USS Iowa Turret Tour: Scary

"Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura) 01/27/2018 at 21:18 • Filed to: None

3

13

Maxima Speed > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 01/27/2018 at 21:26

1

Haven’t watched the video yet (internet too slow right now). However, having been on board and inside the turrets of the USS North Carolina, I would agree that scary is an apt description, although I prefer awe inspiring :)

Ash78, voting early and often > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 01/27/2018 at 21:30

0

I went in the USS Alabama (a similar South Dakota class ship) about 6 months ago. The main turrets and, well, all the turrets were pretty horrid. It was South Pacific weather that day, too. 90s with very high humidity. Unreal conditions even in peacetime.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 01/27/2018 at 21:51

0

The primer man is the craziest fucking job on a battleship. To be in a tiny pocket, next to the gun when its raised and fired. bonkers.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 01/27/2018 at 22:42

0

Twice I’ve had the privilege of spending the night on the USS Kidd. Both times were with the Scouts. The first time I made the mistake of being the last one into the hold, so I got stuck with the top bunk. They are stacked three high, so there was barely any room between me and the deck. I couldn’t even sit up in the bunk.

The ship is set up so tourists can actually operate a lot of the equipment and the have dummy rounds that you can pass back and forth from the ammo room into the turret. It’s amazing those sailors could operate everything on a pitching sea. The experience really gave me a whole new respect for the men that served.

RacinBob > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 01/28/2018 at 13:08

0

Enjoy the Iowa Turret operator’s manual

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > RacinBob 01/28/2018 at 19:58

0

That is nuts. So many ways to die.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Ash78, voting early and often 01/28/2018 at 19:59

0

Unimaginable.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > gmporschenut also a fan of hondas 01/28/2018 at 20:02

0

Bonkers.

Covers it.

RacinBob > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 01/28/2018 at 20:56

0

Well Said. When I took a tour the New Jersey in Philadelphia harbor. They let you stick your head through the hatch to get a gander of the turret guns.

Something I had not known till I saw it on the tour is that there is a ship’s control section that is part of the main bridge that is armoured as well as the gun turrets.

It’s intention is to withstand shell damage to the superstructure and allow navigation control by the survivors inside. I concluded that those on the bridge were not necessarily expected to survive a shooting battle.  

Tyler did an article on it .

https://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/iowa-class-battleships-had-vault-like-conning-towers-bu-1737002503

RacinBob > RacinBob 01/28/2018 at 21:00

0

PS - have your own virtual tour here

http://www.latimes.com/visuals/photography/la-tr-battleship-iowa-pano-htmlstory.html

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > RacinBob 01/28/2018 at 21:14

0

...I concluded that those on the bridge were not necessarily expected to survive a shooting battle...

Or they simply couldn’t do enough armoring to clad the entire bridge.

RacinBob > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 01/28/2018 at 21:24

1

The bridge needs windows and doors so maybe claddding would not be such a good deal. If they were clad, they probably figured if a shell, bullet or fragment went through the window or door into the bridge, it would probably be better to let it keep traveling out the other side rather than bounce around the inside....

RacinBob > RacinBob 01/28/2018 at 21:30

0

By the way, Is this Harry Morgan doing the narration?