I was in the Navy from 1980 -1987. Electronics Technician aboard the USS Acadia AD-42, but I hobnobbed with all my shipmates. They had details about their jobs and stories to tell that were fascinating. My ship was a destroyer tender. She did not have the big guns - 2x20mm cannon, 4x12.5 mm machine guns, and 2x40 mm grenade launchers - because we were classified as 'non-combatant'. We did have a helo deck, but only so helos could land for repairs. I've been watching your channel for a bit. It's wonderful to see the repairs happening on and to the USS Texas! I've only been a Texan since late 2018. I got to go aboard the Texas in early 2019. Your details, obvious experience, and stories of the Texas are wonderful. I have been liking and sharing as much as I can. Kudos!!!
Tom, thank you for your thorough and detailed explanations. Your incredibly hard work on these videos is not unnoticed. My wife and I love watching your videos as well as my nine year old and 12 year old sons. And they are still young and have a hard time sitting down for educational videos, but they love you and your videos.
The GOLD STANDARD in historic technical videos. Not only showing the parts, but adding detailed drawing to further illustrate the engineering craftsmanship. Fantastic job Tom! Looking forward for the next challenge! Will be passing this around to my friends and more eyes on Texas!
In addition, these guns and all the other armament aboard the Texas reveal how much engineering history and expertise went into the design, construction, and refits that went into this magnificent Lady. Riveting. Great stuff!
The ten 14" guns and six 5" guns on Texas are all original and were used by Texas during her career. All the AA guns on her now were not used by Texas but are historically accurate and are actual WWII-vintage because her original AA guns were still usable by the Navy so they took her AA guns that she used in WWII. During the dry dock in 1988-90 they decided to change TX's paint scheme to 1945 Pacific Blue after getting one of the greatest donations ever for a museum ship: 10 original intact USS Missouri quad 40mm guns and mounts after Missouri was recalled to service and modernized. So Texas is lucky she got all her current quad 40s from Missouri because Missouri would have definitely kept them for herself if she had retired and became a museum ship in the 1980s and never modernized. Missouri's configuration now is how she looked after the modernization and she has no guns except the big ones. Bunch of missile launchers though.
Absolutely fascinating! I've wondered how something that heavy could aim and fire, accurately, time after time. A very thorough explanation. Loved the photos, pictures and diagrams that helped explain it all. Thank you, very much!
This channel is incredible. He is a genius and I feel like I am listening to a high-level professor. Texas is lucky to have him as a volunteer. He goes over and above to give us educational videos.
Excellent explanation! Great illustrations! Outstanding presentation! This system was designed over 110 years ago, most likely by a Naval Academy grad engineer who received his education in the late 1800's. You just have to hand it to those who brought our Navy into the 20th century and beyond.
The beauty of your description and explanation is to illuminate the nameless technologists 120 years ago who imagined, engineered, and manufactured this remarkable machine. Curious if these guns were ever fired in anger ?
This was so much more interesting than I expected! I never considered how hard it would be to build a bearing for such a large gun. I always assumed they just used ball bearings or something.
Damnit! When I first saw these they reminded me of both roller and rocker bearings used on bridges. I was so close! But then I started thinking too much!
I dont understand your last statement. It implies these bearings were never used. I’m not getting the grammar or context in what you were trying to say. Awesome videos in any case and keep them coming. One day I would LOVE to hear more about the THRUST BLOCK in this ship and its associated systems and machinery
What I was trying to say is the design goal was to be completely friction free in operation. They probably are when perfectly adjusted and on a perfectly level mounting surface, so it is accurate to call it a frictionless bearing design. However, none of those conditions exist in actual use and there would likely be some level of friction due to unwanted contact between the trunnion and its mount. In spite of that, they would still present very low friction and achieve the needed result of reducing the effort needed to raise and lower the barrel.
Yes, the 14" gun trunnions also use frictionless bearings, but of a very different design. I think they are far more ingenious than this design, but I can't make a decent video of them. It's almost impossible to coherently discuss them without showing and handling their parts. However, that requires removing a 14" gun from its mounts, which is impossible.
great video - that bearing is a beautiful piece of engineering design, hope that designer got a pat on the back, its very nearly a floating bearing, wonderful and a very useful thing to consider with such forces against it, all the weight neatly triangulated, so well thought through i might just add my ten penneth of information, i doubt the part of the bearing you said to be Brass, was, it was more likely to be Bronze as used in many applications to deal with the heavy conditions at sea, a lot of parts used on yachts would be made in bronze, and even in things such as gearboxes, these become a useful thing because they require no oil to lubricate, bronze is in fact i believe to be self lubricating, i'm told, its very strong too with a high resistance to corrosion which brass doesn't, and in salt water and against any steel has a nasty galvanic corrosion limit (think that's right) someone will correct me
After the 5" 51's are fired, some number of times, can they be relined like the larger 14"ers, or do they have to be replaced? Is there a record of the recommended replacement interval?
