What you have there is the ship's breakaway flag. We had it made out in town by a commercial flag maker prior to our last deployment. I was the ship's Welfare and Recreation Fund manager and paid for it with money from that fund. Unbeknownst to us, it was against Navy policy to purchase articles for ship's operational use out of the W&R fund, so when we were audited just before decommissioning, we took a hit for that expenditure - the only hit in the audit. I was upset that the audit wasn't perfect, but I remember most clearly the XO's comment after the debrief: "Well, thanks for helping us fill up our to-do list..." That was classic CAPT Smith, probably the best XO I've served with. When I was an XO, and again in my several tours in command, I always tried to mirror CAPT Smith's calm and supportive demeanor. Regarding "WETSU", yes, that was CAPT Tucker's catch phrase, and no, the "S" didn't stand for "stuff." I suppose we have to have a PG version of things for general consumption, but that phrase was definitely not PG, at least not as we all used it.. The reason that you found the flag so high up in the ship is because it was managed by the signalmen (the "skivvy wavers") who would ball it up with light twine and haul it up to the yardarm on the side of the ship from which we were refueling (whether giving or receiving) during an underway replenishment (UNREP.) Flags in that condition are said to be "at the break." When the UNREP was complete, the skivvy wavers would pull down hard on the halyard on which the breakaway flag was balled up and the light twine (also called "small stuff) would fall away, leaving the flag to unfurl rather dramatically. At the same time, we would play whatever breakaway song we had chosen over the 1MC, the ship's loudspeaker system. During those day's it was usually "Back in Black" or "Bad to the Bone," something like that. In my 30 years in the Navy, I have had many tours that I loved having done, even when I deployed on command to war. I would have to say though, that being a young LT on the New Jersey was the most fun I've had, it was an excellent crew and an amazing ship. I would do it all over in a hearbeat.
Battleship New Jersey , Ryan there is a perfect space to display this flag - the crew mess ! (especially near any of the pipe racks that may still be there).
Exactly, that's a dream job for me! Id spend the entire day just spelunking. But I'd also take it too far and try to lite a boiler, turn a turret, etc.
The original story I was told at the time, was that WETSU originated with Wisconsin's reactivation crew, as they were subject to an endless number of press tours, dog-and-pony shows and the like. And, the Morale Personnel were constantly reinforcing the notion that all were to display happy faces no matter how unsat the day was being. So, either an E-9 or a WO posted "WETSU" on one of the Department bulletin boards. This spread like wildfire. To include embroidered ballcaps. It did not take lone to spread out among the Fleet, and was pretty common by 2000 or so.
Perhaps to aid with preserving the flag/banner getting a replica made that is a bit smaller could be a option so you can have an item on display whilst keeping the original safely stored. Of course that may have to be for the future as everything has to be focused on dry docking the ship as no point preserving artifacts if the ship itself is not preserved. Good luck with the dry docking from across the pond.
Great video! As a reluctant curator of a museum collection, the "public's hands" on items scares me. I would love to pick your brain on where to go with our items. I say reluctantly in seim-jest. We are a small non-profit dedicated to preserving the culture and memory of the people who worked in a Southern cotton mill town. My family has been here for five generations, and I am not ready for their story to die. I spend every Sunday uncovering new things from the early 1900s and trying to ensure they are remembered. Thank you for all that you do. Take care, and happy hunting!
Now that you have the original and it looks like it's in mint condition I think you should definitely have high res photos taken of it to make both a full sized replica to hang on certain occasions and to put on t-shirts / smaller replicas for sale and such.
There’s no way they’d risk damage to an artifact like this by flying it. It doesn’t appear to be built to handle such conditions but rather as a stationary display.
I worked at a KC-135 base when I was in the USAF. The motto we all had was “NOKAWOTG” no one kicks @$$ with out tanker gas” I tried my best to keep it PG-ish Ryan.
I purposefully kept a small U.S. flag inside one of my pouches as an infantryman in Iraq during the late unpleasantness. Service items like the WETSU flag are invaluable, especially to vets!
I have a walkman style Aiwa tape player that a U2 pilot borrowed for a mission along the Iraq/Kuwait border during the Gulf War. I'm the only only one it means something to, but to me it means a lot.
@@timbowden1680 Had one of those too during Desert Storm, they were sold in the ships store. Used mine to record tapes to send home instead of letters, my best friend still has them.
I'd love to see a "curator's unboxing" type deal where you record going through some of the old stuff stored away. Even if nothing too crazy is found, it'd be fun to see garden variety artifacts.
HI RYAN ,, 6 YR.S GREAT WORKING THERE ,,.. WOW!!! GREAT FLAG IT WAS LIKE BEING IN THE ACTIC ..WONDERFUL.. THE FLAG IS A GOLD MIND..BETTY ROSE WOULD BE PROUD OF THE PEOPLE WHO MADE IT.. HOPEFULLY SOMEONE STEPS UP AND SAYS THE HISTORY OF IT!!! THANK YOU!!
