Sorry a bit of an odd duck of a question perhaps, but would you be able to ask CPO Griffin if his book would be available as an e-book (would rather like for a kindle version (or other e-book formats) given that I'm currently unable to be collecting large amounts of physical books as I once was) Secondly, any "one-off" type classes you'd like to go into detail for a future video?
That was one of the most profound things I've ever heard you say. The thing you said about receiving a book from someone and because you got to hear stories about what happened by the people that were there actually made the history come alive a lot more than just the facts of what happened. And that is because when something is happening there are numerous people there & so you get multiple points of view because of the different perspectives. One person may see a lot of things that someone else did not. And so it's NOT just something that happened, it's something a lot of people experienced.
I remember this one from the heyday of the Cold War, the one really powerful surface ship in the RN. That Navy in the Cold War really baffles me. Even after the Empire was gone, they just kept on building as many warships as they could.... instead of the best ones they knew how. This quantity over quality approach make them seem like the Red Army of the seas!
The gates just opened for Cold War era ships then 😮, but for real I would never complain about the type of ships that drach reviews since his quality in videos are unmatched 👍
It’s wonderful how Drach sets aside his channel’s scope rule to ensure that important primary-source history is documented. Thanks for only bending the rules for this suitably important reason
Had the pleasure of staying on HMS Bristol a few weeks after the announcement of her decommissioning, I distinctly remember a repel boarding drill happening while we were in the smoking area, up by her aft smoke stacks. The bollocking we got by a civvie contractor for being above decks while blank firing was going on was immense. We spoke to her commander on the day we left, we said something along the lines of "she's too good of a training opportunity to let go to scrap", but there's only so much a handful of 18 year-olds and Ex-RAF Reg' tutors could do. Regarding the campaign to save her, there were talks of a metal fabricators being offered to refabricate dummy masts and bow 4.5, but like the campaign, it fell through. On the plus, we got HMS Bronington back from the brink of becoming scrap in Birkenhead Docks, so i suppose it's swings and roundabouts.
In 1987 ( poss' 88) she became the 3rd ship in the dartmouth training squadron after a period in dry dock fitting her out for such things as extra accommodation, fresh water production, and gash storage / recycling etc. The swimming pool was gone by the time I was on her in 86 and was a gym with weight training equipment. She was also unique with an extensive wooden deck which I believe no other ship had at the time ( except for may be Royal Yacht Britannia). She was a good ship with lots of upper deck space, as well as other accesses to the outside. Important when you were a stoker in the steam turbine / boiler/ gear box spaces. I believe I was one of over 450 crew at the time, so quite a lot for the size.
@@BleedingUranium Regarding accessibility, HMY Britannia's solution was to build a tower outside of the ship, so when you want to go down a deck you go outside, down the stairs in this tower, and back in on the next deck, this avoiding using any of the stairs or ladders on the ship. By comparison, HMS Belfast is much more "as it was". We all know by know the fate of HMS Plymouth. There was a storied, historic frigate, with a notable war record, and the money ran out and she was scrapped. We shall see how the group attempting to save Ambuscade/Tariq get on.
Wonderful video, many thanks Rob Griffin and Drachinifel. I served on the Bristol from 81 to 83 and went to the Falklands on her. I was the Ikara Tracking and Guidance maintainer, it was amazing to see the video showing a missile coming out of the handling space onto the launcher. I'd not seen that since 82, brought a tear to my eye. I remember the swimming pool in the old LIMBO mortar well. Yes, the Americans were gobsmacked but even better were the Russians doing low pass helicopter surveillance to monitor what was going on, on the upper deck. We prepared by setting up deckchairs, cocktails and party clothes around the pool. The Soviet intelligence analysts must have had a cow when they saw it. Our first port of call after the Falklands was the City of Bristol where we were treated like heros and didn't have to pay for anything if we were in rig. A great ship to serve on and definitely one of a kind.
I served on HMS Bristol during my BRNC officer training in 1989 when we actually sailed into Leningrad as part of the perestroika and glasnost era that Gorbachev initiated. I had a fantastic experience serving on the ship and have many fond memories. Thanks for sharing this video.
I always love the way we sailors talk about ship we served on. Each ship you have served on takes a part of you and every other sailor that's served on her.
As a young man, its a part of your life, its your home away from home, its booring day after day, its hard work and beeing seasick, it sucks most of the time, but after all when you are thru with it, you have done something, you are a part of something, and as an older man it makes you proud having been part of something larger than yourself.....
Ikr never though he would post a ship out of the 1940s haha. Would be cool to see other cold war ships though, such as HMS Hermes, Ark Royal, Type 42 destroyers etc.
He said he'd do more modern ones if he had a guest, so he could blame any breach of classified info on them. Presumably he'll also go beyond 1950 if he's at the physical ship since he has mentioned visiting Nautilus if possible.
@@jon-paulfilkins7820 Both Drach and Jingles have appeared together for quite a few episodes of "Armchair Admirals" in the World of Warships channel talking about various WW 2-related events (Arctic convoys, Taranto, etc.) -- there's even one episode where they both appeared alongside Indy and Spartacus on the Pearl Harbor episode! 😀
Ah, sadly I hated it. A terrible interviewee who couldn’t even remember to mention Bristol’s key design weapon system of Sea Dart nor explain the gleamingly obvious lack of a helicopter hangar, and had to be regularly prompted by yourself. Crew anecdotes are interesting as a sideshow, but the Drach channel is founded upon historical factuals. Would’ve been so much better if you’d done the research and presentation yourself.
I had the pleasure of serving on the Bristol from 79 to 81, best ship I ever served on with an unusually close crew, especially the stokers and greenies. I remember the swimming pool very well, the yanks couldn't believe it. We were exercising with a us carrier group on if memory serves operation springtrain, I believe the carrier was the uss mount Whitney, when we left the fleet to head to Wilmington we had to do a sail past, the flight deck was dressed up as a beach with palm trees made out of beer cans, lads dressed as ladies on sun beds and a fully occupied swimming pool, a BBQ in full swing. It certainly opened the eyes of the yanks, conformation that they joined the wrong navy😁
Never thought I'd live to see the day Drach does on a video on a ship I've had many happy memories on. When news broached that she was to be decommissioned and disposed of, I hoped that enough people would come together to save her from the breakers.
