How Long Can a Museum Ship Last?
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- Опубликовано: 4 сен 2024
- Ships are never designed to last forever, as museums we try to preserve these ships for as long as possible, but how long is that?
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Your presentation is getting noticeably better.
was getting ready to comment this same thing
For me just listening to it while playing hoi4 sounds as good as lindybeige, but if I look at the video I can see cuts.
I just wish they would get more views for the add revenue...
practice makes perfect.
History channel should hire him. He could easily conduct a 50 hour video on just his vast knowledge on the battleship New Jersey. Bright pleasant very intelligent young man.
As several other viewers have commented, the Japanese pre-dreadnaught Mikasa comes to mind when the preservation of steel warships is mentioned. I was lucky enough to visit her 2 years ago on a trip for family, and although the ship retains none of her machinery and very little of her armament, what the foundation there has managed for preservation is incredible. The entire main deck and above is open for exploration, and at least one level below the ship is completely open as a museum space dedicated to her service in the Japanese Navy. I have some memorable pictures of when I went with my uncle. People have also said she's much more of a building now than a ship- maybe that fate isn't so bad for a ship over a 100 years old easy if people continue to experience them all the same.
That's not the real Mikasa though. That is only 20% of the original Mikasa. Most of the equipment on her including 100% of the equipment above deck like the superstructure came from 2 South America dreadnoughts in a Japanese scrapyard in the 1950s. The original Mikasa was sunk and destroyed in an explosion in 1905. Her "guns" are all fiberglass reproductions 🤣
It makes me sick every time I think of my Grandfathers ship being scrapped. If any WWII ship should have been saved, CV6N USS Enterprise should have been. Halsey tried to save her. 20 Battle stars should be enough.
There was CV-6 and CVN-65, but no CV6N. Both should have been preserved but both are gone.
most of the steel from the first Enterprise went into the second one, and the second one is being turned into the 3rd one. so you could say she was never retired, just reborn over and over.
@@seantu1496 CVN-6, the N stands for night, she was the first to operate in night
The USS Enterprise will be reborn again with CVN-80, the third Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier and the third carrier to bear the name.
@@seantu1496 Uss Enterprise was changed from CV6 to CV6N after she became the first Carrier to have a night operating flight group.
I heard the Ship of Theseus is the longest-running museum ship, but some people say it's just not the same anymore.
you win the internet for the day. congrats!
Coming from the historic sailing community we had a saying that this ship was like Grandpa's favorite axe... Best axe he ever owned! He's replaced the handle five times and the head twice, but that's the best old axe he's ever owned!
+1 on winning the internet for the day.
Hehe clever
Great comment!
You may have rambled, but it was an interesting ramble!
Its his natural state
Thanks for the link to U.S.S. Texas foundation. My late wife and I visited her in 2010 and it was awesome. I hope she can be saved so I may visit her again in the future. New Jersey is now on my bucket list .
Texas is very well funded by TX taxpayers. $40M was spent on her interior repairs in the 2010s and $60M has been spent so far in the 2020s for her extensive drydock and pierside repairs to her hull and torpedo blisters and superstructure.
It will last as long as the money does.
This to me is where the criminal neglect comes in. Not from the caretaking staff doing the best they can do, but from the states and localities who fight for the right to host these vessels and then cheap out when it is time to fund their operating and maintenance expenses. Forcing the caretaking staff to have to beg for donations just to do basic maintenance.
That’s probably accurate
Unfortunately treebutcher you're absolutely right
USS Texas had $40M interior repairs in the 2010s and so far another $60M for the new drydock/pierside repairs. She will probably get another $25M from the TX govt in 2025.
Mikasa came to mind when you were talking about the first steel warship museums.
Also HMS Warrior, from 1860.
@@fizzyb00t Warrior was constructed from wrought iron which is less susceptible to corrosion than steel
Mikasa's kinda more of a building than a ship at this point.
As Walt pointed out, the Mikasa technically isn't still afloat, because she's been dry-berthed and enclosed in concrete. At one point, that was what they were going to do to the Texas, but my understanding is that plans have changed and the Texas will continue to remain afloat after her current repairs.
