Battleship Texas, Getting Loaded in a 14" Turret

We are going inside the turrets to discuss manning and loading procedures for one of the ship's big 14" guns.

[@nunyabussiness4054]

About 60 years ago my brother and i climbed into one of the turrets and i laid on the loading tray and he pushed me into the gun by my feet. I still remember looking at the rifling inches from my face.

[@tomscotttheolderone364]

I bet your mom was thrilled with the condition of your clothes when you were pulled out!

[@gwrstudios5181]

@@tomscotttheolderone364 atlesst the gun was cleaned

[@emiliocastaneda4294]

America, im so proud.

[@fishereq]

Wait you lost your legs or something?

[@peterwallace9764]

Lucky he didn’t pull the trigger…….🤣😖😂👋🏻👍🏻

[@CRAZYHORSE19682003]

As a veteran of the USS Iowa I really want to come visit the USS Texas one day. I was a gunners mate in 16 inch turret one.

[@charlescollins9413]

I would’ve loved to see a 16” gun fire at least once but i know that’ll never happen..

[@scottdoubleyou563]

@Old Guy Gaming Network Thank You for your service Sir.

[@FavioredValkyrie]

@@charlescollins9413 You may one day see a 16' gun fire the Iowa class battleships are placed in active reserve. They still belong to the US Navy.

[@helicoptersauce]

@@FavioredValkyrie most likely not any time soon as they age and increase in obsolescence

[@nahhh...]

Thank you for your services, sir

[@d.sparkes346]

Couldn’t imagine how difficult it must have been in a battle situation. The incredible noise, heat, smells, confined spaces.. Great film, thanks for posting!

[@justawanderer843]

And then you get hit...

[@Vincent98987]

@@justawanderer843 and then.. non penetrate

[@justawanderer843]

@@Vincent98987 but then there's spalling

[@weatheranddarkness]

even under the best circumstances I can't imagine not coming away with debilitating hearing loss for life, being stuck inside a can shooting any size gun is crazy.

[@paulgrimm6850]

Hard to imagine The Texas is as old as The Titanic.Thank You for your detailed presentation

[@davidknows3320]

That opening shot of Texas was amazing! Striking and beautiful!

[@tomscotttheolderone364]

Thanks, I accidentally ran across that not long ago and fell in love with it. Fortunately, it is in the public domain. It and a photo of the ship belching coal smoke are two of my favorite photos of the ship at sea. The coal smoke photo can be seen at the beginning of the "Starboard Engine Room Lower Grate" video.

[@davidknows3320]

@@tomscotttheolderone364 going there now! Thanks for the tip. LOL

[@bartk07]

Tom Scott, the Older One, Battleship New Jersey and Drachinifel (regardless of the order) - 3 best WWII navy and battleship channels on YT. You should definetely meet on screen sometimes.

[@tomscotttheolderone364]

Thanks, but I think it would be the equivalent of me taking a knife to a gun fight when it comes to knowledge. What I know is mainly confined to Battleship Texas except where I need more to better understand a system or context. So, I'd be pretty quiet if we got together.

[@whyjnot420]

@@tomscotttheolderone364 Honestly I think it would be an interesting mix. With Drachinifel you have someone with a range of knowledge, with Ryan from New Jersey you have a combo of a decent amount of broad knowledge but moreso specialized knowledge on New Jersey, then with you there is a ton of highly specialized knowledge on a specific ship. Personally I think that could make for some interesting conversations since each of you has different strengths to your respective knowledge. I think a conversation between you and Ryan from New Jersey, comparing the two ships and how things changed or stayed similar over the years between Texas and New Jersey, would be pretty interesting to hear. Afterall, in terms of surviving ships, Texas and New Jersey represent the beginning and the end of the dreadnought style (perhaps I should simply say 'all big gun') of battleship.

