot himself in the leg with his own 240B(mounted on an MRAP) I can agree... when a certain level of stupidity is reached, no one wants to be the one that passes that shit up.
edit: Bonus points for anyone that can guess the "how".
He was relieving himself is my educated guess
Ronnie, that was going to be my uneducated guess. My educated guess is he was trying to clear it. Never underestimate stupid.
My late great aunt was a WAVE in the Navy in WWII, working in the battle history section of the Naval Archives in Washington DC. Basically her job was to act as a stenographer during interviews of ship captains and admirals who described the events of specific Naval battles in WWII to Naval historians. She held a top secret clearance and said the job was fascinating and that there were many details of WWII that were left out of official press releases and histories, forever locked in the archives. I imagine that the detailed official history of the USS William D. Porter is locked up there too.
Not only was the Fletcher one of if not the most numerous fleet destoryera of WW2, it is also considered by many to be one of the best fleet destoryers of WW2. At least at the destoryer class, the US didn't just spam ships, they spammed very good ships, as opposed to the "good enough" in some of the other classes, like the earlier production cruisers for instance.
Another thing that made the fletcher class so good was the INSANE damage control it had
If I remember correctly, the USN built more tonnage in Fletchers lone than the IJN did in ships period.
Until the upgrade came with the Sumners and later on the Gearings, a class of ship i think might still be in use today with some nations (Also very good looking regarding the Sumners)
I read tin can sailors, and its insane what the fletchers that were there did to those two japanese cruisers. Just gutted the entire topside with accurate 5" fire...
@@evilshews them and good old Sammy-B!
this man needs his own production crew, great videos. would love to see a video on B-17 crews in WWII. my grandpa flew 35 missions from April to august of 44 and told some intense stories like having to turn around mid-mission because a radio controlmen went temporarily insane during particularly heavy flak and turbulence and started rocking back and forth under the radio table in the fetal position. he flew on D-day as well as operation cobra and bombed Hitlers V2 rocket sites.
2nd the b-17 story
Honestly after Dan Daly, I'm waiting for the Chesty Puller and Audei Murphy. One of the most decorated Marines, and the most decorated US soldier in history. With plenty of nearly unbelievable events to fill roll time.
Wish that the WW2 guys were recorded. The stories that they could share. It is such a loss without them. Glad that there are channels like this to talk about them. They really were heros.
About the naval round on the commander's house I believe it... anyone who has been in the military know that the most dangerous thing on the planet, is a bunch of enlisted men with too much free time in their hands... when you get that combo, shit goes south every time
As a prior service Marine, now a trucker, and listen to these on my morning commute and I have to say, watching/ hearing these sure makes the workload much more bearable. Keep up the good work brother!
Remember, as a trucker,
"Just because its not in the log doesn't mean it didn't happen"
Lmao
Rah
Just goes to show, in wartime, incompetence is tolerated because while you might be dangerous to allies, you can also be dangerous to enemies too.
Unless it's the Russian navy, then they are just straight up a bigger danger to themselves
8:59 “may be partially responsible for killing the longest sitting president both figuratively and literally” 😂😂😂😂😂
The way bro casually switches shirts in the blink of an eye is a true talent, im truly amazed
"'Dont shoot, we're Republicans.' You know, cause FDR was a Democrat"🤣🤣🤣 I laughed wayyyy to hard at that.
Same 🤣🤣
Of course, that sort of line is probably _more_ likely to get you shot in certain areas today. 😬
Ironic considering FDR was a closet commie and got us involved in WW2 deliberately by allowing the Pearl Harbor attack to happen in the first place.
@@KiithnarasAshaa You've got that backwards lol
@@KiithnarasAshaaother way around. The Democrats are the ones with trigger discipline.
Same...I haven't laughed that loud in a while!
14:25 "don't shoot. We're republicans" 😂🤣 had me dying!
Ikr 😂😂😂
I can’t get enough of your videos. The unique stories combined with your humor and delivery are unmatched.
I learned a few hours ago of the passing of a great story teller and World War Two hero named Vincent Speranza. He had “ given aid and comfort” to the wounded during the battle of the bulge in a bombed out church in Bastogne.
Decades later, when he returned to Bastogne, he learned that they now serve a beer called airborne (with a mini helmet to drink out of)
You should do a video/tribute for him.🇺🇸🍻
Gosh, yes!!!!
This is how history should be taught
Agree
13:40 as someone who has exclusively worked in warehouses and retail, this is 100% the truth
You should TOTALLY become a history professor. Or an itinerant lecturer. A lecture or class taught by you would be life-changing. I mean, learning should always be so goddamned entertaining.
He probably reaches more people this way, and hopefully, makes more money
I had a history teacher in my Freshman year of college who had a similar style. I LOVED those classes!