The 3 steel-hulled ships older than the Texas that are still afloat AFAIK are the Olympia, the Russian Aurora, and the Greek Georgios Averoff. I thought it was odd that he said that the Texas was the oldest steel-hulled ship still maintained, because he's clearly aware of the Olympia and probably the other 2 as well. Just a slip of the tongue, I suppose, or maybe he was talking about battleships only at that point.
I toured Mikasa while deployed to Western Pacific on USS Cape Cod AD 43 in 1986.
As one of many who have contributed and continue to restore a steel WW2 warship (USS Slater DE766), I know how difficult and time-consuming it is to do such work, preserving history that isn't even being taught anymore.
I'm coming up on the 20-year mark as a volunteer, and I cannot express how satisfying it has been to be part of such a project, and especially to work with guys who love it as much as I do. Some of them are years older than my 68, and they've taught me a lot about being useful when everyone else thinks you should just roll over and wait to die.
Sad that Slater and Stewart are the last surviving destroyer escorts in the USA
Im from Norway, and you are doing a very good Job, with the ship, and with the Chanel. I love to see the off limit parts. Keep it up💪💪💪
I visited Stavanger and Trondheim in 1995 while stationed on USS Whidbey Island LSD 41.
Visited the Texas a few years ago in the summer. Had the ship pretty much to myself. Spent about 4 hours looking around. Got into some pretty tight places.
It was very hot, and there was plenty of water in the bilges. Climbed up thru the turrets, had my own flashlight. Hit my head pretty badly several times.
it was so tight in most places you could not take a decent picture. Unforgettable experience !!
The difference between Texas and a WW2 era battleship is night and day. The crew accommodations were relatively plush when I visited USS Alabama the day after I toured the Texas, and Texas was awful. They sure didn't care about the crew prior to WW1.
@Chandler White Yes, an d just because it served in WW2 doesn't mean it is a WW2 era ship.
Besides the TIGHT crew quarters, one thing that stood out to me was the open deck galley, that must have been a real experience in weather.
Also since I was not following the tour sign I did not see the hard hat required signs until I had hit several valve handles in the engine room.
@@gtv6chuck At commissioning her crew was 1,042. By the end of WWII her crew was 1,645, what with all the crew required to run the new radars, fire control, the numerous additions of AA guns, etc. The ship never got bigger, but it continuously required more crew to run in fighting condition. A lot of berthing spaces on the ship were not originally berthing spaces. Especially the dual purpose ones. For example, the racks that are along Broadway on Texas were not original to the ship, but were added as her AA compliment was increased, requiring more crew.
I work at a depot that maintains KC-135's, the oldest we still fly are 1957 models, with new manufacturing techniques and CNC machines will probably fly over to be 100 years old before the last one is parked.
B52’s are getting very long in the tooth as well.
The ship I volunteer on CCGS Alexander Henry is 63 years old this year. "How long will she last?" is a question we've gotten a few times and I think about a lot. she's sitting in cold fresh water and her hull is in relatively good shape but like you said yourself, the people who served on our ship are getting fewer in numbers and once they're gone who'll help raise awareness?
Thank you for this video
This is why we need to bring our children and our grandchildren to visit these ships while they are young- to instill in them an interest in history and a respect for those who have gone before us. I have tried to do this with my kids and will with their children some day.
The freshwater part is definitely a big thing, there's 100+ year old Great Lakes ships still in continuous revenue earning service. Cold fresh water is a lot less corrosion-prone and a lot easier on paint and fittings than hot saltwater is.
it is all a question of marketing.
Museums like VASA and other sailing ships are still going strong, even if nobody of the crew is alive in hundreds of years.
I think New Jersey might have an advantage in this because of their RUclips channel. The only other museum ship I've seen here only has a few short videos from 2014.
The battleships getting retrofitted in the 80's probably gave them a little extra life.
Undoubtedly.
By far my favorite part of this channel is the thumbnails. You look so genuinely joyful in the pictures of you around the ship. The historic community is so lucky to have you and your crew!
From Ryan's comment about replacing rotted metal and such at 14:26 to keep the ship going just means that all museum ships are the ship of Theseus waiting to happen if there was ever a decision to indefinitely replace rotten material.
Oldest steal hull ships still afloat.
USS Olympia
The Aurora
HMS Warrior 1860
Edit: just noticed you said steel and Warrior is iron hulled. My bad
IJN Mikasa at the JNSDF Academy at Eta Jima
@@gregsmall5939 Mikasa is in concrete.