[@whyjnot420]

@Richard D Redner They would just need to set some limits, to make sure that Drach doesn't just ramble on for 6 hours (ffs, how many times have I listened to him go on about something for that long....). I would propose a ratio of 5:3:1 for Mr. Scott here : Ryan : Drach. For every min that Drach gets to speak, Ryan gets 3 and Tom gets 5. (As anyone who reads this might know, that is a very specific ratio, from a very specific treaty.... and yes, it means that Drach is France, since we know how much he loves their pre-ww1 designs.... Ryan would be Japan, fitting for the curator of that particular ship and of course Tom Scott would be America because Texas. :D) edit: and of course, I will be the master of typos >.< edit 2: addendum: 3 different foci (for anyone asking, yes this is the plural of focus, for the pedants among us, 'focuses' means 'to focus'), 1 common theme. This to me says good times. Nobody gives a F about an echo chamber where everyone says the same thing. And when people are all off on their own separate thing, it is just dumb. 3 distinct people/wealths of knowledge coming at the same subject.... that is the kind of setup that can generate some great dicussions. (btw, I just try to use more words more often, yep I am a pedant and I do love my nitpicking, though mainly for fun and my own education, but moreso I just like words, I can be a PITA that way :D also remember, typing something out or writing it out, makes it so you are more likely to remember it in the future than simply making a mental note of something will, so feel free to ignore this tangent.)

[@jimtalbott9535]

@@tomscotttheolderone364 Don’t feel your perceived lack of knowledge is a bad thing - you just have DIFFERENT knowledge - AND don’t forget, you have something Drach doesn’t have - an actual battleship! That’s an awesome fact right there!

[@thundercracker2004]

@@tomscotttheolderone364 you need an epic collaboration with Ryan Syzmanski.

[@johnlazlo1908]

I did a sleep over many years ago on the USS New Jersey. Was cool sleeping in the bunks and eating dinner there. Life time bucket list.

[@MrPenguinLife]

Thanks for the video, my grandfather served on the Texas in the 1920's, it is hard to believe he started serving aboard it nearly a hundred years ago.

[@GVBiggs524]

Wow!

[@BrainDamage0001]

105 to be exact today

[@BrainDamage0001]

It started manufacturing in 1912 and was completed in 1914 befor America joined the first world war but never really got much combat don't blame them wouldn't want to fight the biggest and baddest ship at that time but in ww2 is when it got some great action on d day

[@sharpshooter13ify]

Fun fact, following the Normandy landing the ship was known for a somewhat odd way of supporting troops at the edge of its main guns range. The reason why is because the captain ordered if I remember correctly the starboard torpedo blister to be flooded so it could gain the extra elevation it needed to offer fire support

[@darrenrogers6430]

The fat electrician has a youtube video about it

[@marchammond05]

The USS Texas Absolutely flooded it's starboard side, causing the Ship to roll.. This gave the ship a gain of more than a few degrees, allowing the ship to shoot beyond it's guns capable range.. Look up "The Fat Electrician" on KZbin and type USS Texas.. It's the story and no one tells it better..

[@darrenrogers6430]

@@marchammond05 kzbin.info/www/bejne/aaCthIV3e9B9f9U

[@ruaboutasize14]

As the Fat Electrician put it.... "They gansta leaned a 32,000 ton warship so they could continue engaging the enemy."

[@nogoodnameleft]

I will never understand what Ike and Ernest King were thinking when they said, "Okay, the only battleship heavy artillery for Omaha Beach on D-Day will be from two ancient dreadnoughts, the Texas and Arkansas...even though we have around 10 other more modern battleships in service. Also, let's place Nevada (a much more modern battleship that served at Normandy) at Utah Beach, which was a cakewalk landing, instead!!!"

[@annoyingbstard9407]

If each of those bags weighed a hundredweight those well men must have been knackered after a few rounds were fired! Brilliant video, thank you very much

[@tomscotttheolderone364]

Thanks for the compliment! Based upon your comment, I assume you are from the UK. In 1918, a Royal Navy commander performed a detailed inspection of a similar US turret. He was very critical of the lack of powered systems and reliance upon manual handling in his report. However, he commented that the high level of physical conditioning and training of the gun crews made up for the primitive nature of the design. This is supported by an early gunnery drill manual that said powder handlers should drill daily by passing at least 100 bags until they could do it without breathing hard! I doubt there were many volunteers for that job.

[@annoyingbstard9407]

@@tomscotttheolderone364 I am indeed. I’m surprised that a RN commander would have the brass neck to criticise US turret systems and handling after the disaster of British ships at Jutland! I suspect his criticism is more due to the fact the RN spent a lot of time and effort training officers and gave little thought to training the men under their command - probably hankering back to the days of the press gangs a century or so earlier. Obviously the US navy invested more time training ratings to do their job efficiently - which is why it all worked. Thanks for the video again, I’m now subscribed.