Considering we were making the Iowas I think it's safe to say we looked at the two shipbuilding options and said "why not both?"
That's America in a nutshell.
"Should we build hundreds of basic ships in a couple of years, or should we build a few really badass ships?"
Yes...
@@Warhawk76 also over 100 aircraft carriers
Technically speaking we still went with the other option when making the Iowas. They looked at making a larger one with 18" guns, but opted for making six "line" ships rather than one or two world class behemoths. And they're the only ones still floating 😂.
@RenniaTrayvold we could have made them bigger, and even had plans to do so, but the war kicking off meant we never got around to making bigger canal locks in Panama, so the Iowas were the biggest we could make and operate.
@@braith117 There were other reasons why the Montanas were canceled as well. I was specifically referring to the Iowas designs, which were all finalized before we got dragged in.
My goodness, this video is amazing. I found your channel an hour ago as a recommend after watching a Yarnhub video. I saw War Daddy and gave it a shot, quickly followed by Last War Chief and this one and I absolutely love it. You have a great way of explaining things, whether it is the funny stuff, the confusing and illogical actions and also the sad parts. You have definitely earned this sub. I really needed the laugh I got from this video, thank you.
15:37
Ok quick explanation about the names. During WW2 the US developed a set of codenames for quick identification of Japanese planes. Bombers were given Female names (D3A "Val", B5N "Kate", G4M "Betty", etc) while Fighters were given Male names (Ki-43 "Oscar", Ki-84 "Frank", Ki-44 "Tojo", etc)
Supposedly, the bombers were specifically named after nurses at the nearby military hospital, who's figures reminded them of said bombers
so how did "Zero" come about?
@darkdruidsvale The official Allied reporting name given to the A6M was "Zeke." The term "Zero" came from the Japanese designation of Naval Type 0 Carrier Fighter which was shortened to Reisen or "Zero Fighter" by its pilots. Both "Zeke" and "Zero" were used interchangeably by the Allies throughout the war.
Came here to say the exact same things about reporting names and the Zero.
Great story. Even better story telling.
As a brother electrician, got my IBEW commercial industrial journeyman ticket in 1996 in Silicon Valley, now for the last 11 years work for myself as a licensed contractor, every person who works in the trades has had or been witness to some complete screw up made by someone or a couple of people, even foreman screw up and the incident must never be spoken of again and definitely can't make it back to the shop. If it does, we all are gonna lose our jobs. And then there is the time when you can't hide the fact that something didn't go as planned and the Superintendant of Manpower and the Project Manager just happen to be on site and you know heads are gonna roll, but those suits are actually cool about it because they were in the field for many years before taking the desk job and they know it's best that the owners don't find out that they ate ten grand worth of material or tools or whatever.
We're electricians but we know shit runs downhill. We didn't need the plumbers to teach us that one. LOL
LMMFAO! That outro was my squad in Iraq! How we did so much stupid shit and survived was amazing enough! The fact we never got into real trouble was supernatural.!
Love these Fat Electrician videos - They are hella informative and keep my ADD ridden attention span on point for the whole vid.
Yeah me too! Wait..... look a bird!
@@ericsfishingadventures4433Squirrel!!
@@Saanonymous80 Hey, y'all wanna go ride bikes?
Seeing all 3 of the Iowa’s triple 16 inch batteries target you at close range would be terrifying.
To quote a certain Wiconsin story, "Temper, Temper..."
During my first deployment we were driving up to a friendly checkppoint which had a M1 tank sitting at it. The tank decided (I'm assuming to screw with us) to rotate its turret towards us and I quickly found myself staring down the barrel of a very large tank with a very large gun on it. Knowing what that feels like, I cant even begin to image what looking down 9 16 inch barrels would feel like.
@@jackofalltradesmasterofnon5765
Brown wake for two miles as they headed away from the convoy, I would think.
5:24 “can’t get chewed out via signal lamp”. Don’t tell them that because they will find a way lmao
Given how they messes up, it was probably worth the effort to figure it out.
Love the video, absolutely hilarious.
And some info regarding Japanese plane names: fighters were named after boys, such as Zeke (the zero), Oscar, Pete, frank and so on. Bombers and transports were named after girls like Val, Kate, Betty, Judy and on and on. Now you know the code naming details of Japanese planes for ww2
It should be noted that Pete and Jake were actually floatplanes (the Mitsubishi F1M and the Aichi E13 respectively)
This
Funny how names have changed.
Name one Zeke you have ever met...
I got goose bumps when you said the Iowa turned all 9 of its 16" guns toward the Willy D. That's a *BAD* feeling.....
I never rewatch any UA-cam videos except this channel. Pretty sure I’ve watched every video 3 times. Thanks for what you do
You forgot to mention that not only did the Willie D. Excell at destroying Japanese zeros. But also excelled at destroying not one, not two but three american fighters as well.