In the OH-58D (Army scout helicopter, Cavalry) we used to end every letter or email with “AFC”. “Air F’in CAV”. You’d also find it spray painted on equipment.
I'd like to see a short video of the uptake, where it's located, and how they stuffed things in there. Also, it may behoove Ryan to check out the other uptakes.
The Captain may have designated "WETSU" "We Eat This Stuff Up" as a statement to generate elan and spirit. But I've got a feeling that there were some E-2s and E-3s who were more ironic and possibly used slightly different wording.
My Captain on DDG-21 R.D. Tucker had it during our 80-81 Indian Ocean Deployment. I think I still have the T-shirt at home. I think he went on to command New Jersey and finished as a Rear Admiral?
Yup, it sucked in the IO and Captain Tucker always found a way to spice things up. WETSU was our motto, especially during UNREPS (Underway replenishment). @@R.J._Lewis
The signalmen when exchanging information via the signal lamps (and sometimes even with flags) would sometimes respond to a message with, 'STAR'. This in PG mode means, Shucks, That's All Right'.
I recognize the font used on that flag. It is one of the computer fonts that were put out commercially in the 1970's thru 1990's. There are several attributes that indicate to me that it is a commercial font. It is squarish instead of nicely rounded, which makes it a computer font. It has an internal serif in the zero character, which is a detail that a font designer would add to differentiate the zero from the letter O. The thicker and thinner vertical bars is a common theme that makes it a variation in Gothic font. That those vertical bars are arranged in the traditional patterns for gothic, is another indication of a font designer. Any hand-done letter design would have had more uniform bars in the design, as that is invariably what is done. I have designed more than one font, myself, for dedicated usage. I had made a business card using press-on letters I bought at a bookstore. Those letters came in sheets and the fonts were various sizes. I had seen similar fonts while searching for a couple weeks through all the available fonts, front various sources, to find the right one. I had selected another computer font, that was a bit more "Computer". Hardware stores also sold letters in various sizes. Craft stores sold cut out letters that could be sewn on. Advertising sign businesses also had access to pre-made fonts of various types and sizes. I made a search through some font databases, but did not find that font. There are several other font databases I could search, but it has been a while since I did printing work and have lost track of them. I would guess that a flag maker would have access to fonts, as most all flags require some lettering. They would have a machine that loaded with a font, a selected size setting, would cut out the selected letter from nylon. The commercial font factories have various ways to distribute (sell) the fonts to users. The selection available to a sign maker or flag maker probably does not match what we might get on a computer these days, but there is usually a similar free-font around. Because the flag maker had to pay to use the font, their selection would be limited, probably to one company product. So those that had the flag made probably had a difficult time finding a font that they liked, in the size they needed, considering that they ended up with an unusual gothic computer font. Update: I got started looking for the font that is on that flag. After searching several sites, and about 2000 fonts, I found about 5 fonts that were close. Two had the wide bar on the wrong side. Rollerball 1975 power pixel font Nebulon The best match that I could find is "SF Deco Techo Font" "www.1001freefonts.com/sf-deco-techno.font" It is not the exact font, as the zero is missing that serif. I doubt this free font existed in that time frame, but may be based on a font that existed then. When there is a proprietary font, that looks interesting, often someone will make a free similar font. To not get sued for copyright infringement, it must have differences. That font is the one distinguishing feature of that flag. It is unique, especially that zero glyph. You can find which of the possible makers had access to such a font. That font is not hand-made. and not likely hand-cut either. Any sailor would have cut off that serif in the zero glyph. It is only something that a font designer would include or understand the purpose.
To make it clear, computer font is a font that has a 1980's sci-fi computer-styling, not a font used on a computer. There are many font styles and families, like san-serif, gothic, decorative, and one is fonts that look "computer-ish". You would never want to read much written in one of these decorative fonts. They are meant only for special uses. One of the attributes of the computer font was looking like they were meant for the computer to accurately distinguish letters, as in the computer doing the reading. This was the original point of the various width bars in the font. That they always became boxy and squarish was a carry-over from early computers having limited raster lines, such that a 9x16 font was generous. There was not enough raster lines to round off the corners much. A designer of a computer-font would include this attribute as it gave it that computer-ish look.
A flag maker might have the same problem, and that would be why they ended up with a computer-ish font in their selections. It would be vitally important to be able to distinguish the letter 'o' from the number zero, at a distance, on the side of a ship or on a flag. The computer font designers always had this problem, and used various hints to the reader. One was that the zero had a dot in it. Attempts to slash the zero were problematic, and in some countries it is the 'O' that got slashed. Also slashes tended to make it look like an eight. The computer font solution was to have 'o' have rounded corners, and the zero to have square corners, like old computer printouts. Look at the 'o' and the zero on your flag.
