The Drydock - Episode 287 (Part 1)

[@stanislavkostarnov2157]

as a person who has fairly close friends in the Japanese Coast Guard, I can say that the culture of treating a ship as something with a strong spiritual component is very much a thing, not so much even among the naval sailors, as among traditional fishermen... when preforming a rescue, there is always a kind of understanding of balancing the need to safely get everyone off a sinking boat and the need to allow them to honorably preform the last rites due to a vessel... it is something spoken about with an amazing, quiet and somber respect.

[@Drachinifel]

Ironically, releasing this whilst standing in Heathrow Terminal 3 and rebooting a cab after the taxi company I prebooked with lost the booking!

[@NickiesAdventureChannel]

Welcome back to Blighty 😊

[@w.osterberg9385]

Hope you got home safely 😮

[@Cbabilon675]

Out of curiosity on the entire shock absorption on older ships, did any Nation think about using thick rubber coating?

[@robertstone9988]

I just see drack waiting for his cab and throwing his binoculars. Sorry I know the joke is getting old but u had too.

[@hughgordon6435]

​@@robertstone9988 and throwing them a la Russian adrimal??😅😅😅

[@alexkarman4679]

Drach does not disappoint !! Over three hour Drydock session even while he is on a field trip !!

[@gregorywright4918]

(43:30) The bypassed islands and bases were essentially POW camps, the seas around them acting as wire and some left-behind units as distant guards. As Drach mentions they were used as live-fire training opportunities for new or transiting units, and they were patrolled to prevent resupply attempts. Food was the biggest problem they had, a number of them developed extensive gardens to try to feed the remaining garrisons. Unfortunately tropical islands do not grow rice (or many other crops) very well.

[@rootbeerpoptart]

I recall reading about a seabird that was hunted to extinction by a Japanese garrison. I think it was endemic to Wake Island

[@billbrockman779]

Regarding the Japanese practices while abandoning ship, think of the reverence and sacrifice that went into protecting Roman legion symbols, Napoleonic War regiments’ colors, guns in artillery units, etc.

[@therightarmofthefreeworld4703]

There’s a legend that Richard III’s standard bearer held his king’s colours aloft even after having his legs cut out from under him. The specifics of the tale may not be true, but I’ve no doubt the enemy only captured the standard after prying it from cold dead hands.

[@Shadooe]

I just commented mentioning Lieut. Matthew Latham during the Peninsular War.

[@coomsz]

What you are talking about at 1:29:02 is a clutch. It's not protecting your wrist or the electric motor. Its purpose is to give you more control on how much torque you want to impart onto the work, which is more commonly desired for a drill (versus, say an impact gun). If you are screwing into a harder wood with something like a Phillips head, the clutch can help keep the bit from camming out and rounding the interior of the bolt head. If you are running a screw into something softer like drywall/sheetrock, it can help you from over torquing the screw and stripping the "threads" of what you are screwing into. Every drill I have used that has a clutch also has a "direct-drive" mode where the clutch system isn't used at all, if in case you wanted to make sure you were able to get maximum torque out of the drill. After writing this, I feel like it probably comes off as an extremely pedantic correction. Personally, I just like to know how things work, or why they are implemented in the first place, and just assumed you or other viewers are of similar mind.

[@edandrew7842]

The fictional engagement in HMS Saracen (around 2:08:00) was one that stuck in my memory - digging the book out of a box it can be summarised along the lines of the following:- Saracen was part of a Malta convoy escort including a cruiser and at least one destroyer which encountered the Littorio class with 2 cruisers just after dawn at a range estimated as 28,000 yards. Owing to haze an effective range of 10,000 yards was estimated. The primary target of the Italians was the merchantmen and the battleship took out 2 of these before the range closed enough for the cruisers to come into play. The Saracen seems to have been ignored with the focus on the more modern escorts but after opening fire at just over 12,000 yards she drew attention taking multiple hits (necessitating flooding of a 4" magazine and at least temporarily disabling the steering) before achieving a hit with a single 15" armour piercing shell. That was a plunging hit (it's a few years since I read the whole book, but I think reference was made earlier in the story to the guns being badly worn and shooting significantly short) on the roof of the A Turret which set of the 3 shells being loaded at the time which in turn blew off the A turret and disabled the B turret. At that point the Italians disengaged and the remaining convoy and escorts completed the journey to Malta. Somewhat improbably, HMS Saracen appears to have had a significant refit after this as her eventual fate was being sunk in the Pacific Ocean as part of a nuclear missile test.

