I used a slide rule in high school to do precise complicated mathematics. In my senior year the calculators were just beginning to be seen in classes. This was 1973.@@MrThisIsMeToo
I was finally able to see an Iowa class battleship last week with a visit to the USS New Jersey. Great exhibit! Brilliant and friendly staff! Keep up the great work.
As for video requests - I think a video that “follows” a sailor from his rack when the GQ alarms goes off to their battle stations would be interesting.
@@philr6829 Woops, Sorry Chief. I was a lowly PO 3d. Were you ever in Charleston SC when the base was open? I worked as a Corpsman in the hospital in the early 90s.
I'd broaden it a bit. Start in spot or sky 1, show how they lock on the target, then go down to fore or aft plot and see how they do their thing, then the turret officer booth if he has to do anything to get the solution to the machinery
Having watched the Iowa turret turning videos this made a lot more sense and I'm glad Ryan mentioned that . Keeping these great ships as museums is a massive task and it's a tribute to all concerned they are still around in such good condition .
One of the best videos that you see, follow, and understand the loading process. The added lighting and smart camera placements helped tremendously. Thank Ryan, your staff, and volunteers for the hard work!
It's crazy how tight all of the turret spaces mixed with high power motors. Watching the guy load look down the barrel, load the shell, and then call to another guy to "ram" the shell into place. You could easily loose a hand, arm, or worse at each one of these steps!
The hoist control looks very much like a streetcar controller, and I suspect it works on the same principle. Briefly, the handle is attached to a vertical shaft very much like a camshaft. The cams open or close electrical contacters that create the circuit to the motors. At the Northern Ohio Railway Museum where I volunteer, one of my first jobs was cleaning the contacts for our Cleveland Railway crane car. I remember seeing the gun pit on North Carolina's #3 turret when I was 19, and it was awesome.
I realize that your 16" rammers probably do not now function, but these are fascinating items of "bicycle chain" technology. They of course can be seen--normally at high speed--in video of the guns being loaded, but are probably not movable or even very visible today. Can you make a video focusing on these intriguing rammer assemblies? I don't know if that new cutaway model of the 16" turret shows these in any greater detail. You are all VERY creative here, so............
No one is complaining about the length of your videos Ryan. Other than maybe they are too short! 😅 Can't get enough! We appreciate your efforts and all involved.
In trucking I would move 49500 pounds in 130 pound boxes which comes out to about maybe 500 or so boxes onto the deck of the trailer from the deck of the dock its on. Then stacked up above my head 8 feet give or take. Do all that in a few hours to load. Then repeat later today or tomorrow morning unloading at delivery manually onto the dock pallets with increasing distance to carry them towards the end of the process. I weighed 155 or so when I started trucking maintained that weight give or take 5. I ate up to 10,000 calories in food (Usually some sort of steak meal four times a day in summer and 6 in winter) to maintain the energy needs and the heating metabolism for --25 inside the freezing trailer running those meat boxes in shorts and tee shirts. We were fit. There was a tiny amount of fat where it needed to be and thats all. I became obese when I stopped trucking medically some years back from there to about 290 and over the last 4 years worked it off with strict carnivore eating back to 165 now I work to maintain that weight with more calories against the cancer's ability to take weight away towards 120, 100 or even 80 which is life threatening. In the past I ate to work now I eat to live a little longer.
This was great. Question for a possible future video: what was a turret officer's job like? What rank did they typically hold and what other duties outside of the turret might they have had?
I toured the USS Iowa in 2021 at her birth in Long Beach CA. She has been moved one mile west and permanently moored as the Museum of the Pacific. The ship's tour was complete and I was recognized as an Iowan!
Beryllium was also used a lot in magazines and other fire control spaces where spark generation is an issue. I still have some beryllium tools from my decom of the HBW.
Exposure to beryllium dust can be dangerous and can cause a number of health issues, including: Lung irritation (bronchitis, pneumonia), Eye irritation (itching, burning), Skin irritation (ulcers, lumps), and chronic beryllium disease an irreversible lung condition including increased risk of developing cancer
@@ragtowne Non-sparking tools aren't made of pure beryllium, a small amount of it is mixed into copper, which makes it much harder and usable for tools. Tools made from ordinary copper also wouldn't spark, but would be too soft to be useful. No beryllium dust is created from the handling or use of these tools.
@@ragtowne Considering the sheer amount of asbestos that was used in the building of these ships and the era in which they were built i doubt anything like that was even considered or worried about at the time.
@@Kilroy_Was_Here_1897 they used Berylium in the manufacturer of some bicycles and it resulted in people inhaling beryllium dust I was just trying to state that beryllium has to be handled carefully not that it shouldn’t be used
It's crazy how complex these systems really are. Now imagine doing this under fire, with shells the size of small cars hitting your ship, killing your friends. Thankfully a true battleship on battleship conflict only happened once during the war. Thank you, Ryan, for the amazing walkthrough on what the whole process looks like from A to Z.
I would love to hear more on the targeting computer that they used. I know it was a mechanical computer that they could input all of the different variables needed for aiming but that's all I know.