I think the averoff is pretty old too, and the only armored cruiser.
They keep talking about giving up and scrapping the Olympia.
Not only was this incredibly interesting and informative, but it’s plainly clear to see that *you* love this ship. Pathos is powerful.
The idea of putting the ships in a permanent dry dock on display is really cool, because not only are they perfectly preserved but they look even bigger and more awesome when you can see all of the hull.
This only works when you put it inside a huge building to protect it against rain.
Gravity will eventually destroy the ship. Ships are meant to be in water. They aren't designed to be out of water for long periods of time. 50-100 years the ship would collapse on itself.
No, not at all. The ship wouldn’t last long at all outside of water especially not one this heavy
@@MrSpronkets I would think that a lot would depend on how well the hull was supported.
Ryan, your compassion in your mission is commendable. Thank you for your dedication to this work.
Well done. Great topic. I currently live very near the North Carolina, and am actively following their efforts with the cofferdam and the restoration. Watching you can clearly see that the new camouflage paint is already fading, as expensive capital expenditures are being used for repair of structural corrosion. It is now 60 years since opening as a museum, and 80 since launch. Hopefully these efforts can continue.
The problem with saving museum ship is largely environmental. In an enclosed structure, they can survive generations. We have Viking ships in museums that will likely last centuries.
Thank You and All those like you whom preserve and staff these Wonderful Historical Artifacts. People dont realize these vessels are as big as a sky scrapper but requires 4 x the maint. Respect.
You should do a video of the floating dry docks used in WW2. It's a excellent read. And there are a few pictures out there of the USS Iowa in one.
I remember visiting the Ling around 15 years ago. It is such a relief that somebody bought it after it had been sunk and that it will keep on going as a museum ship.
This is a development I had not heard of. Last I knew [some months ago] it was still mud bound with an uncertain future at best. SAD, after such a good restoration.
Thanks guys for all you do and being a great ambassador for these historic ships.
Steel hulled freighters have made it to the century mark and beyond in commercial freshwater service on the Great Lakes
And they are maintained regularly by their operators in a way museum ships cannot be.
A cargo ship is very different from a warship. Most of the ship is open holds or accessible tanks. Crew space is for a small number, not hundreds... with vastly reduced environmental support hardware. Compared to a battleship the engines are toys, and easily accessed... but museum ships of course don't need serviceable engines. Hulls are much simpler even on double hulled tankers. Working ships get regular drydock for cleaning and painting, museum ships... nope.
And lakers live in a considerably kinder environment. Salt water is nasty stuff to a steel ship. Freshwater is still a problem, yes, but ocean ships get magnitudes more rust internally even worse than on the outer hull.
Freshwater is easier to deal with than salt water as well. It is amazing how fast salt water can corrode steel.
One of my favorite channels to come to and listen to history from such a unique perspective. Great Job and will surely support this ship as well. Will enjoy when we are able to get out and visit places once Covid is done.. Hopefully.
It would be interesting to hear your thoughts on the Russian Cruiser Aurora, a museum ship in St. Petersburg Russian. It was launched in 1900, so it's 120 years old. I toured the Aurora in 2004 and it was beautifully restored. I understand the Russians dry docked the Aurora, in 2015 and completely refurbished her.
The lone remaining survivor from the Russian 2nd Pacific Squadron, voyage of the damned. It would be an interesting ship to visit one day.
It's still technically a cadet ship in the Russian Navy, that goes a long way for maintenance funding.
Ahhh, I love the Vasa Museum. I can still remember the unique smell. Visiting the Vasamuseet was the first time I really noticed and appreciated a museum with very good, multi language presentation.
I work as an engineer on a small 60ft/40ton sailing charter yacht. An Oyster 56 (for the real sailors)
We budget about 8-10% of the value of the boat for annual expenses, just to keep her running.
There is a video idea, what does it cost to run a battle ship, just the cost of ammo during war time must be extreme.
I love these videos keep them coming, hope to do a full tour soon.
There is value in showing the public these deteriorating spaces. As a child, there was a coastal fort I loved to explore; this year I had the chance to go back and explore it again. I was astonished by the deterioration of the concrete emplacements in the span of 20 years. I knew they wouldn't last forever, but I couldn't believe just how fast they went.
