USS Birmingham - Three Strikes & Not Out!
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- Опубликовано: 30 июн 2020
- Today we take a look at the brief but valiant career of the USS Birmingham, a Cleveland class cruiser of the US Navy.
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Pinned post for Q&A :)
You mentioned her 6 inch guns were firing during the Air Attack. Were the Cleveland's 6 inch guns dual purpose or was it a Bismarck main battery situation (shooting at the water/low flying aircraft)?
Outstanding job pronouncing San Jacinto! See current berthing of USS Texas. San Jacinto was the sight of General Santa Anna's defeat at the hands of the Texicans under San Houston and now a National Monument.
How was a battleship's secondary gun's ammunition with separate shells and charges like the British 5.5 inch and 6 inch ammunition stored? And how were they brought up from the magazines to the guns that were positioned far away from said magazines?
San Jacinto.... you got it.
What technology would you say was the largest revolution in naval technology in the last 100 years?
18:00 mark: When your close enough to shore that your own 40mm's are directly engaging Japanese trenches... It's at that point your transformed your Light cruiser into the Heaviest PT boat in history.
Brown water navy on steroids.
@@zachariahmorris833 a Brown-Trouser moment for the enemy at the very least. 0~o
I think I would let them have the trenches before it rained too hard and that capt tried to sail up them
@@robertbowen6610 Littoral combat at its primal level. It's that, or have the galley sharpen the butter knives for a boarding action. 0~o
Kinda missing the T there. I do beleive PG boats existed.
Drach, thank you, This was my dads ship. He was one of the few that came home without a scratch! You missed a few interesting episodes that occurred on the Birmingham. When off Iwo-Jima the ship was moved in close to shore to try and get the Japanese to open up and reveal their hidden gun emplacements. In fact they got so close to shore at the base of Mount Suribachi that even the 20mm were ordered not to fire for fear of ricochets coming back and injuring men on the ship. However, the Marines on board were given permission to use their rifles to fire at Japanese solders as they came out of their caves. Dad said they used the lifeline cables to help steady their rifles. He also watched as the flag was being raised on Suribachi. You also did not mention that it took the Birmingham two(2) attempts to get home from Australia! The first time when they were a day out of Perl, two Australian females were found to be on board! So they turned the ship around and sailed all the way back to Australia! They finally made it on there second attempt. “What some guys won’t try to bring home for a souvenirs!!!”
My dad served on Birmingham joining the ship following the Princeton incident. He also mentioned the flag raising and returning to Australia after a stowaway was discovered.
Its a. cultural thing for the US navy in Perth, its being going on for decades.
No wonder my dad told me few stories on the Birmingham.....None of them would have been war related.....LOL. Dad what did you do during the war...Oh we tried to smuggle women on board.....
Dear sir , god bless you, your dad, and Drachinifel for putting things together. Very heart warming. Kevin from sunny Mexico
That's pretty damn funny, I hope it's true!
"Quite happy to introduce the Japanese gunners to their lord and savior, the thousand pound High Explosive bomb. *In considerable numbers.* "
'Merica.
The gunners or the bombs.............
Both
[ANCHORS AWEIGH INTENSIFIES]
Yeah. That's a Drachism. Well done, Sir.
you have to like his sarcastic comments. "lord and savior" :)
I think the floating drydocks are some of our most impressive feats of naval engineering. Imagine telling someone from the age of sail "Yeah we'll completely fix her on a port that floats just outside the battlezone."
Nothing special about them. All that was required was the invention of the steam engine to pump the water out.
@@larryzigler6812 your wrong. The logistics required to repair ships out of port is immense, the manpower required. Etc
@@pizzamovies23 Listen knucklehead must I repeat - A floating dry dock is not one of the most impressive feats of Naval engineering. A rather simple affair.
@@larryzigler6812 Sorry your in a bad mood. I too find big things amazing, and knuckleheads good complany.
@@jeffmoore9487 No sex talk please.
My father served on the Birmingham during the battle of Leyte gulf. In charge of a 5" gun. He received a bronze star and purple heart. He carried a piece of the Princeton deep in the side of his face for the rest of his life.
I bet you are very proud! As you should be.
Good Bless, thank you
Wow!
🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿
At least he never had to worry about losing that war souvenir.
_USS Johnston :_ *"At last, a worthy opponent! Our battle will be LEGENDARY!"*
“Let’s get all the medals”, the Johnston prevented disaster that day.
*queue JoJo walk towards each other*
I would like to this scene animated.
USS Laffey "Am i a joke to you?"
USS San Francisco and the New Orleans class cruisers and any us warship during the Guadalcanal campaign : Am I a joke to you or a
Thank you so much for such a detailed account of Birmingham's wartime service, Drach.
My father, Hugo Busa served aboard her from her commissioning till the end of the war.
He began as a member of the weapons department as a gunner on the 20 mm, and then served as a pointer on the after 5"/38 mount (mt. 6).
After that he transferred to one of the engine rooms, and made rate as a Machinist Mate and mostly stood his watches at no. 4 throttle.