It’s a fascinating topic. My understanding is they were analog computers. A firing solution is essentially a differential equation. So you build a circuit that has the same differential equation and you input things like wind velocity and direction by adjusting dials that increase or decrease the voltage of the part of the circuit that is the analog for that input. That’s probably not exactly correct but I think that’s the basic idea. I agree would love to know how they actually worked.
Great video, would love to see another on Spot 3; perhaps a look at what New Jersey’s aft control personnel would have to overcome to escape under circumstances resembling Müllenheim-Rechburg’s during Bismarck’s final engagement.
15:00 The tie-downs really feel like more of a design feature to keep the turret solidly in contact with the rest of the ship hull. I can't imagine many scenarios where the turret could potentially fall out completely that don't involve the ship also being fully capsized and at risk of sinking. Instead, it feels like these tie-downs are more to keep cables and hatchways and systems in consistent contact and alignment in order to reduce wear in rough conditions.
I like seeing parts of the ship operating like when you showed the shells lifting. Really cool to see how ship hasn't just survived, but parts of her still work. Badazz!
I use to work at the naval inactive ships facility in Bremerton Washington back in the 1970s and 80s. We had both the uss missouri and new jersey and going inside these ships was amazing.
I want to see “City at Sea”, covering all the random amenities the ship needs (print shop, library, TV studio etc.) because she was home to 2000+ people for months at a time. If it aired in October it could play up the fact the ship could now count as a “ghost town”.
Now imagine being in the navy and being asked to move those things like your life depends on because it just might have . That would be difficult work . I was thinking 🤔 couldn’t they make it smaller so they wouldn’t hurt backs and also so it would be easier to move
Now imagine being in the navy and being asked to move those things like your life depends on because it just might have . That would be difficult work . I was thinking 🤔 couldn’t they make it smaller so they wouldn’t hurt backs and also so it would be easier to move
@neubauerjoseph Smaller shells would be easier to move, but as the square cube law tells us a small reduction in height or diameter would lead to a significant reduction in boom boom juice. Plus lighter shells means less penetration and that's just sad.
When the Iowas were in the reserve fleet, I’m assuming that they had some sort of shore power on them to run the dehumidifiers, bilge pumps, and maybe some basic lighting. How did they run power out too her, and how much power did she use?
Heh. Your observation towards the end caught my attention. True, we have to adjust our fire to bring it on-target if it turns out we were a little off. I have some idea of how that works for my brother Marines doing fire missions ashore - the wizards in the FDC take the report from the observer spotting the fall of the shot, calculate the adjustments in windage and elevation, then pass it on to the cannoncockers in the batteries. However, I have no idea how complex it might be to do that when you also have to factor in your own movement, plus the target's movement, when you're shooting in a fleet engagement. (As an aside, many years ago, I toured USS Alabama, and remember being awestruck at how Main Battery Plot made me think of what it would be like to have a tour of God's own Swiss watch - I still don't have a good grasp on how you crank in adjustments for all those additional factors.) I haven't reviewed the whole back catalog of videos, so I apologize of you've done it already. But, could your next video feature a summary of how the Main Battery is aimed and adjusted on target in a fight with another warship? I'll apologize in advance if that's already been covered, and ask only for a link to the video where you covered the topic. But, if you haven't broken it down as simply as you just did for the loading and firing cycle here, could you do that next? Thanks Semper Fi, and Fair Winds, Mike Doyle
Even more interesting is that the original computer equipment used to calculate the trajectory is a) still on the ship b) *analog* c) not superseded by digital until the mid 80's.
Just to nitpick on the ammunition hoist: It wasn't like a conveyor, it was a ratchet mechanism. The operator raised the shells but raising the hoist. They would go up one step. The shells were then held in place by ratchets that kept them from coming down as the hoist was lowered back down. Then when the hoist was raised again, it would lift the shells another step. The timing of the stationary and moving ratchets could be re-timed to lower the shells back down.
Hi Ryan. Just watching the process for firing g the 16" Guns. Can't help but ask; did Sailors get injured often, by the working mechanism's. ? A Great show Ryan...!!!
@@uncommon_niagara1581 For a watch standing space it would most likely be the shaft alleys. For a living space...If I Remember Correctly, the deck guys had a berthing compartment all the way down on the fourth deck forward of Turret One. A lot of ladders to climb in an emergency.
I served as a gun chief on the 8" howitzers US Army Field Artillery . The similarities from that to the Navy's 16" guns is striking. Thank you for a great presentation!
I went to the Battleship New Jersey and Mass. You have no idea the size of the projectile and the power bags. Everything is big and heavy. It was educational to learn about them and you will appreciate what those guys had to deal with. The ship is big and easy to get lost in.
Great video, was able to reference the places you were from my walk through a couple years ago. I was thinking it would be amazing to make a one man Montage of Ryan doing every job on the New Jersey to perform one action as a whole.
