First battle. First time crossing the equator. First time crossing the International Date Line. First time as admiral’s flagship. First time to a foreign port. Thanks for all of your hard work Ryan and Libby.
I'd like to know about the first curator when she became a museum ship. What state was the ship in at that time? What input did they have into the decommision and transition, i.e. "can we keep this?", "we really need that" etc.? How much of the ship was actually suitable for visitors when it was first handed over?
I could be wrong, but I imagine that getting an Iowa to produce enough steam to get the props turning and making a reasonable maneuvering speed is a little more complicated than turning the ignition key and putting the gear-selector into 'drive'.
yep gotta pump the pedal 3 times while holding the clutch slightly in, as you turn the key. then when it starts to catch, gotta rev the nuts off her then pop her all the way in gear.... no wait that was my old jeep wagoneer...
Iowa didnt, but New Jersey did. Very lightly loaded (IIRC no ammo, reduced stores, skeleton crew), i think it was a propulsion test after reactivation. She topped 35 knots.
Thank you for the stroll down memory lane. I can remember most of that. Hard to believe it was over 30 years ago!! Sometimes it feels like yesterday, most it doesn’t though.
I would think the main reason she was towed was that there was no crew left to run the ship. Question- what would be the minimum crew required to operate the engines and navigate? You’ve done clips on what it takes to fire the guns, what about the engines?
COnsider that modern Navy ship typically have 3 or 4 inport duty sections - you could make a reasonable assumption that the engineering dept personnel in that duty section would be sufficient to get the active BB underway.
When was the last time she generated power internally? You discovered the Texas was brought to her first mooring as a museum with one of her boilers hot, I believe it was to power some systems like the kitchen for meal preparation.
It makes sense. A reactivation seemed certain and the Navy made every effort to persevere her in such a manner that reactivation would go as smoothly as possible. They knew what happened to the BB Wisconsin when she caught on fire during her time spent in mothballs and required major restoration.
Would that have been the last time any of her boilers were fired as well? Or did some remain operational into drydocking/mothballing to generate electricity?
As someone who is not familiar with the New Jersey, it would be fun for Ryan to say with each of these videos where on the ship he's located if it’s not obvious from the video topic.
Without the preservation most of the main machinery would deteriorate quickly . I would be interested in the main switchboards . The construction and how unusable services are safely solated . Ryan said in a previous video cabling was cut to some services but may have been speaking figuratively .Presumably there must be power on one at least and probably crossfed to power lighting on all parts of the ship .
I would be fascinated to hear about the initial activations of the power plants. Were there firings and testing done on the boilers and generating systems prior to the first run of the engines? Were the engines tested or used before the first shakedown? And where can someone read and learn more about the technical aspects of the actual systems?
I was an Engineer in the GE San Francisco District in the early 1980's and was involved in plant start ups, equipment test runs, and sea trials after prolonged repairs in shipyards. There are so many systems needed to be put in service that it boggles the mind. There were people who were called Light Off Engineers who brought boilers on line for first run after repairs. That's what they did as contractors and it paid well. It would take several books to cover the things needing to be done before the ship can sail. There are hundreds of valves needing operation to establish cooling water flow, fuel oil flow, burner nozzles, air systems, instrument systems, induction fans and more. I rather enjoyed directing overhauls and doing startups on SSTG sets, Ship Service Turbine Generators, setting and testing overspeed trip bolts, load testing, etc. Everything on the generator base, 10,000 rpm steam turbine, reduction gear, and 6 pole 1200 rpm generator is about the size of a mid sized car. There is a manual operated crank lube oil pump by the gearbox that somebody needs to turn while somebody else cracks open the trip throttle valve to roll the turbine generator slowly to warm things up. The main oil pump takes over and the kid on the hand crank can now stop take it easy. Ryan is sitting on a main propulsion reduction gear. There is a high pressure and a low pressure steam turbine coupled to the pinion gears in the gearbox and its output shaft is coupled to the thrust bearing and the propeller shaft. When the ship is getting ready to sail, the ships engineers pre heat the turbines, blow out condensate, and roll the turbines, gearbox, and propeller shaft a few rpm in forward and then roll it astern multiple times until steam lines, casings, turbine rotors, and parts are up to operating temperature such that no slug of water can come through the steam lines and damage the turbine rotors and thrust bearings. It was a joke....the US Navy has 1000 valves in the machinery spaces and 1000 sailors to operate them. There wasn't much automation back then. Sorry, there is no one size fits all book explaining these things. Overhauls take a long time and I learned many things with on the job training. I got pretty good at it, solved some perplexing problems, and enjoyed every minute of it. After a shipyard period, it might take 1 or 2 days to get boilers, supporting equipment, and propulsion machinery running and ready for sea trials. I laugh my butt off when they turn the key and fire up the engines in the movie Battleship. Purrs like a kitten. No, that's me snickering so bad I rip a chain of farts on the plastic couch. I also laugh that they could carry a 16'' shell on their shoulders through passageways. My big blue inert 16'' shell from the Iowa weighs 1902 pounds, not 1000 pounds like they say in the movie. I broke my Harbor Freight engine hoist trying to move it and had to buy their heavy duty one, assemble it, then move it 30 feet away. 2 guys could not push the hoist holding the shell inches off the ground despite the cast iron wheels on it. We had to attach a rope, swing the shell, and push the rig 6'' at a time. I hope this helps. Just writing this brought back some really good memories. Cheers!