The 5" mount he served in as a pointer is shown at 24:40 in this video. The damage to this mount was from the explosion aboard Princeton. The mount captain died of his wounds shortly afterward. Had dad been still serving in that mount, he might also have been killed.
At the moment the Princeton's after magazine exploded, dad was serving with a volunteer fire fighting party, standing by on the starboard side a bit forward of amidships, near where that kamikaze would later hit when they were at Okinawa.
He said he was with a group of maybe 35 men when this explosion happened, and believes every one of those men were killed.
The concussion threw him several yards forward, and shortly he recovered consciousness underneath Turret 2. He had bodies lying on him and he was covered in their blood. Body parts were everywhere, and sand had to be brought up on deck for traction, as blood covered the decks and ran out the scuppers into the sea as the ship rolled.
He said it was indescribable carnage.
He saw one big guy he knew lying atop a 20 mm mount, his entrails falling out of him.
Many of those painfully wounded had to administer first aid to those most seriously wounded. Fortunately, the XO had instituted a first aid course for all hands just before this incident.
I know this is gruesome, but the truth of the horror needs to be known. All these men were heroes in my opinion. We need to never forget.
Dad had a small piece of shrapnel in his right elbow which was not removed until about 10 years after the war, when his elbow locked up. Xray showed a little piece of steel in there.
At the time he was wounded his arm became badly swollen with infection, and the medical staff thought they would have to amputate.
But he wouldn't allow them to. He would come home in one piece or not at all. He soaked his arm in Epsom salt until the infection left.
Around 1964 we travelled to the house of one of my dad's shipmates.
His former skipper, now VADM (ret.) Thomas B. Inglis was there, and it was such an honor to meet him! He autographed dad's book about the ship's history in the war, and I still have it. I will always remember that evening.
23 years or so after the war, aboard USS Gridley DLG 21, I was privileged to steam in the same waters, and even with a few of the same ships that dad's ship operated with.
They're all history now, though.
Thanks Dad, for all you did, and to all my fellow vets, God bless.
And God bless this great Republic!
Wonderful story!
My father was also on the Birmingham as a Jr. Officer from mid '44 through Okinawa but never heard much more than cryptic comments about his time on board. He mentioned being offshore at Iwo Jima or the kamikaze going through his quarters at Okinawa in passing but he never mentioned the Princeton explosion, even to my Mom. We only knew about it second hand from his fellow veteran friends after he passed.
The men of this generation were incredible. Amazing feats of bravery and heroism! Thank you to them all.
War, although necessary at times, is brutal
Agreed
USN: *builds a cruiser*
IJN Pilots: "Ah yes, another American battleship."
With triples it really does look like a small battleship
@@jonathanerickson1543 Indeed, the Clevelands are 600ft, which isn't far off the 620ft of a Revenge class, or even the 666ft of a South Dakota. They're also longer than Nevadas!
Antony Mitchell wait wait wait *WHAT*
@@stonks6616 difference is armour, displacement and guns.
"Another one"
There is a rumour that the Japanese were preparing to launch a kitchen sink at the Birmingham, the only thing they had not thrown at her, when the Birmingham herself blew up Japan's only remaining kitchen sink before the plan could be carried out.
lmao
So it can be said that Birminghan didn't let that sink in?
@@onyxdragon1179 sir the door is this way
LMAO
@@onyxdragon1179 everything but the kitchen sink
"Dear Imperial garrison, you have been selected to assist in gunnery training."
"But there's an American ship off the coast!"
"That's who you're training. Your role: target."
USS Birmingham CL-62: *This is Fine* the ship
"Sir we've fixed the holes in you're shi---" **huge crashing sounds**
"Fixed what ensign?"
"Nothing sir still fixing that hole"
It really is a testament to the designers that of all 27 Cleveland Class cruisers built, all 27 survived the war to be decommissioned. As the story of the Birmingham illustrates, this was not due to a lack of combat action nor effort on the part of the Axis Powers. They really are an excellent design.
Manned by crews who *knew* how to save their ship.
well except that CL-61 laid down as Tallahassee was converted to CVL-23 Princeton. and we know happened to U.S.S Princeton.
@@BaikalTii True. There is always one enemy with more than his fair share of luck.
I understand they were a tad top-heavy.
@@erichammer2751 that was only after the stupid amounts of added AA guns, radar and fire control. Which, let's face it, happened to every fleet because war time upgrades.
My uncle was KIA on Birmingham when Princeton blew up. He is buried at sea.
sorry for your loss. you can be very proud of his work on the Birmingham.
@@stothal I have heard many stories about him. He was quite a colorful character. I missed out on a good one. I should have asked Dad if the Navy offered to send him home as the surviving son. He was a Seabee.
My grandfather was also on the Birmingham, a typist on the bridge and he won’t ever say much about his time aboard but I do know that the sailors who died in the Princeton blast weighs heavy on his heart.
@@swgard1 I am sure it does. Dad ( A Seabee) was somewhere getting ready to go to the Philippines when my uncle was killed.
I never asked him if the Navy offered to let him come home as the surviving son. 15 years to late to ask now.
Bless your family.
I can see the point of two holes, one to let the water in, the other to let it out.
