I'm Jim, the guide in the vid. I'd like to clear one thing up if I may. I say a couple things in the vid that I probably shouldn't have said on camera. That is 100% my fault, and Adam bears zero responsibility for it. I should not have mentioned the young man's name, and I was probably too intense describing the area around his bunk. Even though all the facts about the incident are in the public domain, it is against ships policy to be so descriptive. Jay (Adam's sidekick in the vid) is my stepson, and I was in sort of a 'private family tour' mode rather than focused on the fact that every word I said would become public. I fully apologize to my ship. The ship tries to be sensitive on the subject, yet many here are passionate about the injustice that occurred. Remember, Adam is blameless in this. I am SO happy everyone is enjoying this! Also, REMEMBER THE 47.
Jim, I was astounded by your passion for sharing the history of that ship. And your continuing to exonerate that honorable sailor who was shamelessly blamed for a tragic accident exemplified your own honor and courage. God speed Jim.
Every time I go to the range with veterans and listen to them talk or see something like this that shows the cramped, spartan conditions in which our service men/women served, it gives me great pause. Thank you for your expertise and your passion. I thank God that I grew up in a time of global peace for which many before me made huge sacrifices for my ultimate benefit.
If you think that the interior of this Battleship was cramped and spartan, visit the USS Growler submarine alongside the USS Intrepid in N.Y., that is totally claustrophobic and it certainly took a brave man to be a submariner in ALL countries Silent Service back then. I would Never qualify for service in that division.
My brother was on the USS Iowa "The Big Stick" when the explosion happened in 1989. He was on the damage control and had to help put out the fire and assisted in the recovery. He had a lot of stories about everything that happened. The military did a huge cover-up by putting blame on Hartwig. They tried to say crap that Hartwig and Pruitt had a thing going, and when they broke up, Hartwig put a detonating device between two powder bags and that was what caused the explosion. It was a total lie. Truth was, they were scrambling to put guys in the turrets to put on a show for I forget who was on board at the time. There were guys in Turret 2 that were not normally in there. The loading ram is manually operated, and the operator has to know exactly what they were doing. Whoever it was running the ram at the time mistakenly ran the ram in too far, it buckled and hit the side of the breech, and it caused the detonation of the powder. 660 lbs. of powder igniting, you can imagine what that does in an enclosed steel space. The 47 lives lost deserved so much better than what the Navy did to dishonor them the way they did. They made a movie about this, called A Glimpse Of Hell.
Yes, that's pretty much it. Actually, the film is from the book of the same name. I worked on the ship for almost 9 years, and I personally know several '80's crew who were involved in the damage control activities, and to a man, I was told that the book and film (AGOH) is NOT held in very high regard by the crew. A better read is the Sandia Labs report. Also, Mike Getscher (Chief Engineer for the museum) did much research and in his view, the claims of degraded powder are incorrect.
james if you were the guide, I have to say hats off to you for how excellent you are at what you do. It was especially good how much respect you showed for the man who was unjustly accused of deliberately causing the explosion. I was in the Navy at the time it happened, and many of our crew went to the Iowa afterward to help in the cleanup. It was very grim, by their account.
It always blows me away that this ship was engineered back in the 1940's. Seeing all the pipes, and wires going all over the place. Truly a masterpiece!
Major thanks to the good people of the USS Iowa for not only letting me aboard but also the legit tour into all the nooks and crannies of the ship. BIG shout out to Jim for taking time out of his day and being so great on camera. If you ever stop by tell them I said hello
+adamthewoo That was a fantastic vlog and worth every minute. You are getting well known Adam and becoming a big celebrity . Thank you kindly for this great entertainment and the great tour of this great ship..
+prodezignz Yes, the ship is steam powered. 8 Babcock & Wilcox "M"-type oil fired boilers. The hull is just standard hull plating, somewhere around .5-.75 inch. The armor is a different structure from the hull, the main armor is called the "Citadel" and is different thickness in different places. Look up "ALL-OR-NOTHING" armor on Wiki. EDIT: Actually, I just learned something from my boss, it turns out that much of the hull is not simply mild steel plating, but rather STS, about 5/8 to 7/8 think. STS itself is a type of armor.
One of the most interesting, knowledgeable and well-spoken tour guides I've ever seen. That man truly has a passion for the USS Iowa. Absolutely fascinating.
+james pobog thanks james. i was in school in iowa when the turret explosion occured. i faintly remember the bs blaming. i found a model kit of the iowa online. hadnt got it together yet. be nice to visit the ship someday. the capital building in des moines has a huge model of it in the hallway.
+james pobog thanks james. i was in school in iowa when the turret explosion occured. i faintly remember the bs blaming. i found a model kit of the iowa online. hadnt got it together yet. be nice to visit the ship someday. the capital building in des moines has a huge model of it in the hallway.
Except that that the UK’s economy was ******** after WWII and they had to pay of the US which they only finished last decade I think. So yeah there was almost no way save ships. What I’m sad about though is that they didn’t save the USS Enterprise.
A shame that HMS Warspite after serving so long (even laste through the Falklands War) was left to rust on a beech. Granted I hope we never see anything like WW2 again, but these ships were every bit as much a marble of engineering as any military hardware in use today back in their time
Best. Woo. Evar. This is what I long for... the smell of Greatest Generation. Adam, you are indeed fortunate to have copped that tour... and we are the beneficiaries. And thanks to your docent Jim.
My father served on the USS Iowa from 1944-1946. I still have a model of the ship which he assembled when I was a child in the 1950’s. I found this video to be fascinating and the tour guide did a great job. It meant a lot to me to see the areas that you wouldn’t see on a public tour.
This makes my heart ache. My time in the Navy was just a fraction in my life, but even though it's only been a handful of years being out, seeing this "extended" tour is very real. I can hear the hourbells, my equipment running, see the endless amount of shipmates traveling to and from the P-ways. It all felt normal then. Still does. But being an outsider looking in, makes me miss all this so much. Not many times in your life, that you can go to the smokedeck after your watch ended at 02:45, look up at the sky, and see nothing but the stars and the milky way, or swim in the middle of butt f$&k nowhere on the ocean during swim call. I even miss Mid-rats. Being up on watch in the middle of the night and getting left over chicken-pom, or corndogs, was fantastic. You never forget your time in the Navy, or the military. You still see, smell, hear, feel everything... Thank you for this walking down memory lane.
I've never been so impressed by a video in a long time. That guy giving him all the information was fantastic. One hell of an educational upload. Thank you my friend.
I know to much on the Iowa,s then most of you the names are Iowa Wisconsin Missouri any jersey kunteky and the Illinois those to last one,s were never completed
The correct order by hull number is Iowa (61), New Jersey (62), Missouri (63), and Wisconsin (64), although Wisconsin was completed before Missouri. Kentucky and Illinois were cancelled at the end of the war. Kentucky was a little over 70% complete, Illinois was near 20%. Both were scrapped, however the bow of Kentucky replaced the collision-damaged bow of Wisconsin, and Kentucky's power plant was used to power 2 AOE's, Camden and Sacramento, making them extremely fast replenishment ships (26 knots).
See, it really is a service that so many old men gain knowledge about stuff like this, and they pass it down. He knows so much about that ship, and sharing it is really cool of him.
Just thought something more I want to tell you. The movie "Battleship". Navy vets laugh at it a bit, I mean it's about the GAME, BUT there are two scenes that hit Navy vets very hard and that we appreciate very much. 1. It's silly because it's impossible, but the 6 old sailors carrying the projectile down Broadway. That's 333 pounds per old guy. Not gonna happen, but it's still cool. 2. This is The Big One. The Question. "Who are we going to get to run this thing?" And the old guys...and I'm one...step up. Without hesitation "I'll go."
Thanks so much. Four years ago I started as a volunteer knowing zero about the ship. Now, I run the Tour Dept. See what 4 years of immersion will do for you?
I was four years navy, 3 on my ship. You learn every nook and cranny on it. It's weird, really. She's alive, just as you and I are, with her own personality. It's like being married to the most cantankerous woman you've ever known - love/hate, ya know? Everything becomes as familiar as the family photo on your living room wall. Then you leave one day but the ol' girl stays with you. I could smell the ship as James gave the tour, could feel the rails under my hands. The chipped paint on that insulation? I chuckled, because I know there are about twenty coats of paint on it. So cool. Thanks for the tour. You'd have been a great sailor on her!
14:30 I love the Ten Commandments of Damage Control. As a former DC that makes me smile. Watching this tour is amazing; every time I'm on the Battleship New Jersey channel I find myself thinking "Well damn, you just showed us a glimpse of this room and said 5 words about a story that happened in there, show us the rest!" This video is scratching all those itches. I've never been on a BB myself but seeing all the spaces, the cramped tightness of rooms and ladders, the exposed wiring and equipment mounted on every wall, makes me glad I served.
damn i love tours like this where you just have yourself and a guy who a: knows an insane amount about the thing.. from the overall operation down to the intricacies, and b: is enthusiastic and obviously cares a great deal about it all. his enthusiasm is infectious.. and he's great at explaining things in an interesting way.. not like a tour guide or wikipedia page. i wish there was a whole channel devoted to tours like this on all kinds of different military stuff
+swish007 Completely agree. Jim is incredibly knowledgeable of the Iowa, and it was literally a privilege to sit and watch this, and just soak in information. I would be nice if the History Channel did documentaries on stuff like this, instead of all the reality TV shows they sold out for.
+SHiBBY927 Thank you so much. It is amazing to read all these accolades about ones self. Does the ego whisper "OOoooohhhh I LIKE this"? Oh heck yes, but the ego also has to deal with the self awareness that I'm just a shlub with a pretty cool job who likes to share the coolness of a very wonderful ship in a very interesting place (the harbor). BTW I would be remiss if I did not mention that compared to several other Iowa staff, I'm in about 1st grade of ship knowledge. Dave C., Mike G., Dave W., Jonathan W., and about a half dozen Tour Dept. Volunteers who run rings around me...
james pobog Anytime! Thank you for taking the time to teach people. History seems to be a topic that kids know less and less about nowadays. You help keep history alive, and for that I am very thankful. It might not be in the near future, but the Iowa is on my bucket list and I'll be making my way out there sometime! Ever since I was a little guy and I saw the model of the Iowa, and one of her bells in the Iowa Legislature, I've wanted to see the real ship! Keep up the good work!
Thanks for this video, Adam! My grandfather was one of the engineers on board the USS Iowa. He was a plumber, responsible for all pipes on board the ship. Made rounds daily repairing, checking, and replacing pipes. Essentially...he was amongst the men who helped keep the ship afloat or from exploding.
This is one of the MOST amazing videos on You Tube. It is to bad every American does not have the opportunity to view this. As a Disabled Vet I take my hat off to you for posting this amazing Video. Jim Miller
I so agree, Jim. I was married to a sailor for almost 17 years and have been aboard the U.S.S Midway (CV-41), U.S.S Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) and the U.S.S Enterprise (CVN-65) (went out 150 miles on the Enterprise for a family fun day cruise) and I have to admit, it was an awesome experience...an entirely different world for sure...bit creepy at times feeling the ship rock just a little, but so much fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That part starting at roughly 17:31 gives me goosebumps whenever I watch it... " Bingo, you die" and the short monologue afterwards, the expression on his face... That guy really knows what he is talking about, and he is not bs´ ing
Thank you very much. You "get" it. To be honest, I think I pulled that part off pretty well. That actually is the first time I did that little bit, it was full ad lib, and I now use it every time I bring people down there. The big payoff for me with that is when I actually see the little light go on in their eyes, I see them "get it". I saw it in a 17 year old girl not long ago. Man, that gave me goose bumps. BIG win for me....