[@tomscotttheolderone364]

@@annoyingbstard9407 in defense of the commander, he was a little more careful than the way I stated it. Besides, I have the impression that once you get beneath the admiralty level politics and blame game, there was some pretty honest and open self inspection that led to significant improvements. The US Navy was also very interested in outside expert opinions that led to some important changes on Texas. This included eliminating a number of watertight doors deep within the ship to improved subdividing and protection against flooding.

[@magisterrleth3129]

Oh good lord, I just can imagine how those gun houses feel on a sunny July in the middle of the Pacific.

[@tomscotttheolderone364]

I can tell you from direct experience that the turrets are unsurvivable on sunny days when temperatures exceed 85-90 degrees. However. each turret is well ventilated by two very large blowers that pull air from inside the ship and out through openings in the outer bottom edges of the turret houses.

[@magisterrleth3129]

@@tomscotttheolderone364 Very interesting, they pull air from lower in the ship where the water makes it cooler, a simple, practical solution. Still, I imagine the experience is only slightly better than working in a turn-of-the-century steel mill. The metal itself looks like it's been sweating.

[@drtwo]

Also I love your explanation of how USS Texas guns work honestly I'm a guy with Asperger's syndrome and I don't learn very well but honestly I could just sit there all day and listen to you just go on about USS Texas and actually learn you make it fun and educational

[@tomscotttheolderone364]

Thank you for your very kind and generous compliments!!!

[@jsublett8871]

My great-grandfather was an AA Gunner on the Texas for 15 years

[@stevemolina8801]

I was a GMG2 and a MT CPT on a 5'54 and all I can say is Out Friggen Standing! We had two men in the mount and basically sat back and watched stuff happen and made sure Murphy didn't show his face. I would not want any of those powdermens jobs that's for sure. Thank you!

[@nigelterry9299]

This explains Iowa's turret explosion. Thanks. You explain things in a way that we non-sailors can understand. Your channel has joined New Jersey's as my favourites!

[@pizzaivlife]

exactly- I never considered how a bad breech seal, hot embers in the barrel or a million other things could set off an explosion but it makes perfect sense mow

[@SolidSativa1]

Talk about teamwork.... Thanks for the upload.

[@SatelliteYL]

A 1,500 pound SHELL… lmao, unreal. Thanks as always for the video they’re so great

[@thayerthacker6858]

Tom, thanks for another outstanding video! You answered many questions I had and yours is the first real explanation I’ve gotten on how the dump tray worked. It was nice to see the view inside the “side pocket” as well.

[@tomscotttheolderone364]

I wasn't aware of its actual operation until I read references to it in old gunnery manuals. Then it was a matter of horsing one around until I saw exactly how it worked.

[@budmeister]

I love the aggressive angles of Texas.

[@WhySolSirius]

Thanks for another excellent video! I love how informative these are, and look forward to every new upload. Keep up the great work, and thank you again for making these.

[@jonathanstuart7354]

It’s gonna be a long time as the ship is going into dry dock (finally) very soon, within 4-5 months I believe.

[@joeablaza5668]

Love your videos! I’ve been visiting BB-35 all my life. It never gets old. Every visit would find me sitting and wondering how a particular system really worked. I’ve always tried to picture the crew at work. Your videos are wonderful as they describe, in detail, the functionality of those systems. Thank you for all you do!

[@BrainDamage0001]

I have a recommendation for you

[@BrainDamage0001]

How about touring one of the Iowa class ships like mighty moe or the short teperd uss Wisconsin or the ship that somehow sank a heavily fortified island uss new Jersey Another.... wait forgot she was scraped uss barb the only submarine in history to sink a train

[@wazza33racer]

Makes the turrets of BB New Jersey look like the inside of the space shuttle.

[@tomscotttheolderone364]

No kidding! I've been in one of Alabama's turrets and I'm pretty jealous. If you look very carefully my video, you can see the black tube that is a rangefinder running crosswise across the top of the barrel in turret 2. Reaching the operator's seat required crawling and squeezing on top of the gun mount in the right sleeve. You can simply walk up to the one on Alabama! Plus, they have a range finder in theirs used to calculate firing solutions. It isn't fair! :)

[@JDK73772]

Thanks for sharing BB-35's history and inner workings. As always great job.