Yes! Yes! Yes! More longform content like this guys. Would like to see some of your earliest content reworked now that you folks have become more comfortable with presenting. And don’t worry that videos end up being longer. That’s a Positive. 👍🏼 Though we realize it means more work on the editing side of things. Those of us who will never get a chance to visit an Iowa class battleship deeply appreciate the effort you and Libby put in just to make sure there’s a video each day❣️ I wish the other Iowas could put out this kind of content even ¼ as often as you folks. Thanks Ryan! 🙏🏼
I'd love to see one of the guns depressed to loading position, and its breech, spanner tray, and powder door opened. Perhaps even put a shell or six powder bags in the spanner tray? I suggest doing this with the center barrel of turret 1, as the lack of a rangefinder in turret 1 makes it the most accessible to guests.
@@BattleshipNewJersey That was the situation when I visited. Imho - despite the fact that it indeed looks nicer with the guns elevated - better from a story-telling perspective.
It's got to be so much fun working on a battleship museum. If I wasn't 3 and a half hours away from New Jersey, I would definitely volunteer my time to the ship. Of course, I live in between both USS New Jersey and USS Massachusetts, so either one will do. Though, I believe I live closer to Massachusetts.
Great video. As a follow-up Ryan, could you do a video on where the sailors of Iowa’s number 2 turret were when it exploded? Not trying to be morbid, but 47 sailors were killed and I ‘m wondering what safety features failed or just how far down the explosion went inside of the turret. RIP to all of the sailors.
Before Great War the fleet was stationed near some big city with limited opportunity for gunnery training, it was too noisy. So focus was made on speed instead accuracy. Now we know how good it worked.
It would be cool if you could imbed a go pro camera inside of a powder bag (or in some other shapped container) and then make a shot of the trip it takes from on loading to out the main gun barrel. Like the start of the movie “Lord of War” where it tracks the “life” of a 7.62x39 round from factory in Ukraine to impact in Africa.
One thing seems true between defense shooting courses I've been in and up to battleship gunfire - you can't miss fast enough. Though for an HE shell at a shore target I bet the "hit" zone is bigger than the actual target.
When I attended Hospital Corps school at Great Lakes they had the gunnery school there and as I understood it there were mock ups or simulators for all the major weapons. Have you been able to get films or information about the battleship guns from there? Just curious as I was there in 1988 and they hadn't started to phase them out yet.
Loved the remake of this video! It's amazing the difference the lighting made! Loved seeing some of the original video in there as well as archival footage! How about redoing the back parts of the turret where the turret captain as his crew worked! And I'd Love to the the Fosters beer can art in the video. I got such a kick out of that when I toured the battleship a little over a year ago
Its just amazing to see the size of the guns and engineering that has been done to make it possible. I would like to learn more about the fire control. Thanks for a great video!
My great grandfather invented shatter-proof casing technology for the 16" guns ahead of WW2. He never patented it - out of patriotism, he gave it to the U.S. War Dept. The technology is still in use today.
Like I mentioned before, I'd like to see an update to the 'South Dakota Class Vs Iowa Class: Engine Rooms' video. Perhaps even provide info of North Carolina's engine room.
Detail walkthrough of how a shore bombardment is calculated would be great. Someone had to plot a grid/lat-long and where the ship will be when they fire so you can figure out an azimuth and range to target. In land artillery, this is what happens in the Fire Direction Center (minus the calculations for a moving gun). Ship-to-ship gunnery is handled by your analog fire computer, using sensors to determine range and direction, but what about land targets beyond visual range?
As I understand shore bombardment vs ship-to-ship gunfire is basically the same, except the target's movement is 0, where ship-to-ship the target would have a changing range & bearing and changing continously.
Awesome. The Missouri came to Sydney, Australia, for our 75th B'Day in 1986. What a hell of a ship. It made my little Oliver Hazard Perry class Frigate look like a Tonka toy
I obviously was never on a WWII battleship when it fired its guns, but I did get to explore and play on the battleship Massachusetts at Battleship Cove in Massachusetts. I am so glad I got that chance.
Excellent Job guys -- New lights really help -- great video -- quick question -- in some of the historical footage, the crewman nearest the breech had an insulated sleeve or something -- what was that for?
Took a 20 minute video to explain a 30 second process, just shows how efficient AND powerful New Jersey was with her crewman at full speed. great video as always!
id like to see a video about your m1 helmets. weve seen a few with damage control markings, but its be interesting to see what other marked m1s youve got.
This video was very interesting! Loved it! I’d like to see a detailed video on what exactly happened when the Iowa’s #2 turret backfired. Would that be possible?
How about a video showing all the different variables that are entered into the fire control computer & how these variables affect the fire control solution, for the main battery & the 5" DP guns.
Great progression of storage compartments to "bang", Ryan. Does one of your videos explain the mechanism that provides the burst of pressurized air to clear any remaining smoke and powder embers from the barrel before the breech is opened to reload?
Incredibly well-done tutorial midshipman Ryan, first rate work, youve exceeded my expectations. the lighting is good, the resolution is sharp. i declare this vid, your opus magnum! 😂
Couldn’t agree more! I’ve been told by a few people(family with experience) that I’m likely ASD, I still am skeptical. But I sure as hell am the exact opposite of ADD. IDGAF what any “expert” would say, I just want to learn ALL the things. All I know is that I want to know things. No matter what some BS clinician would call me, and probably you(screw ‘em, we don’t need some stupid f-ing label), just give us ALL the details. Sorry for the rant, but you are my kind! Some of us just want to know more, and your comment helps me know that I’m not the only nerd here(of course I’m not, but it’s still great to see others like me). I love being a nerd, even if it’s not the norm.