@@jamespobog3420 I have total respect for the guys who went to sea during wartime. I worked on merchant ships for 10 years and it was a hard job under peacetime conditions. It's hot, it's tiring, it's stressful. Add the risk of being torpedoed or whatever into the mix, with the obvious risk of death from explosion or drowning if you get caught below decks while the ship is sinking, it doesn't bear thinking about. These engineers were incredibly brave.
my dad was on a Destroyer Escort (DE698 Raby) and a converted DE, High Speed Transport (APD106 Walter B. Cobb) from 1951-1955. he was a Boiler Tech 3d when he got out. when he was a Fireman 1st he was in charge of BOTH fire rooms on the Cobb (jan 54 to about oct 54) along with his last ship ACG8 USS Mt Olympus but he was only there temporarily before getting his discharge. while on the Raby a fellow crewman lifted one of those gratings you walk on at 29:15 or so, to work on something and they lost all electrical power during ship to shore power transfer and my dad fell about 1 deck down. tore up his knee and elbow, bruised a kidney and to this day (he just turned 92) still has trouble with his back. he loved his time in the Navy and never had any issues one way or the other regarding the size boat he was on. thanks for the behind the scene tour
The design, as well as the construction engineering of the vessel is just staggering, especially considering it was drawn out on drafting boards after being figured out with slide rules. Truly the GREATEST Generation.
Want an even greater perspective on such building/engineering? The Pentagon went from an empty field to operational in 16 months. Today just the environmental impact approvals to start building would take longer than that.
As an Iowan, since birth, for over 60 yrs, I thank you for showing us a piece of WWII history and a ship named after our State....USS Iowa. Thanks again.
Something I just remembered... I started as a volunteer, and on the last day the ship was wide open to former crew, when the ship closed I ran to the 'boss' and asked for permission to go down to engineering. Went there with another volunteer and all of a sudden, all this stuff came back to me and I was talking like I was still in the navy even though it had been about 40 years. I remember thinking "Jeez, where is all THAT coming from?"
I commanded a german fast attack boat fifteen years ago, and it was fun to see, that in some places you have as less headroom on a battleship as we had on the Gepard class... ;) Very fine video, thanks for sharing. And also a very good tourguide that loves his job. Greetings from Germany.
Adam, I am a current sailor in the Royal Canadian Navy. This was a fantastic tour, thank you so very much for sharing it. I'm in the Engineering world and of course I found those parts of the tour the most interesting. Jim, outstanding tour, BZ!! Your ship knowledge is excellent and made for a most enjoyable video. Fair winds.
Thank you for the great video. My grandfather served on USS California (BB-44) from the mid 1930's until she was laid up in 1946. He was part of the crew of turret 2 on his ship. I was with him when we heard about the explosion on Iowa. He got real quiet. Maybe remembering some past shipmates. Maybe thinking about what it's like to be in that space and how dangerous it is.
At about the 18:50 mark, the guide talks about how every part of it gets into you, becomes you and that's true. We found home amongst those pipes and cables. How you're sitting in your chair or bedroom right now, relaxed and comfortable, well we could do the same thing sitting next to a screaming ventilation system, an engine room, aft steering...anywhere. I still miss my ship.
(Long post Mike, forgive me) Yeah Mike, I think they would if they had a sense of history. So many young people are fed this nonsense about how corrupt everything is, how crooked the politicians are, etc, etc, and there's a lot of truth to that, and there's a lot of falsehood in it. But what they don't realize is that it's those crooked bastards who keep this country free. Those slimeballs we elect are our frontline defense of freedom that we have. Like your dad (bless his heart for what he did), there are those of us who have seen the world in person. We've been to the shitholes, under the worst of circumstances, we've seen people who are happy to clobber people on the side of the street in the head with ball bats because it's "fun" (Korea), or rape girls because they can (Vietnam), or kill people because of their religion (the ENTIRE Middle East). I've been to 11 countries, lived in 6 states, been to all 48 lower states, and when I see these little shits who post anti-American crap while they sit in their mom's house, having never been anywhere in their life, I want to beat them to a pulp. They couldn't say HALF the shit they do if they lived even in Germany, the pukes. But then I remember... your dad and I, we did what we did in order that these little assholes would never have to live through the shit we've seen others live through. We did what we did so they can live in peaceful ignorance. I'll tell you a quick story about the most profound thing I've ever seen: My ship was part of Operation Sharp Edge. We went in to evacuate refugees from the Liberian Civil War. Easy, right? Well, we took on 800 of these refugees, many with limbs having been hacked off, kids blinded, girls maimed, etc. Gunfire in the streets, dogs eating dead bodies as they lay in the gutters. They had been shoved to the ocean by the oppressing forces and were about to literally be hacked to death, and when we brought them aboard my ship, I saw relief. I saw release. I saw a river of tears, the likes of which no man could stomach. It broke my heart. I had to deal with them, and what they needed...what they BEGGED for with their lives was what we have here, what we take for granted everyday. They literally begged for an OUNCE of our freedoms. That hit me more than anything I've ever experienced. I've watched a man get his face ripped off right in front of me, and this was more powerful. So, when I see these protest groups in the U.S. who claim they have it so bad, I want to puke. Gay rights? Yeah, like the gays have it bad. Black Lives Matter? Oh sure, the government is burning them alive and feeding them to the hogs in the stockyards. The atheists who say Christians are so oppressive? Yeah, try being atheist in Somalia. Then I see these little fuckheads (excuse my language, but that's what they are), speak ill about how bad they have it as they sit there eating Cheetos, drinking Dew and typing away on their smartphones, I literally want to beat them to death. Those Liberians deserve our freedoms more than the asshats sitting at his computer reading this thinking America is the bad guy without having ever left his tri-state area. Mike, God forgive me, but I often feel hatred towards them. I feel hatred towards them and compassion towards the Afganis and Iraqis who actually understand what it means to be free, yet they aren't. Then I think about why I served, why your dad served, why all of us who did, served. We did it so the ignorant and happy could stay that way. I don't hate the ignorant people, but I have zero respect for their self-entitled, self-righteous little asses. Mike, bless you and your dad, my fellow American. Always know that your dad did what he did for us, and he learned basic truths that few ever will. Sorry I went on so long, Mike. And thank you for your reply. God bless.
@Erich Von Manstein - he's a basement-dwelling loser. Probably unemployed, lives with his parents, and couldn't get into the military if he tried. Ignore the shitbrain. The coward only does this because he's anonymous on here.
Adam, this is one of the best videos that you and your crew have ever made. The tour guide was without a doubt one of the most knowledgeable people that you could ever have had lead you through this vessel. For those men who lost their lives in the performance of their duties on the USS Iowa, this old Viet Nam era "snipe", (Engineer), wishes our Lord to grant your souls peace. You have my eternal thanks for sacrificing the ultimate for me and your other shipmates and of course, your country..
Well we were fortunate enough not only to tour it but we lit up some of the systems and brought them back to life for a little fun....we being part of the recommissioning crew from 84. A must see for anyone with so much to appreciate....including the many personnel running and whom are part of the museum.
When i first look at a ship from the outside its a ship, but when you dive in it and see all the small little details and complexity, its amazing, its crazy, humans build this and operated it, i have no words for it. Floating cities i love it. Imagine the organised chaos on board when a combat situation occured, from below to top of the deck hundreds of people doing its job.
And even more amazing- they designed these things in the late 1930's/early 40's with nothing but pencil and paper, compass and protractor and slide rule. And then actually built them! Purely mechanical and analog systems- that still work- all built without the help of computerized any thing. I got a huge kick, touring the USS Croaker in Buffalo, NY, watching a young father trying to explain what the controls were and what they did to his younger kids. It simply did not "compute", lol! They just couldn't get it.
For anyone who is or will be near the ship soon, keep a lookout. We are getting VERY close to starting a premium small group guided tour of Broadway and the engineering spaces, much like you see in this vid. If you're lucky, you may even get me as a guide...
Here in hawaii The USS Iowa's sister ship, the USS Missouri is the attraction ship. I actually got to do the same off limits tour. Freaking awesome. My son and I are members and regulars to the USS Missouri. Can't get lost on that ship anymore.. lol. A few Historic tide bits.... -The Japanese surrendered WW2 on the USS Missouri on Sept 2nd 1945. -The movie "Under Seige", and "Battleship" was filmed on the USS Missouri.
Seeing the inside of this gives you a great sense of what it was like for men to fight and die on ships like the hood, Bismarck, Tirpitz and Arizona I know there better men than I am I couldn't do it RIP to all the brave men and women who sacrifice so much for us all.
"So when you see a ship pull out to meet a war-like foe, Remember faintly, if you can, the Men Who Sail Below." docs.google.com/document/d/1uZfnIYiJsJh_BBlMPnT9UrMxtcG-R5ZTxj2l5UsVLhU/edit?usp=sharing
Nice video, brought back a lot of memories. One of the ships I served on was the U.S.S. Comte de Grasse DD-974 (she is now sitting on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean). While aboard, we traveled with the U.S.S. Iowa underway in formation a few times. Her size dwarfed us, just like one of the Nimitz class carriers. It is amazing to see a full on BB especially when you realize they are not very much smaller than a massive Nimitz in side, yet are not carriers rather armored sea going tanks. Like most, I too was unhappy when all four Battleships were finally decommissioned in the 90's. But this video reminds me now why that decision was made. To be put in use yet again today, they would probably have to be completely gutted to be brought up to any modern standard. Even in the 90's, these battleships and the modernization done to them to bring them back to the fleet, did not compare at all, not even close to the ships of the line I served on even then. My first ship, 'The Count', was a Spruance class destroyer and she carried technology that was 50 years more advanced than what even the updated battleships in the 90's had. I never knew those serving on-board even in the 90's, for the most part, were using and living in the exact same hard ships and conditions of the fore-bearers of when those ships served in WWII. I am amazed at the archaic technology they had to use even in the 1990's. I had always thought their weapon systems had been updated to modern standards.. Wow was I wrong. On board my ships, all those panels and controls were modern screens, LED readouts and digital circuitry.. seeing that even in the 90's the battleships were still using analog everything based around tube technology, did surprise me. One other highlight for me was the dead hole. It seems all ships have them. On-board the Comte de Grasse, ours was at the very bow of the ship. In Sonar 1, in the floor was a hatch that opened and was straight down from deck one all the way to the bottom of the ship where it stopped at the sonar dome. In between was Sonar 2, 3 and 4 which contained all our gear and electronics for Sonar Control. I spent MANY MANY days climbing up and down that ladder to each compartment.. In fact Sonar 2 became my kind of 'hidey hole' space when I wanted to be alone. But I will never forget that every time I climbed that straight up and down ladder, EVEN in rough weather in the North Atlantic, the adrenaline and fear always hit me every single time because one mistep, one loss of grip by my hands and I would have plummeted all the way to the bottom hoping maybe a safety net might stop me but in reality, probably not helping in the least. Again, thanks for the video and my own memories of the best time and period in my life.
Yeah, I had those little "hidey hole" places when I wanted to "be alone." I remember an unrep aside a tanker with the Iowa on the other side of the tanker. If folks think the gigantic battleships were slow to turn, slow to maneuver, big mistake. Once we broke from the unrep the Iowa engaged all four shafts, got to about thirty knots, made an incredibly fast ninety degree turn and was gone in three or four minutes. Fast as fuck.
What a tour! Thank you, Chief. Well done. I was so impressed with the complexity of what was the normal and COMBAT responsibilities of the United States Sailor. I was an infantryman in the Army. Big difference. All I had to do was die at the right time. A battleship sailor had a lot to do before he was permitted to go! Again, thank you for reigniting big time respect for the U.S.NAVY! Fair winds to all who serve today, and all who served in peacetime and in combat. May politicians learn and be humbled. God bless.
Fantastic tour. I have been on the deck of the Missouri twice, once when it was in mothballs in Bremerton years ago, but never got to see what was inside. I try to image what it was like with hundreds of men crowded in those tiny bunk spaces, and work areas. Unimaginable.
+adamthewoo Thanks for the reply back Adam. With you writing back it really shows the youtubers that care enough and take the time to comment back from the bad ones who just want the views and likes and say nothing at all to there subscribers. You will always have my sub and support my friend! Cheers.
I'm 6'4" and I don't care how many times I'd hit my head, I'd be early for work every day to be on something this amazing, more engine room please, aw hell, more everything.