[@darwinhall8550]

Good video on the loading procedure of the 14 inch gun. Having visited the Battleship Texas a couple of years ago I really appreciate your efforts in making these videos.

[@mdtransmissionspecialties]

I have so much respect for you and what you do. Thank you for all the information you have given I'm thoroughly looking forward to checking the Texas off the list of ships I want to see.

[@therocinante3443]

My god, 3.9k subs only... An absolute travesty! This channel is incredible.

[@tomscotttheolderone364]

Yeah, I agree! :)

[@ThePaulv12]

For the full Dickensian experience I imagine children operating these turrets LOL A more oppressive operating environment is hard to imagine. I read the Wikipedia entry on Texas' service history and I must say the gun crews were very well drilled as her rate of fire for the main turrets was amazing for so much manual handling. Among other engagements, she proved herself particularly useful at D-Day. Using the main guns to kill those snipers up that gorge was particularly interesting. Her service history for an older ship is exemplary.

[@reecedfelhaber439]

This would have been an amazing site to witness !!! Thank you for this! I love learning

[@paulroberts3639]

Such a beautiful anachronism.

[@zetordaft]

I don’t mean to offend The Battleship Texas Foundation, they are doing fantastic work with the ship but they need to take Tom on as their chief videographer, their videos are good and I look forward to them but Tom’s are to a much higher standard and brilliantly presented. I really enjoyed seeing you in front of the camera this time and hope you will do more videos this way. Yourself and Ryan at Battleship New Jersey have an excellent delivery style, straight to the point with no rambling. I’m sure I can speak for many viewers when I say I really appreciate the effort you put in to make these videos

[@tomscotttheolderone364]

Thank you for your kind comments; however, I feel Travis has superb content and a very good conversational presentation style. One thing to consider is that I can take all of the time I want to produce one. This video took almost a month to research, shoot and assemble. In their case, the staff is extremely busy getting the ship ready for tow to a shipyard and repairs, so their videos are done on the fly and practically stream of consciousness. I think it is pretty effective, plus they are very content rich as can be seen in their Combat Information Center video. In fact, I was working on one of that space when they posted theirs. I scrapped mine after seeing what they had done because theirs was far more detailed and better than what I had planned. Though I will say this, while Travis is younger and smarter than me, I am better looking! :)

[@madhungarian3024]

Your videos never get old!

[@tfwomble]

Fantastic trio of videos on 14 inch turret operations. I’m researching the USS Arizona and the role the band played in manning turret 2. The functions performed here, especially the powder movement and the choreography required in the handling process seems very appropriate for band members. Probably not all the heavy lifting, but sliding and sorting.

[@SocialistDistancing]

Very interesting. A very manual turret , compared to the Iowa class. I'm curious as to what two men in the gun well are doing when the gun elevates into the firing position? It doesn't look like there's much space in the well. Good to see so much work being done on the USS Texas. I've been following her for about 13 years. Good to see the progress.

[@tomscotttheolderone364]

The two wellmen lie down across the silver tray that the powder slides on when it enters the gun well. This puts them just below the forward edge of the loader's platform that lowers when the gun elevates and out of the way of the recoiling breech.

[@SocialistDistancing]

@@tomscotttheolderone364 oh ok. I couldn't understand how they could be clear of the gun. Thanks for explaining that.

[@timvalentine7196]

Keep the videos coming! This is amazing

[@92greenz34]

Thank you for all the work you do related to the Texas Tom. The ship itself, of course, is an artifact that needs to be preserved for future generations, but knowledge like this can also be lost with time so seeing you put it here on the Internet to be preserved for the future is something that I deeply respect. Thank you!

[@phil20_20]

Nice step by step explanation. 👍👍

[@fogbattleshipyamato9173]

I know that the Texas is big old lady, but oh my, she needs a good deep cleaning every one in a while to keep her shipshape for future generations. Tangent aside she's what a beauty the she is!

[@jeremycox2983]

It’s amazing when you look at the process to load a cannon abroad HMS Victory and the process of loading a 14 inch or 16 inch guns. Their two things that they have in common the first is they both used bags of powder and the second thing is that they used either a damp sponge or compressed air to clear the gun to make it ready for firing once again

[@katharineryan8820]

My ex, a very very avid Texas fan and volunteer, finagled a behind the scenes tour of the Texas probably 27-28 years back, and I, a VERY claustrophobic big baby, enjoyed every terrifying moment climbing about in the pitch black down in the guts there. Fascinating and exciting American history there. Thanks so much to the dedicated folks who have been working so hard before and since then. Thanks John Fay as well, that was one of the best days of my life! Sorry for the nonsequiter, tho I do refer to the Texas, so hopefully not too far off subject.