My uncle (RIP) was a master gun chief on the USS Astoria until it went down at Guadalcanal. What always mystified me was how these men didn't all go deaf. I mean we're talking about 660 lbs of gunpowder for each shot. I can't even imaging the decibel level. BTW, my uncle survived the sinking and became one of the most influential men in my life.
Very well done. I smiled when I saw the ADA Stairs. I probably would go straight up the middle. The primer to go in looks like a really stout rifle round like a 30-06 or something. Its amazing that little thing can light off all that. I dont see anything that would get those aluminum powder cans OUT of the ship to fill with fresh powder. So how do you get powder INTO the spaces down below or the shells for that matter? At some point you would need to provision the battleship with more shells. One item that was not spoken of I suppose would be the nuclear shells that at least one of the Iowas were rumored to have aboard at something like several dozen for three guns turret each. Those would probably require different handling. The Navy is not known for saying yes or no on nuclear stuff in the 1950's time frame which I was thinking of.
I know they don't exist on the New Jersey any longer, but I saw 40mm gun directors on the Alabama and the North Carolina and have wondered how they worked.
You breifly mentioned Jutland, my Grandfather was a Stoker, first class on Board HMS Iron Duke during the battle of Jutland. If it were possible to hear more thoughts on Jutland and perhaps a Stoker. This may not be suitable as much older ships but just a thought
The engineering behind these guns and all their mechanisms is just mind boggling.
More mind boggling when you think they were designed with slide rules.
I used a slide rule in high school to do precise complicated mathematics. In my senior year the calculators were just beginning to be seen in classes. This was 1973.@@MrThisIsMeToo
@@MrThisIsMeToo
so was the SR-71
I know right, it is essentially a system of systems
@@davidbaker5185 you should look into 1945 nazi technology.
I was finally able to see an Iowa class battleship last week with a visit to the USS New Jersey. Great exhibit! Brilliant and friendly staff! Keep up the great work.
I'm going to be checking out USS Iowa soon hopefully. Hoping my mom is as interested in it as I am
i want to visit new jeresy but im 3 hours away
recently i went to the uss wisconsin and months ago i went to the uss new jersey
@@könig3531 I'm 12 hours away.
@@könig3531Thats a great roadtrip!
As for video requests - I think a video that “follows” a sailor from his rack when the GQ alarms goes off to their battle stations would be interesting.
Just join the Navy. It's not all that exciting
@@onemorething100sorry, I should have signed that remark MASTER CHIEF PETTY OFFICER, ret.
@@philr6829 Woops, Sorry Chief. I was a lowly PO 3d. Were you ever in Charleston SC when the base was open? I worked as a Corpsman in the hospital in the early 90s.
@@onemorething100no worries Doc, no wasn’t near there. Also - I was in the older and more productive sea service- Coast Guard.
@@philr6829 You did your time. Thank you.
id love to see you "dial in" a fire solution on the gunnery computers
like... explain what each knob does
Great suggestion!
Another "yes please" vote!
I'd broaden it a bit. Start in spot or sky 1, show how they lock on the target, then go down to fore or aft plot and see how they do their thing, then the turret officer booth if he has to do anything to get the solution to the machinery
I do believe that is in an older video about the guns
I love the idea of slowly being taught in detail for free on UA-cam how to use an Iowa class battleship for dummies.
Having watched the Iowa turret turning videos this made a lot more sense and I'm glad Ryan mentioned that . Keeping these great ships as museums is a massive task and it's a tribute to all concerned they are still around in such good condition .
One of the best videos that you see, follow, and understand the loading process. The added lighting and smart camera placements helped tremendously. Thank Ryan, your staff, and volunteers for the hard work!
It's crazy how tight all of the turret spaces mixed with high power motors.
Watching the guy load look down the barrel, load the shell, and then call to another guy to "ram" the shell into place. You could easily loose a hand, arm, or worse at each one of these steps!
The other, original, meaning of Not Safe for Work. The guy with a rope made me wince. (Not Ryan, the one in the film)
@MosBikeShop The operation is called "parbuckling". Same evolution raised the Costa Concordia.
The hoist control looks very much like a streetcar controller, and I suspect it works on the same principle. Briefly, the handle is attached to a vertical shaft very much like a camshaft. The cams open or close electrical contacters that create the circuit to the motors. At the Northern Ohio Railway Museum where I volunteer, one of my first jobs was cleaning the contacts for our Cleveland Railway crane car. I remember seeing the gun pit on North Carolina's #3 turret when I was 19, and it was awesome.
Or become a human cannonball
This was an interesting redo, thank you for preserving the ship and bringing it to people like me that probably won’t be able to see it in person.