Yeah, it can be pretty fun to work on old warships like the USS Iowa. You can just feel the history everywhere you walk. Every room and deck tells a story.
my father was aboard the BB64 USS Wisconsin as a hospital corpsman off Korea in 1952 when she was hit by a shore battery. he retired as Master Chief after a distinguished 30 year career. i remember many stories of his cruise. he was in the ships band as a trumpet player as well. i still enjoy reading his cruise books and the ships newspapers of the cruise. he and my mother are interred in Arlington National Cemetery. he served as a flight deck corpsman on several small carriers as well with VF111 and VF114 out of San Diego. very proud of my father.
Clayton was a student of mine @ Mt. Vernon Academy in 1982. He was a wonderful, friendly guy who I respected deeply! His dream was to join the Navy & mine was the Army! I started 3 months after finishing my year at the school! This is so informative & brings back memories of then! Thank you!!!
So glad you liked it. I really wish I still had the gig, but that's life. I knew his sister Kathy from her being on the ship sometimes. She was.....tenacious.
The Skipper HAS a State Room. His "At Sea Cabin" on the bridge is just a place to go lay down when he needs to stay near the bridge. He is not usually in there.
I was on a FFG (fucking forever gone) and COs state room was very close to the bridge, for a good reason, that looked like it was for the OOD not the CO, but I'm sure the CO could use it if he wanted. Yeah I call BS also, I'm guessing that's our egg uh?
The stateroom is rarely used though. The skipper was required to use his sea Cabot any time the ship was out of port. He could only use his stateroom in port.
Really enjoyed this executive behind seen look of the battleship USS Iowa Thanks Adam! Also, thank you to the people that allowed AdamTheWoo to video the behind seen tour of USS Iowa. This is something I otherwise would have never been able see. You're the Best!
What is really impressive are the analog computer that makes up the fire control computer, similar gear also in the Norden™ bomb sight and the submarine TDC that was used along with several 'slide rule' type devices for aiming torpedoes.
Awesome video my dad served on the USS Midway in The Vietnam war in 1970 . To all the men and women that have served our country in the past and are still currently serving this country now. I think you from the bottom of my heart.
I spent a year and a half working Iowa's sister ship the USS New Jersey and another year and a half working on the other sister ship the USS Missouri in the mid-80s and early 90s at the Naval Ship Yard in Long Beach California. I doubt there are any compartments on either of those ships that I haven't been in. It was great to watch your video, brought back a lot of memories. I'm tall too, used to hit my head all the time, but we wore hard hats. The short guys had it made, they could run down those passage ways never hitting their heads. When the New Jersey was finished, I got to go out on Sea Trials for a couple of days, that was a trip! Thanks for sharing.
And thanks for working on these ships. Don't know if you ever knew or knew of Dick Landgraff, but he just passed away about a year ago. He designed all the up-armoring.
My dad was on Iowa. I think he was in something called fire control. He lost part of a leg in Korea on a distroyer and stayed in twenty years. He's 88 now tells me stories about how tough it was on these ships. I would love to see his face if he was back on deck.
Part of 'Fire Control' is that room where the triggers are. That's Aft Plot. There's also Forward Plot, as well as the 16" and 5" gun directors and 'Spot 3', the top level (05) of the armored conning tower.
Yes, today they call what your dad Fire Controlman. I knew lots of those guys, as they were the ones who actually aimed and fired our guns and missiles, while I was busy maintaining and loading the big main gun..yep, Gunner's Mate (Guns).
@@jamespobog3420 I served from September 19, 1987 to September 1, 1991, an early out by a few days because my ship had deployed 60 days before the scheduled end of my enlistment.
It just so happened that on the day I visited her that several of the original crew were to be piped aboard. Standing at the head of the gangway I asked for permission to come aboard. It was this man who welcomed me and asked if I had served aboard. I said no but knew the protocol and wanted to do my part to honor all her crew and the Iowa. We had a bit of a talk then I stood aside as those shipmates were piped aboard. Some of what you have shown in this video was not off limits when I visited. Or if it were then I got the rare treat.
Thanks for the kind words. We shot about 3 hours of vid that day that got edited down to what you see. Yes, a couple things were on-route, but even some of those, (inside the helm, inside the 5" mount) while visible, are not accessible to the public. Hope you enjoyed your visit!
Thank you so much for this incredible tour of the USS Iowa. My interest in WWII history was inspired by my father who served as a sonar man on a minesweeper.
(I'm the guide in the vid. this is my personal YT acct, the one with my name is the ship's acct) I served on 2 sweeps after my 1972 WESTPAC, USS Peacock and USS Pledge, both out of Long Beach.
As a former DC aboard the USS Cole this is 100 percent accurate. The tour guide was right on the money when he said that the snipes like me would die in the spaces. This video means a lot to myself and hopefully many others. We run the navy. It was great to see and hear old sounds and sights in this video. Ive stepped aboard so many vessels I've lost count. Id like to see more of this for any museum ship possible. I hope the Cole will be one as well and be able to step aboard and share some of my experiences and stories. Anchors aweigh!
That was so awesome. I agree most people never stop to feel the ship, and get a sense of the scary times, hard work and loneliness these sailors felt. Thanks for the tour. RIP those that lost their lives.
Awesome and Amazing bros. Thank you so much for this video. Know wander men at sea felt so along. I live in Alabama, and they are restoring the USS ALABAMA. LOVE to see y'all do a segment on her. I did find out that she was the only ship that Escort the Russian nave fleet to the South Pacific to battle the Japanese. Please do more. Thanks,
Well, that just bends the mind of a mechanic to imagine the man hours it required to create this piece of iron poetry. What a monument to America's mechanical prowess! My father was on a warship in the pacific in WWII and was blown off the toilet with another 10 guys when a Japanese torpedo hit it. The destroyers moved in and put on quite a show with depth charges. The torpedo bent or offset a main bearing on the drive shaft, and they limped back to an island with each rev of the shaft pounding the ship apart. Said he could still hear it today. That's him on the icon, Army, on Imo Jima. Great video, great guide. Wish you could do a few more hours for guys like me that wore out their backs working too long and too hard. No handicap zones on that ship!
My late father worked on the USS New Jersey and USS Wisconsin at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. I had the pleasure of taking my grandson on the Jersey docked in Camden, NJ. I ran him ragged. No, I was not in the Navy, but served in the 101st Airborne Division.
USS Iowa, USS New Jersey, USS Missouri, USS Wisconsin, USS North Carolina, USS Massachusetts, USS Texas, USS Alabama, & IJN Mikasa (三笠). Respect the US for preserving most of them.
I have watched this so many times, and I never get tired of it. This is a fantastic walk through. There is so much that makes up this battleship, that I can’t even imagine how they placed everything in position when it was constructed without getting everything tangled up.
Think of this. The ship's structure? There is a blueprint for EVERYTHING. Every beam, gusset, and plate, and all the calculations were done by hand, pencil and paper (maybe adding machines, certainly slide rules). Then, think about the fact that she was completed in just under 2.5 years, and under both schedule and budget. Humble thanks for your kind comments. So glad you enjoyed it.
#3,832 Thanks for the tour, excellent presentation! I worked on the SS Badger, the only steamship left operating in north America with its two Skinner Uni Flow engines. She is a active floating Museum that sails at 13.6 knots.
When i was in coast guard boot camp back in 1978, when it was still in active service , we were taken to tour the Iowa, Man--Camera's can't begin to show what it was like with men running back and forth, all the sounds going on around you, Orders being yelled out, having to salute sup. officers I will never forget that, would have been more exciting if we didn't have Officer's barking orders at us,, plus being still new to the military and to boot camp (had 1 week to Grad), it was scary and intimidating to say the least.
lol No doubt James. My father was Air Force but any time we went on vacation or were anywhere near a Navy dock he always took us to get as good a look as we could. I have never been on a Navy ship but yea, I have been close enough to be stunned by the sheer size. It has been 35+ years but I got to walk the dock next to a carrier (no idea which one) and I still recall how shocking the sheer size was. It's like an entire city block, and then some.
It’s mind blowing seeing inside and how they designed and built everything. Every little fixture. Today it would take complex computer aided design and 3D modelling, to ensure everything fits together without any overlap or fowling.
My dad was the chief dental officer on board Iowa in '89. I'll never forget when it happened. I was 11 at the time. I'd been on board so many times, eaten in the wardroom, and knew all the officers. Kissinger lived in our neighborhood. All the wives got moose slippers and video taped them wearing them for Captain Moosally. Dad still has PTSD from the incident and having to help ID so many of the men. Some of the stories he has would chill you to the bone. God Bless those sailors and officers that lost their lives that day, and may God protect our men and women of the Navy.
@@joshuareed390 I worked there for 8 years and met lots of former crew. I have a vague memory of taking someone down to sick bay and my brain is connecting that with dental and the horror he went through.
This is one of the best vidz I've ever watched on you tube, the guy giving the tour Jim is the kind of tour guide everybody ought to have extremely informative probably worked on the ship, I'd sure like to have the privilage of that kind of a tour, great vid.
Thanks for a great tour, Mr. Woo. As a Midshipman in 1969, I was on the Iowa's sister ship, the USS New Jersey for a few days. I didn't see everything you did, but I did eat in the Wardroom (officers' mess). It was cool to reminisce on these immense machines of destruction. I'm sorry, though, that you didn't introduce your guide and give us a bit about his background. Seems he served on the Iowa, maybe as a "snipe?" After commissioning, I was on two ships that had 5" gun mounts, like the smaller ones you went into. They were not turrets, like the 16"ers on the Iowa and NJ. I was always amazed at the enthusiasm, pluck and resourcefulness of the Navy enlisted men. In spite of makeshift conditions, cramped quarters and hard life, most had good humor and did their jobs well. I'm glad to hear, if your guide is correct, that GMG2 Hartwig was innocent. I'll check to see what the Board of Inquiry said. As I recall he was said to be gay and sabotaged the gun as suicide/revenge over being dumped by his boyfriend. I'm inclined to believe it was a railroad job to cover up some or another incompetence higher up. It's sad to see how our brave and hard-working military people are now misused to kill innocents all over the world. Here's to simpler times, eh?
@ KutWrite Hello, and thanks for your service. I was Navy, but did not serve on Iowa, she was sleeping when I was in. And yes, I was a snipe, a BTFN on an oiler, stationed at Long Beach, and did WESTPAC in 1972. Got the MUC for that... And yes, that Navy story was false.
I am a 4 yr Navy carrier vet. I did the same thing on the carrier museum York Town who we used to opereate with in the pacific. So I see all these signs of keep out - stay on the tour. So I left the the group and went into the bowels of the ship, needed a flashlight which I had. I went into a berthing compartment with empty bunk frames and aluminum personal lockers. So there I am kind of remising, then out of no where I felt this cold, I mean really cold and it scared the crap out of me !!! I'm thinking there is a force in that compartment and I hauled ass back to the hanger deck, probably white as a sheet. True story, I did not imagine it. There were enities down there and I was a curious intruder, I will never do that again I assure you. That was over 15 years ago and it is vivid in my memory to this day. Frank Albergo Seaman, USS Princeton 57-60
Because of the accident, the subject of ghosts is a sensitive one that policy is tight on. I won't go into detail but I know a couple stories from 80's crew, and have heard of more recent things. Having said that, ghosts are not part of my personal world view, but there's things I can't explain.
+adamthewoo Seeing this vid. really brought back some fond memories. I was on the Battleship Wisconsin during Operation Desert Storm. I worked down in Engineering (Electrician). One thing they didn't mention...you could fell the ship vibrate, depending where you were, ALOT or a little, when the Main Guns fired.
My father was one of only five people in the world to have communicated with all four Battleships of this class via HAM Radio (I think on the same day or the same week) He got a certificate for doing it several years back from the Navy.
SUPERB , job on the video. It should be shown, in every history class, in our high schools, across the U.S., and elsewhere, where the there is an interest, of learning about the devastating wars around the globe that human kind inhabits ! .