[@kenneth4992]

Thanks Tom I appreciate your videos. GOD Bless you and your families

[@forthleft]

Thank you. Beautifully done.

[@blowinkk9396]

Thanks for your videos! I love learning about Texas

[@kennappier3608]

First time I went aboard the ship was 1954 I was seven years old, the last time was 2002. I'm an ex sailor during the Vietnam era, I'll always be proud of the U.S.S Texas BB-35

[@robertlian2009]

Tom, great video as always! Actually I believe the greatest difference between Texas and New Jersey is the Iowa’s Ready Circuit 1R which prevents simple out of sequence loading mistakes. Things like you cannot open the door for the powder car until you have rammed the projectile. But if you eliminate Circuit 1R the process is very similar. Also a fun fact: the primers for the 14”, 16” and 5” bag guns are all the same. The Mk 15 primer. Which makes sense if you think about it. Docent at the National Museum of the Pacific War is great, but I sure miss the Texas.

[@tomscotttheolderone364]

Bob, as always, thanks for the input! I was aware of the common use of the Mk. 15 primer. What a great and reliable design! Well, except for the misfire you told me about a while back! I am currently working on a video that along with barrel, projectile and powder design, will include a detailed description of the primer and its operation. All U.S. bag guns also used the Mk XIV, Mod 1 firing lock. That is an amazingly complex mechanism that I would love to get my hands on. Unfortunately, I don't know of any that I can look at and touch. I'm really glad that you landed at the National Museum of the Pacific. The last time I was there was about 30 years ago, so there's a pretty good chance I may see something new on my next visit! :) I'll give you a call if I get a chance to visit.

[@droman752]

Great job! Awesome video, very detailed!

[@robertwernsing4566]

Another excellent video from Tom!!!!!

[@Buddygold9509]

Fantastic video. Today, the Texas sits in dry dock in Galveston to be repaired. Hopefully the new home will be close by.

[@Rokonroller]

Thank you! Best narrative I’ve seen for handling loading & firing the big guns

[@Damocles54]

What's always blown my mind is how the cloth bags used for the powder charges don't leave any bits behind after the shot. As a combat engineer i was trained in demo and with some of the ordinance we use you'll often see fragments of things you'd think would sublimate into vapor or just burn up. Plastic coating from det cord, cardboard from tnt blocks, etc. Though i think that has more to do with detonation velocity, blast is over so fast there wasn't time. But i suppose with the gunpowder those guns use the heat and pressure behind that projectile could keep the temperature high enough for long enough to consume the cloth. It's cool to me

[@tomscotttheolderone364]

Since you were trained in demolition, you likely know much of this, especially the nature of burning explosives. So, I am covering this for other readers also. There is a good reason for residue and explosive gasses being present after firing. First, the gasses produced by firing reached several thousand degrees and immediately heated the surface of the gun bore to a very high temperature that remained long enough to be a heat source that could reignite gasses and debris that may still be present in the bore and powder chamber. Next, the oxygen used in the burning process is chemically bound up in the propellant itself. However, there is not enough present to completely consume the propellant. So, the process is that when a powder grain ignites, it releases propellant vapor and oxygen from its surface that burns extremely rapidly until the grain is consumed. However, not all of the gaseous mixture is burned because it runs out of oxygen. When the breech is opened, fresh air rushes into the breech or muzzle, providing enough oxygen to reignite the gas. As the flame expands it pushes out of the breech, exposing more of the remaining gas to oxygen and continues to burn until consumed. All of this happens in a millisecond or less. Regarding fragments, there may be two types present. First, there may be tiny fragments of unburned propellant present. The powder grains that were used were extruded cylinders that had 7 holes running their length to provide more burning surface area. The pieces left behind are fragments of what is called the web, which is the material between the holes. Even though the gasses are hot enough to ignite when oxygen is introduced, the surface temperature on the fragments has dropped enough to stop the evaporation process. So, they sit there waiting for a new ignition source, which is the reignited gasses. The bags were made from raw silk, which readily burns and leaves only a fine ash that will not ignite since it has already burned. However, it is possible that tiny fragments have been left behind. Plus, it is my understanding that the bag laces may have been made out of wool on early bags that could have left unburned pieces behind. Even though gasses and fragments have been burned using the gas ejector, there is still a remote possibility that some fragments remain. The greatest concern was that fragments may remain on the face of the breech plug that came in contact with the next shot's powder bag ignition patch containing black gun powder. That is why it was always wiped with a wet sponge between shots. If there is any concern about a foul bore, one manual said that the gun captain should immediately order a shell to be rammed into the gun to seal the bore ahead of the shell and eliminated it as a potential ignition source. They could then spray the powder chamber behind the shell with water to cool and wet down any remaining debris. They could then proceed with loading bags. Since gunnery procedures required loading immediately before firing, the powder in the bags wouldn't soak up enough of the water remaining in the chamber to have any effect upon on firing or performance.