Modern problems require modern solutions
Flooding: Perfectly balanced, as all things should be.
Heck I had fishing boat that worked that way
Having an exit hole reduces the pressure on the shored bulkheads.
It’s like a ship full of North Korean generals
"Their lord and savior the 1000-pound high explosive bomb."
My American heart just went into overdrive.
"The ship is full of holes, we need to do something about that."
"I know, let's add more holes!"
:D
"If it's stupid, but works, then it ain't stupid!"
Why does this reminds me of the Three Stooges?
They were adding lightness.
The new holes are to let the water out.
@@mathewm7136 no shit Sherlock... 🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️ It's a joke lol
Uss Birmingham, renamed the black pearl "STOP BLOWIN OLES IN MY SHIP"
I've got a jar of medals. I've got a jar of medals.
Blah b 🤣🤣🤣🤣
@ NO NO MY JAR OF MEDALS!!!! 😱😰
WHERS THE SHINY!!!!! ❤😉
Another US cruiser with an aversion to sinking.
Huge holes in both the bow and stern that should probably result in the ship sinking?
USS Birmingham "I prefer to stay afloat if I'm honest, so I won't be sinking. Sorry."
Physical laws of reality: You've got a lot of holes in you.
USS Birmingham: Yup.
Physical laws of reality: You should be sinking.
USS Birmingham: Yup.
Physical laws of reality: Start sinking, then!
USS Birmingham: No thanks.
Physical laws of reality: You can't just DECIDE to not si-
USS Birmingham: No thanks.
Jon Clivaz seems
It is polite about it at least.
@@benjaminstout941 if you ever meet someone (something?) who is actually tough, you will find that they are invariably polite , , , like my Uncle Louis.
Looks like the ship got really damn lucky. The stern and bow areas that got hit were probably not even in the armored internal citadel. It was just the long "rear compartment" with the plane hangar, and then a hole in the bow, which was both extremely long and didnt contain overly important things.
The suicide plane, otoh, seems to have done more severe damage, but it was just a single, isolated hit and, luckily enough, just about missed the magazines.
Thanks so much for this....This was my dad's ship during WWII. He would tell very few stories about his experience during those years, except when they pulled next to the carrier. He was a Quartermaster 3rd class. He was one of the drivers, if you will, of the ship. He told me he was suppose to be up on the bridge at the blast time but had changed with his friend, who died. My father was 18 at the time. He would retire a Diplomat with the American Foreign Service. He would never speak to anyone about his time in WWII. Again thanks so much for the history of CL-62
Hey bob. My grandpa, Alfred Volpe,served as 1/c fireman on the Birmingham. He was hit with shrapnel in his back and received the Purple Heart He passed in 1988, 3years before I was born. My Grandma and my dad said he never talked about it, too.
he would be 97 this year
Suprised the ship didn't sink with the weights of the crews medals
3 of the purple hearts were back injuries due to previous awards🤣
The medals came in handy for patching small caliber holes.
Do you mean with the weight of the Americans
Alex Wallex I think you forget they are on a light cruiser and, by the way, why are you that immature you have to make fun of men who served several years, through hell, through fire, through bombs, through death, water, gunfire, smoke, imagine you making fun of men, imagine, you are next to a ship on fire trying to help with repairs, and you see and explosion, you wake up and you see one of your buddies, his head has a chunk out of it, his arm is gone, a large piece of shrapnel in his chest. You sit there holding him as he mindlessly screams for his mother, asking if he will make it, he then dies in your arms. Now you have to do this for another year, and a year later, a single dive bomber goes on your ship. You are now a bofors gunner, and it dives, it lands a bomb, and kills more men, among them an old friend who has been with you for the few years, the bottom half of his body is gone, and his guts are dripping out. You watch his body now be engulfed by fire. You now have nightmares. You now have the alarms sounding again. “Kamikaze pilots!” Somebody screams, you get to your gun and wait. One minute. Two minutes. Now three. And there they are, little black dots. Another minute passes and they are within range. You open fire but the poor bastard flying the plane doesn’t give up and hits the ship. Several feet of metal, blood, guts, cloth, and wood lay around you as you try and help with temporary repairs. You see the sick bay, and dead men lay there, helpless men who were sick or even unconscious getting back to shore, and they are then there dead, brains and blood dripping out. You sit now in the cabin with all your sailor mates and sit there silently just like the day when the carrier exploded next to your ship. Now fast forwards 30 years or so, you have PTSD, you recall bad memories, and you have the need to commit suicide. Now walk up to those men and tell them “Damn how heavy were you? No wonder your ship sank”. That is what you basically say when comment something like that. Next time think about your actions, think about how mature are you? Because those old war vets are dying, and you say rude things to them like that? Now delete your comment, then go and get off the internet for a while, or at least do research, because what I can tell is that your a snot nosed brat who doesn’t know what those men went through. Now should I continue or are we done here?
You left out the largest contributor to the ship's weight - About 1200 pairs of large, brass balls.
"Japan's Favorite Target"... meanwhile as the USS Franklin is having flashbacks in the corner, looks up in panic and says "you too?"
HMAS Australia: Mind if I join you blokes?
