Asleep on Deck: A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words

[@W1lh3lm-hk1nj]

My Grandfather was on the New Jersey at this time, late war. He sailed out after the last refit, as a replacement sailor. Was eventually assigned a station in the engine room, was dropped off on Eniwetok to serve out his enlistment after the surrender. He didn't say a lot about his time on the ship but did talk about sleeping in a hammock between 5" guns on deck, had a buddy on the gun crew. He liked to be above the water tight doors, when not on duty. And that typhoon Cobra was "rough" Thank you for this channel.

[@jrmaxwell4504]

My father was on one of the Iowas (Missouri I think) for an ROTC summer cruise around 1950. He said sleeping under the main turrets was still a thing then. In addition to fresh air and shade, during night time tropical squalls, you were mostly out of the rain.

[@jeffp3415]

The immediate clue for me that this was turret III was the Kingfisher in the background. The rigid floats mounted on the sides of turrets and superstructures were called Carley floats.

[@RogerRamjet156]

We were lucky in the 80's, 90's (and ever after) to have AC in our berthing spaces and luckily as ET's all of our equipment compartments had AC (even contraband 13" TV and game system). The greatest generation had it much worse but still won the war - thanks!

[@Norbrookc]

South Pacific, probably a hot day, so you can either swelter down in the berths or at least have a good breeze on the deck.

[@major__kong]

It's early or late. The shadows are long on deck. Still probably hot below deck, though :-)

[@major__kong]

In that picture, there is no shade under the turret. The shadows from the personnel are fairly long. So this is either early morning or later in the day.

[@russellhltn1396]

I was going to say the same thing - they're in the sun. I wonder how crowded the other side of the turret was.

[@charlesmaurer6214]

The crane might also be down because they expected to use the guns at short notice and even in combat one had to sleep. They might even be sleeping on deck to be close to stations. I do thank you for explaining the nets, something not often talked about.

[@AirbornChaos]

Exactly my thought, If the crane is taller than the turret, it had to be in the aft arc of fire.

[@scrappydude1]

Possible, certainly, but not likely. If it were believed that there was any risk of surface action, the battleship would not be steaming in close proximity with, and parallel to, the carrier. Air attack, yes, they stay near the carriers to use their AA guns, but not if there’s risk of surface action.

[@sirboomsalot4902]

@@scrappydude1 The “guns” in question would include the AA guns. Some of them might be able to get better arcs with the crane down

[@TWX1138]

Could also be that in the company of aircraft carriers, they had no call to launch and recover their own float planes, since the aircraft carriers' own planes would be scouting, so it was not so critical for the crane to be in a ready-use position.

[@JeffEbe-te2xs]

Too relaxed to be at ready station

[@kennethhummel4409]

Dad said once, that on a the sweltering hot nights he would sleep at his battle station up on deck in a 40mm guntub.

[@emmabird9745]

Hi Ryan, the most obvious evidence that it is rurret 3 is the kingfisher sea planes on the fan tail. The second is the aircraft carrier. If it was a forward turret we would be on a near collision course! Love these picture videos Ryan.

[@jamescouture775]

My father served on a minesweeper in WW2 while on the way home from Japan after they had clear Tokyo bay of mines before the fleet could come in for the surrender he was asleep on deck and was hit by a shell caseing when they fired the guns. It left a 4" brand on his belly.

[@georgeburns7251]

That model that you put together is pretty kool.

[@henrycarlson7514]

A fine picture , Thank You.

[@raykaufman7156]

That was a GREAT episode.

[@lostiburonesoffroad4x4]

Intrepid has in the CIC the formation on 21 oct 07:30 am with NJ as Flaghsip .

[@bobw222]

Those life nets look like they are roped down.

[@skydiverclassc2031]

Classic government logic.

[@ViewDark]

Just include a breaking link, something that the floating force can snap.

[@kevinwayne7546]

cool to hear how life was on board.

[@Tomyironmane]

The sides of a carlie float were usually big sealed metal cans inside a cork and canvas liner. They were designed to float even if several cans were punctured.

[@DevonRomero-s1b]

I don’t have a Facebook account, but I do have a picture of the New Jersey firing her guns, and it shows 4 of the projectiles flying out!

[@hisaddle]

Interesting. Thanks.

[@onkelfabs6408]

Where was this picture taken. The world wonders.

[@johnmf6096]

How you gonna make a 15 min video from the battleship and NOT show us where the picture was taken/what it looks like today!?!

[@greentree328]

Just caught NJ in the 2007 movie "Shooter" in an overview shot of Camden/Philly. Came back to this video to see if it was mentioned!