Ah, yes. The three (3) stages of a project: (1) SNAFU, (2) TAR{A}FU, and FUBAR. And may my fellow Marines continue to be Uncle Sam's Misguided Children attending the University of Science, Music, and Culture.
One of my favorite catchphrases from the military is “retreat hell” from the Marines, which originated from World War I when the French told the US Marines to retreat, and one of the Marines says “retreat hell we just got here.”
Cool find! Seems to me that you should advocate for having a pier side building like that of the Wisconsin in VA & Missouri in Hawaii where you can display such a banner as well as other things. Just my 2 cents
Mine was "Can Do". I used this to keep motivated when I was deployed to Iraq in 2003/04 with the MI Army National Guard. I "borrowed" this from the 305 Heavy Bombardment Group/Air Refueling Wing.
once the drying docking is complete there needs to be a fund raiser to build a building on shore to display big stuff like that in a manner that will keep it safe while allowing the public to see it
F-I-D-O. Which stands for “F*%$ It, Drive On” Particularly useful motivator during infantry training when it’s pouring rain/triple digit heat/ freezing cold/ same MREs for 6 straight days/ no shower in 21 days etc etc. Similar in meaning and usage to the modern troops’ “embrace the suck”
I’m not totally sure this phrase was generated in the late 80’s 90’s. WETSU was used when I was active in the sub service, late 70’s early 80’s. And yes, we said the “S” word that was a synonym for poop, not “stuff””. (We are sailors after all.) Other phrases used were FUBAR, SNAFU, & FTN, among others.
Have a replica made to Hang out like most flags and maybe even have ones made that people can buy to take home. That would be a big increase to the funds for BB62.
how does the historical value of artifacts change over time? like how common processes and materials are in different eras and how that influences the exhibitability... I imagine just obsolete tech being less interesting than current tech and anything older getting more interesting with age. was there anything that suddenly became valuable to the museum in your time? are you keeping something expecting it to become an artifact? (like drydock documentation or how you keep pieces of bulkheads you've cut)
The last edit just underscores how the phrase "swearing like a sailor" applies. The military's function is to kill people and break their stuff. A task that they are very prepared and skilled at. They tend to use terms blunt and unambiguous when thinking up slogans that are for the sole use of the crew. I also expect that the curator here has cleaned up the phrase that WESTU stands for. While I do appreciate the pride and enthusiasm in which our past and present service members have in the mottoes they lived under, I understand how many of them are "R" rated rather than the "G" or "PG" rating that the curator would prefer in the comments.
I was in an Army quick fix electronic warfare flight platoon in Korea back in the late 80s. Our slogan was "Jam it Sir". B.O.H.I.C.A. is a close second.
Thats like a Russian size table. And you really need to do a "scavenger hunt" type thing with the staff. Have them go section by section, opening every space looking for Kilroy or other stuff. Best find at the end gets.... a payed week vaca or something.
They don't. 13 feet 3 inches is 403.86 cm; 6 feet 10.5 inches is 209.55 cm. His stated measurements don't have enough tolerance to allow for the discrepancy.
The font looks like what you might see on early computer monitors during that time period. Seems like it was common in movies at during that time as well to make things look futuristic.
as far as temporary internal display, you could always hang it from a ceiling if you have one high enough people cant reach. its got 3 grommets in 3 corners so that not a problem, and for the 4th corner clothespins are your friend.
In my opinion You should get a replica or 2 of the flag to display on the outside of the ship and display the original behind plexiglass in a case. If you do it this way you could even display the flag partially folded up since the replica is displayed outside.
Was she in Japan at anytime during that period? The image of New Jersey looks a lot like representations of the Yamato in "Space Battlship Yamato" and that lettering also bares a resemblance to some Animee lettering from that time. Congratulations on the find, it's a great find!
Given that World of Warships has cosmetic flags, I wonder if this could be digitally replicated and "displayed" there? Granted, it'd have to be single-sided unless they changed how the game renders flags.
Possible had made froma beerr and coffee fund chief mess in Thailand or Phillipines or Korea?.. I seen a few like that made for Ships during Cobra Gold in my times overseas..?.. but this is just an awesome find! u guys need to fly it for a day or two and see if any old Sailors reconize it?..lol
Made? No. Anyone could have just about anything made. Displayed, you bet someone had to be informed, inquiries and inspections were made, PA was consulted, forms were signed, and a secret handshake was performed.