They were well on their way to becoming a Japanese Ace.
Bruhh.. thats messed up🤦♂️
It's OK, those American pilots were Democrats.
@@SIXPACFISH HAHAHAAH
Love it! Great videos and I really dig these longer ones. My father (Army SFC retired), myself (Army SPC) and my brother (Marine SGT) have binge watched pretty much everything you've put up. Thanks for your service and keep them coming. P.S. You covered combat engineers, but have you covered Sappers yet?
Please consider covering the story of Emmett Tullia aka Stroke 3 in the Package Q strike on Iraq. He was targeted 6 times by SAMs and despite a failure to deploy malfunction for both his chaff and his flares, he still made it out without a scratch on pure maneuverability.
"He's got that water polo injury" made me spit out my coffee. Love this channel 😂😂
Love these videos. Thank you for the history lesson. Long format is the best.
Glad you like them!
Anyone that's been in the military can tell you many stories of screw ups taking place. As for the US Navy in WWII, like the Army and Marine Corps, it grew in size quite a bit. With so many new ships, there's a lot of freshly recruited personnel. There's only so much pre-war experienced, trained guys you have.
It's my personal belief that there's more screwups out there that just isn't recorded, talked about. Willie D is just unlucky in that her screwups are the ones that people are talking about now decades after. How many US Navy warships out there can make the claim they fired at the President of the United States?
As unlucky as this ship was, IMO, she offset all of that when she finally sank. The Battle of Okinawa was a bitterly fought one in air, land, and sea. Radar and Anti-Aircraft Picket Duty by the Destroyers was a dangerous job, the US Navy literally put their DDs out there as Kamikaze bait and not the more valuable Battleships and Carriers. The best gift Willie D did with her bad luck is that none of her crew died in this.
As for FDR going easy on Willie D's crew, he probably understood that the expanded military had training and experience issues. Also, FDR having a grand time of the "assassination attempt" reflects that he loved the whole thing. He grew up as a huge fan of the navy, having a large collection of books about the subject. FDR was also Assistant Secretary of the Navy from 1913-1920. He was a huge fanboy of warships.
Heard this story on The Dollop but I'm loving your take on it as well. Keep it up with the longer form story videos, they're great!
Killer video as always! I hope you can do USS Enterprise CV-6 soon, I can’t think of a more awesome combo than a badass narration to go with a badass ship!
one video ain't enough for THAT ship
IJN sends one of her elevators into the stratosphere becoming the US Navy's first satellite.
Enterprise: (Spits out oil and mangled steel) "Big whoop bitches I still got two more, and more 20mm Oerlikons than Geneva is comfortable with. Come at me everything."
@@alaxbird4954 Indeed the story of Enterprise is basically the Pacific War.
11:02
Honestly, I love this detail because it means that there had to be a single moment in those men's head. As those cannons turn to face them where they thought they were gonna be shot for treason
Bro, I have been consuming your content for about 2ish months off & on. You have excellent delivery, I comment on youtube videos less than the average bear. However, I will take the small amount of time to write this comment. Like you, I love the people that make America awesome. I appreciate the effort you exert to create this genre of content. The understanding of the importantance of storytelling is a lost human behavior. Thank you for presenting these pieces of history.
It's a real shame that YT won't let you properly tell a story, because this, of all the stories you've posted, this one really needed "Y'all ain't gonna believe this shit..." to properly set the mood.
Great post, I've not heard any of these tales before and this was FUN to listen to.
This guy would be the greatest history teacher ever
I love how consistly good the AA gunners are throughout the entire story, right up until the very end.
Well done yet again. Good history lesson sprinkled with just enough humor to be engaging and interesting. 👍🇺🇸
The same question I've asked myself for repeatedly. Like am I unlucky because I've been hit by two different cars. Two separate occasions while riding a bike. Went off. The stern of a boat I was working on was drown and brought back. Was solo hiking the AT and while walking up the side of a mountain outside of Port Clinton, Pennsylvania, the tree root that was used for a step snapped as I put my weight on it and I tumbled ass over tea kettle down the mountain and did nothing but tear my ACL and I was still able to drag myself to the top of the mountain so I could use the phone I had with me to call 911. I've lived through all this shit and that's not even everything. That's just some of the major stuff. So am I unlucky for having had all that shit happen or am I lucky for still being alive
Heres the mind fuck both at the same time luck isnt a pendulum or a side of a bridge its a schrodinger kat the only thibg for certain is the amount of luck but its a double edged sword good way to think of it is mo money mo problems
I don't know if you're unlucky or lucky, but you sure as hell ain't a quitter!