Bristol was used a lot for accommodation for the University Royal Naval Units when we would get together for the sports weekends and any other time they wanted all in my day 12 ( nowadays 17 if you include the virtual one) units together ( URNU is the UK Naval equivalent of the ROTC the Army and Airforce have their own establishments) It was very fun I was in Liverpool URNU in the late 2000s just before her 2010 refit and there were many places where you could sneak away for some horizontal gymnastics with someone you met from one of the other units.
12:00 Scorching by a missile shot was part of the experience. Any time the Long Beach fired a Talosit would take the pant and nonskid down to bare metal. We fired a number of birds during my 3-1/2 years in her, and these shots were not popular with deck force, since there was much repainting to be done. Plus, this generally was done at sea while underway. (rust, you know)
New listener here! I cannot believe the awesome content I’ve been missing. Who knew I needed naval history content pumped into my head on a regular basis to feel …. complete …. Lol. Love your content, intelligence, and great wit/personality! I’m a 27 year old guy from Tucson, AZ USA. Dual Canadian and American citizenship, and I’ve been looking longingly at my Canadian neighbors in Kamloops as of late. The Canadian Navy is almost not mentioned in the US Naval history videos RUclips in my area recommends. Digging into your playlists has been an awesome resource of knowledge and I very much appreciate the effort you’ve put into collating it!
Cool to see a more modern ship and Falklands vet on here. Hope she is saved one way or another, too many ships from this era are now lost. The Type 21 Frigate and Flaklands vet, the former HMS Ambuscade, is set to return to the UK soon as part of a new naval heritage centre on the Clyde in Scotland, which will be really good to see.
Wonderful insight! I had the great pleasure of serving on HMS Bristol as a navy cadet in 1998. She was a beautiful craft, and everyone onboard truly loved her. Some of my fondest memories were onboard HMS Bristol ❤️
Interesting to see Bristol getting a mention ,as an apprentice my first major project was the fire damage , incredible the way it broke out in individual compartments thanks to the vent system , leading to improved fire detection being fitted to many other ships , pretty amazing she got back to sea in months . A crash course in tracing and rewiring or repairing cables .I was also involved in converting her , we had some interesting times taking the generator and other bits off Kent and installing them . Fun fact , the original modern radar had been removed the radar mentioned was a single ' bedstead ' from Kent . She was a bigger ship in most spaces than the 42 and easier to work on .
Great episode:) I enjoyed when you featured Captain Larry Seaquest about commanding the cold war era USS Iowa, and this adds to a recent ship discussion for the channel. I loved it ! I always wanted to play HMS Bristol in the 90s Naval warfare Sim Harpoon by 360inc, & wished it was available in the GIUK gap or Med campaigns. I also just ordered a copy of the book to add to my Libaray. Kazaa!
Wow, never expected a ship on here that I actually have a (very minor) connection too! I was one of the Sea Cadets who got to experiance a week of life aboard ship in her permanent mooring in Portsmouth harbour. I never realised the extent of her service history or that she was unique!
I was on Bristol then, Toronto was one of the best visits I ever went on, We were so well looked after by locals, Our Mess was ‘Adopted’ by a local Rowing Club!
I remember once when I was a New Entry Instructor for HMS Caroline being accommodated on HMS Bristol at the same time as the Communication Branch where having a big do on Whale Island...a storm came in on Saturday evening and we had great fun watching them struggle across the pontoons in their finery getting soaked! 😀
Very nice post, its a pretty boat. Texas A&M Galveston has always kept a retired Navy boat for cadet training and "schools in" cruses as well. Never give up the study for business cases in education of maritime, law, transportation, engineering, military and tourism,
Real treat! She is such a beautiful ship. I never did understand (apart from usual Whitehall / Westminster rubbish) why they didn't replace the eight County class with four or six of these beauties. They were far more capable than the penny pinching and awful seaboats that were the batch 1 and 2 Type 42's.
I had the good fortune to stay aboard HMS Bristol in the summer of 1997. I was a US Sea Cadet on an exchange to the UK. I have some wonderful memories of the ship, and I'm sad to hear that it is now going to be scrapped. That was my last summer as a civilian; I spent 20 years after that in the Marine Corps. I still look back with fondness at my two weeks aboard the Bristol.
I joined HMS Bristol late 1970 at Wallsend as Chief Communications Yeoman. The ship's build programme kept moving right on the calender and it was 1972 before it was commissioned at Portsmouth. I then spent a further 2 years serving on board through a quite intense trials period. I left the ship on September 1974 on being selected for promotion to Fleet Chief known later as Warrant Officer.
Literally bought the book before the video had finished 👍. I love "what-if" scenarios so I've always been fascinated by HMS Bristol. You mentioned irony in the video, well here's one for you: the CVA-01s and all-but-one of the Type 82s were cancelled (in part) because they were 'too big' at 64,000 tons and 7,100 tons respectively, yet here we are, nearly 60 years later, with 64,000 ton aircraft carriers being escorted by 7,200 ton Type 45s...🙄 Another reason why Bristol was regarded as a white elephant was her powerplant. The Type 82s were designed in the early 1960s, immediately after the Counties had been finished, and COSAG was regarded as the 'safe option' (gas turbines being newfangled sci-fi to navies at the time). However GTs proved spectacularly successful, so the RN decided in the late 1960s that they wanted an all-GT fleet. GT's need far fewer engine room crew with radically different skills, so unless they wanted to maintain two different training systems, steam had to go. The 'brand new' (but already dated) Type 82 COSAG plant therefore came to be seen as an unwelcome anachronism, and the accidents with the steam plant (there was another in the 1980s) only reinforced that view. You can wonder endlessly about the what-ifs, had they decided to revise the design (4 x Olympus?) instead of scrapping it...