As the R-2 division officer in SIMA GTMO (Shore Intermediate Maintenance Activity, Guantanamo Bay Cuba) 19834-87 we were tasked with pouring and machining the babbit lining of a spring bearing (main shaft bearing) for the USS Iowa. The R-2 division was the foundry, machine shop, pump shop etc. etc. The bearing was at least two feet in diameter and we'd never done anything that big (at least I hadn't). I asked the workers, 5 Cuban commuters (the youngest being 74 years old), twenty Jamaican nationals and several senior USN petty officers if we could do it. The Cuban commuters said they had done several during WWII and then everyone jumped on board. I took the Cuban Commuters aboard to check the bearing race for damage, not telling the Captain or anyone else onboard for that matter, that these Cuban workers commuted each morning and evening back to Castro's Cuba. I think the statute of limitations has expired so I can tell this story, but the bearing was perfect and each worker got a certificate from the Iowa's CO. I put all the civilian workers in for a bonus and they each received 200 dollars. The Petty Officers got an "Attaboy" on their evals. and an Iowa belt buckle.
Great story! Any memory of which shaft and bearing location? I do know that Iowa suffered from vibration for most of her service life, and at one time had rather severe damage to the bearing right at the prop (don't know the name of that last bearing). At it's worst, it supposedly was pretty bad.
james pobog, how did the vibration affect performance and day-to-day life aboard? Did the ship have a noticeable vibration throughout? Did she want to naturally pull to one side or the other? Btw thx for the excellent tour, your enthusiasm, and above all for your service.
Amazing! Great tour. What I find most amazing about ships lie this is the sheer number of man hours that went into building it. Every weld was done by hand, every bulkhead was fit & welded by hand. Every wire, every connection, all done by hand. The scale is just overwhelming, especially when you see it in person.
And think of the design process. No computers. Pencil, paper, slide rules, and if you were lucky, one of those old lever operated adding machines. Adding, not subtraction multiplication, or division...'long' division. My worst nightmare. Designing a warship is exceedingly complicated. I laugh when I read fanboi's comments "Just do X and bring her back into service.", or see all those interesting but silly conversion illustrations showing flight decks and such. They don't have a clue... Here's a link to an excellent article (hell, it's an excellent site, check it out) about how warships are designed. Lots and lots and lots of top notch educational and informative articles there... www.navweaps.com/index_tech/tech-035.htm
Adam, this video is great! Thank you for sharing this awesome tour! Its such a neat treat to see Battleship Iowa from a perspective as someone who'd live and serve there. That ship is a cold metallic windowless beast. I'd probably suffer from severe claustrophobia in it. i especially love seeing and hearing the tour guide share the crew's sentiments regarding the widely discussed accident that happened onboard this mighty vessel in 1989 where 47 men were killed. Most other documentaries which include this ship only talk about the accident, but of them all, Adam, this video of yours is the first I've seen to reveal those men are being honored and respectfully paid tribute to.
btw, and again Adam thank you for sharing this! This video is your greatest thus far and it shows how your talents as a documentary video maker and editor are greatly improving. i truly felt like i was on this tour with you. Thank you!
The USS Iowa looks so complex inside compared to her beauty from the outside, this was very informative and seeing the Analog and Gun Fire Control System, my god! Thank you so much for exploring such an amazing battleship, we thank you!
I remember touring the battleship Alabama, back in the 70s, with my family. I was a little kid, and some of those hatches were tough for me to get through. LOL. Thanks for the tour.
The way the boilers were lit was pure genius. Who would have thought of using asbestos to start a fire? The end of a long poker bound in asbestos is soaked in jet fuel, poked inside, lights the fuel, then when it brought out the jet fuel burns off and they still have the asbestos to reuse. But the neat thing is, there's no burning residue falling off the poker which could fly around. Absolutely no messin. Love it to bits. Thank-You . And Thank-You U-Tube.
@@charliefile3945 I typed in "Firesides and Watersides" and jeaz... got waterslides. I'll Google it and see what happens: unless you can tell me where to go. lol
When I was much much younger, maybe like 6 or 7, my grandmom took me to see the Battleship New Jersey. I was a very hyper kid, ADHD and all, but my love for WWII history and the connections my family has to it is so deep that the second we pulled up I was the most behaved kid in sight. 3 and a half hour long tour which for a parent of a young boy with ADHD I’m sure you can attest, that’s a LONG time for a kid to behave and not go crazy on a long tour of something. I was so into it and asking questions and stating facts about what I already knew that the tour guide who was a former sailor on the ship, offered me and my grandmom a private tour after the main one was over because he liked me so much and loved how into it I was, so I remember getting to go into literally every single inch of that ship that wasn’t part of the regular tour and it was so damn cool. Just wish I was a bit older and was able to remember more from what I saw
@Tyrone Biggums yeah I served for a few years in the Air Force as well until they found out about my ADHD that I hid from them because I knew they’re strict about that now. Once they found out I got medically discharged and I was pretty upset about it because it really didn’t effect me in any way. In fact i don’t know if I even still really have it anymore but they found it in my records and saw I still got prescriptions filled for adderall up until I enlisted even though I just took it because I was used to taking it all those years. But hey it is what it is, at least I got 3 years in before they discharged me
I would do that. I looked for what I called "magic words". There was no set list, I just knew it if I heard them. " Oh, You're from Spain? What brings you here?" "We're on our honeymoon." "Follow me, I got something special to show you..." and I'd show them the cool stuff.
Being British I have to say, I am SO jealous of you being able to have such an amazing lady as a monument. I think the closest we got over here is HMS Belfast which is in London. I've seen Belfast many times and had an 'off-limit' tour like this. As much as I love Belfast, nothing compares to a US BB. And respect to Hartwig and everyone else who died in 1989. If I what I gather is correct, I totally agree with never allowing those idiotic ghost teams onto Iowa. One day Iowa, I'll come and see you.
That was a real shame the way they tried to pin that turret blowing up on that sailor. Glad the truth came out and the perps were shamed. Great video! I live in Texas and plan on an extended tour of the battleship Texas one day,
Nice Tour. We were eagerly waiting for Another Battleship. To release us from our Duty!! Re-commisoning Crew USS-New Jersey BB-62. Hole Snipe in Number 4 Engine Room. Shaft #3. First in place for Beirut. 11 months at Sea. Went every where from Boredom. We did various patterns for 6 months there. YAWN!!?? LOL
On Iowa there is crew art on the face of the reduction gear, a three blade prop with the slogan "Engine room #4. The shortest shaft but the best screw."
Wow this was a remarkable Adam The Woo episode. Very professional, felt like I was watching PBS! keep up the great work man I can see the new equipment really got you inspired to go out there and give your followers some really high quality content. Great job Adam! =)
I think that's most detailed tour I've seen on youtube of any decommissioned ship. There might be another but having that guy give you a single walk around was really cool! The engineering that goes into building those big ships I'd amazing! Great vid Woo!
Fantastic tour. The guide sounds like he was an engineer at one point. He should have told you about the dangers of superheated steam. You cant see or hear it leaking but you can feel the temperature difference. It comes out at such a high pressure that it can cut metal. There was an old fasioned way to look for leaks and that was waving a broom handle up and down the passageway. Once the handle got sliced in half you knew you found the leak. People lost limbs and as he said if it hits you your dead
Actually, there has been a good amount of abatement of asbestos in the 80's. The material that is on board is well encapsulated. We take care to not mess with any existing lagging. If a problem is found we deal with it right away.
Was amazing to watch from that perspective (I work in the field in the UK). Rarely get to see the internal areas of such a beautiful ship. Hope she's there for future generations
That's why there are lawyers that want us to come across with the Mesothelioma stories to help us and themselves to the $$ that a lot of us had to endure to this day. They want a piece of the action!! So sad what the govmnt has done to us and won't admit to it.
I'm Jim, the guide in the vid. I'd like to clear one thing up if I may. I say a couple things in the vid that I probably shouldn't have said on camera. That is 100% my fault, and Adam bears zero responsibility for it. I should not have mentioned the young man's name, and I was probably too intense describing the area around his bunk. Even though all the facts about the incident are in the public domain, it is against ships policy to be so descriptive. Jay (Adam's sidekick in the vid) is my stepson, and I was in sort of a 'private family tour' mode rather than focused on the fact that every word I said would become public. I fully apologize to my ship. The ship tries to be sensitive on the subject, yet many here are passionate about the injustice that occurred. Remember, Adam is blameless in this. I am SO happy everyone is enjoying this!
Also, REMEMBER THE 47.
+james pobog You are the best guide ever Jim. Couldnt have asked for a better day and a guide. Youre passion shines thru more than you know.
+adamthewoo Thx so much, Adam. It was a pleasure, and I am stunned by all the comments here...
Jim, I was astounded by your passion for sharing the history of that ship. And your continuing to exonerate that honorable sailor who was shamelessly blamed for a tragic accident exemplified your own honor and courage. God speed Jim.
Every time I go to the range with veterans and listen to them talk or see something like this that shows the cramped, spartan conditions in which our service men/women served, it gives me great pause. Thank you for your expertise and your passion. I thank God that I grew up in a time of global peace for which many before me made huge sacrifices for my ultimate benefit.
If you think that the interior of this Battleship was cramped and spartan, visit the USS Growler submarine alongside the USS Intrepid in N.Y., that is totally claustrophobic and it certainly took a brave man to be a submariner in ALL countries Silent Service back then. I would Never qualify for service in that division.
My brother was on the USS Iowa "The Big Stick" when the explosion happened in 1989. He was on the damage control and had to help put out the fire and assisted in the recovery. He had a lot of stories about everything that happened. The military did a huge cover-up by putting blame on Hartwig. They tried to say crap that Hartwig and Pruitt had a thing going, and when they broke up, Hartwig put a detonating device between two powder bags and that was what caused the explosion. It was a total lie. Truth was, they were scrambling to put guys in the turrets to put on a show for I forget who was on board at the time. There were guys in Turret 2 that were not normally in there. The loading ram is manually operated, and the operator has to know exactly what they were doing. Whoever it was running the ram at the time mistakenly ran the ram in too far, it buckled and hit the side of the breech, and it caused the detonation of the powder. 660 lbs. of powder igniting, you can imagine what that does in an enclosed steel space. The 47 lives lost deserved so much better than what the Navy did to dishonor them the way they did.
They made a movie about this, called A Glimpse Of Hell.
Yes, that's pretty much it. Actually, the film is from the book of the same name. I worked on the ship for almost 9 years, and I personally know several '80's crew who were involved in the damage control activities, and to a man, I was told that the book and film (AGOH) is NOT held in very high regard by the crew. A better read is the Sandia Labs report. Also, Mike Getscher (Chief Engineer for the museum) did much research and in his view, the claims of degraded powder are incorrect.
That tour guide was 10 different kinds of kickass.
I am again humbled.... Many thanks, so glad you liked it...
james if you were the guide, I have to say hats off to you for how excellent you are at what you do.
It was especially good how much respect you showed for the man who was unjustly accused of deliberately causing the explosion.
I was in the Navy at the time it happened, and many of our crew went to the Iowa afterward to help in the cleanup.
It was very grim, by their account.
@James- You ARE forever awesome!!! Great tour! Appreciate what you do! Especially, for keeping the light on!
This excellence and passion this man exudes... Much respect and thank you, James Pobog.
@@Gunners_Mate_Guns Thank you very much.
It always blows me away that this ship was engineered back in the 1940's. Seeing all the pipes, and wires going all over the place. Truly a masterpiece!
Actually, late 30's.
AND THEY DID IT ON PAPER!!! WTFFF
Major thanks to the good people of the USS Iowa for not only letting me aboard but also the legit tour into all the nooks and crannies of the ship. BIG shout out to Jim for taking time out of his day and being so great on camera. If you ever stop by tell them I said hello
+adamthewoo That was a fantastic vlog and worth every minute. You are getting well known Adam and becoming a big celebrity . Thank you kindly for this great entertainment and the great tour of this great ship..
+adamthewoo Cool vid! This guys says a lot but he never said how thick is the hull of the ship and how did it produce steam? From the burning oil?
+prodezignz Yes, the ship is steam powered. 8 Babcock & Wilcox "M"-type oil fired boilers.
The hull is just standard hull plating, somewhere around .5-.75 inch. The armor is a different structure from the hull, the main armor is called the "Citadel" and is different thickness in different places. Look up "ALL-OR-NOTHING" armor on Wiki.