@@R.J._Lewis if it were made off ship yea it would have to be approved because of the expenditure. If it were made onboard… well sailors do get bored out there and lash stairwell rails and such…
Since Ryan mentioned the Nuclear keys I’ll take this opportunity to again beg Battleship New Jersey to make replicas for the gift shop because I would spend a frankly irresponsible amount of money on something like that
There was a flag, a Japanese Naval Ensign, made aboard USS Missouri, for the burial a Japanese Pilot. The pilot died doing his very best to sink Missouri.The flag was made aboard Missouri by crew members. It seems they didn't have one in the flag locker. Does that flag still exist?
Had a short lived slogan in my division "sweat the crew 92". This was thought by a 18 or 20 year old. Had it stenciled on the back of our coveralls. We thought it was pretty funny till it was pointed out this could be considered mutiny, then not so funny.
I think"wetsu" was the jump cry of the 11th Airborne Brigade but not sure what that had to do with the battleship - especially given that such an unit didn't exist between 1965 and 2022
If I lived close by, I'd be happier than a clam if they'd let me volunteer to just go through boxes and catalog the contents. The hours of tedium would be well worth the moment of discovery.
What you have there is the ship's breakaway flag. We had it made out in town by a commercial flag maker prior to our last deployment. I was the ship's Welfare and Recreation Fund manager and paid for it with money from that fund.
Unbeknownst to us, it was against Navy policy to purchase articles for ship's operational use out of the W&R fund, so when we were audited just before decommissioning, we took a hit for that expenditure - the only hit in the audit.
I was upset that the audit wasn't perfect, but I remember most clearly the XO's comment after the debrief: "Well, thanks for helping us fill up our to-do list..." That was classic CAPT Smith, probably the best XO I've served with. When I was an XO, and again in my several tours in command, I always tried to mirror CAPT Smith's calm and supportive demeanor.
Regarding "WETSU", yes, that was CAPT Tucker's catch phrase, and no, the "S" didn't stand for "stuff." I suppose we have to have a PG version of things for general consumption, but that phrase was definitely not PG, at least not as we all used it..
The reason that you found the flag so high up in the ship is because it was managed by the signalmen (the "skivvy wavers") who would ball it up with light twine and haul it up to the yardarm on the side of the ship from which we were refueling (whether giving or receiving) during an underway replenishment (UNREP.)
Flags in that condition are said to be "at the break."
When the UNREP was complete, the skivvy wavers would pull down hard on the halyard on which the breakaway flag was balled up and the light twine (also called "small stuff) would fall away, leaving the flag to unfurl rather dramatically.
At the same time, we would play whatever breakaway song we had chosen over the 1MC, the ship's loudspeaker system. During those day's it was usually "Back in Black" or "Bad to the Bone," something like that.
In my 30 years in the Navy, I have had many tours that I loved having done, even when I deployed on command to war.
I would have to say though, that being a young LT on the New Jersey was the most fun I've had, it was an excellent crew and an amazing ship. I would do it all over in a hearbeat.
Battleship New Jersey , Ryan there is a perfect space to display this flag - the crew mess ! (especially near any of the pipe racks that may still be there).
It really shows how massive the ship is that they're still finding stuff
I wonder if he has ever sat his keys down and forgot where they were.
Wonder what got placed in storage?
Or dumped
Exactly, that's a dream job for me! Id spend the entire day just spelunking. But I'd also take it too far and try to lite a boiler, turn a turret, etc.
@@chrisb9960 Probably why he keeps them tethered to his body.
WETSU We Eat This Shit Up Captain R.D. Tuckers catch phrase. I sure miss those days!
The original story I was told at the time, was that WETSU originated with Wisconsin's reactivation crew, as they were subject to an endless number of press tours, dog-and-pony shows and the like. And, the Morale Personnel were constantly reinforcing the notion that all were to display happy faces no matter how unsat the day was being. So, either an E-9 or a WO posted "WETSU" on one of the Department bulletin boards. This spread like wildfire. To include embroidered ballcaps. It did not take lone to spread out among the Fleet, and was pretty common by 2000 or so.
I remember ASIBA from my days - "Aw S***, It Broke Again".
Perhaps to aid with preserving the flag/banner getting a replica made that is a bit smaller could be a option so you can have an item on display whilst keeping the original safely stored. Of course that may have to be for the future as everything has to be focused on dry docking the ship as no point preserving artifacts if the ship itself is not preserved. Good luck with the dry docking from across the pond.
second this idea - a repop banner would be ideal.. weather resistant and easily replaceable if needed.
What’s the use of having an artifact if nobody can see it?
A commemorative tea towel....
Ryan, today: “Keep it PG, this is a family channel.”
Ryan, previously: “Do _you_ like battleships with a big round aft?”
Great video! As a reluctant curator of a museum collection, the "public's hands" on items scares me. I would love to pick your brain on where to go with our items.
I say reluctantly in seim-jest. We are a small non-profit dedicated to preserving the culture and memory of the people who worked in a Southern cotton mill town. My family has been here for five generations, and I am not ready for their story to die. I spend every Sunday uncovering new things from the early 1900s and trying to ensure they are remembered.