You have such an extensive back catalogue that when I suggested a topic to cover, you were able to point me to a video on tthe exact topic
I realize that your 16" rammers probably do not now function, but these are fascinating items of "bicycle chain" technology. They of course can be seen--normally at high speed--in video of the guns being loaded, but are probably not movable or even very visible today. Can you make a video focusing on these intriguing rammer assemblies? I don't know if that new cutaway model of the 16" turret shows these in any greater detail. You are all VERY creative here, so............
It is possible to tour the USS Alabama in Mobile Alabama. A tourist can take a tour of the entire ship including the bottom deck of the turret.
Excellent video as usual! Super informative! I’m amazed that the lift still works! Need to get back for another tour!! Thank you Ryan!!
No one is complaining about the length of your videos Ryan. Other than maybe they are too short! 😅 Can't get enough! We appreciate your efforts and all involved.
These ships are engineering marvels. As always, wonderful video about these important pieces of our history.
the guys working with those powder bags and shells must have been jacked up after months of doing that kind of lifting....
Definitely. Many reps of 110lbs. 6 lifts just to fire a single round.
Saves money on gym membership though 🤣
@@colinstewart1432I'm going to guess at the cost of YOUR HEARING LOSS IS NOT SERVICE-RELATED.
In trucking I would move 49500 pounds in 130 pound boxes which comes out to about maybe 500 or so boxes onto the deck of the trailer from the deck of the dock its on. Then stacked up above my head 8 feet give or take. Do all that in a few hours to load. Then repeat later today or tomorrow morning unloading at delivery manually onto the dock pallets with increasing distance to carry them towards the end of the process.
I weighed 155 or so when I started trucking maintained that weight give or take 5. I ate up to 10,000 calories in food (Usually some sort of steak meal four times a day in summer and 6 in winter) to maintain the energy needs and the heating metabolism for --25 inside the freezing trailer running those meat boxes in shorts and tee shirts. We were fit. There was a tiny amount of fat where it needed to be and thats all.
I became obese when I stopped trucking medically some years back from there to about 290 and over the last 4 years worked it off with strict carnivore eating back to 165 now I work to maintain that weight with more calories against the cancer's ability to take weight away towards 120, 100 or even 80 which is life threatening. In the past I ate to work now I eat to live a little longer.
@BattleshipNewJersey Sweet video Ryan, you do great work. Your work is a great testament to the Blue shirts who were there. Thank you for all you do.
This was great. Question for a possible future video: what was a turret officer's job like? What rank did they typically hold and what other duties outside of the turret might they have had?
I toured the USS Iowa in 2021 at her birth in Long Beach CA. She has been moved one mile west and permanently moored as the Museum of the Pacific. The ship's tour was complete and I was recognized as an Iowan!
Her new BERTH is quite spectacular. Wonderful display.
congrats on 250K guys! well deserved.
I noticed the new lights immediately. Great!
Beryllium was also used a lot in magazines and other fire control spaces where spark generation is an issue. I still have some beryllium tools from my decom of the HBW.
Exposure to beryllium dust can be dangerous and can cause a number of health issues, including: Lung irritation (bronchitis, pneumonia), Eye irritation (itching, burning), Skin irritation (ulcers, lumps), and chronic beryllium disease an irreversible lung condition including increased risk of developing cancer
@@ragtowne Non-sparking tools aren't made of pure beryllium, a small amount of it is mixed into copper, which makes it much harder and usable for tools. Tools made from ordinary copper also wouldn't spark, but would be too soft to be useful. No beryllium dust is created from the handling or use of these tools.
@@ragtowne Considering the sheer amount of asbestos that was used in the building of these ships and the era in which they were built i doubt anything like that was even considered or worried about at the time.
@@Kilroy_Was_Here_1897 they used Berylium in the manufacturer of some bicycles and it resulted in people inhaling beryllium dust I was just trying to state that beryllium has to be handled carefully not that it shouldn’t be used
@@paulhunter1735 indeed it was war and in war all things are fair
How about a video on the chain rammer contraption? Specifically the chain portion and how it functions.
It's crazy how complex these systems really are. Now imagine doing this under fire, with shells the size of small cars hitting your ship, killing your friends. Thankfully a true battleship on battleship conflict only happened once during the war. Thank you, Ryan, for the amazing walkthrough on what the whole process looks like from A to Z.
You and your volunteers and crew have done a fantastic job saving our countries Naval history in that most famous ship like very few others!
I would love to hear more on the targeting computer that they used.
I know it was a mechanical computer that they could input all of the different variables needed for aiming but that's all I know.
It’s a fascinating topic. My understanding is they were analog computers. A firing solution is essentially a differential equation. So you build a circuit that has the same differential equation and you input things like wind velocity and direction by adjusting dials that increase or decrease the voltage of the part of the circuit that is the analog for that input. That’s probably not exactly correct but I think that’s the basic idea. I agree would love to know how they actually worked.
Great video, would love to see another on Spot 3; perhaps a look at what New Jersey’s aft control personnel would have to overcome to escape under circumstances resembling Müllenheim-Rechburg’s during Bismarck’s final engagement.