Yes, they used built up construction and could be be relined similarly to 14" guns. Their rated life was 900 rounds of full charge armor piercing. However, only high capacity rounds were used in them by WWII and sometimes using reduced charges. This greatly increased their lives.
@@tomscotttheolderone364 Thanks. PS. Have you done a video on how the 5/51's were aimed and fired, both in the early years, and then in WWII? Did Texas get close enough in Operation Torch to use its 5/51's????? PS. I just saw a photo that I had never seen before. It showed the Texas having a "Tail Gun". A 5/51 in a sponson at the exact rear of the ship, 25' above the waterline.
@@billkallas1762 I will probably be making a video about the operation and aiming of the 5"/51cal guns in the future. The 5" guns were fired 6 times during North Africa, but I don't know what the targets were. They were fired more than 600 times at Normandy and 3,500 times at Iwo Jima and Okinawa.
someone had to figure all this out without high tech computers. i'm not sure our education system is really all that great. i state this as i met a 7 year old at the barber shop the other day, found out he is 3 grades ahead due to his (intelligence, education at home?) who asked me if i had a calculator. i said i did not. he said he was so sorry for me as i could not do math. (yes he said that). i said i can do math with a stick (pencil). he said that his honors level math teacher said it can not be done without a calculator. i got paper and showed him it could. he said he was going to ask his teacher how i could work math with a stick. these guys did awesome physics with a stick, but they had to figure it out first
I was in the Navy from 1980 -1987. Electronics Technician aboard the USS Acadia AD-42, but I hobnobbed with all my shipmates. They had details about their jobs and stories to tell that were fascinating.
My ship was a destroyer tender. She did not have the big guns - 2x20mm cannon, 4x12.5 mm machine guns, and 2x40 mm grenade launchers - because we were classified as 'non-combatant'. We did have a helo deck, but only so helos could land for repairs.
I've been watching your channel for a bit. It's wonderful to see the repairs happening on and to the USS Texas!
I've only been a Texan since late 2018. I got to go aboard the Texas in early 2019.
Your details, obvious experience, and stories of the Texas are wonderful.
I have been liking and sharing as much as I can.
Kudos!!!
Got to repeat it: This is basically THE USS TEXAS RUclips Channel!
Tom, thank you for your thorough and detailed explanations. Your incredibly hard work on these videos is not unnoticed. My wife and I love watching your videos as well as my nine year old and 12 year old sons. And they are still young and have a hard time sitting down for educational videos, but they love you and your videos.
Thank you, those are very kind things to say!
The GOLD STANDARD in historic technical videos. Not only showing the parts, but adding detailed drawing to further illustrate the engineering craftsmanship. Fantastic job Tom! Looking forward for the next challenge!
Will be passing this around to my friends and more eyes on Texas!
In addition, these guns and all the other armament aboard the Texas reveal how much engineering history and expertise went into the design, construction, and refits that went into this magnificent Lady.
Riveting. Great stuff!
The ten 14" guns and six 5" guns on Texas are all original and were used by Texas during her career. All the AA guns on her now were not used by Texas but are historically accurate and are actual WWII-vintage because her original AA guns were still usable by the Navy so they took her AA guns that she used in WWII. During the dry dock in 1988-90 they decided to change TX's paint scheme to 1945 Pacific Blue after getting one of the greatest donations ever for a museum ship: 10 original intact USS Missouri quad 40mm guns and mounts after Missouri was recalled to service and modernized. So Texas is lucky she got all her current quad 40s from Missouri because Missouri would have definitely kept them for herself if she had retired and became a museum ship in the 1980s and never modernized. Missouri's configuration now is how she looked after the modernization and she has no guns except the big ones. Bunch of missile launchers though.
Absolutely fascinating! I've wondered how something that heavy could aim and fire, accurately, time after time. A very thorough explanation. Loved the photos, pictures and diagrams that helped explain it all. Thank you, very much!
So brilliant, so simple, so smart
Not going to lie, I was suprised to figure this one out! Thanks for the research challenge!
Thank you for helping to preserve history Tom! She was built to last
excellent diagrams! thanks again, Tom!
Amazing how such a small thing can be so interesting! Thanks again!
The amount of technical knowledge and the way you present it makes this channel just a pure gold.
Your channel is such a hidden gem ❤
This channel is incredible. He is a genius and I feel like I am listening to a high-level professor. Texas is lucky to have him as a volunteer. He goes over and above to give us educational videos.
As usual, a detailed but understandable presentation. Now I am embarrassed by my guess. Thanks.
Excellent explanation! Great illustrations! Outstanding presentation! This system was designed over 110 years ago, most likely by a Naval Academy grad engineer who received his education in the late 1800's. You just have to hand it to those who brought our Navy into the 20th century and beyond.
As a bearing salesman I am amazed at this assembly...wow!
The beauty of your description and explanation is to illuminate the nameless technologists 120 years ago who imagined, engineered, and manufactured this remarkable machine. Curious if these guns were ever fired in anger ?
