Warship Appreciation Thread

[Bear Ribs]

APL-8 Berthing Barge in Manila Bay.



APL-15 Berthing Barge at Nashville, TN.

Berthing Barges, or Barracks Ships, are a bit undersung units that provide floating living quarters and support for upwards of 500 sailors, typically temporarily while their ship is being overhauled or they are used as training vessels to get green sailors accustomed to what it's like to berth on a ship. They typically have no engines of their own but do come with mess halls, berths, wardrooms and all the crew needs. They're often compared in appearance to Noah's Ark.

 

[Bacle]

Yes, ships in row on the right are British, the group in the distance are American.

Spoiler

It is interesting to contrast the two world wars, here the US was the junior partner deploying a fleet which was integrated into the RN and served under overall British command. The RN trained them up, taught them British gunnery drills and tactics before deploying as a joint force.
Decades later you see that reversed with the RN Pacific fleet forming a part of the US fleet under US command learning the art of long range carrier ops and forming an element of the joint force.

As an aside the US contribution was designated the 6th Battlesquadron (The 5th were built around the QE class) and after a lot of drill were considered able to sail with the Grand Fleet as equals. Toward the end of the war the Germans tried one last sortie sailing their entire fleet out with the Grand Fleet deployed to meet them. Both sides missed each other so there was no battle, but due to the order of deployment at the time the US fleet happened to be at the front.
If that battle had happened, the probable last great battleship fight, it would have been the USN leading the way. Hopefully not getting sunk in the process

The alternate is also true, if the US had missed Yamato and failed to spot her sudden change of course the closest allied force was the RN Pacific fleet which would have been the first point of contact in a surface fight.

And old lady Texas was there for all of it; I expect she's one of the US ships in that image.

 

[Knowledgeispower]

Less "a ship" and more "a fleet."

This is the Grand Fleet in the Firth of Forth, one of its two principle bases in the Great War alongside Scapa Flow.

I find it to be both a majestic and painful reminder that Britannia once ruled the waves.

One day she might have a much larger fleet but in this era of dumb politicans it won't be for awhile

 

[Bacle]

 

[The Whispering Monk]

Still cheaper than a new boat IIRC.

 

[Bacle]

Still cheaper than a new boat IIRC.

$10M is actually a lot cheaper than I thought the damage might be, for a sub like that.

 

[gral]

$10M is actually a lot cheaper than I thought the damage might be, for a sub like that.

Mind you, this is just for the sonar. But even if the total repair costs 100 million, it would still be way cheaper than the worst possible case(which is constructive total loss).

 

[Aaron Fox]

Remember, the sonar dome is in its own compartment, which makes repairs far easier and cheaper.

 

[Bacle]

Japan looking at getting it's own SSGNs.

 

[Husky_Khan]

Battleship USS New Mexico transiting the Panama Canal in 1924.

Launched too late for service in World War One, having been commissioned in 1918, it earned six battle stars in World War Two mostly doing shore bombardment and gunfire support in the Pacific War.

Sauce

 

[Doomsought]

Does anyone know a good source on the radio transmitters on WWII era warships? Things like their wattage and effective range?

 

[killerofa23]

Battleship USS New Mexico transiting the Panama Canal in 1924.

Launched too late for service in World War One, having been commissioned in 1918, it earned six battle stars in World War Two mostly doing shore bombardment and gunfire support in the Pacific War.

Sauce

I think everything Colorado and before did mainly shore bombardment and the fast battleships I.e. North Carolina ,South Dakota class and iowas did the anti air escorts for the carriers

 

[Bacle]

I think everything Colorado and before did mainly shore bombardment and the fast battleships I.e. North Carolina ,South Dakota class and iowas did the anti air escorts for the carriers

Pretty much.

IIRC, the only time the Standards actually engaged in a fight with other ships was at Surigao Strait, and that was more of an ambush than a real fight.

There was a plan to let the battleship squadrons take out the Yamato during her suicide run, but the carrier admirals decided to use air power instead (less risk when they sunk Musashi the same way versus sending ships into range of Yams 18.1 guns).

Though I think the New Mexico's spent most of thier time in the Atlantic to ward off surface raiders/guard against Tirpitz trying to break out, and only transferred to the Pacific once she was sunk.

 

[Knowledgeispower]

Pretty much.

IIRC, the only time the Standards actually engaged in a fight with other ships was at Surigao Strait, and that was more of an ambush than a real fight.

There was a plan to let the battleship squadrons take out the Yamato during her suicide run, but the carrier admirals decided to use air power instead (less risk when they sunk Musashi the same way versus sending ships into range of Yams 18.1 guns).

Though I think the New Mexico's spent most of thier time in the Atlantic to ward off surface raiders/guard against Tirpitz trying to break out, and only transferred to the Pacific once she was sunk.

They got transferred post Pearl Harbor and are largely the reason why at the time of Midway the Pacific fleet had six battleships fit for battle stationed on the West Coast

 

[bintananth]

Pretty much.

IIRC, the only time the Standards actually engaged in a fight with other ships was at Surigao Strait, and that was more of an ambush than a real fight.

There was a plan to let the battleship squadrons take out the Yamato during her suicide run, but the carrier admirals decided to use air power instead (less risk when they sunk Musashi the same way versus sending ships into range of Yams 18.1 guns).

Though I think the New Mexico's spent most of thier time in the Atlantic to ward off surface raiders/guard against Tirpitz trying to break out, and only transferred to the Pacific once she was sunk.

Two fast battleships also got tossed into Ironbottom Sound when the US basically ran out of heavy cruisers.

South Dakota took a beating but survived. Kirishima also took a beating. She did not survive because Washington was also there and 8x14" won't win when facing 18x16" no matter how badly the side with more firepower screws it up ... which the US did.

 

[Bacle]

Two fast battleships also got tossed into Ironbottom Sound when the US basically ran out of heavy cruisers.

South Dakota took a beating but survived. Kirishima also took a beating. She did not survive because Washington was also there and 8x14" won't win when facing 18x16" no matter how badly the side with more firepower screws it up ... which the US did.

Fast battleships =/= Standard battleships; we all know what happened at Ironbottom, but it's not relevant to the discussion about the Standard's.

 

[bintananth]

Fast battleships =/= Standard battleships; we all know what happened at Ironbottom, but it's not relevant to the discussion about the Standard's.

Two standards instead would not have ended well for the Japanese because two super-dreadnoughts v. one heavily modified and refitted battlecruiser is not a fair fight.

 

[Bacle]

Two standards instead would not have ended well for the Japanese because two super-dreadnoughts v. one heavily modified and refitted battlecruiser is not a fair fight.

...sure, if that had actually happened; but it didn't, and the only reason SoDak didn't gut Kirishima on her own was because of the damn electrical failure.

 

[bintananth]

...sure, if that had actually happened; but it didn't, and the only reason SoDak didn't gut Kirishima on her own was because of the damn electrical failure.

There's a reason why the buddy system exists.

 

[Husky_Khan]

Hosho around December 1922, the first purpose built aircraft carrier.

Sauce