@@kimmer6 Thanks! That was a lot to digest but totally worth it. I haven’t seen the movie, but the idea of two guys hefting and carrying a 16 inch shell is crazy. Hollywood’s sure has a knack for the impossible.
@@wtmayhew Maybe it was 4 or 6 guys carrying it. I don't think its possible.... these are heavy! A lot of Ryan's shells on the New Jersey are fiberglass replicas. The movie no doubt used fiberglass shells. Here's old Barney complaining as usual....note the shipping cover that protects the shell's turning bands during handling. 1902 pounds is stenciled on the side. ruclips.net/video/NxIsmpWK_7c/видео.html
@@kimmer6 I'm grateful for the response. The basics of a steam system are easy to understand. But obviously there's far more than basics to something like this. I bought a kit to build a steam engine with my son but it does his drive itself around on the floor... With a tea candle.
Her first tomahawk firing and drone flight would be interesting. I've been looking at the 1990 cruise book and the entire Remote Piloted Vehicle Detachment is there.
There are some elements in your timeline that are or may be in error. I was aboard New Jersey for a midshipmen cruise in June of 1990 when the ship went to Portland for the Rose Festival. On our way back we had a 5” gun shoot and I specifically remember that the reason we didn’t shoot the 16” as well was because of the ongoing moratorium on 16” gun shoots from the Iowa accident. So I can say for certain that the 5” guns were fired in June 1990 and I have to question the date of the last 16” shoot given circumstances at the time.
The official command history: On 30 May (so almost June!) NEW JERSEY...enroute to...Portland OR to participate in the Portland Rose Festival. During the transit, NEW JERSEY fired the 5in guns for the last time. So the actual day they fired it could have been the first couple days of June or very late May.
Interesting video. I was curious about this during the Spirit sail tracking BSNJ to Camden. Makes me sad her losing steam. Would have loved to see her in action. I was in Vietnam during her deployment but never saw the ship.
What is the minimum number of crewmen needed to run New Jersey? Also, I have heard rumor about how the Bridge on New Jersey (and Iowa) was redesigned over time? Could you show us the original vs current bridge and explain that process?
The first time she was fully loaded and provisioned. It would be interesting to know if there's any evidence as to how close the calculations were to reality and a first wartime loading.
First mess? Was the first official meal during construction, fitting out, after commissioning ETC. Just plank holders or naval personal and civilians? And what was on the menu.
Great job NJ Team! What was the first exhibition as a Museum like- and when exactly did you have your first working day on NJ? Thanks for taking us viewers into so many interesting rabbit holes 🕳 ❤🎉
Hey Ryan and crew, here's another question - is there any known amount of how much 16" ammunition we have left in stores anywhere? And also, do we even have the tooling to make new 16" ammunition in appreciable quantity? I'm not one of the fanboys who constantly asks "When will/how can/should we reactivate the Iowas," but I see that as one of the big nails in the coffin of even contemplating that. I can't imagine we have much, and the tooling almost certainly doesn't exist anymore, right?
I think in 2016 I saw a proposal fielded to bid on removing the explosives from all 16'' shells then destroy permanently all of the remaining shell casings. Then a few years later I saw a picture of a pile of the demilled shells, pretty much trashed by torch or plasma cutter. Aircraft delivered ordnance and all kinds of missiles have permanently replaced large caliber guns these days. The 16''-50 guns are obsolete....except in Space Alien movies.
I think it’s a safe bet that no ammo remains. I believe that the last of the prop charges were demilled (recycled for the nitrocellulose) on the order of a decade ago. Thinking briefly about return to production (hypothetical), I would offer the following thoughts. Prop charges: probably not incredibly difficult. The propellant, IIRC, is nothing special - large grain single base. You could make it at Radford AAP or GD’s commercial facility in Quebec. Black powder is in production today. The silk bags would be a bit of a pain to do, but probably achievable. Projectiles: not so easy. I doubt that forges exist today which have the stroke and tonnage required to make shell bodies. Explosive D production capacity no longer exists - I’ve not looked at the synthesis for that product. While I am sure that making some in a lab would be no big deal, volume production would likely as not require a dedicated facility. Think in terms of hundreds of millions of dollars and a number of years to design, plan and construct. Fuzes are kinda in the “maybe” pile. The industrial base is certainly capable of making the old mechanical fuzes, but they very likely don’t meet current safety standards and so would need to be re-designed and qualified for use. Primers: big question mark. They are dual mode - electrical and percussion - initiated, as I understand it. Artillery fuzes today are all percussion. In general, probably not incredibly difficult to resurrect. All of the above is predicated on the assumption that the tech data packages, to at least some level, still exist somewhere.
@@tcoradeschi Great analysis. I think the days of 16'' gunfire are over. A 2000 pound smart bomb can be delivered precisely hundreds of miles away inland far from any body of water that a battleship can operate out of. I still love to see these weapons up close and on film. There is barrel #386 off the USS Missouri that was present at the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay. It resides at Battery Townsley on the North side of the inlet to the San Francisco Bay. The guns were removed in the 1950's as they were obsolete, but the site is still open to tourists. The barrel is staggeringly immense when you stand next to it. ruclips.net/video/sgjCYDIZiDU/видео.html
@@kimmer6 yes - the scale of those cannons is daunting. Navy still had some 14” and 16” tubes on the gun line (not mounted to a weapon) at Dahlgren some years ago. I’m sure they are still sitting there - no compelling reason to do anything else with them.