[@Damocles54]

@@tomscotttheolderone364 thanks for taking the time to share more of your knowledge. The bit of information i was lacking was that the powder bags were silk. It makes a lot more sense now. Still cool, just less of a head scratcher lol. Thank you again for your time sir.

[@tgill1963]

That was very informative. Thanks for making this video.

[@briancooper2112]

Great video. Thank God she's getting repaired. Thank U.S.S. Texas for your service. 🇱🇷

[@hughculliton3174]

The teamwork, leadership, drills and practice to make a good gun crew - wow!

[@williamcalvo7446]

Incredible video. Thank you for under going some serious discomfort for our education and entertainment! Excellent video!

[@jharris0341]

Thank you for doing this video, sir.

[@highlander147]

Great video, loved the very clear and well-structured explanation. Many thanks

[@4evaavfc]

I couldn't work in those little powder loader spaces. I guess for Texas, shore shelling would have seen the longest shifts firing those guns.

[@deanc.5984]

Nicely done. Real History.🍺👍

[@lenking410]

Thank you so much for taking the time and effort to make this video.

[@m777howitzer4]

This is prime youtube. Thank you for your knowledge.

[@pcmacd]

I am a degreed mechanical engineer, and I am having one helluva time following this guy.

[@tomscotttheolderone364]

I really hope that means that you are having fun and not that you are finding it difficult!

[@peterwikvist2433]

Thank you for sharing this interesting video. I think this beautiful battleship is in a dire need of restoration.

[@tomscotttheolderone364]

The ship is currently in dry dock and undergoing $60 million in hull repairs and painting. While the work does not include restoration of areas seen in this video, it will solve the ship's worse problems so that what you see here can be repaired in the future.

[@jerrycarroll4581]

Thank you for explaining this process. Very interesting.

[@randyhavard6084]

Great video. Looking forward to seeing more of this ship and how some of its systems work

[@erniecamhan]

Really enjoyed your video 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@thomaspavelko9412]

It's a crime how bad the Texas needs restored,the staff there are absolute rock stars trying to keep her together. I ever hit that dream lottery # I'm so setting up an interest-bearing account for her and some others on my list.

[@MakarovMedia]

Great video, thanks!

[@Morstad64]

Thanks, great job explaining how all this works!

[@elizabethwilson5349]

This was a great video! Thanks for sharing!

[@rodtaylor6761]

Well done, thanks for a through presentation on how this worked.

[@rocketdaddy35]

Just fascinating, thank you for the video!

[@ned900]

that was superbly intersting, facinating to see an early turret.

[@NeonDreams7]

wow, great information. Thanks for sharing!

[@jonny-b4954]

4:00 Love how small the screw for rising/lowering the angle of the gun is. Makes sense with how finely balanced I'd imagine the gun is. Just seems like it'd be larger, but reckon not. I'm surprised the turret is sub divided. Didn't realize it wasn't like more modern turrets that have all 2-3-4 guns in same room. The well man and guys in the pocket had it the worst it seems haha.

[@stylinstylist2005]

Yea, Thinking of being in those places makes me shudder...