Neglect?! Few people realize how many man hours goes into maintaining a ship. If it's rusty paint it. If it doesn't rust, shine it.
You don't paint rust. You have to chip, grind, wire brush it, then you have to clean, then you ACID it, then clean again, undercoat and then top coat. You don't just paint over rust.
@@mwnciboo Well, that's the phrase the Chiefs used. You're more than welcome to correct them.
@@mwnciboo I generally agree with you. There is paint that can be used over rust that changes it and stops the process. Odds are it’s much too pricey to use on the scale of New Jersey. There is also paint that changes color when rust starts to form behind it.
A few years back I was in a warehouse that had some coating applied to the floor. It was made so forklifts could run across it smoothly (self leveling) and if there was a spill people wouldn’t slip on it. I was told it even worked with oils. I found myself wondering if it would work in a marine environment.
despite his insistence, some if it is neglect. work in a shipyard where we have worked on some old museum ships. big multi-million jobs where the whole damn this is basically rebuilt, but the customer won't spend the money on annual maintenance to prevent the whole thing from rotting away and ending up back here in 10-20 years (once again)
@@mwnciboo If you have the time. I've seen the aft missile deck on a new warship (that had the nonskid applied incorrectly) just hit with a coat of deck wash (really thinned paint) to cover the rust and it wasn't till we were back from deployment that yard birds came in and fixed it correctly.
This was a fantastic talk. I actually wrote a project/paper for my MA investigating if there were specific factors that correlated to the material condition of particular museum ships. One of my concerns is that, as you said, I think a lot of the WWII era ships/subs we've currently preserved are going to disappear over the next 50 years (or face significant challenges to survival) and I don't think we're replacing them with contemporary ships at a rate that will guarantee as many Americans have access to historic vessels in the distant future. I'd love to be wrong about that though. Also, I think the best defense for our current historic vessels is exactly what Ryan and the staff of the New Jersey have been doing all summer to keep their museum relevant and engage visitors despite the extreme challenges of this year. Hats off to ya'll!
Texas will likely survive after $100M of TX taxdollars have been spent on her repairs since 2010. The 5 aircraft carriers will collapse and be scrapped though. The only way to save each of them would be to build $75M cofferdams so they can drydock repair them at their homes. They are not able to be towed to drydocks anymore. It is crazy how everyone is fixated on Texas and the other 7 battleships but don't want to mention the 5 carriers which are much harder to maintain especially their hulls. Yorktown will likely be the first to collapse and scrapped in the 2030s or 2040s.
Not really a museum ship, but the Queen Mary has been a tourist attraction for 50 years.
Missed out on her last voyage as a junior ordinary seaman
And is, and was, not in the best shape when I toured her 4-5 years ago. Its a HUGE ship and there is hardly anybody working on to to preserve it. Persons.
The depth of knowledge you display continues to impress. It would seem you are someone who has definitely found your true calling. Lucky. And thanks for sharing your knowledge AND your feelings.
Chris your presentations have always been great and much appreciated. You really present the subject matter well. Thank you
USS Olympia, literally in Phalanx range of the USS New Jersey. Launched in 1892, it's been a museum ship since 1957.
Thank you all for your effort to preserve these pieces of History!
Fantastic speech. Thank you to you and everyone involved in this kind of preservation. I'm not a veteran and none of my family served. I'm not a history buff nor a fan of war. Yet I still believe that artifacts like these are ultimately the most important objects for humanity in the universe. They're invaluable and at least some need to be preserved, indefinitely if possible.
Ther was criminal negligence with the former USS Ling (SS-297).
TheU.S.S. Ling SS-297 had a good group trying really hard to save her. and move her to Louisville
@@Falconwing_01 I am referring to the previous management.
@@markgruenberg6277 Yes I know. I am sorry for not making myself more clear that she currently has a good solid group working hard to save her from the scrap heap
A huge problem is that the long term lease/easement land access was SOLD and leaves no legal land access.
She is kaput. Will eventually he scrapped
USS New Jersey visited Singapore in the early eighties. My family and I hired a water taxi to have a closer look. Very impressive.
Another fabulous video Ryan. A lot of great info in it. Thank you for your hard work and attention to the ship and the videos!