Hello again, Libby, and sorry about the confusion due to the limitations of length when the premiere is in progress. When you asked about videos for next week, I noted having asked A couple of times ( BUT when all of you were working such long days and were so exhausted) about the strange and mysterious ships that are in a slip side-by-side that is north west of the dry dock by may be a few hundred yards. The slips are oriented roughly east to west, and appear to have The rusting, steel, skeletal, looking remains of two ships that from older photographs I am guessing were May be in the process of being built during World War II, and then not finished after it ended. They have to be pretty old, I would think, leading me to the conclusion that there would be an interesting story there. They also appear to be quite large. The feature in Google Earth it allows you to drop down to street level does not have a Streed that allows getting close enough to really see what those really are, and there are no labels describing that at least in my version of Google Earth. Thanks!
Good evening. I'm looking at Google Earth as I write this and THINK I've spotted those remains you write about. Those look like a pair of old, wooden barges, maybe with steel hulls that were abandoned in place. The wood decking and steel structural framing appears to be rotting and falling apart with both sunken where they lay. To my eye there appears to be a rounded stern structure just under the surface of the water behind the north barge while the south barge stern either lies deeper or may be missing entirely. These may be the remains of barges used by the Navy Yard perhaps for storage or even personnel berthing for ships in overhaul. So little remains that I cannot tell. Agreed, you really can't see much from 'street view,' maybe just the top of the nearer barge from where "Constitution" rounds a corner closest to the mooring slip. Maybe someone with access to the old Yard or knowledge can clue us in. Take care.
@@robertf3479 Thanks! Hope Ryan and Libby will do a video on it, since they were asking for ideas. From the age it looks to me like. Those were likely sitting there when the New Jersey was built!
Well the navy could want to come and take parts for "reasons," either to refurb another ship or for testing of some kind (as after Columbia blew up and NASA got parts out of museums to do impact tests).
What was done by the navy to make any of the ship parts non-operable prior to becoming a museum? We saw the rudders and shafts locked and equipment was removed for use on other ships.
I assume the reason she didn't sail under her own power after her dry-docking in August to November 1990 was because that was when the water intake vents for her condensers were sealed up.
New Jersey never sank another capital ship in her history. In WW2 she was part of a group of ships that sank a Japanese destroyer. But she never went toe to toe with an enemy battleship or battle cruiser. The last great naval battle between battleships was Jutland, and that was in WW1 when the British Grand Fleet squared off against the German High Seas Fleet. A battle that remains controversial more than 100 years later. Google Battle of Jutland. It's a fascinating read. Lots of youtube videos on it too.
Great idea! How about a detailed overview like a combat log from each conflict she served in! I still want to hear everything about her 80s recom where she lead the first ever battleship division post ww2! People forget when the Iowa's got their 80s recom they were the only capital class active duty warships besides carriers. I'd love to know as well how many of new jerseys commanding officers had previously served on her and or had family who had served on her or another BB. I bet many viewed it as their most prestigious career assignment. Especially her captains. 🤔
Crazy idea? But could New Jersey be retrofitted with pods in the future to cruise? I know its alot of $$ . I'd definitely buy tickets to come cruise aboard her .
After WW2 my Grandaddymamajamapapaguy (aka Dad's Dad, served on Pac Fleet Minesweeper during war) worked at L.B. Naval shipyard as a rigger until his retirement (long b4 NJ retired last, late 60's ish). At some point or another, he worked around most ships that made call there. Not sure,.. but proly at some point.... No reason for telling you all this other than YAY Family History. From the personal memory wayback machine... the freeway used to go through the most amazing boneyard of LB. I vividly remember seeing the PBY carcasses as they slowly rotted over the years. Made me very sad.
So this was decommissioned in Long Beach California sent to Bremerton Washington and now she's in Philadelphia it seems interesting that trip from Bremerton through the Panama Canal New Jersey with Tugs Towing it and pushing it so far just somehow seems strange but undoubtedly it makes sense because
Your wrong Ryan about the ammo off load we to anchor off of Seal Beach and did the off load and Capt Tucker let us have two beers if you where not on watch. We had to drink the beers on the barges from the shipyard
Hi Ryan! Could you maybe do a video about the Pioneer UAV's the New Jersey carried onboard in the late 1980's? It's my understanding back in 1982 when she was reactivated she used helicopters to spot for the 16" guns. In 1986 USS Iowa received the Pioneer drones to replace the helicopters for spotting. When did the New Jersey receive these drones? It's my understanding the Iowa class battleships "pioneered" this technology for the Navy, and was quite revolutionary at the time. I even heard a story about Iraqi soldiers surrendering to one of Missouri's Pioneer UAVs. I believe New Jersey was refitted with an RPV communications radome over her aft funnel which was used to help control the drones. By the way, are you guys still getting a new dome from the manufacturer?
Hi Ryan, Do you have any information on military exercises/training where USS New Jersey might have fired upon deactivated target vessels or mock shore batteries?
What is the first piece of steel used in building the ship? ( If there are multiple modules / crews working at the same time, what was the first module / section. )
Interesting how you mention not going into Seal Beach to off load munitions. The simple reality there is that Seal Beach facility is just not large enough to handle an Iowa class ship. I boated that facility for years and the largest ships that they can handle are destroyer class vessels. The Long Beach harbor is so close that the the passage of the barges to Seal Beach would be just a couple of miles and largely protected by L.A.Harbor's break wall. I remember seeing the ship transit the area back then.