[@Trek001]

Always stuck in my mind too There is a great BBC drama version of it from, I think, the 70s that often shows up on youtube that really sells it

[@steeplejack50]

Douglas Reeman. Read that back in 1976. Corresponded a few times with Reeman via email not long before he died.

[@GrahamWKidd]

Welcome home Drach. Saturday night. One Drydock closer to 300.

[@canuckster24]

43:24 B-29 units that landed in the Marianas would usually have a shakedown mission to Truk.

[@ph89787]

The Royal Navy even got in on the action by sending Implacable there in May 1945.

[@USAACbrat]

i have repaired 5"-38's and the stops are like gear teeth welded on deck. They can Sheer off or the turret jumps over the top. It happens with Ships with the ship motions increased inertia. You slow it down by running it in reverse like a steam engine. Stops are bumpers to protect the superstructure. Like the end of train tracks. You don't run full speed into those either.

[@73Trident]

All of Drachs DDs are great, but this one was absolutley brilliant. Thanks Drach.

[@jarvisfamily3837]

As far as "Captains cannot enter the wardroom" - as a former USN officer, let me just say "Bullshit". The commanding officer on *some* ships maintains his own mess (i.e. kitchen and serving area), and thus eats by himself in his cabin (although he often invites other officers to join him). On many other ships (small combatants such as destroyers and frigates) the commanding officer is a member of the wardroom mess and sits at the head of the table when he's present. This can be a bit awkward as it is customary for all present to stand and come to attention when the commanding officer enters a space, usually accompanied by the verbal command "Attention on deck!". On ships I served on where the CO was a member of the wardroom mess he'd generally come through the door with the words "Seats, gentlemen!" on his lips as he entered, thus eliminating the requirement that we all stand, etc - or there might be a standing order that the wardroom mess *not* come to attention when the CO enters. (I never saw that but I imagine it could be done). The CO being a member of the wardroom mess may be an economic decision - it's probably cheaper for the CO to be a member of the wardroom mess (where expenses are shared) rather than maintaining his own mess - or it may be a practical decision if the ship is built so that the CO's quarters do not feature a separate galley. However, under no circumstances would any officer with any degree of sense ever chastise their commanding officer for dropping by the wardroom.

[@SPR-Ninja]

My bad for asking my question twice, i'd forgotten I asked it in patreon when I asked in the live, but thanks nonetheless Drach ❤

[@MyNivri]

An interesting ship build that I would like to see you cover would be the USN Wolverine and USN Sable. Amongst their “records” is between them they had around 15,000 pilots qualify as carrier pilots on them during WW II.

[@williestyle35]

One of the other "naval history channels" has a video on the training of aircraft carrier pilots in the Great Lakes. Another such channel has a video on the USS Wolverine and USS Sable.

[@robbielee2148]

@@williestyle35maybe state the channels. I highly doubt Drach worried about loosing supporters.

[@gregorywright4918]

(37:45) From what I've read, the portrait of the Emperor was the "embodiment" of the Emperor possessing His Imperial Ship, and was considered the most treasured item aboard the ship. Part of the ceremony of transferring the portrait was an "apology" to His Highness for the failure of the officers and crew to protect the ship, conquer the enemy and bring glory to His Highness. It was a very sad ceremony, and officers would sometimes promise to go down with the ship as a sign of their recognition of their own failure and their devotion to the Emperor. The Imperial flag was a secondary sign of the nation and the Emperor, so lowering that was another sign of failure. Loss of life due to the delay in evacuation would not be considered, because they were already dishonored by their failure and were trying to make amends by reverently preserving His portrait.

[@Joze1090]

Yay! I love the 3 hour long dry docks, I listen to them every night as I fall asleep for the month :)

[@rupertboleyn3885]

As I recall, post-war exercises lead the RN to conclude that in heavy weather the Iowas were little, if at all, faster than the KGVs.

[@rootbeerpoptart]

I remember hearing something about Vanguard handling rough seas the best of all the final battleships

[@LOTRFootball]

Sure it wasn't Vanguard?

[@richardmeyeroff7397]

Your evaluation of what might have been if Germany had followed what Bismark wanted rather then doing what the Kaiser wanted makes a lot of sense. What a different world we would have if it had happened that way.

[@michaelray3865]

Someone should write an alt-history series where it’s Britain’s and Germany and Austria-Hungary vs. France, Russia, and Italy.