@TheSlot1942 HMAS Australia: "Hey, pull up a chair, Bunker me old cobber. We're all mates here."
@@roscoewhite3793 come now big guys may i also join *USS Johnston probably*
@@penkagenova7073 you may indeed!
Enterprise attended by Vestal knocks on the door. "Mind if we join?"
Drach: "So, the ship would earn eight battle stars..."
Me: "What."
Drach:"...nine distinguished flying cross medals..."
Me: "WHAAAT?!"
Well, USS Chickasaw, a tug, aquired 6 stars in WW2 with 2 more in Korea to get 8. So a CL getting 8 doesn't surprise me.
Actually she earned a total of 9 battle stars.
Cleveland class cruisers had floatplanes embarked to act as recon and spotting, It stands to reason that the Pilots of said aircraft could earn distinguished flying crosses...
@@adamdubin1276 I know that, it's just that the sheer number of medals, flying crosses included, had me thinking "Did they started to fight in 1917. and just kept going until September 2nd, 1945?"
@@adamdubin1276 but they were kingfishers. they arent the best aircraft in the world
How can this ship float when her crew were made of steel plus the several tons worth of awards?
Balls of brass, large enough to rival the gravity well of Jupiter.
Tojo : "Isoroku, what does the scouter say about its award level?!"
Yamamoto : *"IT'S OVER NINE HUUUNDREEED!!!"*
By the law of displacement: Badassitude makes membranes hydrophobic, which causes the water to keep a safe distance for fear of getting its ass kicked.
As long as density of water, times volume water is to scared to enter, is greater than the weight of the steel crew, they will still be able to float.
@@onewhosaysgoose4831 I could not have said it better myself.
@@onewhosaysgoose4831 they/she would have to float on air as their is no water left? Cleveland class air, only of it's class
Drach I’m very glad to see you’ve done a video on the Birmingham. My great uncle was one of those killed aboard Birmingham during the firefighting efforts assisting the Princeton in October ‘44. Thanks awfully.
as was my uncle james costigan, give your name
my Grandfather was aboard the troop landing ship USS Karnes at Okinawa when the Birmingham got hit. his ship was anchored pretty close (according to the battle diary it was literally the next ship over) and for a short time the crew on the Karnes--including my Grandfather, who's battle station was the forward twin 40mm mount--thought that they'd actually shot the Oscar down and caused it to crash into the cruiser. his ship was also one of the first to render assistance as the Birmingham worked to deal with its damage.
So USN Birmingham joins the Immortal Squadron: Ships that won't just die. Enterprise, Franklin, San Francisco and Laffey. Any other ships that meets the criteria?
HMS Penolope, though she was finally sunk by a U-boat in 1944 she earned the nickname HMS Pepperpot for the number of holes punched into her during her service in the Mediterranean
Warspite, of course.
@@saoirseewing4877 Beat me to it!
HMS Warspite should lead the way
Illustrious, Eskimo, Athabaskan
"Without the complicated fire control of world of warships"
RNG
They are still more accurate than they were in reality, as you often need half a dozen of salvos to find the range alone, something way more easy to do in wows.
One wonders if there was in fact a single Japanese Judy pilot with the superpower of, "the CAP doesn't notice me" wreaking untold havoc across the U.S. Fleet. Good thing the war ended before the IJA and IJN got their genetically-modified pilot program in full swing...
Laughs in USS Enterprise your Bombs dont work on me despite your trickery
The limiting factor in task force defense is, how many incoming elements can you track at once ? The bottleneck is the master defense plot, and how many tracks the operators can keep updated so the controllers can vector fighters or assign AA fire. When the plot is fully occupied with groups, lone aircraft can slip through just by being one too many threats to keep track of. Individual ships might pick them up, but they're /also/ concentrating on groups in their sector and can miss a leaker.
This experience with defense against massed raids drove the development of automated plotting systems that could handle many times the incoming threats that a manual plot could possible handle.
My grandfather was on that ship in WWII. His station was in the powder magazine. He survived the war.
My grandfather was a typist on the bridge of the Birmingham, 96 years old but won’t talk about what he saw.
Yup.
My grandfather was on her in the Lyete Gulf helping out out fires on the USS Princeton. When the Birmingham caught the blast on her starboard side and injured hundreds, they said there was so much blood on the decks and gangways that they had to put sand down to keep everyone from slipping and injuring themselves. I've head many of these stories from my grandfather, thank you for this great video.
surprised they didn't classify her as a cruiser or heavy cruiser due to the shear damage she caused, also the weight of her awards must have increased her displacement by a few thousand tonnes
Had to laugh at the Birmigham vs tanks. It's a slightly more one sided fight than Mike Tyson vs a coma patient.
Japanese tank. a .50 cal AP round could take it out.
a barrage of the Birmingham did them disapear
@@obelic71 6" gun fire from the USS Boise and USS Savannah, along with 5" gun fire from a USN DD, broke up a German tank attack by the Hermann Göring Panzer Division, which included Tiger tanks, on units of the 1st Infantry Division during the invasion of Sicily.