I work at Bath Iron Works and am seriously considering for my vacation this year volunteering to do maintenance on the battleship New Jersey :)
Great topic - ramble on about it anytime! As a follow-up, can we have a discussion about how museum ships become museum ships (who decides which ships should be preserved, how a group gets a ship from the government, etc.) I think people would be interested in knowing that it’s not as simple as someone saying “we should keep this ship” and the Navy saying “OK, here you go.”
One thing I wish you would have pointed out, more directed towards Texas, is that many things were tried to help preserve or help prevent further cost with full good intentions in mind but those things ended up hurting more in the long run. As you said perfectly preserving museum ships is a fairly new concept and we just don't have good long term data to support or debunk. I also believe in a recent video you showed/talked briefly what governs museum ships in the deck repair video for the steam pipe, it was quite tiny. In a future video if you could go over that more and show what its guidance does to museum ships might be a good idea. I would be definitely interested in that. Best wishes to you all.
The HMS warrior I believe was an iron hold shit that wasn't preserved until 10 or 15 years ago when they started rebuilding her. Her hull was still in Fair shape, though she was among the first iron hulled warships....
HMS Caroline was commissioned the same year as the USS Texas- 1914 but has only recently become a museum ship having been decommissioned from the Royal Navy in 2011. She has been bobbing around in water for over 100 years and had repairs done locally by Harland & Wolff. It would be interesting to know her overall condition and one assumes much of her structure has been replaced over the years and she lost all her armament and some of her engineering equipment when she was removed from the active role to become a training ship.
I hope future generations love the ship more than the owners of the USS Texas. They are always begging the Texan state house for funds. It would be a shame to see our history vanish.
The people who operate Texas are doing wonderful work. They ask for money just like all of us, these are extremely expensive ships to run. Texas is 20 years ahead of the rest of the battleships, we look to them to see what our future is like.
@@BattleshipNewJersey I remember one of the Texas volunteers in, I think it was a World of Warships feature video on it, saying that one of the things they had to learn was how to keep a battleship maintained when they DIDN'T have a thousand enlisted men on it constantly to just do minor maintenance like painting, scraping, et cetera. A lot of the money investment that goes in is basically just trying to use modern techniques and technology to compensate for what was once handled with just sheer mass manpower.
I was at the USS Texas today for it's first opening in 2+ years on the 4th of July 2021 and there was cars lined up all the way down the main road to see it kinda of a proud moment to see the support for her
Ryan, I am retired from the Navy & Coast Guard, and have seen many ships in various states of condition. My buddy John was on the New Jersey back in the mid 80's. What a magnificent ship! I was on the USS Knox (FF-1052) at that time as a Sonar Technician. I recall berthing next to the New Jersey while in Pusan, Korea, and the Knox looked like a tug boat. I am a believer that most older museum ships (unless in operating condition) should be in graving docks, especially if they are otherwise in salt water. HMS Victory is a prime example of that. That ship has been through quite a historical journey. Since being taken out of the water, Victory has been stabilized (sagging now corrected), and is slowly regaining her prior glory. USS Texas is in real trouble. Her watertight integrity is largely gone due to general corrosion and overall deterioration of the hull plating. It is probably not realistic (even if they had the money) to meaningfully repair/replace all of the hull plating. Continuing major leaks will be the end of her. I hope she finds a dry place - and soon. Love the videos!
Yeah Drachinifel has been interviewing them about the Texas and they say the same thing over and over "We'll soon this, we'll soon that", seems to me like a constant money grab.
Funny how the trolls have shut up recently, huh? Texas has been in drydock for 1.5 years and will have another 2 years of portside repairs courtesy of Texas taxpayers. You should be more focused on the 5 carriers that will collapse and be lost in the next 20 years than on Texas and the 7 BBs. Battleships are popular unlike carriers.
I agree with you regarding the 100 year mark. Good long range planning is the key and good revenue streams. I grieve in advance for some of our older museum ships. This is not a rambling video, it is part of a very large subject. You could easily spend hours on the subject. I think you did a very good job in such a short time. Personally I only have so much time and the NPS is not valuing the nearest ships to me so no matter how much volunteer work I do it does come down to that money issue. I don't have millions to buy the yard time and raw materials. Collectively decisions need to be made at least for government museum ships as to where the money will go, all ships can't be preserved as much as we would like them to be. Wood and steel are different but each respond well to good maintenance. Both ship types need the right decisions on preservation from people who know ships and history not bean counters. From listening to you in just the first few videos I would put faith in your efforts.