Yes, many many times at Normandy, Iwo Jima and Okinawa!
@@tomscotttheolderone364 Wow ! I had no idea. THANK YOU again !!!
Thanks Tom! I have always had an interest in Battleship Texas
Way to explain it Tom, can't wait to get down and meet you! These are what my opa would have had on the USS Frederick I'm guessing during WW1.
This was so much more interesting than I expected! I never considered how hard it would be to build a bearing for such a large gun. I always assumed they just used ball bearings or something.
Thanks for the excellent video. Having worked with trunnion ball valves, I couldn't imagine what was meant by "frictionless". Now I know.
Amazing engineering for the time. Great video again.
Genius engineering. Those guys really knew what they were doing.
Simple and brilliant!
once again fascinating knowledge about something i didnt know id be fascinated by!
Amazing technology thank you so much for sharing!
Damnit! When I first saw these they reminded me of both roller and rocker bearings used on bridges. I was so close! But then I started thinking too much!
:)
Love this your a super engineer 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉 live learning from you
Great videos, thanks!
I dont understand your last statement. It implies these bearings were never used. I’m not getting the grammar or context in what you were trying to say. Awesome videos in any case and keep them coming. One day I would LOVE to hear more about the THRUST BLOCK in this ship and its associated systems and machinery
What I was trying to say is the design goal was to be completely friction free in operation. They probably are when perfectly adjusted and on a perfectly level mounting surface, so it is accurate to call it a frictionless bearing design. However, none of those conditions exist in actual use and there would likely be some level of friction due to unwanted contact between the trunnion and its mount. In spite of that, they would still present very low friction and achieve the needed result of reducing the effort needed to raise and lower the barrel.
Great video with excellent explanation. Do the main guns have a similar system?
Yes, the 14" gun trunnions also use frictionless bearings, but of a very different design. I think they are far more ingenious than this design, but I can't make a decent video of them. It's almost impossible to coherently discuss them without showing and handling their parts. However, that requires removing a 14" gun from its mounts, which is impossible.
great video - that bearing is a beautiful piece of engineering design, hope that designer got a pat on the back, its very nearly a floating bearing, wonderful and a very useful thing to consider with such forces against it, all the weight neatly triangulated, so well thought through
i might just add my ten penneth of information, i doubt the part of the bearing you said to be Brass, was, it was more likely to be Bronze as used in many applications to deal with the heavy conditions at sea, a lot of parts used on yachts would be made in bronze, and even in things such as gearboxes, these become a useful thing because they require no oil to lubricate, bronze is in fact i believe to be self lubricating, i'm told, its very strong too with a high resistance to corrosion which brass doesn't, and in salt water and against any steel has a nasty galvanic corrosion limit (think that's right) someone will correct me
once more with feeling!
Just to clarify... the wedge was on the forward side (muzzle side) of the trunnion, correct?
Yes
Love It.
After the 5" 51's are fired, some number of times, can they be relined like the larger 14"ers, or do they have to be replaced? Is there a record of the recommended replacement interval?
Yes, they used built up construction and could be be relined similarly to 14" guns. Their rated life was 900 rounds of full charge armor piercing. However, only high capacity rounds were used in them by WWII and sometimes using reduced charges. This greatly increased their lives.
@@tomscotttheolderone364 Thanks.
PS. Have you done a video on how the 5/51's were aimed and fired, both in the early years, and then in WWII?
Did Texas get close enough in Operation Torch to use its 5/51's?????
PS. I just saw a photo that I had never seen before. It showed the Texas having a "Tail Gun". A 5/51 in a sponson at the exact rear of the ship, 25' above the waterline.
@@billkallas1762 I will probably be making a video about the operation and aiming of the 5"/51cal guns in the future. The 5" guns were fired 6 times during North Africa, but I don't know what the targets were. They were fired more than 600 times at Normandy and 3,500 times at Iwo Jima and Okinawa.
@@tomscotttheolderone364 Thanks. I'd love to see that.
How often were the 5" guns fired during Texas' WWII service?
They were fired in anger 3,885 times during WWII. Almost 70% of that was at Okinawa.
@@tomscotttheolderone364 thanks!
someone had to figure all this out without high tech computers.
i'm not sure our education system is really all that great. i state this as i met a 7 year old at the barber shop the other day, found out he is 3 grades ahead due to his (intelligence, education at home?) who asked me if i had a calculator. i said i did not. he said he was so sorry for me as i could not do math. (yes he said that). i said i can do math with a stick (pencil). he said that his honors level math teacher said it can not be done without a calculator. i got paper and showed him it could. he said he was going to ask his teacher how i could work math with a stick.
these guys did awesome physics with a stick, but they had to figure it out first
They built this without computers. USA! USA! USA!
Not true. They had computers. Human ones. "Computer" was a job title.
When they scrapped New York they probably didn't keep anything like this for the future 😟
@0:20 the mechanism looks like a saucy sammich