Bristol also seems like she had a *lot* of room for more armament than what she carried. I have no idea how expensive that would've been, but it seems like a major refit that stripped out the steam engines, moved the Sea Dart launcher slightly so that the empty aft space could be used for full helicopter facilities, and replaced the Ikara launcher with a second Sea Dart launcher, that would've made for a really good destroyer.
@@RedXlV The trouble with a double-ended Sea Dart arrangement is that you don't really get much benefit out of it unless you add more Type 909 fire control radars, and those things are BIG and awkward. You can't just put them on masts: the radar and the 'office' underneath it and one unit, so it has to be mounted on superstructure. They did design a double-ended 'Type 43' in the late 1970s, but it still ended up at 7000ish tons.
Drach I love your channel. I am a very long time fan going back to when you used the computer voice. But I gotta ask will you ever do edited videos where you show naval battles minute by minute again? (Like the battle of the Denmark straight, Guadal Canal etc) I really loved those videos but I’ve noticed for a long time it’s just been interviews, Drydock and ship guides. Thank you for all you do. I’m just asking!
A very interesting, informative and entertaining video, with an excellent Guest, whose knowledge and experience of the vessel is unique. The book sounds like a fantastic read, and the thought of those never before published photographs is very in itself worthy of its purchase.
A sailors first active ship is always an eye opener. There is so little personal storage, not to mention personal space. You get used to it, but it's definitely a shock. There's a reason sailors get really clever at finding places to stuff things that there isn't any room for. There is, you just have to be sneaky about it.
2:50 This picture always makes me think the turret crew have just heard something about the rum ration and are asking the bridge crew to 'clarify the situation'.
Apart from the swimming pool - subsequently modified and repurposed as an extension to 3R(Aft) mess, Bristol, I believe, was the only ship to have a spiral staircase. This led from the wardroom to the wardroom annex, with access to the upper deck. Served on her when she was DTS 88-89: West Africa & the Baltic, including visits to Leningrad (as was) & Gdynia, deployments.
I was only reading last night from Capt. Brown's 'Wings on my Sleeve' about his help and then his disappointment over the abandonment of the CVA-1 carriers.
The Bristol was in service when I was in the RN during the 80's. She was big compared to the T42 etc. She always reminds me of a half way house in her design. She has some features of the preceeding County Class Destroyers and when you look at the T42 design you can see some of Bristol in that. It's a shame that she's been left to rot and will probably end up at the scrappers 😢
The Type 42's were smaller at 120ish meters in Batch 1 and 2 ships...but ended up needed to be enlarged by Batch 3 because of seakeeping issues. Bristol was a better design outright
IIRC there were some warship books that regarded Bristol as a cruiser. Thank you to CPO Griffin for his contribution. I don't feel confident that she will ever become a museum ship now. Too much of her has been removed.
The navy wanted cruisers but had the nouse to call the destroyers to get them past the treasury.. As for her being a museum ship... Can't help but think health and safety will destroy this country completely one day...
While Bristol is the size of a cruiser, she only had the armament of a destroyer. I always found it inexplicable that the Type 82 was designed with so much empty space and made so little use of its size.
@@RedXlV Even though contemporary American ships made her look paltry, she was still the most powerfully-armed ship then-built for the Royal Navy. BRISTOL's design originated in the post-war cruiser studies, and she was used for "cruiser duties." More tentatively, in the sales sheet to which CPO Griffin refers in the video (the one where they say she MUST be scrapped), she was described as a light cruiser - recognition for what she was, at last. (I will kick myself forever for not saving a copy.) 😊
@@jaisheelal4006 I was more comparing Bristol to her immediate predecessors, the Type 42 destroyers. While they have a significantly smaller Sea Dart magazine, otherwise they're 3/5 Bristol's displacement but *almost* match her armament (especially once Ikara got retired, since it was replaced by nothing instead of installing any new weapons in that now-empty forward deck space) while also having a hangar for the helicopter. And the Type 42 Batch 3 (enlarged to 2/3 Bristol's displacement) even included room to expand the Sea Dart magazine to almost as large as Bristol's, though for whatever reason (presumably the Royal Navy's eternal budget shortfalls) this option was never utilized. I feel like Bristol would've been an exceptional ship for her era if all that empty deck space aft had been utilized for a hangar (given her greater beam than the Type 42s possibly even hangars for *2* Lynxes) while raising the Sea Dart launcher so that it fires over the top of the hangar. Then replacing the Ikara launcher with a second Sea Dart launcher forward. Also, given that Sea Dart and ASROC are very similar in both length and diameter, it seems as if it wouldn't have been that difficult to modify the Sea Dart launcher to be compatible with both missiles (like what the US Navy later did with Standard MR and ASROC with the Mark 26 launcher). And instead of installing new steam turbines after they were destroyed in that original fire, just replace them with another pair of Olympus gas turbines.
Hi drach, would it be ok for me to name one of my battlefleet gothic imperial warships after you? I have a Retribution class or an apocalypse class that I'm currently working on. or is there another class you would prefer for the St Drachinfel?
CPO Griffin's concise description of what it takes to preserve a ship is excellent but somewhat heartbreaking. HMS Bristol had an interesting record and actually served in a combat, surely the MOD could make an exception and make it a museum/memorial for the Falklands war? Great video in general.
I spent a night on Bristol when I was in the CCF. We got chewed out like you would not belive the next morning. About a dozen cadets were asleep in the sickbay after being kept awake all night by the rest of us as hardly any of us went to sleep that night.
One thing I didn't hear mentioned was her unique data link. During the 60s and 70s as navies introduced automatic data links sharing tactical data, the UK/BE/NL went with Link 10, the US NTDS and French SENIT used link 11. Bristol was the one ship that had both, and could automatically pass info back and forth. Eventually, everybody went to Link 11.