I wonder if there is ever a chance that they might just permanently dry dock one of these ships and build an exhibit building around the whole thing. I know that would take a massive amount of money, but that would keep all the weather and climate off of them. Maybe in the long run, maintaining a building would prove cheaper than all the major repairs to a ship exposed to the elements?
On the topic of museum ships near me, it’s not exactly an American ship, but it recently underwent a major restoration to a new part of the museum including its own permanent interior display the U-505 at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago has done a decent job at maintaining, and sharing of the U-505 sub’s story, a German WW2 submarine, who now has a nice interior space near Lake Michigan which is not as bad as any of these ships that are located near, or in the ocean. We are truly thankful for all of those who continue to maintain these ships. I have been fortunate enough to be on the U.S.S. New Jersey, the U.S. S. Missouri, and I think the U.S.S. Intrepid, in New York.
I wonder what you’re budget would need to be to stay ahead of the decay and have no deferred maintenance
Nice ramble, Ryan.
I wondered if some old vets whose MOS related to ship preservation might be...enlisted...to do repair work? Build a veterans "manual arts" center & have them donate some time....wirh tools onsite.
A video like this shows that museum ships, like everything else, slowly wears out and slowly deteriorates. As time goes on it takes more money and more work to keep a museum ship in decent shape. Also there is never enough money to do everything that needs to be done.
Sad to have to contemplate the demise of your project. Yet, very practical and can help prevent that for as long as possible. Pains me to have seen the Ling [Hackensack NJ] deteriorate so, but it is very hard to overcome when promised access from land is taken away.
Great insight into what goes on in keeping these beautiful machines available for us to enjoy 👍🙌
While a Marine assigned to the USS Tripoli in 1978 I visited this Japanese warship
The Mikasa was built at the end of the 19th Century and managed to survive World War Two. The ship was closed on the day that I had liberty but I managed to see the outside of this ship and take a few photos.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_battleship_Mikasa
Link didn't come through the first time
Way longer than intended, maybe, but very informative and very clearly close to your heart. Much appreciated this video!
I guess another major deciding factor is the hull / Structure integrity, If the hull is leaking like a bucket with a hole in it. Then there becomes two choices... repair/rebuild/replace the hull or... put it in a permanent dry dock at least then do not have the leaking issue as such.... This same issue i can see will come up for likes of the HMS Belfast which is in London. The reality is these ships are already way way way past their designed lifespan. Which is a credit to all of you who work tirelessly to keep them not operational but intact. As you say, nothing lasts forever. But with people likes of yourself dedicating your lives and time to preserve these treasures. The future is not a bleak one but instead a wonderful one :)
Thank you. You have gave out really great info on the subject. My old ship is the Midway now in San Diego.
SS Meteor (1896) in Superior WI is the only whaleback ship still in existence. They are LUCKY to have a great group of volunteers
(many from the Great Lakes Shipwreck Preservation Society) who have saved the museum ship from ruin over the last two decades.
They are dry-berthed from fresh water but have dealt with many of the same problems. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Meteor_(1896)
Another very fine presentation... I have two comments that may be of intetest... First HMS Victory is in dry dock and has been virtually rebuilt over the years. Think of the original broom with two new heads and three new handles. Despite this she is now unable to support the weight of her masts. Second you will probably be interesred in HMS Caroline, a light cruiser built (and commissioned) in 1914, still afloat and in remarkably good condition in Belfast, Northern Ireland where she has been since 1924.
What a great video. We need to preserve these ships as long as possible and 100-200 years for USS NEW JERSEY is pretty a pretty good target. I’m a Brit (ex RN, now serving RAN) and have visited HMS VICTORY many times. In fact , when I worked in Portsmouth dockyard in the late ‘90s I often popped over for a mid morning coffee in Nelson’s cabin with a mate who was VICTORY’s XO at the time! Given my experience of VICTORY, I am, as always, humbled that the USS CONSTITUTION is afloat and seaworthy.
There is the Averof Greek armored cruiser built 1910 and a museum ship for almost 40 years. It is very well preserved and worth a visit. It fought in the 1912/13 war against the Otoman Empire, driving off the opposing force in 2 successive battles.