No, because you'd need to cut large holes into armored deck or hull sections to get any large things in or out. Theoretically you could put some container size mobile steam plants on deck and run the high pressure steam lines downstairs and run things without firing up the ship's boilers, but that would just be a silly thing to do.
How many times has Ryan woken himself up saying, "Battleship New Jersey receives operating support from the New Jersey Department of State, also from a number of other business, and private individuals like yourselves..." haha
did the remaining fuel oil got offloaded immediately after the last time she sailed by the way? if not when did they empty the tanks? I don't think this was mentioned in the fuel tank video
These are amazing ships. So fast, so rugged, so capable. Clearly the Navy and especially Congress want the option to reactivate these ships. Unlikely as that may be. It's not difficult for me to envision these ships reactivated and modernized. Port and starboard VLS cells. 5"/62 mounts as well as other modern radid firing mounts like the new 40mm bofors. All older missile mounts and 5"/38 removed. Torpedo counter measures and more. The aft flight deck could be modified for a far more extensive drone operations. Including a swarm of high performance missile/ drone killing, drones. Lots of options in a hull this size. No, not very likely. But in a major war emergency? Much is possible. The Navy's rules for museum make it clear. They want them available for reactivation. Even if it never happens.
Ryan . I see Iowa have the ability to rotate the turret and lower the anchor chain . Is there any future videos or projects regarding any systems being used for demonstrating purposes ? Thanks for all the great videos you do.
All loaded rounds were destroyed around 2017. There are still some insert shells around but they are getting very hard to find and are expensive to buy for collectors and museums.
what happened to all of that ammo? is it still in storage? is it still viable after all of this time, in case any of the Iowas do get reactivated any time soon? or did they drag it somewhere and sink it or blow it up so it wouldn't rot away or become a danger?
How about the first time (if any) that a non-American aircraft landed on New Jersey? Must have been someone, possibly during Korea or some major exercise.
Speaking of Bremerton, during the opening title sequence of the movie “An Officer and a Gentleman” you can see New Jersey and Missouri side by side. Missouri still has the igloos over the gun tubs. Filming for the movie was in 1981 an it was released in 1982. ruclips.net/video/5-Qcz_WeP1s/видео.htmlsi=jO9wOFNByPCM-KZE
First battle. First time crossing the equator. First time crossing the International Date Line. First time as admiral’s flagship. First time to a foreign port. Thanks for all of your hard work Ryan and Libby.
First battleship as the flagship. Battle Group Romeo. New Jersey took the place of an Aircraft Carrier.
First time Ryan stepped onboard
I'd like to know about the first curator when she became a museum ship. What state was the ship in at that time? What input did they have into the decommision and transition, i.e. "can we keep this?", "we really need that" etc.? How much of the ship was actually suitable for visitors when it was first handed over?
Honey badger don’t care. Honey badger takes allllll she wants and the museum staff will be thankful for anything that is left.
museum would have had zero input into ships decom.
Maybe do an interview with the first curator if possible.
Excellent suggestion sir
What was BB62 New Jersey's first battle star?
How about a video on the ship being worked up in 1943? Acceptance trials, training, etc.
First time she sunk an enemy combatant
I could be wrong, but I imagine that getting an Iowa to produce enough steam to get the props turning and making a reasonable maneuvering speed is a little more complicated than turning the ignition key and putting the gear-selector into 'drive'.
Nope, that's it.
You have to toot the horn too
Yes it's time consuming, not sure exactly how long, provided that the fuel lines are not rotted, like Ryan said the NJs is
yep
gotta pump the pedal 3 times while holding the clutch slightly in, as you turn the key. then when it starts to catch, gotta rev the nuts off her then pop her all the way in gear....
no wait that was my old jeep wagoneer...
@@jeffreymcurtis they maintain the fuel lines, im sure... why would they not?
2:50 That's a very surprised looking shell. 😮
My college girlfriend had that look. She would say ''Oh, oh, oh!'' and ''Don't ever stop''. That's the shell's O-Face.
I had to re-watch that part, I get it now.
Have you done any videos on her first sea trials? When did she first fire her guns and when did she exceed 30 knots for the first time?
Ryan it’s great hearing anything you have to say about the Black Dragon!!
i wanna hear the ships whistle!! and a bridge tour!
I think it makes sense she didn't steam for over 6 months. It takes time to methodically lay-up the equipment and spaces in a preservation mode.
Video on top speed during the 1980s Iowa hit 36.5 knots
Never happened
no it didnt!
Iowa didnt, but New Jersey did. Very lightly loaded (IIRC no ammo, reduced stores, skeleton crew), i think it was a propulsion test after reactivation. She topped 35 knots.
@@PixelmechanicYYZ That was in 1968. And "allegedly"
Thank you for the stroll down memory lane. I can remember most of that. Hard to believe it was over 30 years ago!! Sometimes it feels like yesterday, most it doesn’t though.
I would think the main reason she was towed was that there was no crew left to run the ship. Question- what would be the minimum crew required to operate the engines and navigate? You’ve done clips on what it takes to fire the guns, what about the engines?
COnsider that modern Navy ship typically have 3 or 4 inport duty sections - you could make a reasonable assumption that the engineering dept personnel in that duty section would be sufficient to get the active BB underway.
Big difference between 1940 engines and now
I think she was towed because they probably sealed up her condenser water intakes during the last dry-docking. Without water she couldn't make steam.
awesome, thanks for doing this!