Was this before or post Falklands? @Drachinifel Have you done a video on "What if" Halsey had done his job and, at a minimum, left the 4 Iowa BBs to cover the San Bernardino Straight?
13:30 During the Vietnam War, when the USS New Jersey was reactivated in the late 1960s, the forward 40mm guns were removed during an abbreviated refit. These were sealed, painted blue, and used as swimming pools. They were removed during the 1980s refit when she was pulled out of mothballs again, but the USS New Jersey Museum had one recreated in 2018 to restore part of the ship's Vietnam War heritage. Since the original 40mm gun tubs were removed during the later refits, the museum staff bought an above-ground pool as a tribute to CAPT Snyder, who had the gun tubs on either side of his cabin converted into pools as a morale booster for his crew.
I worked on HMS Centurion/Sultan in Gosport with a CPO on the opposite desk that had served on the Bristol, I'm badgered if I can recall his name though which is bothering me. Like Rob he talked very fondly of his time as part of that crew.
Had even just the initial pair of the carriers been built, there never would've been a Falklands War. Argentina would've never dared to pick a fight with a Royal Navy *that* powerful. It would also be interesting to see how the Royal Navy handled replacing the Phantoms when the time came. Would they have made a "Sea Tornado"? Bought some F-14s? Just held out with the Phantoms into the 90s and replaced it with a "Sea Typhoon"?
A Sea Tornado and Sea Typhoon would have been quite likely. Maybe the French would have stayed in the program too, instead of developing their own carrier planes, like the Rafale. Typhoon and Sea Typhoon probably would have become a multirole fighters? 🤺😉
In the summer of 1994, I reckon, I spent a week aboard the Bristol as part of a Sea Cadet camp. My abiding memory was the look of horror on the face of the American cadets (who were on exchange) when, having turned to my mate to request a cigarette, I said "Eh Bullock, I'm roasting to suck on a fag mate..." 😳...Lost in translation...😂
The US TERRIER missile sounded an ear-piercing high-pitch shriek when fired, The sound did not last long, though, at the huge velocity it was going before it reached the end of the launch rail. SEA DART was a ramjet like the US original AA missile TALOS.
Be interesting to see just how far they go with the Type 83 design, just how much of a punch it's actually going to pack. A shed load of missile silos I think we can take for granted, as well as very significant electrical power generation capability, with an eye on energy weapons.
I am really surprised at the 'positive' words for HMS Bucket (as I have long thought of her). It was said she should have been scrapped on the drawing board, having heard stories of sailors with 20 years of sea legs having uncomfortable re-introductions to their last meal when the engines were put through their paces in moderate seas ("she bounced like a speedboat" was how one put it) because of the narrow beam which also meant gangways were uncomfortable narrow and often impassable during drills. Her predecessor at Whale island however, HMS Kent, now she was a lady! And one modern ship I dearly wish was still with us!
That swimming pool could be filled with VLS these days....and then add another pool lol Bristol was a good ship 😄 If I was a billionaire....she would be saved for sure
![COLOMBIA vs. CHILE [4-0] | RESUMEN | ELIMINATORIAS SUDAMERICANAS | FECHA 10](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/TDjN4W3yy1k/mqdefault.jpg)
Pinned post for Q&A :)
Love to see more of these as you get an opportunity. Loved it!
Sorry a bit of an odd duck of a question perhaps, but would you be able to ask CPO Griffin if his book would be available as an e-book (would rather like for a kindle version (or other e-book formats) given that I'm currently unable to be collecting large amounts of physical books as I once was)
Secondly, any "one-off" type classes you'd like to go into detail for a future video?
T
That was one of the most profound things I've ever heard you say. The thing you said about receiving a book from someone and because you got to hear stories about what happened by the people that were there actually made the history come alive a lot more than just the facts of what happened. And that is because when something is happening there are numerous people there & so you get multiple points of view because of the different perspectives. One person may see a lot of things that someone else did not. And so it's NOT just something that happened, it's something a lot of people experienced.
I remember this one from the heyday of the Cold War, the one really powerful surface ship in the RN.
That Navy in the Cold War really baffles me. Even after the Empire was gone, they just kept on building as many warships as they could.... instead of the best ones they knew how.
This quantity over quality approach make them seem like the Red Army of the seas!
What the hell is happening..... a modern ship..... Dogs and Cats living together... Mass Hysteria...
I had the same thought reading the title before watching.
I thought Cold War or Missile stuff was off limits
I had the same though as well. Thought Drach might have hit his head on something.
Seems Drach is running out of pre 1950s ships.😅
No, we can't be that far in can we?
The gates just opened for Cold War era ships then 😮, but for real I would never complain about the type of ships that drach reviews since his quality in videos are unmatched 👍
@@TrickiVicBB71 the exception is if he can get someone who is a subject matter expert on the ship/system being discussed.
It’s wonderful how Drach sets aside his channel’s scope rule to ensure that important primary-source history is documented. Thanks for only bending the rules for this suitably important reason
Had the pleasure of staying on HMS Bristol a few weeks after the announcement of her decommissioning, I distinctly remember a repel boarding drill happening while we were in the smoking area, up by her aft smoke stacks. The bollocking we got by a civvie contractor for being above decks while blank firing was going on was immense.
We spoke to her commander on the day we left, we said something along the lines of "she's too good of a training opportunity to let go to scrap", but there's only so much a handful of 18 year-olds and Ex-RAF Reg' tutors could do. Regarding the campaign to save her, there were talks of a metal fabricators being offered to refabricate dummy masts and bow 4.5, but like the campaign, it fell through.
On the plus, we got HMS Bronington back from the brink of becoming scrap in Birkenhead Docks, so i suppose it's swings and roundabouts.
The anecdote about the unannounced missile launch was great. You definitely get the mental image of the expressions these two guys had :D.