15:00 The tie-downs really feel like more of a design feature to keep the turret solidly in contact with the rest of the ship hull. I can't imagine many scenarios where the turret could potentially fall out completely that don't involve the ship also being fully capsized and at risk of sinking. Instead, it feels like these tie-downs are more to keep cables and hatchways and systems in consistent contact and alignment in order to reduce wear in rough conditions.
I like seeing parts of the ship operating like when you showed the shells lifting. Really cool to see how ship hasn't just survived, but parts of her still work. Badazz!
Wow, epic updated video of the powder path, loved the 1st one but this is crystal clear, so much to look at!
I use to work at the naval inactive ships facility in Bremerton Washington back in the 1970s and 80s. We had both the uss missouri and new jersey and going inside these ships was amazing.
I want to see “City at Sea”, covering all the random amenities the ship needs (print shop, library, TV studio etc.) because she was home to 2000+ people for months at a time. If it aired in October it could play up the fact the ship could now count as a “ghost town”.
Its amazing how you guys keep all those mechanisms working
It never fails to impress! The size of those shells is awe inspiring!
The size of the powder charge is the crazy part
Now imagine being in the navy and being asked to move those things like your life depends on because it just might have . That would be difficult work . I was thinking 🤔 couldn’t they make it smaller so they wouldn’t hurt backs and also so it would be easier to move
Now imagine being in the navy and being asked to move those things like your life depends on because it just might have . That would be difficult work . I was thinking 🤔 couldn’t they make it smaller so they wouldn’t hurt backs and also so it would be easier to move
@@massmike11 The muscles on the curator are even more amazing. Did you see how easily the was moving those 110 pound powder bags? 💪💪🤣
@neubauerjoseph Smaller shells would be easier to move, but as the square cube law tells us a small reduction in height or diameter would lead to a significant reduction in boom boom juice.
Plus lighter shells means less penetration and that's just sad.
When the Iowas were in the reserve fleet, I’m assuming that they had some sort of shore power on them to run the dehumidifiers, bilge pumps, and maybe some basic lighting. How did they run power out too her, and how much power did she use?
Heh. Your observation towards the end caught my attention. True, we have to adjust our fire to bring it on-target if it turns out we were a little off. I have some idea of how that works for my brother Marines doing fire missions ashore - the wizards in the FDC take the report from the observer spotting the fall of the shot, calculate the adjustments in windage and elevation, then pass it on to the cannoncockers in the batteries. However, I have no idea how complex it might be to do that when you also have to factor in your own movement, plus the target's movement, when you're shooting in a fleet engagement. (As an aside, many years ago, I toured USS Alabama, and remember being awestruck at how Main Battery Plot made me think of what it would be like to have a tour of God's own Swiss watch - I still don't have a good grasp on how you crank in adjustments for all those additional factors.)
I haven't reviewed the whole back catalog of videos, so I apologize of you've done it already. But, could your next video feature a summary of how the Main Battery is aimed and adjusted on target in a fight with another warship?
I'll apologize in advance if that's already been covered, and ask only for a link to the video where you covered the topic. But, if you haven't broken it down as simply as you just did for the loading and firing cycle here, could you do that next? Thanks
Semper Fi, and Fair Winds,
Mike Doyle
Even more interesting is that the original computer equipment used to calculate the trajectory is a) still on the ship b) *analog* c) not superseded by digital until the mid 80's.
It's a good thing OSHA does NOT have jurisdiction on a Navy ship! Great video.
Cool stuff!! I really enjoyed this demonstration of how the turret loading system works
"I wish we still had 1600 crew onboard..." haha Nearly did a whisky spit-take on that one.
Thanks!
Just to nitpick on the ammunition hoist: It wasn't like a conveyor, it was a ratchet mechanism. The operator raised the shells but raising the hoist. They would go up one step. The shells were then held in place by ratchets that kept them from coming down as the hoist was lowered back down. Then when the hoist was raised again, it would lift the shells another step.
The timing of the stationary and moving ratchets could be re-timed to lower the shells back down.
Just to nitpick the nitpicking, the projectile hoist is a reciprocating rack and tube pawl mechanism.
Hi Ryan. Just watching the process for firing g the 16" Guns. Can't help but ask; did Sailors get injured often, by the working mechanism's. ?
A Great show Ryan...!!!
What would be the most complicated route that a sailor would normally have to take to abandon ship from a normally inhabited space?
@@uncommon_niagara1581 For a watch standing space it would most likely be the shaft alleys. For a living space...If I Remember Correctly, the deck guys had a berthing compartment all the way down on the fourth deck forward of Turret One. A lot of ladders to climb in an emergency.
I served as a gun chief on the 8" howitzers US Army Field Artillery . The similarities from that to the Navy's 16" guns is striking. Thank you for a great presentation!
NO KIDDING! WOWEE!
I went to the Battleship New Jersey and Mass. You have no idea the size of the projectile and the power bags. Everything is big and heavy. It was educational to learn about them and you will appreciate what those guys had to deal with. The ship is big and easy to get lost in.
Great video, was able to reference the places you were from my walk through a couple years ago. I was thinking it would be amazing to make a one man Montage of Ryan doing every job on the New Jersey to perform one action as a whole.