@@MrDgwphotos In Normandy, Battleship fire was used against German formations during the battle of Caen, miles inland. The Germans reported near misses with 14 and 16 inch shells flipped tanks like poker chips.
Late in WW2 Prinz Eugen fired on russian tanks during evacuation operations.
@@obelic71
.50 were in face overkill
.30 could pen them, but apparently had to be on certain spots (and fired by mgs)
My Home Town is " Birmingham, Alabama - this ships namesake. I love the " Lord and Savior - 1,000 Pound bomb !
Imagine if Jehovah's witnesses took that approach when knocking on ya door every month... 🤔 They'd be a lot more successful that's for sure
Isn't it pronounced "Bur- Ming HAM? Whereas the author here says "birming-um".. just some thanks to all.
xoxo2008oxox as a brit i belive its both
As the infantry often said with artillery fire incoming: "For what we are about to receive, May the Lord make us truly thankful."
xoxo2008oxox depends where you’re form if you ask any who’s from anywhere near Birmingham (England) you’ll hear bur-ming-um but else where the may say bur-ming-ham. Don’t now about the anywhere in the US though
The island hopping campaign sure benefited the usn's gunnery practices by providing live targets for them.
I must admit your wry wit had me chuckling away during this video. I can just picture a conversation with the pilot as to just where he put his plane. The Pilot responding like a 5 year old, "I don't know"! It is always sad when a valiant ship is scrapped. I know we can't keep them swinging at anchor. It is just sad none the less.
I think of the horse in Animal Farm every time a warship becomes 'surplus to requirements' and is scrapped.
She would have made a great companion to USS ALABAMA in Mobile bay.
@@jefferyindorf699
Indeed, sir! I'd travel to Mobile Bay clear from Montana, just to walk on the same deck that dad swabbed, and was wounded on, during the war!
40mm strafe? Reminds me of some crazy destroyers in Battle of Samar Sea sucking enemy into 40mm range :D
Actually, I believe it was a battery officer on the USS White Plains - 1 of the CVEs - who made that exclamation! And I believe it was on another of the CVEs that a crew member exclaimed "Damn it, boys, they're getting away!"
Destroyer USS Laffey came within 20 feet of Japanese battleship Hiei, raking her with machinegun fire and everything else on deck, wounding Admiral Abe and killing some of his officers. She was then surrounded by enemy ships and went down soon after taking a 14" hit from Hiei, fighting to the death against four enemy ships at a point blank range.
@@RCAvhstape Unfortunately, she got so close that her torpedoes did not arm.
This was the first USS Laffey, a prewar destroyer. USS Laffey at Okinawa was one of the first Allen M. Sumner class 2200 tonners completed during the war. Tough ships!
It was nice to hear about the floating dry docks, at the time a top secret project my grandfather served on the first one, and when they were declassified in the 90’s was happy to finally be able to tell the vital role he performed in WW2.
I don't know how the ship ever got underway with the weight of the entire crew's brass balls not pulling it under.
See, that's the thing with these kinds of ships: brass balls make it float better. Counter-intuitive, i know, but it works.
@@mybadluckcharm The laws of physics with these kinds of ships are so confusing 😂
All the best Tanks aggro the enemy and draw fire away from other party members. However, most prefer to gird themselves for this role with substantial amounts of armor, rather than relying on the fickle favor of RNGesus. A tricky build to pull off, but USS Birmingham seems to have made it work quite well.
My Grandfather was onboard the USS Karnes and manned a 40mm as a Kamikaze impacted the USS Birmingham during the Invasion of Saipan. God Bless all who served.
"Their Lord and Savior, the thousand-pound bomb." This made me laugh.
What a great video. This was my dad's ship. He served on CL62, and was on board when the magazine of the USS Princeton (built on the hull of what was to be CL63, another Cleveland Class Light Cruiser) exploded, devastating so many of the crew. He told me about the geyser they built in to protect the bulkheads. Thanks for doing this. I've been told she was the most heavily damaged US light cruiser that did not go to the bottom.
Love the individual ship histories. She was definitely a fighting ship!
The Birmingham and the various light carriers she served with were actually related as those light carriers were built on Cleveland class hulls.
How about the USS Augusta?
It had a long service life and several crew members that would become famous, one would go on to command a large area of the Pacific, Admiral Nimitz
Another was Chesty Puller, the most decorated Marine in the Corps history and had a cousin of note too, George S. Patton.
It took part in many operations from Torch to D Day 6th of June 44.
FDR sailed on her, along with Churchill and a visit from the King of England.
My uncle served aboard her for most of the War and had several interesting accounts.
The most interesting story from my uncle was that he was onboard DD 403 from 1938 to 43, then the Augusta until she went in for a major refit, he was then sent to Pearl Harbor to repair ships there. During that time he saw his old destroyer in port.
As soon as he could he went on board to visit old shipmates.
While having coffee in the Mess an announcement came over the ships PA system telling that the war was over, so for my uncle the war both started and ended with him on board the same DD.
I did not know Puller and Patton were cousins. Makes sense!
Great to hear about the Birmingham. My uncle was one of the badly wounded when the Princeton blew up.
