Non-motoring > USA's sleeping giants - Warships. Miscellaneous
Thread Author: R.P. Replies: 7
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New Sun 12 Jun 11 10:52 
 USA's sleeping giants - Warships. - R.P.
scotthaefner.com/beyond/mothball-fleet-ghost-ships/
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New Sun 12 Jun 11 12:42 
 USA's sleeping giants - Warships. - Hard Cheese

Good photos, the USS Iowa is in Suizin Bay:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Iowa-26-03-2006.jpg

The lead ship of the mighty Iowa class, built in the '40s and served in the 2nd world war and in the first Gulf War.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iowa_class_battleship

The other three completed Iowas are now museum ships.




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New Sun 12 Jun 11 12:45 
 USA's sleeping giants - Warships. - Dutchie
Very weird Pug.

I wonder why they don't demolish some of these ships I can understand the cost or preserve some of them.
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New Sun 12 Jun 11 19:58 
 USA's sleeping giants - Warships. - Alastairw
Its probably cheaper to store them than break them up. Ships that old will be full of asbestos and all sorts of other nasties.
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New Sun 12 Jun 11 20:33 
 USA's sleeping giants - Warships. - Old Navy
This may explain some of the reasons for reserve fleets, if you need a big gun platform quickly an Iowa battleship takes some beating. Also a quick way to get a few aircraft carriers into service. The USA do it with aircraft and army equipment too. We used to when we could afford it.

tinyurl.com/84solr
Last edited by: Old Navy on Sun 12 Jun 11 at 20:37
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New Sun 12 Jun 11 20:49 
 USA's sleeping giants - Warships. - four wheels good...
As a very junior apprentice while waiting to join my first RN ship in the late '60s, a part of my duties was to visit the laid up ships up the 'Trot' on the Tamar. The idea was supposedly to check that no-one had moved onboard or nicking gear off them, they were still floating and their moorings were secure, even though the MOD police launches regularly patrolled around them.

I was normally accompanied by a PO Seaman and a couple of ABs (boats crew). The PO was supposed to board the ships with me for safety but rarely did. He, with the boats crew, would dump me on the ships while going off in the whaler (normally) to check the moorings leaving me to check out the ships internally.

This was a bit scary at times as the ships were all in darkness inside as the was no power, often there were holes in the decks from where machinery had been removed from below which were not very well railed off.

Also a dead ship makes very strange noises which seem to be magnified when your are deep inside them. I soon learned to take two torches with me as the standard issue right angle torches were useless.

So as to ensure that the checks were done there were rounds check sheets to sign in various spaces so the visits had to be done correctly.
Last edited by: four wheels good... on Sun 12 Jun 11 at 20:50
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New Sun 12 Jun 11 20:56 
 USA's sleeping giants - Warships. - Old Navy
I hope you didn't expect a PO seaman to hold a baby Tiffs hand. :-)
Last edited by: Old Navy on Sun 12 Jun 11 at 20:56
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New Sun 12 Jun 11 21:39 
 USA's sleeping giants - Warships. - four wheels good...
I must admit I would have liked some company when going down some of the vertical ladders into machinery spaces on the larger ships.

Goodness knows what I was supposed to do if I had come across maritime scrappies nicking copper cable as I had no comms of any description.

All good character building I was told!
Last edited by: four wheels good... on Sun 12 Jun 11 at 21:42
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