[@doctordoom1337]

I'm pretty sure that carrier is Ticonderoga and this is before Typhoon Cobra. Bunker hill had a unique ms32 camouflage and intrepid would be showing a lot more black on her port side. Ticonderoga was painted in the standard murderers row ms32-10a

[@mikereinhardt4807]

Like the video. Wish you could have shown a comparison with what it looks like now in it's 1990's presentation...

[@paulmcc1991]

shadows show its either early morning or late afternoon, not mid day

[@keeshahdarkfurr8328]

take a picture of now, from where that picture was taken from.

[@MikeF1189]

Check out Ryan's Battleship Purse sitting on the printer.

[@VintageCarHistory]

Fact- sailors are trained to sleep anywhere.

[@rollerbones1]

I think you will find that they are indeed IN the combat zone. I don't remember where I heard/saw an old note abouot the crane, but sticks in my mind that around mid 1944 they started stowing the cranes down in the combat zones and when not doing air operations. This was to save the crane from destruction from being shot off by the main battery and also to somewhat open the firing arcs of the aft 2 40mm batteries. I wish I could remember where I tripped over this info so I could point you in the right direction to find it again. Sorry....

[@Underwaystudios]

I notice that Taney foul weather jacket on the back of your chair. I had one too!

[@SeanBZA]

Crane flat likely for all the pulleys and pivots to be greased, as it is easiest to do when there is no tension or force on them, allowing the grease to get all the way around the shafts. then lift up again and have the grease act correctly to provide lubrication.

[@randyfant2588]

The seaplane was the first thing I noticed, and the prime clue to me that it was the aft turret. 😀 I noticed that the aircraft shown are OS2U Kingfishers. This dates the photo to before they were replaced with Curtiss SC Seahawks. But I'm not sure what date the New Jersey had this replacement.

[@CAPNMAC82]

Note the "small stuff" (likely marline) on top of the floater net. One of the (many) reasons floater nets were abandoned is that a rogue wave would carry them out of their baskets. Also, the cork floats rotted in direct sunlight. Effectively, the floater nets were only good for about 5#/sf of flotation, so it took around 6sf of net to fully support one sailor. The "Carlyle" (aka "carly") rafts were on "small stuff lashing, too. The edges of the raft were a mix of balsa and kapok, and had enough buoyancy to break their lashings if fully submerged.

[@CAPNMAC82]

September in the Southern Hemisphere it would be "going into Spring" as the seasons are reversed at the equator.

[@joechang8696]

Samar is about 9 degrees north of the equator. I think it is still hot in Sep with the Sun more or less directly overhead. The breeze from cruising at 20kt helps

[@Moredread25]

I think having the crane down makes sense if it's not going to be used; it may be in a safe area, but there's always a risk of air attack and having clear firing arcs is important.

[@russellhltn1396]

Since the crane is only used for recovery, there's lots of time to set it up before it's needed. They probably waited until a plane was launched to set it up.

[@keithrosenberg5486]

They also might have stowed the crane if the turret might be used to shoot directly aft.

[@life_with_bernie]

Looking at the baskets I can see that the nets are actually well lashed down and could not float free on their own. Someone would have to remove the lashings to get them free.

[@JimsBarn]

LMAO @ aft give away being the plumbing! Helloooo! Seaplane!! 😂

[@skurjo9975]

Just looked at photos for Intrepid and Bunker Hill from 44 and it matches Intrepids Camo scheme, Bunker Hills camo was more intricate

[@donhughson5199]

Those are Carley Life Rafts or at least the RN called them that.

[@foundersrule3496]

Cataplut looks loaded and ready to launch.

[@danquigg8311]

I'm pretty sure the only place to store the float plane is actually on the cat.

[@foundersrule3496]

@@danquigg8311 Were the planes disassemblied and stored during stormy weather?

[@roaklin]

Nope, they had no place to store in any fashion​@@foundersrule3496

[@danquigg8311]

@@foundersrule3496 I very HIGHLY doubt the float planes were disassembled at any time while on their ship. Where would there be any dedicated storage space for the disassembled aircraft on a BB?

[@foundersrule3496]

@@danquigg8311 I appreciate your reply. Thank-you.

[@bigstick6332]

Biggest giveaway it’s turret 3 are the planes, cats etc

[@steveweinberg462]

According to National Archives this is December 1944. It's always wise to be treat such dates as a strong suggestion. But if it's accurate the presence of the floatplanes suggest it's before Typhoon Cobra, I think? I see a reference that they were lost during the storm. I don't know when they were replaced.

[@spacemax8896]

I believe the airplane gives it away too.