A very interesting ramble for sure. People should hear this. So on the subject of submarines in critical condition would it be more feasible for them to go on permanent drydock due to their smaller size and more robust construction?
Many of them have been put on land. Its still difficult to do this, and not necessarily best. But a lot easier with subs than battleships
I have seen both New Jersey and Olympia. And all the young folk should know these ships if they play World of Warships! I have not yet had the chance to see Texas, but it is on the list when she is back since she paved the way for the liberation of the European mainland. I want to see the other Iowa class ships as well if I have the chance to.
I'm glad to see you getting more comfortable in the job. I remember I had a rough time getting used to being on-camera when it was my turn to do the weather on the old AFRTS station on Adak back in the 70s. It does get easier, doesn't it?
I saw where you worked on the old Constellation; I re-enlisted aboard her in 1981, before leaving Ft Meade for weather forecasting school. A truly fascinating old vessel, and smartly maintained, Bristol fashion for sure! About deterioration of steel-hulled museum ships...the old Lexington, in Corpus Christi, to my knowledge was last drydocked in Mobile in about 1989. She's been on display down there in salt water for over a quarter century, and I'm guessing her underwater hull is shot to pieces. They probably pump her out through piping run under the visitor gangway so as to be inconspicuous about the volume of it, I'm guessing. Do you know anyone down there you can ask about when they might next be drydocking her, if I'm correct about how long it's been? AG1, USN, RET.
encyclopedic and riveting....you are an absolute exception to every spokesman....thankyou!
Love these videos Mr. Curator!
The USS Texas is still in trouble without major work. Glad to see she's not in park service ownership anymore.
While I have not had the pleasure of visiting the Battleship New Jersey, I did visit the Vasa museum in Stockholm several years ago. It is fantastic, photos do not tell the whole story. I hope to visit BSNJ when this whole COVID thing has passed.
The Japanese pre-dreadnought Mikasa is still proudly on display for her people. So there's lots of hope for Texas and New Jersey.
Se is buried in concrete. Nothing much left below the water line
Ryan,
Excellent video. I've watched most of these videos since the beginning and your presentation keeps improving. Every time I think "what about the Oregon" or Olympia etc, you mention it! I'm sure I speak for many when I say THANK YOU for preserving the New Jersey and other pieces of American history.
When it comes to USS Texas, I don't doubt the commitment of the people who have been directly involved in her care and have no doubt they have done the best they can with the pittance they were given. The thing that enrages me is the lack of money from the Texas government has provided.
When we learn that the last ship of one of the most important periods of naval history full stop is in danger of her entire bottom just falling off, something is wrong. It just seems that those in the bureaucracy have continuous failed or turned a blind eye to how significant this object they possess actually is; and that's far more than a boat with the state's name on it and seem to have continuously underestimated how much work and money has to go into preserving a ship.
I do truly hope Texas can be saved, she looks in such a pitifully sorry state at the moment and at times I fear the news will come out that she's beyond saving.
Criminal Negligence?
You mean like the Scrapping of HMS Warspite?
Yeah: it happens. But not usually while folks are actively trying to care for the ship.
Reality of course states that eventually there is more work to be done than funding available.
All ships will eventually fade into obscurity or be lost due to Catastrophy, even with proper funding. Otherwise our Coastline will be littered with WW2 era battleships in the year 3000. Because there are a LOT of ships out there and a LOT of years in the future.
Lets just stretch their lives as long as we can, as a reminder of the accomplishments of men far before ourselves, to build, maintain, crew, fight, survive, and bring these vessels home to folks like the ones behind this channel to protect and preserve these vessels to show us what those men had to do to win the wars that shaped our world.
And of course:
Never Forget
Ryan, you make these videos very interesting and informative! They and you are fantastic! Please never think you are rambling, your zest and enthusiasm is contagious! Please drive on! 😉
You may have mentioned it before, however how much of the work on Texas helps New Jersey and her sister ships?
We have an annual conference and we are in regular conversation. Texas is 2 decades ahead of the rest of us so they're our future
@@BattleshipNewJersey very interesting, thank you
I shall forever remember this as the day Ryan Szymanski called me "common!"
Good lord, sir. I am British! :P
By jove!
British are "subjects"... :P
Danged pity about Patriots Point. We have so many tourists here and so few seem to go to see the ships. The old graveyards get better traffic.
i love the videos, especially when Ryan says, "BUT!..."