[@LucioFercho]

From the German stand point, an alliance with the British makes no sense since it wiuld likely mean fighting the Russians and enduring huge losses just for the UK sake... People always fail to see that what the UK did before WW1 was basically Entente appeasement.

[@bjarkih1977]

On the subject of pistols and metal plates at the end of the grip, I (as a carpenter) guess that it's there to prevent the wood from splitting. Constant changes in humidity is not a friend to wood etc.

[@MatthewChenault]

It also helps with preventing the gun from destroying the wooden grip due to its recoil.

[@heirofaniu]

That is the reason, you put a plate on the end of the grain so that the grip or stock is less likely to split if it takes a knock or is in a non-permissive environment. It also has a secondary (although not officially endorsed by command) function of making the butt end of the weapon a slughtly more efficient cudgel and hammer for when you're pounding in tent stakes or trying to unstick stubborn equipment or people.

[@mytube001]

I wish the question about which WW2 battleship fired the most rounds at the enemy would've excluded shells fired during shore bombardment. Which WW2 battleship fired the most shells at other ships?

[@some_old_guy1976]

My bet, WARSPITE

[@DaremoKamen]

Shigeru Mizuki was one of those soldiers in a bypassed garrison on New Guinea. When he lost his left arm in a bombing attack he was ordered to go die so as not to be a burden. He was taken in and saved by the natives and was grateful for the rest of his life.

[@99IronDuke]

The Imperial Federation idea, mainly involved Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

[@derrickstorm6976]

Fun fact: the hydrophone is just the detector part of a sonar, and not some other sort of device. I just learned that, I had used them interchangeably too, I thought that'd be useful to know

[@Drachinifel]

True, but hydrophones were used as standalone passive detectors before the invention of active sonar, and after as well. :)

[@smiller3161]

Thanks!

[@themanformerlyknownascomme777]

43:10 it actually doesn't just apply to ships to my knowledge, it applies to many things and still happens today! (though, much like with most religion it has mellowed out somewhat), this is also why in some manga/anime when characters enter a messy room they'll sometimes say something to the extent of "this room is crying!". also, a bit of trivia: in the anime "Space Battleship Yamato" they do reference this, and, as far as they are concerned, the space battleship is still the same spirit as the WW2 vessel.

[@gokbay3057]

Well the main religion in Japan is Shinto which has shamanistic/animistic aspects like pretty much everything having their own soul. People obviously but also animals, trees, rocks, rivers and indeed ships probably other stuff like rooms/buildings.

[@MrMont-ue8kh]

Thanks for another informative episode! With regard to the Japanese reverence for the spirit of their ship, I think another western parallel is something like a regimental battle standard, which soldiers would often try to save or prevent the capture of, even at the risk of their own lives. Roman eagles as well.

[@tombogan03884]

1:32:37. I know little about the 5/38, but I spent 30 years working with machines. If your machine has an over travel stop , it prevents moving to far. You are not going to do anything until you clear the lock out. Then you can fix the actual problem. Nothing moves until the lock out is reset.

[@ph89787]

38:08 no prizes for this photo as that’s from Zuikaku. But when Zuikaku was being abandoned and the crew was gathering on the flight deck. One of Enterprise’s Avengers flew past and did their own “final honours”. Specifically sticking the finger up at the crew. Zuikaku’s crew weren’t happy with that.

[@bkjeong4302]

Given how much grief Zuikaku caused to Enterprise….

[@ph89787]

@@bkjeong4302 Both her's and Shokaku's sinking at Philippine Sea were celebrated by the Big E. That being said, I'm still of the view that Cape Engano should've been a one on one against Zuikaku and Enterprise.

[@scooterdescooter4018]

her crew is lucky that Avenger only gave the highway salute and not a few strafing runs.

[@1982nsu]

00:13:09 My nominee, although not a battleship, DE USS Samuel B Roberts fought like a battleship at Samar. The Sammy B expended every round including firing star shells at the enemy battleship.

[@richardmeyeroff7397]

As an American the Chamberlain idea of Imperial Federation was unknown to me but at a quick glance makes a lot of sense. If it could have covered India and South Africa, with out its racial Ideas, that union would be the dominant power in the world today. Let us extend the idea further back. What if the King and Parliament had used a similar idea when dealing with the American colonies rather than trying to beat them into submission can you imagine what the result would be. What an ideas for a set of alternative history books.