[@tomscotttheolderone364]

The screw looks pretty big to me. Perhaps it looks smaller due to perspective. Btw, you are right, it is finely balanced. The center of balance for the barrel, breech and slide assemblies all together is right at the trunnions that the barrel rotates on to elevate. The major weight that has to be lifted is the 1,920 lbs. of a projectile and powder charge, plus the inertia loads provided by the 60+ tons of mass. What is really impressive is that power to elevate the barrel came from a 15 hp motor! Go to 10:20 in this video to get a complete closeup of it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qYXMq3iBr5Woa9U

[@jonny-b4954]

@@tomscotttheolderone364 Indeed! Thanks for link to closeups, didn't see those. That was most interesting system of the gun in my eyes. Yeah, I naturally assumed it would be even larger when I saw it. Looks only like 4" or so. I just envisioned like a solid 12" piece in my mind. Makes sense though that it's not. Crazy that a 15 hp motor has the power to move that. Heck, both the guns it sounds like. Looks like it has clever reduction gearing. That clutch system is cool too.

[@tomscotttheolderone364]

@@jonny-b4954 We're still having a perspective issue. I have never measured it, but it's diameter is about 12".

[@jonny-b4954]

@@tomscotttheolderone364 Ah, yeah definitely perspective from video throwing me off then. Only looks like 4" to me. Forget my whole comment then! hahah ;)

[@charlesstephens2651]

Outstanding video, I visited the Texas many, many years ago and went into one of the Main Gun Turrets. Have always wondered how they loaded the gun!!

[@evanwain1471]

Good work thank you

[@JohngrJohngr]

Superb, easy to follow explanation of a very complex process. Nicely done, my sincere compliments!

[@trevorruffcorn4424]

Appreciate your time and insight sir!

[@flfun1684]

History thats very real will teach future generations..

[@karlrobinson4887]

Commanding officer describes my new job duties as a "well man". Me: "You can just go ahead and put me in Leavenworth now."

[@lucasshaw6934]

Outstanding video

[@stevenodell4323]

Another great and informative video! I would suggest at some point to assemble a team large enough to place a person at each of the crew positions and train each person to concisely describe their individual duties and procedures, similar to how you described them in the video. Maybe even dress them in period correct uniforms. The presence of the right number of crewman within all those gun house positions would really help illustrate the processes.

[@tomscotttheolderone364]

Thanks for your input. I agree that would be ideal, but it requires a level of organizing and cooperation that is unavailable to me at this time. This is especially true since all staff and volunteer resources are focused on getting the ship ready for tow and dry docking. However, I understand that it is a future project being considered by Battleship Texas Foundation for their channel.

[@stevenodell4323]

@@tomscotttheolderone364 Great! I hope they can pull it off! I am retired Army, Field Artillery, and I've seen crew drills done in demonstrations put on for visitors and family days and other events. Obviously this would take significant training and rehearsal, but once everyone gets it down pat, it would make a great video to display for visitors.

[@jamesbeaman6337]

@@tomscotttheolderone364 that's really cool, Tom. If and when they need some young, fit volunteers (much like yourself), I'm betting the Texas A&M NROTC would welcome the opportunity to participate and gain the historical knowledge.

[@TheEvertw]

Amazing what a difference those 30 years between Texas and the Iowa's made...

[@tomscotttheolderone364]

Agree, that is a major motivator for me. It’s practically impossible to really appreciate the degree of technical advancement that occurred without seeing both ends of the evolution up close and personal.

[@The8224sm]

Great stuff, thanks very much.

[@deathclaw8961]

Thank you so much for this video!😀

[@olegadodasguerras3795]

Hey tom awesome Channel keep going hugs from your fan from brazil

[@kennynorton2473]

Great video, thank you.

[@BubbasWorkshop]

Awesome video.. Thanks!!

[@normalviewer740]

Oh, I just noticed your profile name and I love it! Excellent video

[@fire304]

Would be an awesome sight if you could "man the gun" with a team of volunteers and stimulate all the steps, possibly passing dummy powder bags.

[@tomscotttheolderone364]

That may be done sometime in the future and posted on Battleship Texas Foundation’s channel.

[@RalphReagan]

Wow that's close in there!

[@tomscotttheolderone364]

Yes it is. After this, it looks like you could hold a barn dance in the turrets of the newer battleships!

[@John73John]

I'd imagine it's even tighter once you jam it full of crew

[@tomscotttheolderone364]

@@John73John Yeah, pretty tight, but everyone had a specific place to stand and set of motions to perform to do their job. I doubt that they got in each other's way as long as the did what they were supposed to do and in the right order.

[@RalphReagan]

@@tomscotttheolderone364 the Alabama is more spacious than the North Carolina. I didn't think there would be much difference.