Thank you for all that you do. Take care, and happy hunting!
Watkins Mill in MO?
Now that you have the original and it looks like it's in mint condition I think you should definitely have high res photos taken of it to make both a full sized replica to hang on certain occasions and to put on t-shirts / smaller replicas for sale and such.
Good Idea
Great idea! I would probably buy a 3X5 or a 2X3 to fly at home. I love the WETSU slogan.
I would have it replicated in miniature and printed on T-shirts...
I would personally find the money for a full size replica to be put up, or a replacement should it become unserviceable.
The rush of rediscovering as a curator, must be the tops
What a treasure of a find, thanks for sharing. You should fly it on the way to the dry dock.
Considering they're having to take the radar and mast off to fit under the bridge that might be a challenge.
@@HighlyImprobableName But not impossible to rig somewhere else.
There’s no way they’d risk damage to an artifact like this by flying it. It doesn’t appear to be built to handle such conditions but rather as a stationary display.
It was flown on the ship while still active and used as a banner.
@@cruisinguy6024
@@cruisinguy6024but yet they did it and rightfully so.
I worked at a KC-135 base when I was in the USAF. The motto we all had was “NOKAWOTG” no one kicks @$$ with out tanker gas” I tried my best to keep it PG-ish Ryan.
I purposefully kept a small U.S. flag inside one of my pouches as an infantryman in Iraq during the late unpleasantness. Service items like the WETSU flag are invaluable, especially to vets!
I have a walkman style Aiwa tape player that a U2 pilot borrowed for a mission along the Iraq/Kuwait border during the Gulf War. I'm the only only one it means something to, but to me it means a lot.
@@timbowden1680 That's cool.
@@timbowden1680 Had one of those too during Desert Storm, they were sold in the ships store. Used mine to record tapes to send home instead of letters, my best friend still has them.
This would be a great motif for Battleship New Jersey merchandise or souvenirs!
Make mini flags of this flag or patches or coffee mugs!
I'd love to see a "curator's unboxing" type deal where you record going through some of the old stuff stored away. Even if nothing too crazy is found, it'd be fun to see garden variety artifacts.
Every set of keys can't have "nuclear PTF" stamped on the tag. Some finds are just going to be cooler than others. Just like this flag.
HI RYAN ,, 6 YR.S GREAT WORKING THERE ,,.. WOW!!! GREAT FLAG IT WAS LIKE BEING IN THE ACTIC ..WONDERFUL.. THE FLAG IS A GOLD MIND..BETTY ROSE WOULD BE PROUD OF THE PEOPLE WHO MADE IT.. HOPEFULLY SOMEONE STEPS UP AND SAYS THE HISTORY OF IT!!! THANK YOU!!
did you have a stroke sir?
In the OH-58D (Army scout helicopter, Cavalry) we used to end every letter or email with “AFC”. “Air F’in CAV”. You’d also find it spray painted on equipment.
I think this channel's catch phrase is, "Keep it PG this is a family channel"
I'd like to see a short video of the uptake, where it's located, and how they stuffed things in there. Also, it may behoove Ryan to check out the other uptakes.
The Captain may have designated "WETSU" "We Eat This Stuff Up" as a statement to generate elan and spirit. But I've got a feeling that there were some E-2s and E-3s who were more ironic and possibly used slightly different wording.
I think we all know what the "S" actually stands for.😆😆😆
@@rcknbob1 No ... stuff!
Yeah - what's this "we" business? 😀
Well…I don’t remember Capt. Tucker ever saying “stuff” :-)
My Captain on DDG-21 R.D. Tucker had it during our 80-81 Indian Ocean Deployment. I think I still have the T-shirt at home. I think he went on to command New Jersey and finished as a Rear Admiral?
Sounds like the Capt. mentioned at 8:00.
Yup, it sucked in the IO and Captain Tucker always found a way to spice things up. WETSU was our motto, especially during UNREPS (Underway replenishment). @@R.J._Lewis
Nice find, a very cool artifact. The fact that you have not been in every compartment speaks volumes about the sheer size of an Iowa class battleship.
Ryan is really playing "guess what I found cleaning the attic" in the big boys league
The signalmen when exchanging information via the signal lamps (and sometimes even with flags) would sometimes respond to a message with, 'STAR'. This in PG mode means, Shucks, That's All Right'.
Variation on that theme from an old signalman: KMA = Kiss My WindlASS. If questioned, "Keep Me Advised"...
We flew that flag on our last West PAC and Capt Tucker used this after they gave the Missouri the Battle E over us.
“We Engineer’s Take Stuff Unnecessarily”. WETSU. I know you remember that Mike!!