EDIT: Actually, I just learned something from my boss, it turns out that much of the hull is not simply mild steel plating, but rather STS, about 5/8 to 7/8 think. STS itself is a type of armor.
james pobog Thank you for that info kind sir!
Adam that ships haunted the camera was affected in the dead zone
One of the most interesting, knowledgeable and well-spoken tour guides I've ever seen. That man truly has a passion for the USS Iowa. Absolutely fascinating.
Thanks so much.
also seems like a helpful nice generous guy doing that for Adam, Id happily buy him a pint
+james pobog thanks james. i was in school in iowa when the turret explosion occured. i faintly remember the bs blaming. i found a model kit of the iowa online. hadnt got it together yet. be nice to visit the ship someday. the capital building in des moines has a huge model of it in the hallway.
+james pobog thanks james. i was in school in iowa when the turret explosion occured. i faintly remember the bs blaming. i found a model kit of the iowa online. hadnt got it together yet. be nice to visit the ship someday. the capital building in des moines has a huge model of it in the hallway.
Hope to see you here someday. Not sure if you know this, but Iowa residents with ID get on free...
I’m glad to see the us is preserving these beautiful ships unlike the uk
The UK will regret not preserving a WW2 era battleship.
Except that that the UK’s economy was ******** after WWII and they had to pay of the US which they only finished last decade I think. So yeah there was almost no way save ships. What I’m sad about though is that they didn’t save the USS Enterprise.
not just the uk. germany is so stupid too.
we have nothing of ww2 left, just somewhere in museums when some ship (tank,plane, etc.) had so much luck.
Missouri and Wisconsin saw action in the 90s and ww2 ended on Missouri
A shame that HMS Warspite after serving so long (even laste through the Falklands War) was left to rust on a beech. Granted I hope we never see anything like WW2 again, but these ships were every bit as much a marble of engineering as any military hardware in use today back in their time
14:58 made me cry....RIP Clayton, Thank you Adam for sharing and Jim for caring.
Do you ever just get sad when a video ends? Well that just happened to me. I could hang out and listen to him talk about the ship all day
I could too listen to all the stories about it too
I agree
Many humble thanks.
I'm from Iran , respect for the people who designed, built and commissioned this true masterpiece ,
Why do we need to know you’re from Iran?
Best. Woo. Evar. This is what I long for... the smell of Greatest Generation. Adam, you are indeed fortunate to have copped that tour... and we are the beneficiaries. And thanks to your docent Jim.
My father served on the USS Iowa from 1944-1946. I still have a model of the ship which he assembled when I was a child in the 1950’s. I found this video to be fascinating and the tour guide did a great job. It meant a lot to me to see the areas that you wouldn’t see on a public tour.
This makes my heart ache. My time in the Navy was just a fraction in my life, but even though it's only been a handful of years being out, seeing this "extended" tour is very real. I can hear the hourbells, my equipment running, see the endless amount of shipmates traveling to and from the P-ways. It all felt normal then. Still does. But being an outsider looking in, makes me miss all this so much. Not many times in your life, that you can go to the smokedeck after your watch ended at 02:45, look up at the sky, and see nothing but the stars and the milky way, or swim in the middle of butt f$&k nowhere on the ocean during swim call.
I even miss Mid-rats. Being up on watch in the middle of the night and getting left over chicken-pom, or corndogs, was fantastic. You never forget your time in the Navy, or the military. You still see, smell, hear, feel everything... Thank you for this walking down memory lane.
I am humbled.....
Port - 4 Letters, Left - 4 letters. That's how I remembered that when I was a kid. Came in useful when I joined the Navy.
The ship *left* the *port* is how I memorized it!
I remember it as Port it left looking at the Bow and Starboard is Right.
My Dad was Navy and taught me the lingo and telling time very early
Port. - Left. Starboard - right. Bow - front. Stern - back. Running lights. Green. right side. Red. left side. That's some what of I know.
I've never been so impressed by a video in a long time. That guy giving him all the information was fantastic. One hell of an educational upload. Thank you my friend.
I am humbled. Thank you.
I know to much on the Iowa,s then most of you the names are Iowa Wisconsin Missouri any jersey kunteky and the Illinois those to last one,s were never completed
The correct order by hull number is Iowa (61), New Jersey (62), Missouri (63), and Wisconsin (64), although Wisconsin was completed before Missouri. Kentucky and Illinois were cancelled at the end of the war. Kentucky was a little over 70% complete, Illinois was near 20%. Both were scrapped, however the bow of Kentucky replaced the collision-damaged bow of Wisconsin, and Kentucky's power plant was used to power 2 AOE's, Camden and Sacramento, making them extremely fast replenishment ships (26 knots).
Think of it , not one computer was used to design this plumbing. Only a group of smart people over 70 yrs ago.
See, it really is a service that so many old men gain knowledge about stuff like this, and they pass it down. He knows so much about that ship, and sharing it is really cool of him.
You're making me blush. Didn't know much about Iowa before I started there, but having been Navy, and working in a boiler room, it wasn't really hard.
Just thought something more I want to tell you.
The movie "Battleship". Navy vets laugh at it a bit, I mean it's about the GAME, BUT there are two scenes that hit Navy vets very hard and that we appreciate very much.
1. It's silly because it's impossible, but the 6 old sailors carrying the projectile down Broadway. That's 333 pounds per old guy. Not gonna happen, but it's still cool.
2. This is The Big One. The Question. "Who are we going to get to run this thing?"
And the old guys...and I'm one...step up. Without hesitation "I'll go."
man that guy is one hell of a tour guide.. he knew that ship like the back of his hand.. you're so lucky you got a full tour
Thanks so much. Four years ago I started as a volunteer knowing zero about the ship. Now, I run the Tour Dept. See what 4 years of immersion will do for you?
Yessir .. thanks for replying .. much love and much respect for you and your knowledge
James nice job. You made a lot of us happy giving the "off limits" tour for youtube! Thanks
I am humbled. Many thanks...
I was four years navy, 3 on my ship. You learn every nook and cranny on it. It's weird, really. She's alive, just as you and I are, with her own personality. It's like being married to the most cantankerous woman you've ever known - love/hate, ya know? Everything becomes as familiar as the family photo on your living room wall. Then you leave one day but the ol' girl stays with you. I could smell the ship as James gave the tour, could feel the rails under my hands. The chipped paint on that insulation? I chuckled, because I know there are about twenty coats of paint on it. So cool. Thanks for the tour. You'd have been a great sailor on her!
14:30 I love the Ten Commandments of Damage Control. As a former DC that makes me smile. Watching this tour is amazing; every time I'm on the Battleship New Jersey channel I find myself thinking "Well damn, you just showed us a glimpse of this room and said 5 words about a story that happened in there, show us the rest!" This video is scratching all those itches. I've never been on a BB myself but seeing all the spaces, the cramped tightness of rooms and ladders, the exposed wiring and equipment mounted on every wall, makes me glad I served.
damn i love tours like this where you just have yourself and a guy who a: knows an insane amount about the thing.. from the overall operation down to the intricacies, and b: is enthusiastic and obviously cares a great deal about it all. his enthusiasm is infectious.. and he's great at explaining things in an interesting way.. not like a tour guide or wikipedia page. i wish there was a whole channel devoted to tours like this on all kinds of different military stuff
+swish007 Completely agree. Jim is incredibly knowledgeable of the Iowa, and it was literally a privilege to sit and watch this, and just soak in information. I would be nice if the History Channel did documentaries on stuff like this, instead of all the reality TV shows they sold out for.
+SHiBBY927
Thank you so much. It is amazing to read all these accolades about ones self. Does the ego whisper "OOoooohhhh I LIKE this"? Oh heck yes, but the ego also has to deal with the self awareness that I'm just a shlub with a pretty cool job who likes to share the coolness of a very wonderful ship in a very interesting place (the harbor).
BTW I would be remiss if I did not mention that compared to several other Iowa staff, I'm in about 1st grade of ship knowledge. Dave C., Mike G., Dave W., Jonathan W., and about a half dozen Tour Dept. Volunteers who run rings around me...
james pobog Anytime! Thank you for taking the time to teach people. History seems to be a topic that kids know less and less about nowadays. You help keep history alive, and for that I am very thankful. It might not be in the near future, but the Iowa is on my bucket list and I'll be making my way out there sometime! Ever since I was a little guy and I saw the model of the Iowa, and one of her bells in the Iowa Legislature, I've wanted to see the real ship! Keep up the good work!
Thanks for this video, Adam!
My grandfather was one of the engineers on board the USS Iowa. He was a plumber, responsible for all pipes on board the ship. Made rounds daily repairing, checking, and replacing pipes. Essentially...he was amongst the men who helped keep the ship afloat or from exploding.
Depending when he was on board, he was either a 'shipfitter' or a 'hull tech' Same rate, just called different name in different eras.
@@jamespobog3420 I think he told my dad that he was a shipfitter officially.
Wow this was cool to see, from both a historical standpoint and just seeing the mechanics and layout of everything. Great job on this vid Adam.
Hi proper people!
+The Proper People It was amazing. I nerd out on stuff like this. Thanks for chiming in guys
This is one of the MOST amazing videos on You Tube. It is to bad every American does not have the opportunity to view this. As a Disabled Vet I take my hat off to you for posting this amazing Video. Jim Miller
I so agree, Jim. I was married to a sailor for almost 17 years and have been aboard the U.S.S Midway (CV-41), U.S.S Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) and the U.S.S Enterprise (CVN-65) (went out 150 miles on the Enterprise for a family fun day cruise) and I have to admit, it was an awesome experience...an entirely different world for sure...bit creepy at times feeling the ship rock just a little, but so much fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jim Miller thanks for your service
Jim thank u for ur service
That part starting at roughly 17:31 gives me goosebumps whenever I watch it...
" Bingo, you die" and the short monologue afterwards, the expression on his face... That guy really knows what he is talking about, and he is not bs´ ing
Thank you very much. You "get" it. To be honest, I think I pulled that part off pretty well. That actually is the first time I did that little bit, it was full ad lib, and I now use it every time I bring people down there. The big payoff for me with that is when I actually see the little light go on in their eyes, I see them "get it". I saw it in a 17 year old girl not long ago. Man, that gave me goose bumps. BIG win for me....
@@jamespobog3420 I have total respect for the guys who went to sea during wartime. I worked on merchant ships for 10 years and it was a hard job under peacetime conditions. It's hot, it's tiring, it's stressful. Add the risk of being torpedoed or whatever into the mix, with the obvious risk of death from explosion or drowning if you get caught below decks while the ship is sinking, it doesn't bear thinking about. These engineers were incredibly brave.
my dad was on a Destroyer Escort (DE698 Raby) and a converted DE, High Speed Transport (APD106 Walter B. Cobb) from 1951-1955. he was a Boiler Tech 3d when he got out. when he was a Fireman 1st he was in charge of BOTH fire rooms on the Cobb (jan 54 to about oct 54) along with his last ship ACG8 USS Mt Olympus but he was only there temporarily before getting his discharge. while on the Raby a fellow crewman lifted one of those gratings you walk on at 29:15 or so, to work on something and they lost all electrical power during ship to shore power transfer and my dad fell about 1 deck down. tore up his knee and elbow, bruised a kidney and to this day (he just turned 92) still has trouble with his back. he loved his time in the Navy and never had any issues one way or the other regarding the size boat he was on. thanks for the behind the scene tour
The design, as well as the construction engineering of the vessel is just staggering, especially considering it was drawn out on drafting boards after being figured out with slide rules. Truly the GREATEST Generation.
And from laying the keel to going to war just over 2.5 years. Not a chance to do that today...
Want an even greater perspective on such building/engineering?
The Pentagon went from an empty field to operational in 16 months. Today just the environmental impact approvals to start building would take longer than that.
@@jamespobog3420 To be honest modern warships almost have more electronics on board then steel. The outfittting part takes significantly longer now.
As an Iowan, since birth, for over 60 yrs, I thank you for showing us a piece of WWII history and a ship named after our State....USS Iowa. Thanks again.