Yes! Yes! Yes! More longform content like this guys. Would like to see some of your earliest content reworked now that you folks have become more comfortable with presenting. And don’t worry that videos end up being longer. That’s a Positive. 👍🏼 Though we realize it means more work on the editing side of things.
Those of us who will never get a chance to visit an Iowa class battleship deeply appreciate the effort you and Libby put in just to make sure there’s a video each day❣️ I wish the other Iowas could put out this kind of content even ¼ as often as you folks. Thanks Ryan! 🙏🏼
Ive said it several time, but the guys that designed and built those turrets etc were just amazing.
I'd love to see one of the guns depressed to loading position, and its breech, spanner tray, and powder door opened. Perhaps even put a shell or six powder bags in the spanner tray? I suggest doing this with the center barrel of turret 1, as the lack of a rangefinder in turret 1 makes it the most accessible to guests.
We had it that way with turret 3 for decades, but decided it looked better elevated
@@BattleshipNewJersey That was the situation when I visited. Imho - despite the fact that it indeed looks nicer with the guns elevated - better from a story-telling perspective.
The USS Massachussets BB-59 has one of the guns in turret 3 at the loading position with the ramp down, and rammer extended with powder bags going in
USS North. Carolina has her guns in loading position in turret 3
I just visited the USAUSNUSMC North Carolina in Wilmington!!
It's got to be so much fun working on a battleship museum. If I wasn't 3 and a half hours away from New Jersey, I would definitely volunteer my time to the ship. Of course, I live in between both USS New Jersey and USS Massachusetts, so either one will do. Though, I believe I live closer to Massachusetts.
Great video. As a follow-up Ryan, could you do a video on where the sailors of Iowa’s number 2 turret were when it exploded? Not trying to be morbid, but 47 sailors were killed and I ‘m wondering what safety features failed or just how far down the explosion went inside of the turret. RIP to all of the sailors.
I am also curious as to how far down the explosion went. RIP to all of the sailors.
At Jutland, the blast doors on the British battleships were open and powder left everywhere. The opposite of what you showed.
Yeah, they left the doors open to speed up loading.
Before Great War the fleet was stationed near some big city with limited opportunity for gunnery training, it was too noisy. So focus was made on speed instead accuracy. Now we know how good it worked.
It was a hole lot easier to load the 5”38 guns! I loaded the shells and sent them up to the guns which only weighed 55 lbs.
Ryan I so enjoy watching your videos every night
It would be cool if you could imbed a go pro camera inside of a powder bag (or in some other shapped container) and then make a shot of the trip it takes from on loading to out the main gun barrel. Like the start of the movie “Lord of War” where it tracks the “life” of a 7.62x39 round from factory in Ukraine to impact in Africa.
Fascinating ! Excellent segment, not too long at all ! Thank You !!
One thing seems true between defense shooting courses I've been in and up to battleship gunfire - you can't miss fast enough. Though for an HE shell at a shore target I bet the "hit" zone is bigger than the actual target.
Getting better and better at this Ryan, keep up the good work! I love this stuff!
When I attended Hospital Corps school at Great Lakes they had the gunnery school there and as I understood it there were mock ups or simulators for all the major weapons. Have you been able to get films or information about the battleship guns from there? Just curious as I was there in 1988 and they hadn't started to phase them out yet.
I attended the “Green House” bldg 521 in ‘96, only systems in the there were missile displays and the TM school was also taught there.
It takes a lot of Ps: [P]rojectile, [P]ropellant, [P]rimer, [P]ush breech closed, [P]ush Safe/Fire switch to fire, [P]ull trigger
No wonder they only let people with PPs work there 😂
Phire!
Awesome video! I've been on the Missouri and Wisconsin, hope to see the New Jersey in the near future.
Loved the remake of this video! It's amazing the difference the lighting made! Loved seeing some of the original video in there as well as archival footage! How about redoing the back parts of the turret where the turret captain as his crew worked! And I'd Love to the the Fosters beer can art in the video. I got such a kick out of that when I toured the battleship a little over a year ago
Its just amazing to see the size of the guns and engineering that has been done to make it possible. I would like to learn more about the fire control. Thanks for a great video!
We have the battle ship USS Texas down here on Galveston Island now so I love to learn about battle ships. Thank you.
My great grandfather invented shatter-proof casing technology for the 16" guns ahead of WW2. He never patented it - out of patriotism, he gave it to the U.S. War Dept. The technology is still in use today.
I remember an episode about the catacombs way back when. Would love to see a new video about that!
Like I mentioned before, I'd like to see an update to the 'South Dakota Class Vs Iowa Class: Engine Rooms' video.
Perhaps even provide info of North Carolina's engine room.
First time on your channel - enjoyable seeing history relived. Love the engineering.
Detail walkthrough of how a shore bombardment is calculated would be great. Someone had to plot a grid/lat-long and where the ship will be when they fire so you can figure out an azimuth and range to target. In land artillery, this is what happens in the Fire Direction Center (minus the calculations for a moving gun). Ship-to-ship gunnery is handled by your analog fire computer, using sensors to determine range and direction, but what about land targets beyond visual range?