27:00 USS Birmingham: Do YoU sEe ToRpEdO BoAtS!?
Kamchatka: I do!
Yep. That’s another meme. Good job.
32:48 I can imagine Birminghams dissapointment at news of the Japanese surrender.
Well said.
This ship/crew seems to embody the phrase, 'fighting spirit'.
To quote Jack Churchill: "If it wasn't for those damn Yanks, we could have kept the war going another 10 years!"
Like most professional soldiers she would rejoice at the announcement of peace, no one hates war more than those that must endure it
@@barrylucas8679
True
Are you kidding me? My dad said guys were hugging, hooting and crying for relief.
Who in their right minds would want to face waves of kamikazes again? Only this time even more of 'em!
You can't believe the fear they instilled in men. You never knew if you were the next one to be blown up or burned to death.
When word reached the ship to "cease fire, the war is over" the "B" executed a 360 deg turn with her sirens blaring. There was jubilation!
it never ceases to amaze me just how much punishment these ships can take and still be able to fight , its a testament to the builders and the amazing crews
My father was on this ship from shakedown through Bougainville. His name was Joe (Joey) Corrao from Cleveland, Ohio. He passed away in 1988 and spoke very little about the war so if any crew members are still with us and if they knew my Dad I'd sure like to hear from them.
all are gone i suspect 18 years old then would be 96 in 2023
There is a story about that number 4 turret. It was replaced with a new turret and the old one ended up at one of the countries testing and proving grounds and used as a hardened observation post. It is at Yuma Proving Ground I believe.
Interesting. I'll bet it's still there, too!
Japanese Army: "Haha, we have TANKS!"
Birmingham: "Clearly you have no concept . . ."
The HE part of the shells probably wasn't even needed - I think her guns could have stoved in the tanks on a glancing blow. Marvelous.
The CVL-30 USS San Jacinto had former president George HW Bush as one of it's pilots! But it just shows you how tough the Cleveland class cruisers really were, though they had no armor except for the midships belt. This is because the US Navy had fallen in love with STS (special treatment steel) for it's ability to minimize damage, ease of welding, and resistance to heat deformation. STS was used extensively in all US Navy ships prior to and during WW2 not only as light armor but structurally as well. You can see in the photos of the bow and stern damage how the plates deformed without breaking and that the plates did not break apart at the welded seams, while the rest of the hull remained intact.
...And then, thy Captain performed the miracle of calling air support...
14:08
When I heard the words "then the captain had an idea"
I payed close attention only to realize that the captain himself used his own ship as a target for the enemy, only for the enemy to realize they screwed up at 1000 pound high explosive bombs rained on them XD
The Sea Plane Aviators were really a class act on Her
You have done an amazing job here! My grandfather served on the Birmingham. Thank you!
I was happily surprised to hear the mention of the USS Santa Fe. My dad served as electricians mate onboard her.
Santa Fe, also one heroic ship.
14:29 - literally the greatest line i have ever heard. For those who are looking for the time stamp for the most common comment here.
Sad that she couldn't rest alongside USS Alabama...
Would've looked nice next to New Jersey as well,given the hull number.
Thank you for making a video of a Cleveland-class CL! Great respect from the US Navy! I learn so much from your videos. Birmingham was quite a tough ship.
How many 40mm Bofors should we add?
US Navy: All of them.
"Keep adding them until i tell you to stop. I'll see you tomorrow."
IS Navy: “How many have we got?”
Grandfather said it would light up the night skies when enemy pilots would try to come in after them. That's a lot of anti-aircraft..
@@williamwiese9963 - See ruclips.net/video/N-o6FoBhFbI/видео.html and ruclips.net/video/mqfvYf5sMWA/видео.html
That's right here in the US Navy, EVERYONE an AA gun.
Great video. Looking at the picture from this video, a 'not' 5 minute guide to floating dry docks could be fascinating.
That _would_ be nice.
New London sub base had 2 ARDs, no 5 and no 7 in the late 50s. Very dangerous places with 15 or so pound tools constantly falling from the boats onto the drydock bottom where repair crews were walking around. Helmets of little help . I saw many close calls.
Quite the tale, told with the traditional British sense of humor.
"Their Lord and Savior. the thousand pound bomb." Lol, that's a good one. Also we need a shirt with Birmingham on it while water spouts out of the deck and "Old Faithful - USS Birmingham" on it.
There is a single surviving Cleveland class, USS Little Rock, a museum ship in Buffalo New York. She was converted to a Talos guided missile cruiser, but retained one 6" triple and one twin 5" turret. The bridge block was expanded to be a flagship, displacing the upper 6" turret, and moving the 5" forward to its former barbette.
Although somewhat modified, she still maintains the feel of a WW-II US CL, plus the absurd complexity of an early missile ship. My son and I slept over in crew bunks with the Boy Scouts many years ago. We had mostly the run of the ship, got inside the triple 6" turret. Engine and boiler rooms had not yet been cleared of asbestos at the time, so were off limits. The park also has a Fletcher (USS The Sullivans) and a sub, plus other good exhibits. Very worthwhile visit, in a very nice waterfront area. The ships are sitting in freshwater, so should be around quite a while.