FIRST Plane launch / retrieve , Last Drone capture, ty Ryan!
When was the last time she generated power internally? You discovered the Texas was brought to her first mooring as a museum with one of her boilers hot, I believe it was to power some systems like the kitchen for meal preparation.
Same time she last got underway on her own power. Boilers/engines were shut down, never to be operated again.
You answered my question as well. Thanks! Now, when was the first time she fired her guns, and used her rangefinders?
When did she fire her first salvo in anger?
It makes sense. A reactivation seemed certain and the Navy made every effort to persevere her in such a manner that reactivation would go as smoothly as possible.
They knew what happened to the BB Wisconsin when she caught on fire during her time spent in mothballs and required major restoration.
First time going through the Panama Canal. Im sure there is a video or pictures.
Would that have been the last time any of her boilers were fired as well? Or did some remain operational into drydocking/mothballing to generate electricity?
As someone who is not familiar with the New Jersey, it would be fun for Ryan to say with each of these videos where on the ship he's located if it’s not obvious from the video topic.
Love to see a video on how she gets electrical power today for the lights and what not. Does she use anything of her own?
Without the preservation most of the main machinery would deteriorate quickly . I would be interested in the main switchboards . The construction and how unusable services are safely solated . Ryan said in a previous video cabling was cut to some services but may have been speaking figuratively .Presumably there must be power on one at least and probably crossfed to power lighting on all parts of the ship .
I would be fascinated to hear about the initial activations of the power plants. Were there firings and testing done on the boilers and generating systems prior to the first run of the engines? Were the engines tested or used before the first shakedown?
And where can someone read and learn more about the technical aspects of the actual systems?
I was an Engineer in the GE San Francisco District in the early 1980's and was involved in plant start ups, equipment test runs, and sea trials after prolonged repairs in shipyards. There are so many systems needed to be put in service that it boggles the mind. There were people who were called Light Off Engineers who brought boilers on line for first run after repairs. That's what they did as contractors and it paid well. It would take several books to cover the things needing to be done before the ship can sail. There are hundreds of valves needing operation to establish cooling water flow, fuel oil flow, burner nozzles, air systems, instrument systems, induction fans and more. I rather enjoyed directing overhauls and doing startups on SSTG sets, Ship Service Turbine Generators, setting and testing overspeed trip bolts, load testing, etc. Everything on the generator base, 10,000 rpm steam turbine, reduction gear, and 6 pole 1200 rpm generator is about the size of a mid sized car. There is a manual operated crank lube oil pump by the gearbox that somebody needs to turn while somebody else cracks open the trip throttle valve to roll the turbine generator slowly to warm things up. The main oil pump takes over and the kid on the hand crank can now stop take it easy.
Ryan is sitting on a main propulsion reduction gear. There is a high pressure and a low pressure steam turbine coupled to the pinion gears in the gearbox and its output shaft is coupled to the thrust bearing and the propeller shaft. When the ship is getting ready to sail, the ships engineers pre heat the turbines, blow out condensate, and roll the turbines, gearbox, and propeller shaft a few rpm in forward and then roll it astern multiple times until steam lines, casings, turbine rotors, and parts are up to operating temperature such that no slug of water can come through the steam lines and damage the turbine rotors and thrust bearings. It was a joke....the US Navy has 1000 valves in the machinery spaces and 1000 sailors to operate them. There wasn't much automation back then. Sorry, there is no one size fits all book explaining these things. Overhauls take a long time and I learned many things with on the job training. I got pretty good at it, solved some perplexing problems, and enjoyed every minute of it.
After a shipyard period, it might take 1 or 2 days to get boilers, supporting equipment, and propulsion machinery running and ready for sea trials. I laugh my butt off when they turn the key and fire up the engines in the movie Battleship. Purrs like a kitten. No, that's me snickering so bad I rip a chain of farts on the plastic couch. I also laugh that they could carry a 16'' shell on their shoulders through passageways. My big blue inert 16'' shell from the Iowa weighs 1902 pounds, not 1000 pounds like they say in the movie. I broke my Harbor Freight engine hoist trying to move it and had to buy their heavy duty one, assemble it, then move it 30 feet away. 2 guys could not push the hoist holding the shell inches off the ground despite the cast iron wheels on it. We had to attach a rope, swing the shell, and push the rig 6'' at a time.
I hope this helps. Just writing this brought back some really good memories. Cheers!
@@kimmer6 Thanks! That was a lot to digest but totally worth it. I haven’t seen the movie, but the idea of two guys hefting and carrying a 16 inch shell is crazy. Hollywood’s sure has a knack for the impossible.
@@wtmayhew Maybe it was 4 or 6 guys carrying it. I don't think its possible.... these are heavy! A lot of Ryan's shells on the New Jersey are fiberglass replicas. The movie no doubt used fiberglass shells. Here's old Barney complaining as usual....note the shipping cover that protects the shell's turning bands during handling. 1902 pounds is stenciled on the side.
ruclips.net/video/NxIsmpWK_7c/видео.html
@@kimmer6 Thanks for the reply. It is quite a thing realizing those projectiles are actually fired from the 16 inch guns.
@@kimmer6 I'm grateful for the response. The basics of a steam system are easy to understand. But obviously there's far more than basics to something like this. I bought a kit to build a steam engine with my son but it does his drive itself around on the floor... With a tea candle.