Take a look at HMS Warrior in Southampton UK. The first iron hulled warship ever. You might get a few tips from there.
shes docked in portsmouth not southampton
@@richardhorton2472 my mistook.
Well, iron-hulled museum ships have been kept for longer than 150 years. HMS Warrior was around sind 1860 and she's still kicking. Of course museum work was only done in 1979, up to the mid 80s. Warrior did service as a depot, a school and lastly an oil jetty during her over 100 years of service with the Royal Navy until she was given up to be restored and turned into a museum.
7:10 that noise Ryan made reminds me of Rickety Cricket eating a lemon in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia 😆
I have worked with a number of preservation societies in the past, trains, etc. I believe your closing remarks were the most prescient. It is more likely that apathy will bring an end to things, rather than the ravages of time. It is far easier to deal with the effects of time on metal than on our memories. Generations close to the events these objects were used for will have a strong drive to preserve them, future generations may not. I think the true acts of preservation are more like these videos that broaden the appeal and demographic beyond those with ties to it. School trips etc that build an experience and engage the next generation, have equal or more value in preservation as welding and painting.
FYI, the SSV Taber Boy is a steel hull sail training vessel that has in service since 1919.
Ryan, if you put a ship in an enclosed berth and maintain the quality of the water within the berth should slow corrosion where a ship Could survive almost indefinitely. By controlling water quality, I'm talking maintaining PH slightly above neutral and maintaining chlorides by purging the water within the berth and making up clean water. What do you think?
I wonder what the Navy asked for when the ship was being designed. Did they ask the shipyard for a 40 year service life or a 80 year service life. You deserve to be very proud of the way you're talking care of the ship.
They planned for 20 years
@@BattleshipNewJersey Wow. That's some impressive over-engineering. Reminds me of the Opportunity rover that went to Mars that was designed for a 90 day mission but kept right on working for a bit over 14 years.
As someone that's always been more interested in the hands on history and stories that can be told rather than the sort that wants every single bolt to be launch day original I'm curious how the community of folk that preserve and support these ships feels on the subject. For example, is it preferred to keep the ship on water and as original as possible for a shorter time, or would people rather spend less money over all and say, coat the haul in some plastic then fill in around it with concrete to keep the ship from pancaking long term, then put a steel warehouse over top to keep out the elements? A 15,000 sq ft building can easily be put up for well less than half a million bucks and would keep all the pesky weather out for 50 years with little maintenance... but it would be ugly as sin.
As long as they sit in water and are exposed to elements they will deteriorate. The best you can do is keep up with water intrusion above the waterline and below. If there was enough support for the hull, in strategic locations, would it ever be safe to dry berth? USS Kidd is in and out of dry berth every year. As an engineer, I'm really thinking about this. Supporting the hull safely while in dry berth seems like a solution if it can be done.
Well, at least you have the NC/MA/AL and TX to look at for guidance. There were plenty of mistakes made early on with those ships that are being somewhat corrected now with dedicated people. I think the key is to address small issues and spend a little bit more now so it doesn't become a multi million dollar problem 10 or 20 years from now.
Get the curator of USS Texas to start making videos like this.
Thank you for sharing. We saw her a few years back and the ship was wonderful. Be well.
Q: "How long can a Museum Ship last?"
A: As long as its funding.
Thanks for your insight and dedication to the ship. Bravo Zulu
I have been following this channel for about a month and now i Can understand why navy cant keep these ships, they are maintanance nightmare. I live in Europe and hope that some day i Can take a trip to US and visit battleship New Jersey.
I’ve just completed a Navy assignment in Yokosuka, Japan - home of the Japanese pre-dreadnaught battleship MIKASA. The ship was built by the British for the Imperial Japanese Navy in 1900 and has the distinction of being the ONLY surviving British-built battleship. Having been the flagship of Admiral Togo in the decisive Battle of Tsushima, MIKASA is considered a national treasure and on display permanently encased in concrete. Does concrete encasement solve the pancaking effect and could it be a potential, longterm solution for OLYMPIA, TEXAS and others?
Thank you not sure I’ll ever get to see her in person. Your videos have been great.
The only WW2 ship that’s near me is the LST-325.That’s docked on the Ohio River.It’s also the last RUNNING LST from D-DAY.