[@oceanmariner]

All small arms aren't kept in the armory. If a ship is sinking, people are not going to have time to go to the armory and get a rifle issued. In combat there are various arms locked in small stands. Gunner's mates have the keys. On some ships there were small arms in the wardroom. We also had them on the bridge during Vietnam. I've been on a destroyer that sank in 3 minutes. Barely time to get a raft in the water and get away from the ship. Those that didn't get far enough away were pulled down. Most of those never got back to the surface. Nobody had time to go to the armory and get a rifle. Men sleeping on deck - on gun ships depending on what condition is set, some of the crew are at GQ stations. When you're doing a lot of shooting you don't get much sleep. During WWII that meant at least a third of the AA guns manned or with the crew close by. In Korea or Vietnam, at least one gun was manned for immediate gunfire support. So some gun crews are always in the vicinity of their gun. As are some damage control teams. If more guns are needed then the ship goes to full GQ. Another reason for sleeping on deck is it can be more comfortable than the berthing areas. The AC installed after WWII seemed to have 2 settings, on or off. When on it was too cold, when off usually too humid. During my time, 1960s, the cork rafts were gone and we had inflatable rafts with water and food rations. Also in my time, the foam used in firefighting was drinkable. The foam was in 5 gallons cans in lockers on deck and some in passageways near the engine and boiler rooms. The rafts were inflated and repacked each time the ship was overhauled. New rations and water was included. The food ration was a 2" square soft candy coated with sugar. We sampled them when the rations were replaced. The people that ate too many got sick. My father was torpedoed in WWI and bombed in WWII. I had a few uncles that lost ships and all were amazed at how fast the ship sank. One said within a minute of the torpedo he found himself in the water with the ship going down under him.

[@JeffEbe-te2xs]

If the ship was sinking why grab a gun? It’s heavy and doesn’t float

[@oceanmariner]

@@JeffEbe-te2xs Ryan said near the start that in the event of abandoning ship some sailors would draw a rifle from the armory for shark protection.

[@alexwood5425]

You can see from the shadows the sailors that they are in the sun but it is early morning or late evening as the shadows are long.

[@marqsee7948]

a new acronym? FSG. Frisky Shark Gun. I guess the 'Navy water' soaking out from inside of the dungarees is the Frisky Shark Repellent.

[@JeffEbe-te2xs]

Look like taking a break in middle of the day as sailing

[@FrancisSullivan-j7t]

The metal mesh of the basket was to allow rain water,and wave wash to drain out

[@ryancrazy1]

why does it look like the basket is secured with rope? seems theres a piece of rope string around keeping it in place.

[@kiereluurs1243]

Yes, or metal hooks. Keeping life-saving equipment neatly tied to the ship going down.

[@overk1ll520]

Use the shadows of stuff and figure out which direction it is going in.

[@earlyriser8998]

i love these segments

[@kiereluurs1243]

English please.

[@andrewmortimer3317]

I would think the crane would be down to keep the space clear for the various guns in case of attack.

[@uncommon_niagara1581]

Can any information be gleaned from what I assume are the collection numbers printed on the photo? Would other photos with similar numbers be taken on the same date?

[@rickybanzai2199]

Seems like the sun was not so high, if you look at the shadows. More probably around 30° over the horizon. Surely, still quite hot, I suppose...

[@dgansz705]

Ryan forgot to mention that the 16" shell hoist is attached - so the ship might be in the middle of replenishment

[@BarracudaBoy]

They have it down to clear line of sight and firing arcs maybe?

[@mikeweller9933]

probably early am or late pm judging from the length and position of the shadows. am southbound -pm northbound. looking at the wake not zig zagging.

[@Andrew-ww7qq]

The photo must be late afternoon due to the shows thrown.

[@stanislavkostarnov2157]

how far out was the ship considered "outside the combat zone"? (I mean, I guess the possibility of attack even in 1944 was still a slowly falling probability through the whole of the pacific, at least while the Japanese had a mobile strike launch platforms in the form of carriers?) also, did they post ahead of time that we will be entering strike range at xxxx time, or how did that work? whose responsibility was it to make sure everyone was informed of the state in which the ship is at. (remember sacred-Cow Shipyards talking about the various codes on a modern ship, but he was stationed on a much smaller vessel and at a time when communication was already much easier... seems like the job in the 40s on a battleship will be quite a feat and maybe an interesting video topic - OK, possibly you already did that, but not recently that I have seen at least...) Thankyou in advance!