Her first tomahawk firing and drone flight would be interesting. I've been looking at the 1990 cruise book and the entire Remote Piloted Vehicle Detachment is there.
There are some elements in your timeline that are or may be in error.
I was aboard New Jersey for a midshipmen cruise in June of 1990 when the ship went to Portland for the Rose Festival. On our way back we had a 5” gun shoot and I specifically remember that the reason we didn’t shoot the 16” as well was because of the ongoing moratorium on 16” gun shoots from the Iowa accident.
So I can say for certain that the 5” guns were fired in June 1990 and I have to question the date of the last 16” shoot given circumstances at the time.
The official command history: On 30 May (so almost June!) NEW JERSEY...enroute to...Portland OR to participate in the Portland Rose Festival. During the transit, NEW JERSEY fired the 5in guns for the last time. So the actual day they fired it could have been the first couple days of June or very late May.
@@BattleshipNewJersey ok so it’s possible then that my memory of exactly when we fired them is off and it was on the transit north not south.
Interesting video. I was curious about this during the Spirit sail tracking BSNJ to Camden. Makes me sad her losing steam. Would have loved to see her in action. I was in Vietnam during her deployment but never saw the ship.
What is the minimum number of crewmen needed to run New Jersey?
Also, I have heard rumor about how the Bridge on New Jersey (and Iowa) was redesigned over time? Could you show us the original vs current bridge and explain that process?
The first time she was fully loaded and provisioned. It would be interesting to know if there's any evidence as to how close the calculations were to reality and a first wartime loading.
First: when was the first unintentional "OOPSIE nobody saw that!" accidental damage to the shiny new ship?
What was it like towing her through the Panama Canal on the way from Bremerton to Philadelphia?
Bonus points for info on the time she was suspended by her bilge keels in the Panama Canal. Keel blocks?, we don’t need those.
First mess? Was the first official meal during construction, fitting out, after commissioning ETC. Just plank holders or naval personal and civilians? And what was on the menu.
What were the portions like etc
Menu: Shit on the Shingle. Ice cream for desert.
@@kimmer6 I like SOS. I prefer hamburger to chipped beef, but both are good. Bearing in mind I'm Army not Navy. 🙂
Great job NJ Team!
What was the first exhibition as a Museum like-
and when exactly did you have your first working day on NJ?
Thanks for taking us viewers into so many interesting rabbit holes 🕳
❤🎉
Hey Ryan and crew, here's another question - is there any known amount of how much 16" ammunition we have left in stores anywhere? And also, do we even have the tooling to make new 16" ammunition in appreciable quantity?
I'm not one of the fanboys who constantly asks "When will/how can/should we reactivate the Iowas," but I see that as one of the big nails in the coffin of even contemplating that. I can't imagine we have much, and the tooling almost certainly doesn't exist anymore, right?
there is zero live 16" ammunition.
I think in 2016 I saw a proposal fielded to bid on removing the explosives from all 16'' shells then destroy permanently all of the remaining shell casings. Then a few years later I saw a picture of a pile of the demilled shells, pretty much trashed by torch or plasma cutter. Aircraft delivered ordnance and all kinds of missiles have permanently replaced large caliber guns these days. The 16''-50 guns are obsolete....except in Space Alien movies.
I think it’s a safe bet that no ammo remains. I believe that the last of the prop charges were demilled (recycled for the nitrocellulose) on the order of a decade ago.
Thinking briefly about return to production (hypothetical), I would offer the following thoughts.
Prop charges: probably not incredibly difficult. The propellant, IIRC, is nothing special - large grain single base. You could make it at Radford AAP or GD’s commercial facility in Quebec. Black powder is in production today. The silk bags would be a bit of a pain to do, but probably achievable.
Projectiles: not so easy. I doubt that forges exist today which have the stroke and tonnage required to make shell bodies. Explosive D production capacity no longer exists - I’ve not looked at the synthesis for that product. While I am sure that making some in a lab would be no big deal, volume production would likely as not require a dedicated facility. Think in terms of hundreds of millions of dollars and a number of years to design, plan and construct. Fuzes are kinda in the “maybe” pile. The industrial base is certainly capable of making the old mechanical fuzes, but they very likely don’t meet current safety standards and so would need to be re-designed and qualified for use.
Primers: big question mark. They are dual mode - electrical and percussion - initiated, as I understand it. Artillery fuzes today are all percussion. In general, probably not incredibly difficult to resurrect.
All of the above is predicated on the assumption that the tech data packages, to at least some level, still exist somewhere.
@@tcoradeschi Great analysis. I think the days of 16'' gunfire are over. A 2000 pound smart bomb can be delivered precisely hundreds of miles away inland far from any body of water that a battleship can operate out of. I still love to see these weapons up close and on film.
There is barrel #386 off the USS Missouri that was present at the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay. It resides at Battery Townsley
on the North side of the inlet to the San Francisco Bay. The guns were removed in the 1950's as they were obsolete, but the site is still open to tourists. The barrel is staggeringly immense when you stand next to it.
ruclips.net/video/sgjCYDIZiDU/видео.html
@@kimmer6 yes - the scale of those cannons is daunting. Navy still had some 14” and 16” tubes on the gun line (not mounted to a weapon) at Dahlgren some years ago. I’m sure they are still sitting there - no compelling reason to do anything else with them.
Great vid, as always. Thanks Ryan & Libby!
What were her first 16-inch targets in each war she served in?