I recognize the font used on that flag. It is one of the computer fonts that were put out commercially in the 1970's thru 1990's. There are several attributes that indicate to me that it is a commercial font. It is squarish instead of nicely rounded, which makes it a computer font. It has an internal serif in the zero character, which is a detail that a font designer would add to differentiate the zero from the letter O. The thicker and thinner vertical bars is a common theme that makes it a variation in Gothic font. That those vertical bars are arranged in the traditional patterns for gothic, is another indication of a font designer.
Any hand-done letter design would have had more uniform bars in the design, as that is invariably what is done. I have designed more than one font, myself, for dedicated usage.
I had made a business card using press-on letters I bought at a bookstore. Those letters came in sheets and the fonts were various sizes. I had seen similar fonts while searching for a couple weeks through all the available fonts, front various sources, to find the right one. I had selected another computer font, that was a bit more "Computer". Hardware stores also sold letters in various sizes. Craft stores sold cut out letters that could be sewn on. Advertising sign businesses also had access to pre-made fonts of various types and sizes.
I made a search through some font databases, but did not find that font. There are several other font databases I could search, but it has been a while since I did printing work and have lost track of them.
I would guess that a flag maker would have access to fonts, as most all flags require some lettering. They would have a machine that loaded with a font, a selected size setting, would cut out the selected letter from nylon.
The commercial font factories have various ways to distribute (sell) the fonts to users. The selection available to a sign maker or flag maker probably does not match what we might get on a computer these days, but there is usually a similar free-font around. Because the flag maker had to pay to use the font, their selection would be limited, probably to one company product. So those that had the flag made probably had a difficult time finding a font that they liked, in the size they needed, considering that they ended up with an unusual gothic computer font.
Update:
I got started looking for the font that is on that flag.
After searching several sites, and about 2000 fonts, I found about 5 fonts that were close.
Two had the wide bar on the wrong side.
Rollerball 1975
power pixel font
Nebulon
The best match that I could find is "SF Deco Techo Font"
"www.1001freefonts.com/sf-deco-techno.font"
It is not the exact font, as the zero is missing that serif.
I doubt this free font existed in that time frame, but may be based on a font that existed then.
When there is a proprietary font, that looks interesting, often someone will make a free similar font.
To not get sued for copyright infringement, it must have differences.
That font is the one distinguishing feature of that flag. It is unique, especially that zero glyph.
You can find which of the possible makers had access to such a font.
That font is not hand-made. and not likely hand-cut either. Any sailor would have cut off that serif in the zero glyph. It is only something that a font designer would include or understand the purpose.
To make it clear, computer font is a font that has a 1980's sci-fi computer-styling, not a font used on a computer. There are many font styles and families, like san-serif, gothic, decorative, and one is fonts that look "computer-ish". You would never want to read much written in one of these decorative fonts. They are meant only for special uses.
One of the attributes of the computer font was looking like they were meant for the computer to accurately distinguish letters, as in the computer doing the reading. This was the original point of the various width bars in the font. That they always became boxy and squarish was a carry-over from early computers having limited raster lines, such that a 9x16 font was generous. There was not enough raster lines to round off the corners much. A designer of a computer-font would include this attribute as it gave it that computer-ish look.
A flag maker might have the same problem, and that would be why they ended up with a computer-ish font in their selections. It would be vitally important to be able to distinguish the letter 'o' from the number zero, at a distance, on the side of a ship or on a flag.
The computer font designers always had this problem, and used various hints to the reader. One was that the zero had a dot in it. Attempts to slash the zero were problematic, and in some countries it is the 'O' that got slashed. Also slashes tended to make it look like an eight.
The computer font solution was to have 'o' have rounded corners, and the zero to have square corners, like old computer printouts.
Look at the 'o' and the zero on your flag.
It immediately reminded me of the routing number and account number font on paper checks.
Where are the zero characters? The lettering I can see says FIREPOWER FOR FREEDOM USS NEW JERSEY BB 62 WETSU
"Nothing is small on a Battleship"
The phrase that comes to mind with my job is SNAFU.
If Ryan looks long enough he may actually find the mythical keys to the sea chest.
Ah, yes. The three (3) stages of a project: (1) SNAFU, (2) TAR{A}FU, and FUBAR. And may my fellow Marines continue to be Uncle Sam's Misguided Children attending the University of Science, Music, and Culture.
don't forget SUSFU :)
I can't imagine the excitement everytime you find stuff like this.
That's a lot of keys Ryan. That is a wonderful flag.
Constant catch phrase for P-3 crews when they're flying constant rotations: JADIP - Just Another Day In Paradise
One of my favorite catchphrases from the military is “retreat hell” from the Marines, which originated from World War I when the French told the US Marines to retreat, and one of the Marines says “retreat hell we just got here.”
