Ship Photo of the Day

[Randy Daytona]

Thanks for doing these, I learn something from every post.

The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal is fascinating- some point blank action where battleships were unable to depress their guns low enough to hit enemy ships.

A couple of items that show the good fortune the US had were the 2 waves of Long Lance torpedo salvos (30+) that all missed the Washington and the South Dakota. Also if the IJN had decided to send their 16” gun battleships Nagato and Mutsu instead of the older 14” gunned Hiei and Kirishima, how would the battle have turned out? And if Japan had gone all in with the 18” Yamato and her newly commissioned sister Musashi, who knows…

The Musashi’s equivalent in time was the North Carolina class, the Iowas were newer. It took 19 torpedoes and 17 bombs to send that leviathan to the bottom. That said, Japanese AA guns were borderline atrocious, in particular the 25 mm, they also really didn’t seem to use a mid range 40mm equivalent nor did they have proximity fuzes for their heavy AA.



Musashi leaving Brunei in October 1944 for the Battle of Leyte Gulf, where she was sunk by air attack


Musashi, August 1942, seen from the bow


Emperor Hirohito and his staff on board Musashi, 24 June 1943.


Musashi under attack by American carrier aircraft during the Battle of Leyte Gulf


Musashi down by the bow after the air attacks, shortly before her sinking

 

[Griz882]

I can't read the entire placard. What was the badge actually signifying?

That the person was designated to design different camouflage designs for naval vessels while they were being built. They were a mix of artists and visual phenomena experts.

 

[Gatordev]

Interesting. Like an actual sanctioned and approved "Flygirlpainter."

 

[Randy Daytona]

Oddly enough, the last naval battle of WW2 was fought by sailing ships on 21 August 1945 off the coast of China. 2 junks under the command of LCDR Livingston Swentzel and 1LT Steuart Pittman engaged a Japanese Navy junk which had a 75mm howitzer. The Americans replied with bazookas and .50 cals.

The Last Naval Battle of World War II Was Fought by Sailing Ships

Despite immense technological advancements, the final naval engagement of the war wasn't fought between steel battleships or large aircraft carriers.

www.military.com

No Battleships or Aircraft Carriers: The Last Naval Battle of World War II Was Fought by Sailing Ships

Extraordinary World War II fact: the last naval battle of World War II was fought with old-school sailing ships.

www.19fortyfive.com

 

[Randy Daytona]

HMS Belfast is a Town class light cruiser. The first ship named after Belfast, Northern Ireland, she was commissioned on St Patrick’s Day 1938.

In November 1939, she struck a mine and was so severely damaged that she took 2 full years to be repaired. She returned for Arctic convoy duty to the Soviet Union, supported D-Day, transferred to the Pacific in 1945 and also fought in Korea.

On Trafalgar Day, 1971, she was opened as a museum ship on the on the River Thames where you can see her today.

Length: 613 ft, Beam: 63 ft, Displacement: 11,550 tons

80,000HP gave 32 knots

Main Armament: 12 (4x3) Mark XXIII 6” cannons (note: the center barrel is spaced 30” behind the left and right barrels for improved accuracy and more room in the turret)

HMS Belfast

HMS Belfast is a historic warship and museum, exploring stories of life on board during conflict and peace.

www.iwm.org.uk

Belfast at anchor in Sydney Harbour, August 1945.


Belfast arriving at Kure, Japan, in May 1950.


Belfast cruising alongside Ocean off Korea in 1952.

 

[Uncle Fester]

Some profoundly useless but interesting ship trivia, courtesy of your friends at USNI.

 

[Randy Daytona]

HMS Ocean, mentioned above with HMS Belfast, was one of 16 Colossus class light carrier. Built on a merchantman hull, it provided excellent service.

The Ocean actually had the last shipboard recovery of the famed Fairey Swordfish biplane torpedo bomber in November 1945, the first planned jet airplane recovery (De Havilland Vampire) one month later in December 1945 and in between did trials for the De Havilland Sea Hornet (twin piston) fighter. The test pilot, Commander Eric “Winkle” Brown, was quite the legend.

At that time, he had accumulated more than 18,000 flight hours, with over 8,000 hours as a test pilot. Captain Brown had flown 487 different aircraft types (not variants), a record which is unlikely to ever be broken. Brown made more landings on aircraft carriers than any other pilot, with 2407 landings, fixed wing, and 212 landings, helicopter. He made 2,721 catapult launches, both at sea and on land.

