Ship Photo of the Day

[Randy Daytona]

On March 31, 1992, USS Missouri was decommissioned for the last time. Thought a photo of her and the USS Arizona memorial would be nice on the anniversary today.

As a further followup on anti-aircraft capabilities, I mentioned Wayne Scarpaci's book US Battleship Conversion Projects 1942-1965, had some very interesting information which I had not seen previously. There was an Iowa Class Improvement Design which:
a) widened the hull from 108' to 120' for increased torpedo defense
b) trunked the 2 funnels into 1
c) eliminated all 20mm Oerkilons and replaced the quad 40mm Bofors with twin automatic 3" guns (smallest caliber at the time that could use proximity fuzed shells)
d) rearranged the dual 5"/38 cal dual purpose guns to have 4 mounts per side and a single mount fore and aft (like contemporary cruisers)

There was also a design for an anti-aircraft version (artwork shows the never completed USS Kentucky, BB-66) which instead of having the triple 16" turrets had instead 4 turrets of 4 guns each mounting the automatic 8" cannons of the Des Moines class heavy cruisers. At the time, the Navy was working on a sabot 4" round fired from the cannons that was steerable and had rockets for long range anti-aircraft defense. (Arrow/Zeus shell) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAM-N-8_Zeus

For those looking for Mr. Scarpaci's books and artwork, here is a link. I may get "The Four Sisters" print for my media room - the original painting is on the Iowa. http://www.artbywayne.net/

 

[Randy Daytona]

With the USNS Mercy and USNS Comfort being called up for the Coronavirus pandemic, thought a few photos and articles would be appropriate. Based on the San-Clemente class Panamax sized oil tankers, (894 ft long, 106 ft wide, 65,500 tons), these are some big ships with 1,000 hospital beds and 80 intensive care units each.

The steam power plant ships are getting old. (commissioned as tankers in 1975, transferred to the Navy in 1986.) In 2018, the Navy proposed decommissioning one of the ships in 2021, but was blocked by Congress. Good article today in Defense News about the ships.

The US Navyâs hospital ships in the COVID-19 fight badly need replacing

The ships helping fight the COVID-19 outbreaks in New York City and L.A. need replacing, but the Navy doesn't have a clear path forward.

www.defensenews.com

A Look at the U.S. Navy Hospital Ships Sent to Battle the Coronavirus

The Comfort and Mercy will provide support to land hospitals overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients.

www.popularmechanics.com

USNS Mercy - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

USNS Mercy alongside the Lincoln


A U.S. Navy Seahawk helicopter on the helicopter landing pad of USNS Comfort, Puerto Rico, 2017.




Mercy anchored off Jolo, Philippines in June 2006.

 

[Flash]

China’s first amphibious assault ship, a Landing Helicopter Dock known as Type 075, was launched in Shanghai on Thursday.

What caught my eye was the following: Some five months after the first pictures emerged of its keel under construction, China has launched its first Type 075 landing helicopter dock amphibious assault ship, or LHD, at the Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard in Shanghai.

Length: 820' 3" Beam: 95' 5" Displacement: 35,000+ tons

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https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zo...redibly-quickly-built-amphibious-assault-ship
https://news.usni.org/2019/09/27/china-launches-first-type-075-big-deck-amphibious-warship

Good pictures. On a recent trip to China I came to the impr Scion that the Chinese can build things fast, but not very well. While a lovely ship, I would be interested to see if it could hold up to a pounding.

Yeah, about that "fast, but not very well"...

 

[Griz882]

Yeah, about that "fast, but not very well"...

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I’m pretty certain a pangolin started that fire. They’re not happy with the the Chinese right now.

 

[Jim123]

With the USNS Mercy and USNS Comfort

A couple of fun facts about them, especially for people who are interested in naval architecture.

Inside the skin the ship is a series of "buckets" in a row, fore to aft, and the watertight doors between them aren't on the lower levels. That is, if you want to walk the length of the ship, you have to be several levels above the waterline. If you're in a space that is on one of the lower levels and you want to go to another space on the same level but in a different bucket, then you have to go up a few flights of stairs (er, ladders, but they're not very steep, unlike warships), across, then down. The Titanic's construction was also buckets, not the "watertight compartments" that is used in a lot of descriptions of that ship.

The picture of the two helicopters is taken from the forward superstructure, facing aft. The helicopter in the background is sitting where the temporary hangar goes. The temporary hangar looks like a giant tent (obviously it's a lot stronger than just a mere tent) that is more or less bolted on to that part of the flight deck. The ship has the facilities you'd except for an air capable ship- fuel, fire fighting, storage, comms/HCO station.

@squorch2 and I deployed on COMFORT, many many years ago. He'll probably remember some more stuff (and hopefully I haven't screwed up any details).

 

[HAL Pilot]

That is, if you want to walk the length of the ship, you have to be several levels above the waterline. If you're in a space that is on one of the lower levels and you want to go to another space on the same level but in a different bucket, then you have to go up a few flights of stairs (er, ladders, but they're not very steep, unlike warships), across, then down.

If I remember right, that’s standard in the CVN. You can only walk the length of the ship on the main deck or 03 level. Otherwise it’s up, over and back down.

 

[squorch2]

Lots of fun memories from Comfort.