Cool find! Seems to me that you should advocate for having a pier side building like that of the Wisconsin in VA & Missouri in Hawaii where you can display such a banner as well as other things. Just my 2 cents
I was just coming here to write the same suggestion.
@@zoopercoolguyyeah, like where else can you put it? NOWHERE!
Battleship cove in Massachusetts does this. Not only pier side buildings but also static displays of helicopters planes pt boat and more.
Mine was "Can Do". I used this to keep motivated when I was deployed to Iraq in 2003/04 with the MI Army National Guard.
I "borrowed" this from the 305 Heavy Bombardment Group/Air Refueling Wing.
once the drying docking is complete there needs to be a fund raiser to build a building on shore to display big stuff like that in a manner that will keep it safe while allowing the public to see it
F-I-D-O. Which stands for “F*%$ It, Drive On” Particularly useful motivator during infantry training when it’s pouring rain/triple digit heat/ freezing cold/ same MREs for 6 straight days/ no shower in 21 days etc etc. Similar in meaning and usage to the modern troops’ “embrace the suck”
Meals refusing to exit.
WETSU? I love it! Well found Ryan!!
Why not make a replica? Original,flag will last for years longer!
And a smaller version to fly
You can have a smaller copy of it made and displayed it . And if something happens to the copy you still have the real on in storage. In a safe area.
I'm hoping the JFK and Enterprise are searched and interesting artifacts are recognized and saved.
I’m not totally sure this phrase was generated in the late 80’s 90’s. WETSU was used when I was active in the sub service, late 70’s early 80’s. And yes, we said the “S” word that was a synonym for poop, not “stuff””. (We are sailors after all.) Other phrases used were FUBAR, SNAFU, & FTN, among others.
Hope it at least gets scanned, be awesome on a shirt or for a replica.
Have a replica made to Hang out like most flags and maybe even have ones made that people can buy to take home. That would be a big increase to the funds for BB62.
how does the historical value of artifacts change over time? like how common processes and materials are in different eras and how that influences the exhibitability... I imagine just obsolete tech being less interesting than current tech and anything older getting more interesting with age.
was there anything that suddenly became valuable to the museum in your time?
are you keeping something expecting it to become an artifact? (like drydock documentation or how you keep pieces of bulkheads you've cut)
Favorite catchphrase??? SNAFU (is that considered a catchphrase, is that just a description?) lol
The phrase on the Thorn in 1980 (PG Version) was FOAD (Fun On A Destroyer )
Would you make a re-creation of this flag. A replica so you can fly it without the actual historical artifacts being destroyed.
The last edit just underscores how the phrase "swearing like a sailor" applies.
The military's function is to kill people and break their stuff. A task that they are very prepared and skilled at.
They tend to use terms blunt and unambiguous when thinking up slogans that are for the sole use of the crew.
I also expect that the curator here has cleaned up the phrase that WESTU stands for.
While I do appreciate the pride and enthusiasm in which our past and present service members have in the mottoes they lived under, I understand how many of them are "R" rated rather than the "G" or "PG" rating that the curator would prefer in the comments.
I was in an Army quick fix electronic warfare flight platoon in Korea back in the late 80s. Our slogan was "Jam it Sir". B.O.H.I.C.A. is a close second.
Really kool flag. Thank you for letting us see it and learn about it.
Thats like a Russian size table. And you really need to do a "scavenger hunt" type thing with the staff. Have them go section by section, opening every space looking for Kilroy or other stuff. Best find at the end gets.... a payed week vaca or something.
The reason the measurements may seem strange in feet and inches, could be that they translate to 2 meters by 4 meters.
They don't. 13 feet 3 inches is 403.86 cm; 6 feet 10.5 inches is 209.55 cm. His stated measurements don't have enough tolerance to allow for the discrepancy.
Please make reproductions for your shop of this battleflag. Would love to have one. 🙂
Stay safe and keep being awesome.
GZ from Germany ❤
The font looks like what you might see on early computer monitors during that time period. Seems like it was common in movies at during that time as well to make things look futuristic.
That flag is the ships soul👍 it should be framed and kept onboard the ship,, maybe with the ships own wood that's been replaced somewhere?
as far as temporary internal display, you could always hang it from a ceiling if you have one high enough people cant reach. its got 3 grommets in 3 corners so that not a problem, and for the 4th corner clothespins are your friend.
In my opinion You should get a replica or 2 of the flag to display on the outside of the ship and display the original behind plexiglass in a case. If you do it this way you could even display the flag partially folded up since the replica is displayed outside.
Lions Led By Donkeys: Russo-Japanese War.
The Second Pacific Squadron… pure comedic gold. I can believe they allowed snakes on the ships.
Was she in Japan at anytime during that period? The image of New Jersey looks a lot like representations of the Yamato in "Space Battlship Yamato" and that lettering also bares a resemblance to some Animee lettering from that time.