HMS Ocean (R68) | This Day in Aviation

www.thisdayinaviation.com

The first carrier landing and take-off of a jet aircraft in 1945



HMS Ocean off Korea in July 1952


Winkle Brown and the DH.100 Sea Vampire fly past HMS Ocean.



A landing signal officer guides Brown to land aboard HMS Ocean.



De Havilland Sea Vampire Mk.10 takes off from HMS Ocean, 3 December 1945. (BAE Systems)

 

[ChuckMK23]

Navy PA shot of CVN-78 Handler.

Appears to be wearing 5.11 Tactical pants - are these pants standard issue ?

 

[Llarry]

A colorized photo of pre-Dreadnought battleship USS Nebraska (BB 14). Nebraska was one of five ships of the Virginia class -- commissioned in 1906 and decommissioned in 1920. These ships had an unusual armament arrangement with twin 12-inchers in the lower part of the turret forward and aft and twin 8-inchers in the upper portion of the turret. The arrangement was awkward and the class considered unsuccessful.

 

[hlg6016]

Officer on the far right is wearing the mythical boat-cloak.

 

[Randy Daytona]

Following HMS Ark Royal, the Royal Navy determined that due to the proximity of land based aircraft in the North and Mediterranean Seas, their next aircraft carriers would need armored hangars and 3” thick armored flight decks. Although this cut the available hangar space in half due to weight concerns, it paid dividends in being able to survive battle damage. One of the Illustrious class was HMS Formidable, which accidentally launched itself and slid down the slipway.

Of note, after the war, a young 16 year old sailor joined the crew as an anti-aircraft gunner. He would eventually become the Royal Navy’s most famous officer, achieving the rank of Commander in 1962…


Formidable underway, 3 August 1942


Corsairs and Fairey Barracudas on deck, July 1944


Dent in the flight deck of Formidable


Aircraft wreckage after the kamikaze hit off Okinawa on 4 May 1945


Formidable on fire after the kamikaze hit on 4 May

 

[GroundPounder]

Following HMS Ark Royal, the Royal Navy determined that due to the proximity of land based aircraft in the North and Mediterranean Seas, their next aircraft carriers would need armored hangars and 3” thick armored flight decks. Although this cut the available hangar space in half due to weight concerns, it paid dividends in being able to survive battle damage. One of the Illustrious class was HMS Formidable, which accidentally launched itself and slid down the slipway.

Of note, after the war, a young 16 year old sailor joined the crew as an anti-aircraft gunner. He would eventually become the Royal Navy’s most famous officer, achieving the rank of Commander in 1962…

View attachment 39352
Formidable underway, 3 August 1942

View attachment 39353
Corsairs and Fairey Barracudas on deck, July 1944

View attachment 39354
Dent in the flight deck of Formidable

View attachment 39355
Aircraft wreckage after the kamikaze hit off Okinawa on 4 May 1945

View attachment 39356
Formidable on fire after the kamikaze hit on 4 May

I could have sworn he was seconded as an exchange submariner.

 

[Flash]

I could have sworn he was seconded as an exchange submariner.

Also a former Captain in the SAS, a Private who landed on D-Day and a Airborne Division commander as well.

 

[Randy Daytona]

HMS Argus was the first aircraft carrier with a full length deck. Converted from an ocean liner, she was commissioned in September 1918. Of note, she was part of the plan to lead a Pearl Harbor style torpedo attack on the battleships and battlecruisers of the High Seas Fleet based at Wilhelmshaven. Admiral Beatty’s plan was to use up to 120 Sopwith Cuckoos (the world’s first torpedo bomber) to catch the Kaiser's Navy at anchor but ships and aircraft were not ready before the armistice in November 1918.

Great article from the Royal Air Force on this little known torpedo attack plan below:

A Cuckoo in the Nest - RAF Museum

Blog post by Julian Hale about the Sopwith Cuckoo, the first purpose-designed carrier-borne torpedo bomber.

www.rafmuseum.org.uk

Argus in harbour in 1918, painted in dazzle camouflage


Five Sea Hurricanes and a single Seafire lined up in the hangar, c. 1942–1944


Argus at sea during Operation Torch in late 1942


Cuckoo launching practice torpedo

 

[AIRMMCPORET]

Also a former Captain in the SAS, a Private who landed on D-Day and an Airborne Division commander as well.

What his name?