In 1987 ( poss' 88) she became the 3rd ship in the dartmouth training squadron after a period in dry dock fitting her out for such things as extra accommodation, fresh water production, and gash storage / recycling etc. The swimming pool was gone by the time I was on her in 86 and was a gym with weight training equipment. She was also unique with an extensive wooden deck which I believe no other ship had at the time ( except for may be Royal Yacht Britannia). She was a good ship with lots of upper deck space, as well as other accesses to the outside. Important when you were a stoker in the steam turbine / boiler/ gear box spaces. I believe I was one of over 450 crew at the time, so quite a lot for the size.
Very good interview, I appreciate his straightforward explanation of how difficult it is to 'save' a ship.
Yes. That was excellent. It seems like a lot of people have big ideas about saving storied ships, but it turns out saving a ship is the easy part.
While all true, ultimately most of it does come down to government bureaucracy and regulations.
@@BleedingUranium Regarding accessibility, HMY Britannia's solution was to build a tower outside of the ship, so when you want to go down a deck you go outside, down the stairs in this tower, and back in on the next deck, this avoiding using any of the stairs or ladders on the ship.
By comparison, HMS Belfast is much more "as it was".
We all know by know the fate of HMS Plymouth. There was a storied, historic frigate, with a notable war record, and the money ran out and she was scrapped.
We shall see how the group attempting to save Ambuscade/Tariq get on.
Wonderful video, many thanks Rob Griffin and Drachinifel.
I served on the Bristol from 81 to 83 and went to the Falklands on her.
I was the Ikara Tracking and Guidance maintainer, it was amazing to see the video showing a missile coming out of the handling space onto the launcher. I'd not seen that since 82, brought a tear to my eye.
I remember the swimming pool in the old LIMBO mortar well. Yes, the Americans were gobsmacked but even better were the Russians doing low pass helicopter surveillance to monitor what was going on, on the upper deck. We prepared by setting up deckchairs, cocktails and party clothes around the pool. The Soviet intelligence analysts must have had a cow when they saw it.
Our first port of call after the Falklands was the City of Bristol where we were treated like heros and didn't have to pay for anything if we were in rig.
A great ship to serve on and definitely one of a kind.
I served on HMS Bristol during my BRNC officer training in 1989 when we actually sailed into Leningrad as part of the perestroika and glasnost era that Gorbachev initiated. I had a fantastic experience serving on the ship and have many fond memories. Thanks for sharing this video.
I always love the way we sailors talk about ship we served on. Each ship you have served on takes a part of you and every other sailor that's served on her.
As a young man, its a part of your life, its your home away from home, its booring day after day, its hard work and beeing seasick, it sucks most of the time, but after all when you are thru with it, you have done something, you are a part of something, and as an older man it makes you proud having been part of something larger than yourself.....
Drach doing a video on a (relatively) new warship? Amazing!
Ikr never though he would post a ship out of the 1940s haha. Would be cool to see other cold war ships though, such as HMS Hermes, Ark Royal, Type 42 destroyers etc.
He said he'd do more modern ones if he had a guest, so he could blame any breach of classified info on them. Presumably he'll also go beyond 1950 if he's at the physical ship since he has mentioned visiting Nautilus if possible.
@@kanrakucheese I wonder what he would cover if he did a colab with the Mighty Jingles?
@@jon-paulfilkins7820 Both Drach and Jingles have appeared together for quite a few episodes of "Armchair Admirals" in the World of Warships channel talking about various WW 2-related events (Arctic convoys, Taranto, etc.) -- there's even one episode where they both appeared alongside Indy and Spartacus on the Pearl Harbor episode! 😀
Absolutely love this, very excited to watch it.
Thank you for the upload Drach.
Ah, sadly I hated it. A terrible interviewee who couldn’t even remember to mention Bristol’s key design weapon system of Sea Dart nor explain the gleamingly obvious lack of a helicopter hangar, and had to be regularly prompted by yourself. Crew anecdotes are interesting as a sideshow, but the Drach channel is founded upon historical factuals. Would’ve been so much better if you’d done the research and presentation yourself.
I had the pleasure of serving on the Bristol from 79 to 81, best ship I ever served on with an unusually close crew, especially the stokers and greenies.
I remember the swimming pool very well, the yanks couldn't believe it. We were exercising with a us carrier group on if memory serves operation springtrain, I believe the carrier was the uss mount Whitney, when we left the fleet to head to Wilmington we had to do a sail past, the flight deck was dressed up as a beach with palm trees made out of beer cans, lads dressed as ladies on sun beds and a fully occupied swimming pool, a BBQ in full swing. It certainly opened the eyes of the yanks, conformation that they joined the wrong navy😁
Never thought I'd live to see the day Drach does on a video on a ship I've had many happy memories on. When news broached that she was to be decommissioned and disposed of, I hoped that enough people would come together to save her from the breakers.
Thank you, Drachinifel.
Bristol was used a lot for accommodation for the University Royal Naval Units when we would get together for the sports weekends and any other time they wanted all in my day 12 ( nowadays 17 if you include the virtual one) units together ( URNU is the UK Naval equivalent of the ROTC the Army and Airforce have their own establishments) It was very fun I was in Liverpool URNU in the late 2000s just before her 2010 refit and there were many places where you could sneak away for some horizontal gymnastics with someone you met from one of the other units.
What? push ups?
Clearly push ups
@@AIRRAID2 deep full penetrating push-ups
12:00 Scorching by a missile shot was part of the experience. Any time the Long Beach fired a Talosit would take the pant and nonskid down to bare metal. We fired a number of birds during my 3-1/2 years in her, and these shots were not popular with deck force, since there was much repainting to be done. Plus, this generally was done at sea while underway. (rust, you know)
New listener here! I cannot believe the awesome content I’ve been missing. Who knew I needed naval history content pumped into my head on a regular basis to feel …. complete …. Lol. Love your content, intelligence, and great wit/personality! I’m a 27 year old guy from Tucson, AZ USA. Dual Canadian and American citizenship, and I’ve been looking longingly at my Canadian neighbors in Kamloops as of late. The Canadian Navy is almost not mentioned in the US Naval history videos RUclips in my area recommends. Digging into your playlists has been an awesome resource of knowledge and I very much appreciate the effort you’ve put into collating it!