A video on the first time she test-fired various missile systems would be appreciated.
It kind of blows my mind that it's been 33 years since she was last decommissioned. Seems like yesterday.
What ever the space is that you're in the acoustics are pretty good.
Hello again, Libby, and sorry about the confusion due to the limitations of length when the premiere is in progress. When you asked about videos for next week, I noted having asked A couple of times ( BUT when all of you were working such long days and were so exhausted) about the strange and mysterious ships that are in a slip side-by-side that is north west of the dry dock by may be a few hundred yards. The slips are oriented roughly east to west, and appear to have The rusting, steel, skeletal, looking remains of two ships that from older photographs I am guessing were May be in the process of being built during World War II, and then not finished after it ended. They have to be pretty old, I would think, leading me to the conclusion that there would be an interesting story there. They also appear to be quite large. The feature in Google Earth it allows you to drop down to street level does not have a Streed that allows getting close enough to really see what those really are, and there are no labels describing that at least in my version of Google Earth. Thanks!
Good evening. I'm looking at Google Earth as I write this and THINK I've spotted those remains you write about. Those look like a pair of old, wooden barges, maybe with steel hulls that were abandoned in place. The wood decking and steel structural framing appears to be rotting and falling apart with both sunken where they lay. To my eye there appears to be a rounded stern structure just under the surface of the water behind the north barge while the south barge stern either lies deeper or may be missing entirely. These may be the remains of barges used by the Navy Yard perhaps for storage or even personnel berthing for ships in overhaul. So little remains that I cannot tell.
Agreed, you really can't see much from 'street view,' maybe just the top of the nearer barge from where "Constitution" rounds a corner closest to the mooring slip.
Maybe someone with access to the old Yard or knowledge can clue us in.
Take care.
@@robertf3479 Thanks! Hope Ryan and Libby will do a video on it, since they were asking for ideas. From the age it looks to me like. Those were likely sitting there when the New Jersey was built!
When was the first sea trial that had her run up to her top speed?
i like that
Once the power production units had been given preservative lubrication, one would not want to run the boilers again.
I find it interesting that it is nearly completely unlikely the ship will ever run again… but you are still held to directives of the navy.
Well the navy could want to come and take parts for "reasons," either to refurb another ship or for testing of some kind (as after Columbia blew up and NASA got parts out of museums to do impact tests).
So fascinating.
Talk more about her silver set!
What was done by the navy to make any of the ship parts non-operable prior to becoming a museum? We saw the rudders and shafts locked and equipment was removed for use on other ships.
So interesting , Thank You
I’d like to see a video on the first time she fired the 16” guns in anger.
Who was the first regular enlisted sailor to step onto the ship? Or be assigned to her?
I assume the reason she didn't sail under her own power after her dry-docking in August to November 1990 was because that was when the water intake vents for her condensers were sealed up.
I was aboard crossing equator what a ordeal that was. Jack Hauser Caledonia MN BM3
First confirmed kill and what the target was as well as the range, first time firing the 16-in guns and mabye first major damaged control incident
New Jersey never sank another capital ship in her history. In WW2 she was part of a group of ships that sank a Japanese destroyer. But she never went toe to toe with an enemy battleship or battle cruiser.
The last great naval battle between battleships was Jutland, and that was in WW1 when the British Grand Fleet squared off against the German High Seas Fleet. A battle that remains controversial more than 100 years later.
Google Battle of Jutland. It's a fascinating read. Lots of youtube videos on it too.
What are some details on her first combat engagement? Was it ship to ship? Ship to shore did she sustain any damage?
Great idea! How about a detailed overview like a combat log from each conflict she served in!
I still want to hear everything about her 80s recom where she lead the first ever battleship division post ww2!
People forget when the Iowa's got their 80s recom they were the only capital class active duty warships besides carriers.
I'd love to know as well how many of new jerseys commanding officers had previously served on her and or had family who had served on her or another BB. I bet many viewed it as their most prestigious career assignment. Especially her captains. 🤔
Crazy idea? But could New Jersey be retrofitted with pods in the future to cruise? I know its alot of $$ . I'd definitely buy tickets to come cruise aboard her .
After WW2 my Grandaddymamajamapapaguy (aka Dad's Dad, served on Pac Fleet Minesweeper during war) worked at L.B. Naval shipyard as a rigger until his retirement (long b4 NJ retired last, late 60's ish).
At some point or another, he worked around most ships that made call there. Not sure,.. but proly at some point....
No reason for telling you all this other than YAY Family History.
From the personal memory wayback machine... the freeway used to go through the most amazing boneyard of LB. I vividly remember seeing the PBY carcasses as they slowly rotted over the years. Made me very sad.
So this was decommissioned in Long Beach California sent to Bremerton Washington and now she's in Philadelphia it seems interesting that trip from Bremerton through the Panama Canal New Jersey with Tugs Towing it and pushing it so far just somehow seems strange but undoubtedly it makes sense because
Was NJ ever the ship with the fleet admiral onboard?