The most interesting video I have seen in a long time.
I'm amazed that 1 guy can remember all that stuff.
I can't explain it. There are subjects on the ship that simply don't interest me and I can't do 10 minutes....
Something I just remembered...
I started as a volunteer, and on the last day the ship was wide open to former crew, when the ship closed I ran to the 'boss' and asked for permission to go down to engineering. Went there with another volunteer and all of a sudden, all this stuff came back to me and I was talking like I was still in the navy even though it had been about 40 years. I remember thinking "Jeez, where is all THAT coming from?"
That is one knowledgeable tour guide! Glad he's on our side.
Humble thanks...😊
I commanded a german fast attack boat fifteen years ago, and it was fun to see, that in some places you have as less headroom on a battleship as we had on the Gepard class... ;)
Very fine video, thanks for sharing. And also a very good tourguide that loves his job.
Greetings from Germany.
Many thanks. Yeah, this thing gets really tight in some places...
Adam, I am a current sailor in the Royal Canadian Navy. This was a fantastic tour, thank you so very much for sharing it. I'm in the Engineering world and of course I found those parts of the tour the most interesting. Jim, outstanding tour, BZ!! Your ship knowledge is excellent and made for a most enjoyable video. Fair winds.
Many thanks....
It's HMCS Athabaskan. And no, not anymore.
A and C school for the snipes must have been a whoot.
Could've seen hours more of this footage.
Same here.
Thanks for posting this and thanks uncle Jim for the tour.
LOL...I refer to myself often as "Uncle Jim". Very old school mid-west reference.
Many humble thanks.
Thank you for the great video. My grandfather served on USS California (BB-44) from the mid 1930's until she was laid up in 1946. He was part of the crew of turret 2 on his ship. I was with him when we heard about the explosion on Iowa. He got real quiet. Maybe remembering some past shipmates. Maybe thinking about what it's like to be in that space and how dangerous it is.
Not to be rude, but i just want to ask this in terms of perspective, was he assigned to turret 2 at the time of Pearl harbor?
Yes. After swinging the turret around to counter the list the turret crew went off to help in other areas until the abandon ship order came.
At about the 18:50 mark, the guide talks about how every part of it gets into you, becomes you and that's true. We found home amongst those pipes and cables. How you're sitting in your chair or bedroom right now, relaxed and comfortable, well we could do the same thing sitting next to a screaming ventilation system, an engine room, aft steering...anywhere. I still miss my ship.
Well said...
(Long post Mike, forgive me) Yeah Mike, I think they would if they had a sense of history. So many young people are fed this nonsense about how corrupt everything is, how crooked the politicians are, etc, etc, and there's a lot of truth to that, and there's a lot of falsehood in it. But what they don't realize is that it's those crooked bastards who keep this country free. Those slimeballs we elect are our frontline defense of freedom that we have. Like your dad (bless his heart for what he did), there are those of us who have seen the world in person. We've been to the shitholes, under the worst of circumstances, we've seen people who are happy to clobber people on the side of the street in the head with ball bats because it's "fun" (Korea), or rape girls because they can (Vietnam), or kill people because of their religion (the ENTIRE Middle East). I've been to 11 countries, lived in 6 states, been to all 48 lower states, and when I see these little shits who post anti-American crap while they sit in their mom's house, having never been anywhere in their life, I want to beat them to a pulp. They couldn't say HALF the shit they do if they lived even in Germany, the pukes. But then I remember... your dad and I, we did what we did in order that these little assholes would never have to live through the shit we've seen others live through. We did what we did so they can live in peaceful ignorance. I'll tell you a quick story about the most profound thing I've ever seen: My ship was part of Operation Sharp Edge. We went in to evacuate refugees from the Liberian Civil War. Easy, right? Well, we took on 800 of these refugees, many with limbs having been hacked off, kids blinded, girls maimed, etc. Gunfire in the streets, dogs eating dead bodies as they lay in the gutters. They had been shoved to the ocean by the oppressing forces and were about to literally be hacked to death, and when we brought them aboard my ship, I saw relief. I saw release. I saw a river of tears, the likes of which no man could stomach. It broke my heart. I had to deal with them, and what they needed...what they BEGGED for with their lives was what we have here, what we take for granted everyday. They literally begged for an OUNCE of our freedoms. That hit me more than anything I've ever experienced. I've watched a man get his face ripped off right in front of me, and this was more powerful. So, when I see these protest groups in the U.S. who claim they have it so bad, I want to puke. Gay rights? Yeah, like the gays have it bad. Black Lives Matter? Oh sure, the government is burning them alive and feeding them to the hogs in the stockyards. The atheists who say Christians are so oppressive? Yeah, try being atheist in Somalia. Then I see these little fuckheads (excuse my language, but that's what they are), speak ill about how bad they have it as they sit there eating Cheetos, drinking Dew and typing away on their smartphones, I literally want to beat them to death. Those Liberians deserve our freedoms more than the asshats sitting at his computer reading this thinking America is the bad guy without having ever left his tri-state area. Mike, God forgive me, but I often feel hatred towards them. I feel hatred towards them and compassion towards the Afganis and Iraqis who actually understand what it means to be free, yet they aren't. Then I think about why I served, why your dad served, why all of us who did, served. We did it so the ignorant and happy could stay that way. I don't hate the ignorant people, but I have zero respect for their self-entitled, self-righteous little asses. Mike, bless you and your dad, my fellow American. Always know that your dad did what he did for us, and he learned basic truths that few ever will. Sorry I went on so long, Mike. And thank you for your reply. God bless.
And the hairs on your neck standing up if/when the "rhythm" of the gear changed!
@Lexington73300 Oh quit your bitchin, pussy.
@Erich Von Manstein - he's a basement-dwelling loser. Probably unemployed, lives with his parents, and couldn't get into the military if he tried. Ignore the shitbrain. The coward only does this because he's anonymous on here.
Adam, this is one of the best videos that you and your crew have ever made. The tour guide was without a doubt one of the most knowledgeable people that you could ever have had lead you through this vessel.
For those men who lost their lives in the performance of their duties on the USS Iowa, this old Viet Nam era "snipe", (Engineer), wishes our Lord to grant your souls peace. You have my eternal thanks for sacrificing the ultimate for me and your other shipmates and of course, your country..
Well we were fortunate enough not only to tour it but we lit up some of the systems and brought them back to life for a little fun....we being part of the recommissioning crew from 84. A must see for anyone with so much to appreciate....including the many personnel running and whom are part of the museum.
When i first look at a ship from the outside its a ship, but when you dive in it and see all the small little details and complexity, its amazing, its crazy, humans build this and operated it, i have no words for it. Floating cities i love it. Imagine the organised chaos on board when a combat situation occured, from below to top of the deck hundreds of people doing its job.
Yeah, it is really something to contemplate what makes these things run. Carriers are even more nutso, crews of around 5000...
And even more amazing- they designed these things in the late 1930's/early 40's with nothing but pencil and paper, compass and protractor and slide rule. And then actually built them! Purely mechanical and analog systems- that still work- all built without the help of computerized any thing. I got a huge kick, touring the USS Croaker in Buffalo, NY, watching a young father trying to explain what the controls were and what they did to his younger kids. It simply did not "compute", lol! They just couldn't get it.
Armando: You should check out a video on building a ship.
It's an age-old art.
That was a fantastic, interesting and moving tour thank you.
So glad you liked it. You should see it for real...
For anyone who is or will be near the ship soon, keep a lookout. We are getting VERY close to starting a premium small group guided tour of Broadway and the engineering spaces, much like you see in this vid. If you're lucky, you may even get me as a guide...
Thank You for helping preserve her. My father and I visited recently, He served on USS Los Angeles and was excited to be there.
Here in hawaii The USS Iowa's sister ship, the USS Missouri is the attraction ship. I actually got to do the same off limits tour. Freaking awesome. My son and I are members and regulars to the USS Missouri. Can't get lost on that ship anymore.. lol.
A few Historic tide bits....
-The Japanese surrendered WW2 on the USS Missouri on Sept 2nd 1945.
-The movie "Under Seige", and "Battleship" was filmed on the USS Missouri.
Seeing the inside of this gives you a great sense of what it was like for men to fight and die on ships like the hood, Bismarck, Tirpitz and Arizona I know there better men than I am I couldn't do it RIP to all the brave men and women who sacrifice so much for us all.
"So when you see a ship pull out to meet a war-like foe,
Remember faintly, if you can, the Men Who Sail Below."
docs.google.com/document/d/1uZfnIYiJsJh_BBlMPnT9UrMxtcG-R5ZTxj2l5UsVLhU/edit?usp=sharing
Your right there i think our turn is coming tho its time to water the tree of liberty
@@victorchmura2216 Even more-so now.
Nice video, brought back a lot of memories. One of the ships I served on was the U.S.S. Comte de Grasse DD-974 (she is now sitting on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean). While aboard, we traveled with the U.S.S. Iowa underway in formation a few times. Her size dwarfed us, just like one of the Nimitz class carriers. It is amazing to see a full on BB especially when you realize they are not very much smaller than a massive Nimitz in side, yet are not carriers rather armored sea going tanks.
Like most, I too was unhappy when all four Battleships were finally decommissioned in the 90's. But this video reminds me now why that decision was made. To be put in use yet again today, they would probably have to be completely gutted to be brought up to any modern standard. Even in the 90's, these battleships and the modernization done to them to bring them back to the fleet, did not compare at all, not even close to the ships of the line I served on even then. My first ship, 'The Count', was a Spruance class destroyer and she carried technology that was 50 years more advanced than what even the updated battleships in the 90's had. I never knew those serving on-board even in the 90's, for the most part, were using and living in the exact same hard ships and conditions of the fore-bearers of when those ships served in WWII. I am amazed at the archaic technology they had to use even in the 1990's.
I had always thought their weapon systems had been updated to modern standards.. Wow was I wrong. On board my ships, all those panels and controls were modern screens, LED readouts and digital circuitry.. seeing that even in the 90's the battleships were still using analog everything based around tube technology, did surprise me.
One other highlight for me was the dead hole. It seems all ships have them. On-board the Comte de Grasse, ours was at the very bow of the ship. In Sonar 1, in the floor was a hatch that opened and was straight down from deck one all the way to the bottom of the ship where it stopped at the sonar dome. In between was Sonar 2, 3 and 4 which contained all our gear and electronics for Sonar Control. I spent MANY MANY days climbing up and down that ladder to each compartment.. In fact Sonar 2 became my kind of 'hidey hole' space when I wanted to be alone.
But I will never forget that every time I climbed that straight up and down ladder, EVEN in rough weather in the North Atlantic, the adrenaline and fear always hit me every single time because one mistep, one loss of grip by my hands and I would have plummeted all the way to the bottom hoping maybe a safety net might stop me but in reality, probably not helping in the least.
Again, thanks for the video and my own memories of the best time and period in my life.
Malakie Usn j
Yeah, I had those little "hidey hole" places when I wanted to "be alone." I remember an unrep aside a tanker with the Iowa on the other side of the tanker. If folks think the gigantic battleships were slow to turn, slow to maneuver, big mistake. Once we broke from the unrep the Iowa engaged all four shafts, got to about thirty knots, made an incredibly fast ninety degree turn and was gone in three or four minutes. Fast as fuck.
Malakie Usn how old are you
Ships of the line? You sure it was the USN you were in?
Who said anything about ships of the line? I can't find that term used here.
What a tour! Thank you, Chief. Well done. I was so impressed with the complexity of what was the normal and COMBAT responsibilities of the United States Sailor. I was an infantryman in the Army. Big difference. All I had to do was die at the right time. A battleship sailor had a lot to do before he was permitted to go! Again, thank you for reigniting big time respect for the U.S.NAVY! Fair winds to all who serve today, and all who served in peacetime and in combat. May politicians learn and be humbled. God bless.
Fantastic tour. I have been on the deck of the Missouri twice, once when it was in mothballs in Bremerton years ago, but never got to see what was inside. I try to image what it was like with hundreds of men crowded in those tiny bunk spaces, and work areas. Unimaginable.
It is a very non-standard way of living...