Cool to see a more modern ship and Falklands vet on here. Hope she is saved one way or another, too many ships from this era are now lost. The Type 21 Frigate and Flaklands vet, the former HMS Ambuscade, is set to return to the UK soon as part of a new naval heritage centre on the Clyde in Scotland, which will be really good to see.
What a lovely guest, so courteous and thoughtful. Lovely gent.
She was my first ever draft stright out of training and joined her on her last deployment. Loved every minute on her great crew and great memories.
Love the Bristol. It has been the site of many a cadet trip down to Portsmouth
Wonderful insight! I had the great pleasure of serving on HMS Bristol as a navy cadet in 1998. She was a beautiful craft, and everyone onboard truly loved her. Some of my fondest memories were onboard HMS Bristol ❤️
Spent many many many weekends and weeks during the school holidays staying on HMS Bristol in the early 2000s.
Interesting to see Bristol getting a mention ,as an apprentice my first major project was the fire damage , incredible the way it broke out in individual compartments thanks to the vent system , leading to improved fire detection being fitted to many other ships , pretty amazing she got back to sea in months . A crash course in tracing and rewiring or repairing cables .I was also involved in converting her , we had some interesting times taking the generator and other bits off Kent and installing them . Fun fact , the original modern radar had been removed the radar mentioned was a single ' bedstead ' from Kent . She was a bigger ship in most spaces than the 42 and easier to work on .
My son spent a few happy weekends on Bristol when he was in the Sea Cadets in the late nineties. 🙂
I first saw Mr. Griffin on Operation Think Tank. That lecture and Q+A sent me into a learning frenzy that continues to this day
Loved him on that panel. When I heard his voice I was like "WAIT A MINUTE!" HEH
Great episode:) I enjoyed when you featured Captain Larry Seaquest about commanding the cold war era USS Iowa, and this adds to a recent ship discussion for the channel. I loved it ! I always wanted to play HMS Bristol in the 90s Naval warfare Sim Harpoon by 360inc, & wished it was available in the GIUK gap or Med campaigns. I also just ordered a copy of the book to add to my Libaray. Kazaa!
Wow, never expected a ship on here that I actually have a (very minor) connection too!
I was one of the Sea Cadets who got to experiance a week of life aboard ship in her permanent mooring in Portsmouth harbour. I never realised the extent of her service history or that she was unique!
Rob was great. Wonderful interview.
I had the pleasure of touring Bristol when she visited Toronto back in July, 1984. Beautiful ship.
I was on Bristol then, Toronto was one of the best visits I ever went on, We were so well looked after by locals, Our Mess was ‘Adopted’ by a local Rowing Club!
@@davidbaglee7738 I'm glad to hear it is as happy a memory for you as it is for me.
I remember once when I was a New Entry Instructor for HMS Caroline being accommodated on HMS Bristol at the same time as the Communication Branch where having a big do on Whale Island...a storm came in on Saturday evening and we had great fun watching them struggle across the pontoons in their finery getting soaked! 😀
Very nice post, its a pretty boat. Texas A&M Galveston has always kept a retired Navy boat for cadet training and "schools in" cruses as well. Never give up the study for business cases in education of maritime, law, transportation, engineering, military and tourism,
Lovely. Always found her fascinating. Thanks for a nicely different video
Real treat! She is such a beautiful ship. I never did understand (apart from usual Whitehall / Westminster rubbish) why they didn't replace the eight County class with four or six of these beauties. They were far more capable than the penny pinching and awful seaboats that were the batch 1 and 2 Type 42's.
I had the good fortune to stay aboard HMS Bristol in the summer of 1997. I was a US Sea Cadet on an exchange to the UK. I have some wonderful memories of the ship, and I'm sad to hear that it is now going to be scrapped. That was my last summer as a civilian; I spent 20 years after that in the Marine Corps. I still look back with fondness at my two weeks aboard the Bristol.
I stayed on board Bristol numerous times as a cadet during the 90’s. Great accommodation and you were “at sea” on a “ship”!
I joined HMS Bristol late 1970 at Wallsend as Chief Communications Yeoman. The ship's build programme kept moving right on the calender and it was 1972 before it was commissioned at Portsmouth. I then spent a further 2 years serving on board through a quite intense trials period. I left the ship on September 1974 on being selected for promotion to Fleet Chief known later as Warrant Officer.
I look forward to meeting you tomorrow morning. Thanks for the great content as always.
Great video about a great ship. Thank you Mr. Griffin and Drach!
Really excellent, thank you for all the effort by both. Australia.
Literally bought the book before the video had finished 👍. I love "what-if" scenarios so I've always been fascinated by HMS Bristol. You mentioned irony in the video, well here's one for you: the CVA-01s and all-but-one of the Type 82s were cancelled (in part) because they were 'too big' at 64,000 tons and 7,100 tons respectively, yet here we are, nearly 60 years later, with 64,000 ton aircraft carriers being escorted by 7,200 ton Type 45s...🙄
Another reason why Bristol was regarded as a white elephant was her powerplant. The Type 82s were designed in the early 1960s, immediately after the Counties had been finished, and COSAG was regarded as the 'safe option' (gas turbines being newfangled sci-fi to navies at the time). However GTs proved spectacularly successful, so the RN decided in the late 1960s that they wanted an all-GT fleet. GT's need far fewer engine room crew with radically different skills, so unless they wanted to maintain two different training systems, steam had to go. The 'brand new' (but already dated) Type 82 COSAG plant therefore came to be seen as an unwelcome anachronism, and the accidents with the steam plant (there was another in the 1980s) only reinforced that view.
You can wonder endlessly about the what-ifs, had they decided to revise the design (4 x Olympus?) instead of scrapping it...
Bristol also seems like she had a *lot* of room for more armament than what she carried. I have no idea how expensive that would've been, but it seems like a major refit that stripped out the steam engines, moved the Sea Dart launcher slightly so that the empty aft space could be used for full helicopter facilities, and replaced the Ikara launcher with a second Sea Dart launcher, that would've made for a really good destroyer.
