| Chris PzTp | 10 Nov 2009 4:25 p.m. PST |
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| SECURITY MINISTER CRITTER | 10 Nov 2009 4:49 p.m. PST |
That's dedication to living history. |
 Editor in Chief Bill   | 10 Nov 2009 4:52 p.m. PST |
|
 Murphy  | 10 Nov 2009 5:07 p.m. PST |
wow…simply amazing….
We are so going to lose so much as a civilization when all of these guys are finally gone….it's going to be a shame… |
| TheDreadnought | 10 Nov 2009 7:33 p.m. PST |
That guy is awesome. I was down in Louisiana recently. Visited the USS Kidd, a Fletcher class destroyer maintained in Baton Rouge. (The only USN ship ever authorized to fly the skull and crossbones!) Two awesome things happened on that visit. First, there was a guy who used to serve on the ship working as a tour guide. His name. . . Leroy Jenkins!! (For those who don't know why this is hilarious)
YouTube link Secondly, and even cooler – we happened to catch a reunion ceremony down there. They fired the 52 turret! It was pointing out over the city (no shell of course) and I'm sure they were using a reduced charge. But OMG it was so loud! I can only imagine what it must have been like for all 5 of them to be shooting 15 – 22 RPM. To give you some idea of what a shock it produced, when they fired it, every car alarm in a mile radius started going off! LOL! If that was a 5", I can only imagine what a 16" must feel like. Although -- I've heard that the 5" actually has more of an impact because its such a sharp report. Whereas the big stuff "feels like getting hit by a bus with pillows strapped to it." |
Tgerritsen  | 10 Nov 2009 10:28 p.m. PST |
I live about 25 minutes from Battleship Cove. It's an extraordinary place run by extraordinary people. If you are a ship buff or a history buff, and come to Massachusetts, you owe it to yourself to go visit. There are usually vets there on weekends, and they are an amazing bunch of guys. It will be very sad when they are gone. |
| TheDreadnought | 10 Nov 2009 11:15 p.m. PST |
Yeah, the Massachusetts, Texas, and Alabama, and North Carolina are still on my to-see list. I think North Carolina is up for next summer. |
| Shagnasty | 11 Nov 2009 10:58 a.m. PST |
It's a great place. I was there about 20 years ago and only had time for the "Massachusetts." I was immensely impressed by the thickness of the barbette and how crowded the ship must have been in wartime. |
| Cke1st | 11 Nov 2009 11:05 a.m. PST |
I've been to Battleship Cove many times, and recognized almost every location on the video. I've chatted with the submarine vets on the Lionfish, and count myself fortunate to have had the chance to do so. You can spend the whole day there and still not see everything there is to see. Definitely go there if you can. |
| TheDreadnought | 11 Nov 2009 4:04 p.m. PST |
"I was immensely impressed by the thickness of the barbette and how crowded the ship must have been in wartime." 17.3" – 11.3" thick depending on location. Can you tell I spent a lot of time poring over ship data while writing Naval Thunder? lol! |
| SECURITY MINISTER CRITTER | 13 Nov 2009 12:14 a.m. PST |
What I really want to see, is the USS Olympia in washington State. |
| Ed Mohrmann | 14 Nov 2009 7:03 a.m. PST |
Critter1, if you mean Dewey's Manila Bay flagship, she's
tied-up (and open to visitors) in Philadelphia, Pa. |
| Lion in the Stars | 16 Nov 2009 2:01 p.m. PST |
I think he means the 688-class Olympia, SSN717. That could be problematic, since she's still in commission, homeported in Pearl Harbor, and you need to know someone on the crew to get a tour of a sub these days. |
| Landorl | 16 Nov 2009 8:33 p.m. PST |
I spent some time with a WWII vet this weekend. He flew on a B24 in Europe. He did 12 missions, and got pulled off the line after that. They only came back once without damage, and on their last trip they flew almost all of the way back with 2 engines. They were an hour late and already reported as MIA. It is a shame that so many of these guys are passing on now. I have nothing but respect for all of these guys! |