First time firing the main battery
Good stuff
Love that the video shows missiles being fired "for offloading" lol
Your wrong Ryan about the ammo off load we to anchor off of Seal Beach and did the off load and Capt Tucker let us have two beers if you where not on watch. We had to drink the beers on the barges from the shipyard
First day the museum officially opened
Hi Ryan! Could you maybe do a video about the Pioneer UAV's the New Jersey carried onboard in the late 1980's? It's my understanding back in 1982 when she was reactivated she used helicopters to spot for the 16" guns. In 1986 USS Iowa received the Pioneer drones to replace the helicopters for spotting. When did the New Jersey receive these drones? It's my understanding the Iowa class battleships "pioneered" this technology for the Navy, and was quite revolutionary at the time. I even heard a story about Iraqi soldiers surrendering to one of Missouri's Pioneer UAVs. I believe New Jersey was refitted with an RPV communications radome over her aft funnel which was used to help control the drones. By the way, are you guys still getting a new dome from the manufacturer?
A great amount of work to re assign ships company to follow on assignments, grabbing orders for next duty station or discharged
Hi Ryan, Do you have any information on military exercises/training where USS New Jersey might have fired upon deactivated target vessels or mock shore batteries?
What is the first piece of steel used in building the ship? ( If there are multiple modules / crews working at the same time, what was the first module / section. )
Interesting how you mention not going into Seal Beach to off load munitions. The simple reality there is that Seal Beach facility is just not large enough to handle an Iowa class ship. I boated that facility for years and the largest ships that they can handle are destroyer class vessels. The Long Beach harbor is so close that the the passage of the barges to Seal Beach would be just a couple of miles and largely protected by L.A.Harbor's break wall. I remember seeing the ship transit the area back then.
ive been there for ammo onload on a tico cruiser.
First time firing her 16 inch guns, and first time firing the secondary batteries? Who was her first captain, and how long did he serve?
I would be interested in knowing the timeline from the keel being laid to the ship sailing on her own power.
What was the first time she ever fired her 16 inch guns and her 5 inch guns and what was her first engagement ever?
What was the route taken to get the ship from Bremerton to New Jersey, and were there any obstacles encountered along the way?
As for engines , would it be possible to swap them out for modern diesel electric ones?
No, because you'd need to cut large holes into armored deck or hull sections to get any large things in or out.
Theoretically you could put some container size mobile steam plants on deck and run the high pressure steam lines downstairs and run things without firing up the ship's boilers, but that would just be a silly thing to do.
What happened to ammo and powder for the 16” guns?
Demilled and destroyed around 2017.
"While it seems crazy now with a ship 80 years old..." Looks over in the direction of the BUFF.
first launch of the various missiles. any weapon systems she had but never used, at least in anger?
How many times has Ryan woken himself up saying, "Battleship New Jersey receives operating support from the New Jersey Department of State, also from a number of other business, and private individuals like yourselves..." haha
How do you protect the engine rooms from bombs and shells entering through the smoke stacks and air intakes duct work?
ALL of Her firsts !:-)
How many times has the ship transited the Panama Canal? Or any other canals for that matter?
did the remaining fuel oil got offloaded immediately after the last time she sailed by the way? if not when did they empty the tanks?
I don't think this was mentioned in the fuel tank video
Please Ryan, tell us about the first time she successfully fired her guns in anger! 8)
When were the ship's boilers shut down for the last time? When did the ship lose the ability to support a crew living on board?
How about a show on the never built Illinois and Kentucky .
These are amazing ships. So fast, so rugged, so capable. Clearly the Navy and especially Congress want the option to reactivate these ships. Unlikely as that may be.
It's not difficult for me to envision these ships reactivated and modernized. Port and starboard VLS cells. 5"/62 mounts as well as other modern radid firing mounts like the new 40mm bofors. All older missile mounts and 5"/38 removed. Torpedo counter measures and more. The aft flight deck could be modified for a far more extensive drone operations. Including a swarm of high performance missile/ drone killing, drones. Lots of options in a hull this size.
No, not very likely. But in a major war emergency? Much is possible. The Navy's rules for museum make it clear. They want them available for reactivation. Even if it never happens.
I know you've mentedioned that they happened, but have you done a detailed video about her initial sea trials? That would be cool.
Ryan . I see Iowa have the ability to rotate the turret and lower the anchor chain . Is there any future videos or projects regarding any systems being used for demonstrating purposes ? Thanks for all the great videos you do.
Where are the 16 inch shells now,where they kept or not
All loaded rounds were destroyed around 2017. There are still some insert shells around but they are getting very hard to find and are expensive to buy for collectors and museums.
I would be curious where all the ammo went after it was removed from the ship. Maybe it's in a bunker somewhere waiting...
what happened to all of that ammo? is it still in storage? is it still viable after all of this time, in case any of the Iowas do get reactivated any time soon? or did they drag it somewhere and sink it or blow it up so it wouldn't rot away or become a danger?
First combat. Talk about the floatplanes..
Maybe fuel costs starting and running a short distance would be expensive
When did she first start her shakedown cruise?
Holup. So they towed NJ from Bremerton thru the panama canal, and up to Camden?
Yes
I wonder if any of the Iowa class Battle Ships, had a close call with Japanese or German U Boats ?
Last time the rudder was used. Im assuming they never used it during the tows.
given they were going into drydock to make ready for mothballs, it doesn't make any sence to have her sail after july.
How about the first time (if any) that a non-American aircraft landed on New Jersey? Must have been someone, possibly during Korea or some major exercise.
Speaking of Bremerton, during the opening title sequence of the movie “An Officer and a Gentleman” you can see New Jersey and Missouri side by side. Missouri still has the igloos over the gun tubs. Filming for the movie was in 1981 an it was released in 1982.
ruclips.net/video/5-Qcz_WeP1s/видео.htmlsi=jO9wOFNByPCM-KZE