[@richardcurtis556]

You are certainly right; the shell and propellant handling systems of Texas are very primitive compared to the Iowas. It boggles the mind to imagine that Texas participated in the bombardment of Normandy before and after the invasion in 1942. Kudos to the officers and men aboard her.

[@tomscotttheolderone364]

In spite of the fact that the systems were largely manual, a well trained and drilled crew could keep up a high rate of fire for an extended period. The fire control system was pretty obsolete when compared to later ships and this would have been a problem in a sea superiority role, but they worked very well for landing support and shore bombardment. Air spots continually reported back complete destruction of targets using indirect fire thousands of yards inland during the D-Day landings. Its effectiveness was further demonstrated on the afternoon of June 6 at Omaha Beach when the ship closed to within 3,000 yards of the beach and used the 14" guns to clear exit D-1 with deadly pinpoint accuracy. This saved the lives of scores of troops and provided a major way off the beach.

[@brianwolle2509]

loved it. have to see that boat sometime...

[@actionidiot7546]

Now I know why sailors of that generation had arms like Popeye. The guys in the Gun well having to lift roughly 50kg above their heads a minimum of twice individually every time the gun fired. I can’t begin to imagine doing that for a protracted gun battle, with the expectation that my speed of delivery had to be exactly the same on the last shell as it was on all the ones previously. Hats off to them

[@tomscotttheolderone364]

Right! One thing that helped was early gunnery manuals said that all crew members that passed powder should be exercised daily until they could pass a large number of bags without breathing hard.

[@actionidiot7546]

@@tomscotttheolderone364 now that is an interesting fact I didn't consider. I assumed that it was either a case of only assigning certain guys who you knew would be good to go straight out the bat, or random selection. In the case of random selection I assumed that if you weren't strong and fast enough you would just be yelled at until you became capable. I wonder then if there was a certain 'elitism' amongst the powder monkeys with regards to being trained to be strong. Would the captain go to them to put together the ships boxing team etc? Further onto that I assume that some were mightily pissed off when electronic devises were introduced to replace them or make their lives easier? I certainly know some old engineers who still use hand crank tools because 'power tools are for wimps, and didn't have to put effort in like the old days'.

[@tomscotttheolderone364]

@@actionidiot7546 At least one book written by a former crew member notes that many departments on the ship had plenty of volunteers because the skills they picked up translated to jobs in civilian life. This wasn’t the case with gunnery. Most crew were assigned there whether they wanted it or not. So, there may be some random element in play at that level. However, assignments within a gun crew would very heavily consider individual attributes. It would be a serious mistake to put a man in a job who was physically incapable of performing it, then punish him when he fails. You not only ruin him, you lose the respect of the entire crew. Gunnery manuals clearly stated that well men and loaders should have a lot of strength. Gun captains should have high intelligence and the ability to manage a small team. It was common for gun crews to compete against one another as a means of building skill, teamwork and morale.

[@actionidiot7546]

@@tomscotttheolderone364 Thank you very much for all this information. You have certainly peeked my interest, and received my subscription!

[@Cleared_To_Land]

Brilliant explanation Sir! This felt so detailed and by the book that it was my orientation to be a gun crew member! Very good video.

[@tomscotttheolderone364]

Thanks! I'm glad that you enjoyed it!

[@Trebuchet48]

"I'm an old fat guy..." Ha! Got you beat on both counts! But not on battleship knowledge. This video is awesome. E expect I'll be watching all of your others in the next day or three!

[@johnolive3425]

Must've been some strong, brawny men to handle all those 100lb powder charges! 💪💪💪

[@robertboggs8142]

Great information I didn’t know ,I have visited the Texas ad a kid many times as I grew up In Houston then my dad would treat us to the San Jacinto inn for a great meal.

[@Colonel_Overkill]

its astonishing the progress made in such a short period of time. In a matter of about 30 years this dreadnought loading procedure that was used for decades before was superseded by the more advanced systems of the wartime cruiser and fast battleships 8"/55 and 16"/50 then to the automatic system for the 8"/55. It may be cynical but mankinds drive for innovation is the desire to kill each other in much more spectacular ways.

[@ronsmith7739]

Thank very much, this is awesome !!!

[@NVSTRZ34]

Geeez.. the side pocketmen job would be intense for such a small area