As I understand shore bombardment vs ship-to-ship gunfire is basically the same, except the target's movement is 0, where ship-to-ship the target would have a changing range & bearing and changing continously.
Fascinating! Thank you. Having reading about Jutland I habe severe respect for gunners and battleships.
Awesome. The Missouri came to Sydney, Australia, for our 75th B'Day in 1986. What a hell of a ship. It made my little Oliver Hazard Perry class Frigate look like a Tonka toy
Im starting to lose faith that "Under Siege" was actually a documentary.... 😆
It wasn't?
Excellent video. Thanks for taking the time.
Just read the in depth report of the Iowa gun turret disaster where 47 sailors died. Seeing this adds more help in understanding what happened.
I obviously was never on a WWII battleship when it fired its guns, but I did get to explore and play on the battleship Massachusetts at Battleship Cove in Massachusetts. I am so glad I got that chance.
Thank you Ryan this was a interesting episode.
My new favorite Mr. Rogers spin off! ..I hope Texas gets these kind of upgrades also! Love the lighting
I built a model of the USS New Jersey when I was a kid. I am glad that she found a safe harbor.
Fabulous. Stunning engineering, stunning team work. Quite remarkable.
Excellent Job guys -- New lights really help -- great video -- quick question -- in some of the historical footage, the crewman nearest the breech had an insulated sleeve or something -- what was that for?
Thanks for this. I toured the Wisconsin in Norfolk, but we couldn’t see any of these areas. Thanks again.
Took a 20 minute video to explain a 30 second process, just shows how efficient AND powerful New Jersey was with her crewman at full speed. great video as always!
id like to see a video about your m1 helmets. weve seen a few with damage control markings, but its be interesting to see what other marked m1s youve got.
Swedish additive... would you expand on that? Thank you for your continued videos.
This video was very interesting! Loved it! I’d like to see a detailed video on what exactly happened when the Iowa’s #2 turret backfired. Would that be possible?
How about a video showing all the different variables that are entered into the fire control computer & how these variables affect the fire control solution, for the main battery & the 5" DP guns.
Excellent video Ryan!
Great progression of storage compartments to "bang", Ryan. Does one of your videos explain the mechanism that provides the burst of pressurized air to clear any remaining smoke and powder embers from the barrel before the breech is opened to reload?
Excellent presentation, thank you!!!
I can definitely say that it's a complicated and sophisticated system
Incredibly well-done tutorial midshipman Ryan, first rate work, youve exceeded my expectations. the lighting is good, the resolution is sharp. i declare this vid, your opus magnum! 😂
"Trying to keep the video brief"? We don't want brief. We want ALL the details!
Couldn’t agree more!
I’ve been told by a few people(family with experience) that I’m likely ASD, I still am skeptical. But I sure as hell am the exact opposite of ADD. IDGAF what any “expert” would say, I just want to learn ALL the things. All I know is that I want to know things. No matter what some BS clinician would call me, and probably you(screw ‘em, we don’t need some stupid f-ing label), just give us ALL the details.
Sorry for the rant, but you are my kind! Some of us just want to know more, and your comment helps me know that I’m not the only nerd here(of course I’m not, but it’s still great to see others like me). I love being a nerd, even if it’s not the norm.
I just visited you guys a few days ago, super fun experience!
My uncle (RIP) was a master gun chief on the USS Astoria until it went down at Guadalcanal. What always mystified me was how these men didn't all go deaf. I mean we're talking about 660 lbs of gunpowder for each shot. I can't even imaging the decibel level. BTW, my uncle survived the sinking and became one of the most influential men in my life.
A great update video of these massive guns! THX!
How about the firing procedure and how you would aim such a massive gun thats mounted on a pitching deck. That would be really cool to watch.
Thank you! Mind-boggling to know how fast and chaotic(?) activities down here were during battles.
Very well done. I smiled when I saw the ADA Stairs. I probably would go straight up the middle. The primer to go in looks like a really stout rifle round like a 30-06 or something. Its amazing that little thing can light off all that.
I dont see anything that would get those aluminum powder cans OUT of the ship to fill with fresh powder. So how do you get powder INTO the spaces down below or the shells for that matter? At some point you would need to provision the battleship with more shells.
One item that was not spoken of I suppose would be the nuclear shells that at least one of the Iowas were rumored to have aboard at something like several dozen for three guns turret each. Those would probably require different handling. The Navy is not known for saying yes or no on nuclear stuff in the 1950's time frame which I was thinking of.
Best quality video yet. I forget with the openness that youre in a ship. That scares and intrigues me.
Thank you, this is a gift..... ❤❤❤❤❤😊
I know they don't exist on the New Jersey any longer, but I saw 40mm gun directors on the Alabama and the North Carolina and have wondered how they worked.
You breifly mentioned Jutland, my Grandfather was a Stoker, first class on Board HMS Iron Duke during the battle of Jutland. If it were possible to hear more thoughts on Jutland and perhaps a Stoker. This may not be suitable as much older ships but just a thought
When I'm desperately waiting for my guns to reload in WOWS, I'll be more patient from now on, knowing how many steps there are to load and fire them.