I remember that she looked enormous, considering she was only a CL.
I enjoyed this and I'd give you credit for pronunciation of San Jacinto since there probably isn't a definitive right answer. Texans often pronounce the J and in Spanish the J is pronounced as "H". Also enjoyed your pronunciation of "Birmingham" for the same reason. It's correct of course unless you're in Alabama where it changes from "Burming-um" to "Burmin-ham". I'd say You made the right call though in both cases. Hearing you say, "Burmin-ham" would have been all kinds of wrong.
" .
"...and then the captain had an idea." Combined arms, thinking like a Marine.
No notification but a new Video: A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one
Surprise? The post is every Wednesday.....
it was more that i didn't get the notification until after i saw the video xD
Click bell and select, "all."
@@WALTERBROADDUS like i said i got the notification but only after i watched the vid. youtube is strange sometimes
My uncle was a naval architect, and a multiple-time winning skipper of the Chicago - Mackinaw race (big time sailboat race on Lake Michigan between the World Wars). He desperately wanted a sea-going command in the USN and fumed that he spent the war teaching damage control at Mare Island. But it was the USN Damage Control doctrine that saved so many ships like the Birmingham. The IJN cruisers and battleships were arguable as well designed and those of the USN (carriers were another matter) and often times the deciding factor was the skill of the damage control teams.
Still, I am in utter slack-jawed awe of what the Birmingham accomplished. Thank you for this well-researched and expertly told episode!!!
Last time I was here this fast the Kamchatka was surrounded by torpedo boats.
LOL
@@batgoat28 It was quite witty
God dammit, i have to start the model of my kamchatka someday...
@@christophpoll784 i would not advise it unless you have insurance against friendly fire and torpedo boats
@@davidandmartinealbon3155 I have her worst nightmare next to her: IJN Kitakami :-)
And so ended the first attempt at a World of Warships and World of Tanks crossover event.
What of the Uss Marblehead that was damaged in the battle of Mckassar Strait where she lost her steering had a cracked keel and had to steer with her engines all the way to Brazil via Ceylon via South Africa to Brooklyn Navy yard for a grand total of a short 16,000 miles! Also had a doctor by the name of Corydon Wassell that saved wounded sailors from capture by Japanese forces. This too would be a good story to tell!
Named for Alabama's Largest City she lived up to the Nickname Birmingham Alabama....THE STEEL CITY. Great video about a great ship!!!
The USS Birmingham took a tremendous amount of hits and survived being repaired every time. It's terrible about the loss of life of many of the crew.
USS Birmingham meeting up with USS Princeton and USS Belleau Wood: "Hi big sister Tallahasee and younger sister New Haven, How's the conversion treating you?"
My dad was on this fine ship! I remember he would mention that he was at Saipan, Tiniann and Guam! He didn’t talk too much about it, but I knew he was proud to be on that ship! He went on to serve in the Marine Corps in the Korean War! He passed away in 1997!
The humorous narration makes the film wonderfully entertaining
When I was younger I had heard of this ship and never remembered the name. I only knew it as a Cleveland CL and had always loved the Cleveland class because of that. The Cleveland Class will always be my favorite Light Cruiser type. Thank you for sharing information I had long since forgotten. I love this channel and I love your monotone humor you through into your videos.
Quite an impressive service career. Unlucky yet deadly and a survivor.
What a life and service. Nice looking class of ship. Great report.
My grandpa was on the USS Wichita (CA-45) when she towed the USS Canberra (and USS Boston towed USS Houston), after they were hit during raids near Formosa,
to waiting tugs. The Birmingham escorted them to the tugs.
Bit of a shame all but Little Rock were scrapped. The entire class had quite a career.
Some were converted into missile cruisers. Her class had a long run at life. Not bad at all.
Very unfortunate, like come on I don't need 4 Essex class carrier museum ships can I just have one Cleveland?
*Just one?*
@@cleveland2286 ill second that!!! Too bad its too late ..
*survives 3 strikes*
Some baseball team: "wait thats illegal!"
False, dropped third strike. One of those cost the Brooklyn Dodgers a World Series title.
Hmmm, what a strange idea. Baseball would be a very different game if batters were executed on the spot after their third strike.
@@richmcgee434
We shall call it " the gladiators baseball"
@@richmcgee434 I think that's Australian Rules baseball..
I get that the original English city is pronounced Birmingim, but as a 3 decade former resident of the American city for which this ship was named (BirmingHAM), I have to confess that I twitched every time I heard Birmingim.
Yeah, and I am pretty sure CL-62 earned her HAM rations.
Don't get me started whenever I hear an Americans say "presentation" as "pree" instead of "prez". 😅
English is weird.
In America, we really don't believe in the 'silent' letters. We got rid of the U's in random places, we pronounce H's, and we chopped a whole syllable out of Aluminum........
Dawn Alderman
Pronounced Birmingam to your Average Limey. We just drop the H normally.
It's Börminghäm in german
Japanese Tanks: I'm a tank, I'm a tank, I'm a...
USS Birmingham: Allo, boys!