Amazing. This video was very cool. I wouldn't mind seeing more behind the scenes videos like this! Great video Adam.
+Steve Oberhammer glad you enjoyed it Steve
+adamthewoo Thanks for the reply back Adam. With you writing back it really shows the youtubers that care enough and take the time to comment back from the bad ones who just want the views and likes and say nothing at all to there subscribers. You will always have my sub and support my friend! Cheers.
+adamthewoo come to Ohio cause I live in Reynoldsberg Ohio
BryanKayla Kohler it's smart telling people where you live
Whats my address though
I'm 6'4" and I don't care how many times I'd hit my head, I'd be early for work every day to be on something this amazing, more engine room please, aw hell, more everything.
Yeah, it can be pretty fun to work on old warships like the USS Iowa. You can just feel the history everywhere you walk. Every room and deck tells a story.
I'm totally impressed these Valiant girls are being taken care of. They were born to fight and they are beautiful inside and out.
Lol I work with dudes who are 6’8 it sucks but they make it work
my father was aboard the BB64 USS Wisconsin as a hospital corpsman off Korea in 1952 when she was hit by a shore battery. he retired as Master Chief after a distinguished 30 year career. i remember many stories of his cruise. he was in the ships band as a trumpet player as well. i still enjoy reading his cruise books and the ships newspapers of the cruise. he and my mother are interred in Arlington National Cemetery. he served as a flight deck corpsman on several small carriers as well with VF111 and VF114 out of San Diego. very proud of my father.
Clayton was a student of mine @ Mt. Vernon Academy in 1982. He was a wonderful, friendly guy who I respected deeply! His dream was to join the Navy & mine was the Army! I started 3 months after finishing my year at the school! This is so informative & brings back memories of then! Thank you!!!
So glad you liked it. I really wish I still had the gig, but that's life.
I knew his sister Kathy from her being on the ship sometimes. She was.....tenacious.
The Skipper HAS a State Room. His "At Sea Cabin" on the bridge is just a place to go lay down when he needs to stay near the bridge. He is not usually in there.
I was on a FFG (fucking forever gone) and COs state room was very close to the bridge, for a good reason, that looked like it was for the OOD not the CO, but I'm sure the CO could use it if he wanted. Yeah I call BS also, I'm guessing that's our egg uh?
The stateroom is rarely used though. The skipper was required to use his sea Cabot any time the ship was out of port. He could only use his stateroom in port.
Really enjoyed this executive behind seen look of the battleship USS Iowa Thanks Adam!
Also, thank you to the people that allowed AdamTheWoo to video the behind seen tour of USS Iowa. This is something I otherwise would have never been able see. You're the Best!
Insane mechanical complexity within this ship. Thanks for this tour.
+Terrathrax its very impressive, thanks for watching
+adamthewoo What a fantastic insight, excellent video Adam
What is really impressive are the analog computer that makes up the fire control computer, similar gear also in the Norden™ bomb sight and the submarine TDC that was used along with several 'slide rule' type devices for aiming torpedoes.
Awesome video my dad served on the USS Midway in The Vietnam war in 1970 . To all the men and women that have served our country in the past and are still currently serving this country now. I think you from the bottom of my heart.
I spent a year and a half working Iowa's sister ship the USS New Jersey and another year and a half working on the other sister ship the USS Missouri in the mid-80s and early 90s at the Naval Ship Yard in Long Beach California. I doubt there are any compartments on either of those ships that I haven't been in. It was great to watch your video, brought back a lot of memories. I'm tall too, used to hit my head all the time, but we wore hard hats. The short guys had it made, they could run down those passage ways never hitting their heads.
When the New Jersey was finished, I got to go out on Sea Trials for a couple of days, that was a trip!
Thanks for sharing.
And thanks for working on these ships.
Don't know if you ever knew or knew of Dick Landgraff, but he just passed away about a year ago. He designed all the up-armoring.
My dad was on Iowa. I think he was in something called fire control. He lost part of a leg in Korea on a distroyer and stayed in twenty years. He's 88 now tells me stories about how tough it was on these ships. I would love to see his face if he was back on deck.
Part of 'Fire Control' is that room where the triggers are. That's Aft Plot. There's also Forward Plot, as well as the 16" and 5" gun directors and 'Spot 3', the top level (05) of the armored conning tower.
Yes, today they call what your dad Fire Controlman.
I knew lots of those guys, as they were the ones who actually aimed and fired our guns and missiles, while I was busy maintaining and loading the big main gun..yep, Gunner's Mate (Guns).
@@Gunners_Mate_Guns Were you there 4/19?
@@jamespobog3420 I served from September 19, 1987 to September 1, 1991, an early out by a few days because my ship had deployed 60 days before the scheduled end of my enlistment.
It just so happened that on the day I visited her that several of the original crew were to be piped aboard. Standing at the head of the gangway I asked for permission to come aboard. It was this man who welcomed me and asked if I had served aboard. I said no but knew the protocol and wanted to do my part to honor all her crew and the Iowa. We had a bit of a talk then I stood aside as those shipmates were piped aboard.
Some of what you have shown in this video was not off limits when I visited. Or if it were then I got the rare treat.
Thanks for the kind words.
We shot about 3 hours of vid that day that got edited down to what you see. Yes, a couple things were on-route, but even some of those, (inside the helm, inside the 5" mount) while visible, are not accessible to the public.
Hope you enjoyed your visit!
Thank you so much for this incredible tour of the USS Iowa. My interest in WWII history was inspired by my father who served as a sonar man on a minesweeper.
(I'm the guide in the vid. this is my personal YT acct, the one with my name is the ship's acct) I served on 2 sweeps after my 1972 WESTPAC, USS Peacock and USS Pledge, both out of Long Beach.
Adam, this is honestly one of the best videos you have ever made. Truly amazing.
Wow Adam, best adventure to date. What a great guy Jim is, the man really loves his ship. Thanks man, big thumbs up.
As a former DC aboard the USS Cole this is 100 percent accurate. The tour guide was right on the money when he said that the snipes like me would die in the spaces. This video means a lot to myself and hopefully many others. We run the navy. It was great to see and hear old sounds and sights in this video. Ive stepped aboard so many vessels I've lost count. Id like to see more of this for any museum ship possible. I hope the Cole will be one as well and be able to step aboard and share some of my experiences and stories. Anchors aweigh!
Bravo Zulu, sailor. Carry on...
So does that mean you have been in the USS Cole bombing back in 2000 that happened?
@mentnetic3873 no I wasn't. But met crew members who were and did survive the attack.
Was on the Bonhomme Richard for 3 months in 2007 as a Marine deployed to Iraq. Probably the coolest 3 months of my entire life.
That was so awesome. I agree most people never stop to feel the ship, and get a sense of the scary times, hard work and loneliness these sailors felt. Thanks for the tour. RIP those that lost their lives.
I could watch this all day long..
Please doo, and tell all your friends... :)
That was a great tour Sir and thank You very much for sharing that. Greetings from WW2HistoryHunter
Tour was very good and informative whish I was there
Awesome and Amazing bros. Thank you so much for this video. Know wander men at sea felt so along. I live in Alabama, and they are restoring the USS ALABAMA. LOVE to see y'all do a segment on her. I did find out that she was the only ship that Escort the Russian nave fleet to the South Pacific to battle the Japanese. Please do more. Thanks,
Well, that just bends the mind of a mechanic to imagine the man hours it required to create this piece of iron poetry. What a monument to America's mechanical prowess! My father was on a warship in the pacific in WWII and was blown off the toilet with another 10 guys when a Japanese torpedo hit it. The destroyers moved in and put on quite a show with depth charges. The torpedo bent or offset a main bearing on the drive shaft, and they limped back to an island with each rev of the shaft pounding the ship apart. Said he could still hear it today. That's him on the icon, Army, on Imo Jima. Great video, great guide. Wish you could do a few more hours for guys like me that wore out their backs working too long and too hard. No handicap zones on that ship!
I praise the geniuses that made these battleships
My late father worked on the USS New Jersey and USS Wisconsin at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. I had the pleasure of taking my grandson on the Jersey docked in Camden, NJ. I ran him ragged. No, I was not in the Navy, but served in the 101st Airborne Division.
Praise the genuises that made the Bismarck !
USS Iowa, USS New Jersey, USS Missouri, USS Wisconsin, USS North Carolina, USS Massachusetts, USS Texas, USS Alabama, & IJN Mikasa (三笠). Respect the US for preserving most of them.
USS Lexington UwU
But yet they didn't preserve the ship with the most battle stars... RIP Lucky E, you will not be forgotten.
Also HMS Belfast
@@shikichou6706 you do know tha- it's british and the us didn't preserve it...
I have watched this so many times, and I never get tired of it. This is a fantastic walk through. There is so much that makes up this battleship, that I can’t even imagine how they placed everything in position when it was constructed without getting everything tangled up.
Think of this. The ship's structure? There is a blueprint for EVERYTHING. Every beam, gusset, and plate, and all the calculations were done by hand, pencil and paper (maybe adding machines, certainly slide rules). Then, think about the fact that she was completed in just under 2.5 years, and under both schedule and budget. Humble thanks for your kind comments. So glad you enjoyed it.
#3,832 Thanks for the tour, excellent presentation! I worked on the SS Badger, the only steamship left operating in north America with its two Skinner Uni Flow engines. She is a active floating Museum that sails at 13.6 knots.
When i was in coast guard boot camp back in 1978, when it was still in active service , we were taken to tour the Iowa, Man--Camera's can't begin to show what it was like with men running back and forth, all the sounds going on around you, Orders being yelled out, having to salute sup. officers I will never forget that, would have been more exciting if we didn't have Officer's barking orders at us,, plus being still new to the military and to boot camp (had 1 week to Grad), it was scary and intimidating to say the least.
I saw Iowa anchored out about 5 -10 miles when it first got here, and man, it looked like NOTHING except a friggin battleship...
lol No doubt James. My father was Air Force but any time we went on vacation or were anywhere near a Navy dock he always took us to get as good a look as we could. I have never been on a Navy ship but yea, I have been close enough to be stunned by the sheer size. It has been 35+ years but I got to walk the dock next to a carrier (no idea which one) and I still recall how shocking the sheer size was. It's like an entire city block, and then some.
It’s mind blowing seeing inside and how they designed and built everything. Every little fixture.
Today it would take complex computer aided design and 3D modelling, to ensure everything fits together without any overlap or fowling.
That’s why it took years just to build one of these ships
@@MrOiram46 Took just near 2.5 years to build. 24/7/365.
My dad was the chief dental officer on board Iowa in '89. I'll never forget when it happened. I was 11 at the time. I'd been on board so many times, eaten in the wardroom, and knew all the officers. Kissinger lived in our neighborhood. All the wives got moose slippers and video taped them wearing them for Captain Moosally. Dad still has PTSD from the incident and having to help ID so many of the men. Some of the stories he has would chill you to the bone. God Bless those sailors and officers that lost their lives that day, and may God protect our men and women of the Navy.
...and blessings to you and your dad. IIRC, I might have met him once. "Dentist" seems familiar to me.
@@gnatpiz Lt. Cdr. Reed. Retired a Captain.
@@joshuareed390 I worked there for 8 years and met lots of former crew. I have a vague memory of taking someone down to sick bay and my brain is connecting that with dental and the horror he went through.
You can see most of that on the USS Missouri in Pearl Harbor and even go to the lower decks and engine rooms with the extended tour very cool.
This is one of the best vidz I've ever watched on you tube, the guy giving the tour Jim is the kind of tour guide everybody ought to have extremely informative probably worked on the ship, I'd sure like to have the privilage of that kind of a tour, great vid.
Thanks for a great tour, Mr. Woo.
As a Midshipman in 1969, I was on the Iowa's sister ship, the USS New Jersey for a few days. I didn't see everything you did, but I did eat in the Wardroom (officers' mess).
It was cool to reminisce on these immense machines of destruction. I'm sorry, though, that you didn't introduce your guide and give us a bit about his background. Seems he served on the Iowa, maybe as a "snipe?"