@@RedXlV The trouble with a double-ended Sea Dart arrangement is that you don't really get much benefit out of it unless you add more Type 909 fire control radars, and those things are BIG and awkward. You can't just put them on masts: the radar and the 'office' underneath it and one unit, so it has to be mounted on superstructure. They did design a double-ended 'Type 43' in the late 1970s, but it still ended up at 7000ish tons.
Thank you very much.
Very interesting presentation.
Drach I love your channel. I am a very long time fan going back to when you used the computer voice. But I gotta ask will you ever do edited videos where you show naval battles minute by minute again? (Like the battle of the Denmark straight, Guadal Canal etc) I really loved those videos but I’ve noticed for a long time it’s just been interviews, Drydock and ship guides. Thank you for all you do. I’m just asking!
A very interesting, informative and entertaining video, with an excellent Guest, whose knowledge and experience of the vessel is unique.
The book sounds like a fantastic read, and the thought of those never before published photographs is very in itself worthy of its purchase.
A sailors first active ship is always an eye opener. There is so little personal storage, not to mention personal space. You get used to it, but it's definitely a shock. There's a reason sailors get really clever at finding places to stuff things that there isn't any room for. There is, you just have to be sneaky about it.
I was freshly out of training at HMS Mercury when I joined her as my first ship. Happy days
Absolutely fascinating. Thank you for sharing.
In my opinion, the most beautiful RN warship since HMS Hood.
I was an Army Officer attached to HMS Bristol when she was a DTS vessel. We water skiied behind on a trip off West Africa!
2:50 This picture always makes me think the turret crew have just heard something about the rum ration and are asking the bridge crew to 'clarify the situation'.
Excellent idea!
A cruiser in all but name.
My little brother went away for a "camp" in HMS Bristol when he was in the Sea Cadets.
I have spent time on HMS Bristol as an Air Cadet. Really enjoyable time, I was in the fo’ward male bunks.
Another fine example of British and American cooperation. You have the pool, we'll bring the BBQ.
Apart from the swimming pool - subsequently modified and repurposed as an extension to 3R(Aft) mess, Bristol, I believe, was the only ship to have a spiral staircase. This led from the wardroom to the wardroom annex, with access to the upper deck. Served on her when she was DTS 88-89: West Africa & the Baltic, including visits to Leningrad (as was) & Gdynia, deployments.
i when on her in the seventy's with scc we sailed from portmouth too bristol it was a great trip three day at sea.
Whale Island where she is referred to as being berthed is also known as the historic HMS Excellent.
I was only reading last night from Capt. Brown's 'Wings on my Sleeve' about his help and then his disappointment over the abandonment of the CVA-1 carriers.
The Bristol was in service when I was in the RN during the 80's.
She was big compared to the T42 etc. She always reminds me of a half way house in her design. She has some features of the preceeding County Class Destroyers and when you look at the T42 design you can see some of Bristol in that. It's a shame that she's been left to rot and will probably end up at the scrappers 😢
The Type 42's were smaller at 120ish meters in Batch 1 and 2 ships...but ended up needed to be enlarged by Batch 3 because of seakeeping issues. Bristol was a better design outright
Thx Drach. Great job.
Thanks Drach
Love the swimming pool story😅
IIRC there were some warship books that regarded Bristol as a cruiser. Thank you to CPO Griffin for his contribution.
I don't feel confident that she will ever become a museum ship now. Too much of her has been removed.
Which is a shame.
The navy wanted cruisers but had the nouse to call the destroyers to get them past the treasury..
As for her being a museum ship...
Can't help but think health and safety will destroy this country completely one day...
While Bristol is the size of a cruiser, she only had the armament of a destroyer. I always found it inexplicable that the Type 82 was designed with so much empty space and made so little use of its size.
@@RedXlV Even though contemporary American ships made her look paltry, she was still the most powerfully-armed ship then-built for the Royal Navy. BRISTOL's design originated in the post-war cruiser studies, and she was used for "cruiser duties." More tentatively, in the sales sheet to which CPO Griffin refers in the video (the one where they say she MUST be scrapped), she was described as a light cruiser - recognition for what she was, at last. (I will kick myself forever for not saving a copy.) 😊
@@jaisheelal4006 I was more comparing Bristol to her immediate predecessors, the Type 42 destroyers. While they have a significantly smaller Sea Dart magazine, otherwise they're 3/5 Bristol's displacement but *almost* match her armament (especially once Ikara got retired, since it was replaced by nothing instead of installing any new weapons in that now-empty forward deck space) while also having a hangar for the helicopter. And the Type 42 Batch 3 (enlarged to 2/3 Bristol's displacement) even included room to expand the Sea Dart magazine to almost as large as Bristol's, though for whatever reason (presumably the Royal Navy's eternal budget shortfalls) this option was never utilized.
I feel like Bristol would've been an exceptional ship for her era if all that empty deck space aft had been utilized for a hangar (given her greater beam than the Type 42s possibly even hangars for *2* Lynxes) while raising the Sea Dart launcher so that it fires over the top of the hangar. Then replacing the Ikara launcher with a second Sea Dart launcher forward. Also, given that Sea Dart and ASROC are very similar in both length and diameter, it seems as if it wouldn't have been that difficult to modify the Sea Dart launcher to be compatible with both missiles (like what the US Navy later did with Standard MR and ASROC with the Mark 26 launcher). And instead of installing new steam turbines after they were destroyed in that original fire, just replace them with another pair of Olympus gas turbines.
I like fun. I like Fridays. I like ships. I believe I will watch this.
I was an apprentice spark in the engine room on her 1969 at Swans ,it was the first warship built at Wighams
Too many good ships are razor blades these days, and we go through to many disposable razors these days. Thanks Drach and Rob, good stuff.
Hi drach, would it be ok for me to name one of my battlefleet gothic imperial warships after you?