Japanese tanks: Hax! CL OP, pls nerf!
how did she have time to fight while collecting all those awards
I would have said with all that time fighting how did she collect all those medals :>)
10:39
Imagine being the guy at the helm when you ram another ship and you just damaged the already repaired bow. I have to wonder if whoever did that had to clean toilets with a toothbrush for the rest of the war.
Drach, releasing a video just before I have to go to work? Not fair!!!!
looks like work has to wait
HA, I finished it with 30 minuets left before work. Though the guys at the shop may get to enjoy it anyway.
These men and ships were my heroes, I have often wondered how my first ship the USS Newport News (CA-148), would have fared. The last all gun cruiser in the United States Navy.
Any Des Moines class cruiser would have been an absolute terror to Kido Butai. They had nothing like them.
The Des Moines class was the post war counterpart to the Brooklyns, which were light cruisers carrying 15 6"/47 cal. rifles in 5 turrets. They could put out over 130 rounds of 6" fire per minute. One jap admiral called them "machine gun cruisers".
@@francisbusa1074 Those were great ships and men in the War, my dad didn't say much about it, but he was at Pearl Harbor. I think people that fought that war, were the ones that saw the need for ships like the Newport News, but changing times and a post war drawdown, made her the last of a kind. The NN has a museum aboard the USS Salem in Quincy Ma. and some of our crew, have working parties aboard her. Besides spending a few years on the NN 68, 69 and part of 70, I was also proud to have served on the USS Springfield, a converted Cleavland class Light Guided Missile cruiser. "Fair Winds and Following Seas" Brothers 🇺🇸⚓
Thank you for an interesting & entertaining video. My wife’s Dad & uncle were in the navy & served in the Pacific campaigns, one on a supply/repair ship, the other on a PT boat tasked with search & rescue for downed pilots. They described attacks by kamikazes as quite terrifying.
Moving at 30 knots with a 30 ft hole in the bow?! How was her interiors not swept away by the water current? Better still, how was the bow not blown off completely when it was US cruisers tendency to lose them rather often iirc?
It was hard to sink a Cleveland
I think the phrase you are looking for is 'she's a tough old bird.'
US Light Cruisers were some of the Toughest ships around. Only Helena was lost and she still needed to take two torps to be sunk.
Perhaps an example of the difference between an air dropped torpedo and a ship launced torpedo. 🤔
Although the last versions of the type 91 aerial torpedo had a warhead almost as heavy as the type 93 Long Lance.
@@ravenwing199 IIRC, my dad said the Helena took a kamikaze when she was in trail with USS Cleveland. That didn't kill her either. I still have his album with a picture of it in it.
My Grate Grandpa was a radio technician on her during WW2
Man - if any ship deserved museum status, it was the Birmingham.
Excellent, informative essay. I actually have the August 1945 National Geographic issue that features 'Saga of the carrier Princeton'.
"Pacific War Diary" by James Fahey recounts life aboard U.S.S. Montpelier (Cleveland class CL-57) as a deck ape. highly recommended to come a gritty understanding of WW2
I know it's a bit of an ask, but would you be able to finish off the destroyer development and design series? As far as I can tell, this would include the WW2 destroyers such as the war emergency classes, Akisukis and the Sumners/Gearings, and up to the last of the gun based destroyers like the Daring class, Forest Sherman class and the Halland class.
He talked about this in a dry dock. It’s in the works. Same as a fair few specials :)
@@AdamMGTF Thanks, I don't recall seeing it but I probably just missed it.
My sainted father served on the Birmingham during World War II. I'm not sure if he was a plank owner, but he joined the crew in time for the Sicily campaign and was with the ship until the end of the war. Fun fact: He told me that because of all the battle damage that the Birmingham suffered, he was home for every Christmas during the war.
He often said that although the Birmingham was hit by a kamikaze and bombs off Bougainville, the Princeton explosion was much worse and that there was a real chance of the Birmingham sinking. He said that most of the men who were killed by the explosion were just up topside, watching damage control teams fight the fire. He was up there also, but something told him to go below. Luckily for me, he did.
Jacques Chouette, glad to hear your dad made it home.
My dad served aboard the "B" as well. He was a plank owner.
He was wounded in the Princeton explosion, and so I was almost not born as well.
That pic of 5" gun mount #6 with the jagged hole in the left side of the mount bulkhead... Dad was the pointer there. That mount captain's legs were smashed and he later died of his injuries.
Before the explosion Dad had transferred from that mount to the engine room and made rate as a Machinist Mate. Had he been in that gun mount, then again, I might not have been born.
God has His Plan for our lives for sure!
And you're right... Mom and Dad were together every Christmas, since they had lived in Menlo Park and Palo Alto when the war started, and it wasn't all that far for Dad to hitch hike home from Mare Island or Hunters Point.
Never forget. The greatest generation.
@@francisbusa1074 Although my dad used to tell me about his experiences in World War II on the Birmingham, it wasn't until I watched the video when it started to sink in just how many times the ship was damaged and could have been sunk and the amount of casualties that the ship took. And you are right, the Greatest Generation. Our generation is nothing compared to them.
Great video, thank you for sharing.