Congratulations on the find, it's a great find!
Since there is a SAIL LOCKER on the USS New Jersey, how many knots does she do under sail?
Sounds like your catch phrase for the museum ship is: "keep it PG this is a family channel" 😄
Universal catchphrase / acronym every military member and veteran is intimately familiar with: BOHICA.
Given that World of Warships has cosmetic flags, I wonder if this could be digitally replicated and "displayed" there? Granted, it'd have to be single-sided unless they changed how the game renders flags.
Make a replica to display. It would probably make a decent poster. Or even smaller versions for sale.
+1 to the idea of making a replica and selling mini flags as souvenirs
It may be a good idea to make small replicas of the flag for sale in the gift shop.
Possible had made froma beerr and coffee fund chief mess in Thailand or Phillipines or Korea?.. I seen a few like that made for Ships during Cobra Gold in my times overseas..?.. but this is just an awesome find! u guys need to fly it for a day or two and see if any old Sailors reconize it?..lol
put it in a display case in mess hall with glas or plexis glas sides soit can be seen from both sides. advice from denmark .. p.s i love those ships
The front view of the ship on the flag looks like some sort of record album cover.
Wasn't just a Navy term, I had a tour in Korea with the Army where that was our motto most of 1987. WETSU
Another acronym we used when I was in the Navy in the 80's was BOHICA bend over here it comes again. We also didn't say "stuff" in WETSU
2:50 how do you figure out where keys go? Do you have a volunteer go around & try the keys on every lock until you find a match?
We will likely wait until we need a key then see if any match. We don't have many locks left
@@BattleshipNewJersey ok, thanks
sounds like maintenance and Ryan dont see eye to eye
Really nice find.
We said WETSU in the Army in the 60s, but the S stood for s#it. 🤣
I assume the XO and CO would have to give permission for it to be made and hung. Would that be correct?
Made? No. Anyone could have just about anything made. Displayed, you bet someone had to be informed, inquiries and inspections were made, PA was consulted, forms were signed, and a secret handshake was performed.
@@R.J._Lewis if it were made off ship yea it would have to be approved because of the expenditure. If it were made onboard… well sailors do get bored out there and lash stairwell rails and such…
Since Ryan mentioned the Nuclear keys I’ll take this opportunity to again beg Battleship New Jersey to make replicas for the gift shop because I would spend a frankly irresponsible amount of money on something like that
We're working on it!
@@BattleshipNewJersey YESSSSSSSS thank you!
Best of luck with that and of course with the drydock project!
IIHow 'bout somebody donate a Mark 23 Katie. I understand the National Atomic Museum has some spares.
its in their store.
@@rearspeaker6364 It is now and I own one! It wasn’t yet at the time I made the comment
You gotta make a vinyl version of that you can just decorate the ship for visitors
There was a flag, a Japanese Naval Ensign, made aboard USS Missouri, for the burial a Japanese Pilot. The pilot died doing his very best to sink Missouri.The flag was made aboard Missouri by crew members. It seems they didn't have one in the flag locker.
Does that flag still exist?
Blowing wind will lift the flag. Add'l grommets installed for display in wind. JMHO.
Sad that we will not be able to see it :(
Had a short lived slogan in my division "sweat the crew 92". This was thought by a 18 or 20 year old. Had it stenciled on the back of our coveralls. We thought it was pretty funny till it was pointed out this could be considered mutiny, then not so funny.
Id happily buy a small screen printed replica, or even a hat with that on it
Sound Quality / CC is much better~! TY
What the wetsu? I have never heard of that flag
I think"wetsu" was the jump cry of the 11th Airborne Brigade but not sure what that had to do with the battleship - especially given that such an unit didn't exist between 1965 and 2022
How obaut finding someone who creates Flags, who can make a replica to be flown/ hang, and a standart size version for sale on the ship?
Favorite catch phrase?
QUITTING TIME🤠
Get some .. get some .. Yeah!
I’m curious what the WETSU acronym stands for. Anyone know?
Dam the torpedoes full speed ahead. Or lead follow, or get out of the way
Take a hi res photo of it and have it available for sale or to display it on the ship.
The Marine Corps' YATYAS is pretty cool.
Reactor dept. "When in doubt, shim out"
Should make a small replica and have displayed?
They are about to build a massive new National Museum of the US Navy in DC. Any interest from them to display something like this?
If I lived close by, I'd be happier than a clam if they'd let me volunteer to just go through boxes and catalog the contents. The hours of tedium would be well worth the moment of discovery.
My old battalion's nickname. "IRONMAN!"
make a replica of the flag soo that you can fly the replica
We had a WETSU flag on the Us Pomodon SS in 69
Can the flag be hung in the main building?
Name 1 artifact you dont have, that you really want, Ryan.