I have a Retribution class or an apocalypse class that I'm currently working on.
or is there another class you would prefer for the St Drachinfel?
Lord Drachinfel!
@@Julius_Hardware St Drachinfel, the Patron Saint of Naval Gunnery. 😉
Navy: Let's build 4 carriers and a fleet of supporting escorts.
Government: Ok, but let's reduce that to just one escort.
Excellent!! Thank you both.
Thanks!
CPO Griffin's concise description of what it takes to preserve a ship is excellent but somewhat heartbreaking. HMS Bristol had an interesting record and actually served in a combat, surely the MOD could make an exception and make it a museum/memorial for the Falklands war? Great video in general.
It's like owning any other vehicle. It's not the buying, it's the maintaining and housing after. The older it gets, the more maintaining required.
lol I'm sure the rest of the fleet was like " Wait what they got a pool! Request a transfer to the Bristol!"
10:09 I know modern VLS cells are better, but the launch rail 'turrets' LOOK so cool
VLS cells make modern warships look empty.
I spent a night on Bristol when I was in the CCF. We got chewed out like you would not belive the next morning. About a dozen cadets were asleep in the sickbay after being kept awake all night by the rest of us as hardly any of us went to sleep that night.
I've spent quite a lot of time on the Bristol. I hope they can save it.
Yes, it would be great to save her as a RN Falklands war memorial ship.
@@99IronDuke HMS Amuscade is coming back from Pakistan for a museum in Scotland.
As a Bristol lad I approve of this video :)
Yes, very exciting when she visited Bristol in the early 80s
One thing I didn't hear mentioned was her unique data link. During the 60s and 70s as navies introduced automatic data links sharing tactical data, the UK/BE/NL went with Link 10, the US NTDS and French SENIT used link 11. Bristol was the one ship that had both, and could automatically pass info back and forth. Eventually, everybody went to Link 11.
I did my steam training onboard Bristol as part of my SM Stoker course.
Good old Bristol !
Was this before or post Falklands?
@Drachinifel Have you done a video on "What if" Halsey had done his job and, at a minimum, left the 4 Iowa BBs to cover the San Bernardino Straight?
13:30 During the Vietnam War, when the USS New Jersey was reactivated in the late 1960s, the forward 40mm guns were removed during an abbreviated refit. These were sealed, painted blue, and used as swimming pools. They were removed during the 1980s refit when she was pulled out of mothballs again, but the USS New Jersey Museum had one recreated in 2018 to restore part of the ship's Vietnam War heritage. Since the original 40mm gun tubs were removed during the later refits, the museum staff bought an above-ground pool as a tribute to CAPT Snyder, who had the gun tubs on either side of his cabin converted into pools as a morale booster for his crew.
I worked on HMS Centurion/Sultan in Gosport with a CPO on the opposite desk that had served on the Bristol, I'm badgered if I can recall his name though which is bothering me. Like Rob he talked very fondly of his time as part of that crew.
I know it’ll never happen, but I’ve got my fingers crossed for a Forrest Sherman or Tench class after he mentioned the former in a previous video
Beautiful ship. Too bad we didn't see the carriers she was supposed to escort.
And a nice chap. 🤺😉
Had even just the initial pair of the carriers been built, there never would've been a Falklands War. Argentina would've never dared to pick a fight with a Royal Navy *that* powerful.
It would also be interesting to see how the Royal Navy handled replacing the Phantoms when the time came. Would they have made a "Sea Tornado"? Bought some F-14s? Just held out with the Phantoms into the 90s and replaced it with a "Sea Typhoon"?
A Sea Tornado and Sea Typhoon would have been quite likely. Maybe the French would have stayed in the program too, instead of developing their own carrier planes, like the Rafale.
Typhoon and Sea Typhoon probably would have become a multirole fighters? 🤺😉
In the summer of 1994, I reckon, I spent a week aboard the Bristol as part of a Sea Cadet camp. My abiding memory was the look of horror on the face of the American cadets (who were on exchange) when, having turned to my mate to request a cigarette, I said "Eh Bullock, I'm roasting to suck on a fag mate..." 😳...Lost in translation...😂
IMHO The best looking vessel in the Royal Navy since Vanguard was scrapped.
* Batch 3 Broadswords and Type 21s my 2nd and 3rd.
It is strange seeing Drach do an interview on a post Drach era ship.
Great video thank you for quality content.
The US TERRIER missile sounded an ear-piercing high-pitch shriek when fired, The sound did not last long, though, at the huge velocity it was going before it reached the end of the launch rail. SEA DART was a ramjet like the US original AA missile TALOS.
I saw HMS bristol in Portsmouth on my trip last year, very unfortunate she couldn't be saved
Be interesting to see just how far they go with the Type 83 design, just how much of a punch it's actually going to pack. A shed load of missile silos I think we can take for granted, as well as very significant electrical power generation capability, with an eye on energy weapons.
13:48 I am speechless :)
Fine looking ship...
I always jokingliy told people that the hangar of Yamato was a swimming pool...And you Brits did it for real XD
She was Bristol's NAVAL EXTENSION. It was a great sadness when she was put out of commission.
I am really surprised at the 'positive' words for HMS Bucket (as I have long thought of her). It was said she should have been scrapped on the drawing board, having heard stories of sailors with 20 years of sea legs having uncomfortable re-introductions to their last meal when the engines were put through their paces in moderate seas ("she bounced like a speedboat" was how one put it) because of the narrow beam which also meant gangways were uncomfortable narrow and often impassable during drills.
Her predecessor at Whale island however, HMS Kent, now she was a lady! And one modern ship I dearly wish was still with us!
She's a beautiful ship 😍
A proud ship. No doubt named after the vicious chicken.
That swimming pool could be filled with VLS these days....and then add another pool lol Bristol was a good ship 😄 If I was a billionaire....she would be saved for sure
Do you come to Tewkesbury festival ? If so come say hello to the cannon crews Yorkist side (usually right hand side as viewed from the stands )