After commissioning, I was on two ships that had 5" gun mounts, like the smaller ones you went into. They were not turrets, like the 16"ers on the Iowa and NJ.
I was always amazed at the enthusiasm, pluck and resourcefulness of the Navy enlisted men. In spite of makeshift conditions, cramped quarters and hard life, most had good humor and did their jobs well.
I'm glad to hear, if your guide is correct, that GMG2 Hartwig was innocent. I'll check to see what the Board of Inquiry said. As I recall he was said to be gay and sabotaged the gun as suicide/revenge over being dumped by his boyfriend. I'm inclined to believe it was a railroad job to cover up some or another incompetence higher up.
It's sad to see how our brave and hard-working military people are now misused to kill innocents all over the world.
Here's to simpler times, eh?
@ KutWrite
Hello, and thanks for your service. I was Navy, but did not serve on Iowa, she was sleeping when I was in. And yes, I was a snipe, a BTFN on an oiler, stationed at Long Beach, and did WESTPAC in 1972. Got the MUC for that...
And yes, that Navy story was false.
I am a 4 yr Navy carrier vet. I did the same thing on the carrier museum York Town who we used
to opereate with in the pacific. So I see all these signs of keep out - stay on the tour. So I left the
the group and went into the bowels of the ship, needed a flashlight which I had. I went into
a berthing compartment with empty bunk frames and aluminum personal lockers. So there I am
kind of remising, then out of no where I felt this cold, I mean really cold and it scared the crap
out of me !!! I'm thinking there is a force in that compartment and I hauled ass back to the
hanger deck, probably white as a sheet. True story, I did not imagine it. There were enities
down there and I was a curious intruder, I will never do that again I assure you. That was over 15
years ago and it is vivid in my memory to this day. Frank Albergo Seaman, USS Princeton 57-60
Because of the accident, the subject of ghosts is a sensitive one that policy is tight on. I won't go into detail but I know a couple stories from 80's crew, and have heard of more recent things. Having said that, ghosts are not part of my personal world view, but there's things I can't explain.
wow what a great tour! and a great vid! Thank you Jim!!! now see if you can get a private tour of the Queen Mary!
+ckitchen02 Id love to !
+adamthewoo Seeing this vid. really brought back some fond memories. I was on the Battleship Wisconsin during Operation Desert Storm. I worked down in Engineering (Electrician). One thing they didn't mention...you could fell the ship vibrate, depending where you were, ALOT or a little, when the Main Guns fired.
My father was one of only five people in the world to have communicated with all four Battleships of this class via HAM Radio (I think on the same day or the same week)
He got a certificate for doing it several years back from the Navy.
SUPERB , job on the video. It should be shown, in every history class, in our high schools, across the U.S., and elsewhere, where the there is an interest, of learning about the devastating wars around the globe that human kind inhabits ! .
Thanks for the kind words, they are appreciated.
That was cool. Been on the Alabama and Texas but this tour was the best
As the R-2 division officer in SIMA GTMO (Shore Intermediate Maintenance Activity, Guantanamo Bay Cuba) 19834-87 we were tasked with pouring and machining the babbit lining of a spring bearing (main shaft bearing) for the USS Iowa. The R-2 division was the foundry, machine shop, pump shop etc. etc. The bearing was at least two feet in diameter and we'd never done anything that big (at least I hadn't). I asked the workers, 5 Cuban commuters (the youngest being 74 years old), twenty Jamaican nationals and several senior USN petty officers if we could do it. The Cuban commuters said they had done several during WWII and then everyone jumped on board. I took the Cuban Commuters aboard to check the bearing race for damage, not telling the Captain or anyone else onboard for that matter, that these Cuban workers commuted each morning and evening back to Castro's Cuba. I think the statute of limitations has expired so I can tell this story, but the bearing was perfect and each worker got a certificate from the Iowa's CO. I put all the civilian workers in for a bonus and they each received 200 dollars. The Petty Officers got an "Attaboy" on their evals. and an Iowa belt buckle.
Great story! Any memory of which shaft and bearing location? I do know that Iowa suffered from vibration for most of her service life, and at one time had rather severe damage to the bearing right at the prop (don't know the name of that last bearing). At it's worst, it supposedly was pretty bad.
james pobog, how did the vibration affect performance and day-to-day life aboard? Did the ship have a noticeable vibration throughout? Did she want to naturally pull to one side or the other? Btw thx for the excellent tour, your enthusiasm, and above all for your service.
]
Amazing! Great tour. What I find most amazing about ships lie this is the sheer number of man hours that went into building it. Every weld was done by hand, every bulkhead was fit & welded by hand. Every wire, every connection, all done by hand. The scale is just overwhelming, especially when you see it in person.
And think of the design process. No computers. Pencil, paper, slide rules, and if you were lucky, one of those old lever operated adding machines. Adding, not subtraction multiplication, or division...'long' division. My worst nightmare. Designing a warship is exceedingly complicated. I laugh when I read fanboi's comments "Just do X and bring her back into service.", or see all those interesting but silly conversion illustrations showing flight decks and such. They don't have a clue...
Here's a link to an excellent article (hell, it's an excellent site, check it out) about how warships are designed. Lots and lots and lots of top notch educational and informative articles there...
www.navweaps.com/index_tech/tech-035.htm
Adam, this video is great! Thank you for sharing this awesome tour! Its such a neat treat to see Battleship Iowa from a perspective as someone who'd live and serve there. That ship is a cold metallic windowless beast. I'd probably suffer from severe claustrophobia in it. i especially love seeing and hearing the tour guide share the crew's sentiments regarding the widely discussed accident that happened onboard this mighty vessel in 1989 where 47 men were killed. Most other documentaries which include this ship only talk about the accident, but of them all, Adam, this video of yours is the first I've seen to reveal those men are being honored and respectfully paid tribute to.
btw, and again Adam thank you for sharing this! This video is your greatest thus far and it shows how your talents as a documentary video maker and editor are greatly improving. i truly felt like i was on this tour with you. Thank you!
i cannot comprehend the complexity of that Ship, and the soldiers that died on the ship.
The USS Iowa looks so complex inside compared to her beauty from the outside, this was very informative and seeing the Analog and Gun Fire Control System, my god! Thank you so much for exploring such an amazing battleship, we thank you!
I remember touring the battleship Alabama, back in the 70s, with my family. I was a little kid, and some of those hatches were tough for me to get through. LOL. Thanks for the tour.
The way the boilers were lit was pure genius. Who would have thought of using asbestos to start a fire? The end of a long poker bound in asbestos is soaked in jet fuel, poked inside, lights the fuel, then when it brought out the jet fuel burns off and they still have the asbestos to reuse. But the neat thing is, there's no burning residue falling off the poker which could fly around. Absolutely no messin. Love it to bits. Thank-You . And Thank-You U-Tube.
You wouldn't believe what happens during doing "Firesides and Watersides"!!
@@charliefile3945 I typed in "Firesides and Watersides" and jeaz... got waterslides. I'll Google it and see what happens: unless you can tell me where to go. lol
The #2 turret discussion gave me the chills. "We make sure his light is still on."
When I was much much younger, maybe like 6 or 7, my grandmom took me to see the Battleship New Jersey. I was a very hyper kid, ADHD and all, but my love for WWII history and the connections my family has to it is so deep that the second we pulled up I was the most behaved kid in sight. 3 and a half hour long tour which for a parent of a young boy with ADHD I’m sure you can attest, that’s a LONG time for a kid to behave and not go crazy on a long tour of something. I was so into it and asking questions and stating facts about what I already knew that the tour guide who was a former sailor on the ship, offered me and my grandmom a private tour after the main one was over because he liked me so much and loved how into it I was, so I remember getting to go into literally every single inch of that ship that wasn’t part of the regular tour and it was so damn cool. Just wish I was a bit older and was able to remember more from what I saw
The Jersey Ninja that’s so cool! You are one lucky guy, thanks for sharing :)
@Tyrone Biggums yeah I served for a few years in the Air Force as well until they found out about my ADHD that I hid from them because I knew they’re strict about that now. Once they found out I got medically discharged and I was pretty upset about it because it really didn’t effect me in any way. In fact i don’t know if I even still really have it anymore but they found it in my records and saw I still got prescriptions filled for adderall up until I enlisted even though I just took it because I was used to taking it all those years. But hey it is what it is, at least I got 3 years in before they discharged me
I would do that. I looked for what I called "magic words". There was no set list, I just knew it if I heard them. " Oh, You're from Spain? What brings you here?"
"We're on our honeymoon." "Follow me, I got something special to show you..." and I'd show them the cool stuff.
Being British I have to say, I am SO jealous of you being able to have such an amazing lady as a monument. I think the closest we got over here is HMS Belfast which is in London. I've seen Belfast many times and had an 'off-limit' tour like this. As much as I love Belfast, nothing compares to a US BB. And respect to Hartwig and everyone else who died in 1989. If I what I gather is correct, I totally agree with never allowing those idiotic ghost teams onto Iowa.
One day Iowa, I'll come and see you.
Thanks so much for your kind words.
Since you're a Brit, are you aware of "Turbinia"? If not, check it out....
Turbinia, Warrior, Victory, Mary Rose...
Warrior's my favourite
James Neave indeed all good ones I hope we can add HMS Hermes and possible HMS Ocean to the set both great ships
They really should have preserved as a museum ship the last British operational battleship, HMS Vanguard. She was a beauty, too!
Oh god, yeah, Hermes is in trouble too. We'll park or next to warrior.
That was a real shame the way they tried to pin that turret blowing up on that sailor. Glad the truth came out and the perps were shamed. Great video! I live in Texas and plan on an extended tour of the battleship Texas one day,
Oh? Why did he have the ram 8 feet further in the barrel than it should had been?
Nice Tour. We were eagerly waiting for Another Battleship.
To release us from our Duty!!
Re-commisoning Crew USS-New Jersey BB-62. Hole Snipe in Number 4 Engine Room. Shaft #3.
First in place for Beirut. 11 months at Sea. Went every where from Boredom. We did various patterns for 6 months there.
YAWN!!?? LOL
On Iowa there is crew art on the face of the reduction gear, a three blade prop with the slogan "Engine room #4. The shortest shaft but the best screw."
I can see why you were so excited yesterday about getting the new mystery video together. Wow, impressive & very nice of you!
Fantastic tour guide. knew everything.
Thank you for the kind words.
Wow this was a remarkable Adam The Woo episode. Very professional, felt like I was watching PBS! keep up the great work man I can see the new equipment really got you inspired to go out there and give your followers some really high quality content. Great job Adam! =)
i hope we can hang on to all this information our fathers and grandfathers have. Incredible.
I think that's most detailed tour I've seen on youtube of any decommissioned ship. There might be another but having that guy give you a single walk around was really cool! The engineering that goes into building those big ships I'd amazing! Great vid Woo!
Fantastic tour. The guide sounds like he was an engineer at one point. He should have told you about the dangers of superheated steam. You cant see or hear it leaking but you can feel the temperature difference. It comes out at such a high pressure that it can cut metal. There was an old fasioned way to look for leaks and that was waving a broom handle up and down the passageway. Once the handle got sliced in half you knew you found the leak. People lost limbs and as he said if it hits you your dead
Yeah, I was a BT, active '71-'73, Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club '72. I steamed Babcock & Wilcox 450lb sectional header boilers on a fleet oiler.
Love the comment regarding the asbestos starter as he's in a room filled with miles of lagged pipework covered in the stuff.
Actually, there has been a good amount of abatement of asbestos in the 80's. The material that is on board is well encapsulated. We take care to not mess with any existing lagging. If a problem is found we deal with it right away.
Was amazing to watch from that perspective (I work in the field in the UK). Rarely get to see the internal areas of such a beautiful ship. Hope she's there for future generations
what make of boiler were they, did you see a name plate, Keewanne's ?
Babcock & Wilcox "M"-type 600 PSI
That's why there are lawyers that want us to come across with the Mesothelioma stories to help us and themselves to the $$ that a lot of us had to endure to this day. They want a piece of the action!! So sad what the govmnt has done to us and won't admit to it.
As a Power Engineer I thought it was so cool seeing the boiler and steam drum. i nice treat