She’s sort of NVD capable... (this is looking aft from the tower, you can see the lineup line)

here’s the hangar/shelter


Non-pier, non-aviation paxfers were done by boat - people got into a lifeboat, lowered away, and hopped in another boat to go to shore. One guy lost a finger to the process.


Army bubbas make sloooowwww approaches


all in all, a pretty good time tho

 

[Jim123]

Not really sure who was flying in this shot. (Simultaneous small boat ops and flight ops... wonders never cease.)

 

[nittany03]

On March 31, 1992, USS Missouri was decommissioned for the last time. Thought a photo of her and the USS Arizona memorial would be nice on the anniversary today.

Was hoping to get promoted on her during RIMPAC before all this pandemic bullshit kicked off.

 

[Griz882]

Lots of fun memories from Comfort.
Non-pier, non-aviation paxfers were done by boat - people got into a lifeboat, lowered away, and hopped in another boat to go to shore. One guy lost a finger to the process.
View attachment 25098

Perfect example of right place/right time!

 

[AllAmerican75]

Inside the skin the ship is a series of "buckets" in a row, fore to aft, and the watertight doors between them aren't on the lower levels.

So the use of transverse bulkheads (the dividing line between the "buckets") is pretty common in ship construction so that there are sections of the ship that are completely floodable without affecting the rest of the ship. This makes damage control much easier and manageable.

I've also noticed that many older ships (Comfort and Mercy were originally laid down on the 1970s) don't have the ability to pass through transverse bulkheads below the waterline. Mount Whitney is the same way. The small boys aren't like this, with only the engineering spaces being divided in this manner. That may just be because they have fewer spaces below the waterline.

 

[Randy Daytona]

A few more photos of USS Laffey (DD-724), which survived a massive kamikaze attack 16 April 1945. The writeup from the Navy Historical Society was superb.

During the 80-minute attack, Laffey had shot down at least eight aircraft and damaged the six kamikaze that hit her. Moreover, she had been damaged by four direct bombs hits (plus bombs carried by the kamikaze). Laffey’s heroic crew suffered 32 dead and 71 (or 72) wounded.

The Laffey survived the war and is museum back home in South Carolina (Patriots' Point in Charleston with the USS Yorktown)


USS Laffey (DD-724), photographed from USS PCE-851, on Okinawa Radar Picket Station Number 1 after being hit by kamikaze aircraft and bombs, and sustaining several near misses, 16 April 1945


View of extensive damage to Laffey's aft 5-inch/38-caliber gun mount (Mount 53). The damaged frame of the destroyer's starboard depth-charge rack is visible in the right foreground


USS Laffey (DD-724), severely damaged by bombs and kamikaze hits some 30 nautical miles northwest of Okinawa, on 16 April 1945. This view shows the Group 21 20-mm guns on Laffey's starboard side, abreast of her bridge

H-045-1: Ordeal of USS Laffey (DD-724)

H-Gram 045, Attachment 1 Samuel J. Cox, Director NHHC April 2020

www.history.navy.mil

 

[Randy Daytona]

With the Marine Corps looking for new, smaller, cheaper amphibious ships, perhaps the Corps should - strange as it may seem - look to the Army.

The General Frank S. Besson class of 8 logistics support vessels are the largest ships in the Army, measuring 273 ft long, beam of 60 ft and draft only 12 ft at a maximum 4266 tons. The last 2 constituted a subclass that were 315 ft long, beam of 60 ft and a draft of 13 ft at a maximum of 6000 tons. The range is 5,500 NM at 12 knots.


Side by side comparison between the first 6 of the class on the left and the last 2 on the right which have a bow better suited for the open ocean



Right up on the beach


Hinged bow on the last two





2 more were sold to the Philippines in the 1990's - these included a helicopter landing spot aft.

 

[nittany03]

With the Marine Corps looking for new, smaller, cheaper amphibious ships, perhaps the Corps should - strange as it may seem - look to the Army.

The General Frank S. Besson class of 8 logistics support vessels are the largest ships in the Army, measuring 273 ft long, beam of 60 ft and draft only 12 ft at a maximum 4266 tons. The last 2 constituted a subclass that were 315 ft long, beam of 60 ft and a draft of 13 ft at a maximum of 6000 tons. The range is 5,500 NM at 12 knots.

Once worked with an Army CWO who gave me a hard time a couple of times on how Navy ships needed an O-5 and O-6 captain, while Army ships were all commanded by CWO5s.

 

[Max the Mad Russian]

while Army ships were all commanded by CWO5s.

AFAIK very these eight LSVs are usually commanded by former USN Shoe or USCG MSR vets or O-4 board dropouts, who hold the new rank of Army CWO.

BTW, the Russian Navy LSTs of Project 775 (NATO Ropucha-class, all built in then-commie'd Poland), being the main gator force of Russian Navy, are generally of the same landing abilities as those US Army LSVs except for the weaponry to support the direct shore landing, but even lesser tank load: 10-13 T-90s vs 15 Abrams'. Now 16 are in commission, the so-called Syrian Express as a logistics train to support Russian military in Syria, mostly rests in these decks. I once had been at sea on one of them: fucking terrible flat-bottom rocking pitch, vomit stains all around the ship. If US Army LSVs are flat-bottomed too, it's no wonder the seasoned Coasties run them