Luck or unlucky......I'm going to just say.....Yes. lol
@@ericvanswoll4611 its both, unlucky to get in the situation, lucky to make it out
@@ericvanswoll4611 lol nope
Another BANGER of a video, would love to see you do an episode on Sir Adrian Carton De Wiart- he served in 3 wars (inc. WW1 and WW2) was pretty much unkillable and an absolute madman, he has a crazy story.
Frankly, He enjoyed the war.
I usually wind up with tears of laughter while listening to your delivery. No exception here. Thank you.
Great story, but I’d like to point out one thing: you said that the US chose to make a ton of ships instead of making a few big, badass battleships (yet much of this story involved the Iowa lol). The US definitely chose to do both, which was why there were only a few Iowa class battleships.
Good point!
I believe in the Iowa class' case, they designed the ship for high speed so it can keep pace with the carriers, and had state of the art firing control and radars for extreme accuracy in any conditions. This made them manoeuvrable and quick, but also deadly accurate over long distances. They were also really well armoured and had great AA gun emplacements, making these ships much more ready for the new era of naval warfare compared to the battleships of other nations, especially Japan's.
True... but you have to admit launching a ship a day is one hell of a feat of "fuck you im throwing everything and the kitchen sink at you" 😂😂😂
Also the Germans poured more resources into UBoats, and Japan made the mistake of thinking naval war wasn't going to be fundamentally changed by airplanes. And they had less resources than the US to produce with. Yamato and Bismark were ships nobody wanted to get into a gun battle with, and planes were key to their destruction.
The Iowa class was a 6 ship order in 1939 well before USA entered the WWII. The Iowa and her 3 sister ships are the last battleships made by the USA. the last two hulls were laid down but canceled after the war. The USA did not order more battleships but everything fing else. Your statement is incorrect they were already paid for.
The fact that we're talking about the mine today means it definitely was not just forgotten they didn't get the immediate intense rage. They got the slowly simmered and cooked to just the right degree rage that is going to hurt you way worse in the long run. They've had time to cool down and think of a proper punishment
That was fantastic!! Great history! I am a Navy veteran and have heard parts of the WILLIE D
You need more of these long form videos man, you're great at entertaining while providing excellent niche military history.
Good for you for expanding your brand, brother. I love the longer videos and the production value. I kinda miss the janky low quality stuff of old, but I do love that we're getting quality and funny short documentaries.
Great work and thank you for releasing this on my birthday 😀
8:34 "Sometimes you need to fight fuck-ups with fuck-ups", that sounds like my collage carrier right there, I'm going to put that phrase on a shirt
Dude, your stories are a treat!!
I wish my dad were still alive to watch these. He taught history and is one of the Frozen Chozen
You need to do a video on the Poplar Tree incident AKA Operation Paul Bunyan on the DMZ, that almost started WWIII .
I believe my uncle served on the Willie D. Going completely off memory from when I was about 10. What I do know for sure is my uncle served in the navy for 30 years and while in WWII he served on a destroyer. I also know he received some kind of stomach wound that gave him problems for the reset of his life. He retired as an PO3 (E-4). He refused all promotions after reaching E-4. I believe that makes him career mafia.
At 1:00 I was laughing my ass off that for a brief tenth of a second it said “Tomato” instead of Yamato 🤣🤣🤣 I love this channel. I absolutely love history (I’m a history major) and I love the way you deliver it.
Longest sitting president literally and figuratively is the best line ever. Absolutely awesome
cheers mate, dont know whats more entertaining, your funny punchy delivery, the honest sledging or that beautiful rifle behind you, great stuff, many thanks, Bravo Zulu ;)
You are not only educational, but highly highly entertaining. Keep them coming brother.
9:55 "Wheres the sub" is about the point in a conversation with a supervisor you're out of all nerves because something is about to explode.
When I first watched this I was wondering, "Why would a destroyer launch a torpedo at a jacuzzi tub..?"
Also, "Literally and figuratively, the longest sitting president" made me pull over while I was driving home last night. I didn't want to have to explain why I was laughing hysterically in an accident report...
Great story told by a great story teller. Please do the story of Paddy Mayne! You're one of the few people that I think could do him justice.
Bro this story is like unreal 😂 lol it's like Abbott and Costello: who's on first,...third base. Cracking me up 🤣
16:00
This is the best pilot the world will ever see.
I will remember this story forever. Imagine being hit by a kamikaze under you ship.
“Don’t shoot, we’re republicans!” is just about the funniest thing I’ve heard all week, and probably still applies in modern America.
Wouldn't work nowadays. The Republicans are the ones getting assassination attempts.
I was rolling at “ fire fuckin what now?”
I honestly think this would be a great comedy movie. Has the "Down Periscope" vibe to it.
Man I literally had tears in my eyes. Dude you’re a national treasure. Thanks for the video.