[@reecedrystek2992]

Looking close, I don't think that is an Essex in the background. I'm almost certain it is an Independence class reasons being. -The leading edge of the flight deck looks set back from the tip of the bow versus an Essex which has the flight deck almost over the tip. -The flight deck looks like it is 20-25 feet above the top of the top of the hull body where as the Essex had a much more integrated look between hull and flight deck, being purpose-built instead of flight decks on top of Cleveland hulls. -The island was set much further forward on the Independence Class. Tough to tell from angle in this picture, but looks like it is further forward. Also can not see any of the dual 5" gun turrets from an Essex class. -There were Independence class in 38.2. Thought it could have also been an escort carrier but I don't know if they ever were with the big fleet.

[@joechang8696]

given that this is TF 38.2, Intrepid (Essex class) and Cabot + Independence (both Independence class) that would be likely

[@Chris...66]

I was thinking the same thing. Was searching for a comment to see if anyone else noticed that. The one thing that jumped out at me was the island itself. Just looks too "basic" for a Essex class carrier.

[@denniss618]

Just a guess but as they are sailing with the aircraft carrier the crane may have been laid flat as the planes will not be needed.

[@MrJeep75]

Love the ww2 configuration

[@jeffreyminer768]

Ryan, I don't think these guys are in the shade. You can clearly see darker areas that DO look like shade-these guys are in direct sunlight. This makes me think that perhaps they've left port and finally gotten far enough south that the sunlight was warm and welcome.

[@tugweltp]

Can you do a video on the games played during free time? Table games? Shuffleboard? Etc.?

[@StephenMartin-pc1fo]

I am of the belief, RAN ships during WW2. Being of British design, no Air Con. So, sailors slept upon the weather deck/maim deck. Stephen

[@stevenbrennick8003]

In my mind I can't imagine how these float planes were ever functional. It is more likely that they never really used them and just stowed the Crain for safety.

[@akdonlh9924]

Where was the picture of her firing the 16 in port and starboard at the same time taken?

[@juliemaloney6585]

You guys should watch nuclear vault vids there are ones there of new jersey in sevice

[@kiereluurs1243]

Vids? Watch fish?

[@bigsarge2085]

⚓️

[@thereissomecoolstuff]

The AC wasn’t what it is today. They were cooking below decks.

[@kmoecub]

There was no AC on board during WW2. None.

[@major__kong]

I was on New Jersey early July last year right after the 4th. It was smoking hot in Camden that day, and the AC on the ship was struggling to keep up. I was sweating my you know whats off the entire tour.

[@thereissomecoolstuff]

@@kmoecub that’s what I said.

[@dogmandan79]

I would elect to sleep near the meat, dairy and egg refers.

[@testerjs]

Nimblers shadow? It was there in world war 2?

[@FINNIUSORION]

the netting looked tied down to the basket. I don't think it would have been able to float free.

[@charlesmaurer6214]

It looked like a single loose woven strapping that would not hold if secured with a weight or some kind of slipknot if pressure was applied while the rafts were held in place not by gravity but entirely by the lashings. Was likely just to keep stuff from bouncing out from the recoil when the guns fired. Much like the lip or rails added to navy shelving or tables to keep things from sliding off.

[@jastrapper190]

Those “nets” with floats… make that floating board that that horrid selfish yen’ta in Titanic wouldn’t let Leo get onto, even though there was clearly room, it makes that board look like a five star hotel! That “supplies barrel” better be filled with rum, ice cream, and sunscreen or I’m not gonna be very happy in my floating net… for sure.

[@Joseph55220]

They took the crane down because the crew wanted unobstructed view of the carrier so they could watch her launch and recover planes - duh

[@boredgaminglowammo9335]

lowered to not obstruct the turret, providing cover for carrier .

[@kevinwayne7546]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/eYbdamWeoJiHm5o

[@lawrencehudson9939]

There is the possibility that the crane is lowered to give the aft 40MM gun tubs a wider arch of fire.

[@merlinwizard1000]

2nd, 2 January 2025

[@williamriley-le9zo]

Who cares???!!!!! Make a comment about the video or be quiet!

[@alancranford3398]

Ryan mentioned that the life net exposed the occupants to cold water. So did the Carley Float, and if the scale model warships I built and the ships I visited, the floors of floats/rafts were slatted or webbing, which admitted water. The good news is that these emergency floats didn't need bailing. The bad news is that they were a wet ride. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carley_float

[@FrancisSullivan-j7t]

I Love your channel, ALL the Iowa class battle ships, But they were ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL in ww2 configuration..180 40mm,190 20 mm,20 5" guns...The modern updates make them Less attractive, even though it was done for MODERN WARFARE EFFECTIVENESS. God Bless you Ryan and thank you for your NAVAL SERVICE, and your Civilian service now.