[@TrickiVicBB71]

The Norway question on 1 hour and 50 minutes. I recall Dr. Clarke did a video on various nations 1938-1941 on a month or year basis. How they could have a better outcome in WW2. Norway has aggressive neutrality to everyone and invests more torpedo boats, frigates or corvettes, and submarines. But I would have to watch it again to confirm

[@jonathan_60503]

Belatedly catching up - it is also possible that in situations where the ship isn't actively engulfed in flames or exploding a more formal abandon ship ceremony might actually /reduce/ losses. Panic in abandoning ship, when seconds don't yet count, might lead to more casualties than standing around saluting a flag if doing so give the collected sailors a moment to calm down and leads to a more orderly abandon ship drill.

[@indplt1595]

When it comes to American declarations of war prior to 1950, it is important to remember an ironclad rule: IF CONGRESS AGREES TO APPROVE AND FUND IT. The United States did not go to war over the IJNAS sinking of USS Panay in 1937 or, more significantly, U-552 sinking USS Reuben James in October 1941. There is much speculation why the Administration did not go to war over the 100 American sailors killed by Erich Topp's torpedo attack, but often overlooked is whether Congress would have declared war if they had been asked in early November 1941... ...so the question wasn't one of Administration policy. FDR pushed an extremely robust naval policy during the entirety of his presidency (which wasn't surprising as he served as the Assistant Secretary of the Navy from 1913 to 1920 and was rebuffed by Wilson when FDR requested in 1917 to resign in favor of serving as a naval officer during WWI after Congress declared war). This culminated in the Two-Ocean Navy Act of 1940 (which essentially authorized the fleets that eventually smashed the Axis). If the 1940 buildup had been completed by 7 December 1941, the Administration perhaps could have gone to war without an explicit Congressional declaration of war (as has been the case in every American conflict after 1942), but with most of the ships authorized having yet to hit the water the risk that the highly-isolationist Congress in 1941 wouldn't fund the continued mobilization was just too high. But the Japanese were also very aware of the buildup unleashed by the Two-Ocean Navy Act, and thus the IJN likely saw 1941/42 as do-or-die in regards to beginning a war against the Americans...

[@tombogan03884]

The German, and Russian/Soviet fleets could both be considered as ultimately self defeating. Both spent large sums on Fleets that were immediately bottled up as soon as war were declared.

[@onenote6619]

My understanding is that a lot of bypassed Japanese garrisons turned to farming as a means to survive. The success of that would, I suppose. depend on how much more-or-less arable land was available. If it's volcanic or desertified, they would be out of luck. Spending a lot of time in an area renowned for tropical diseases and horrific arthropods without access to medical supplies is also not conducive to mental or physical health.

[@ricdintino9502]

I would equate the American Civil War obsession with battle flags to the Japanese custom of saving the Emperor's portrait from a sinking ship.

[@-DSet]

You could compare it to the Roman Legionary Eagle standards as well.

[@morganmckenzie1303]

Or the Kings colors/Queens portrait by the clock.

[@mikhailiagacesa3406]

Being an American (and a Pennsylvanian), it's obvious that the Angry Sister fired more rounds at the enemy than any other Battleship. You can't have it all, Warspite. ;-)

[@harrymurphey2634]

... the "Angry Sister" was always expending her ammo and emptying her Magazines ... I read somewheres that she was reloaded more times then any other American Battleship ... she would steam in and just let loose hence her other nickname ... ol' Parts & Pieces ... and she fought from Pearl Harbor and basically through the whole war ... (from) Newtown Square Pa

[@michaelpiatkowskijr1045]

USS Tennessee did get a Naval Unit Citation for shore bombardment. Interestingly, it had something to do with accuracy in support of landing troops.

[@williamharvey8895]

I remember drydocks one through ten. It started off around 20 minutes, then the just got longer and longer. Which I think surprised Drach a bit as the channel was starting to morph into something beyond Drachs wildest dreams.

[@USAACbrat]

USN Bu ships has a spec for everything, from alloys to dock timbers and a long list of coating specs.

[@SCjunk]

2:36:00 seems unlikely that crews would regard some-one from another State as spies - most US States had NG and Naval Reserve for call up Federalisation in time of war, but the ideal of closer community -such as city or towns pre-dominating in a ships crew seems unlikely, even the loss of casualties from NG units -for example in the Solomans campaign caused consternation. So the idea of large scale losses if a BB or cruiser went down would have on a township or community would not be acceptable. US authorities knew what happened in British and Irish towns because of the Pals battalions of WW1 and knew what happened to communities when commercial vessels went down on the Great Lakes or off New England and in those cases were often little more than a few score of men. (that US authorities were aware what do you think the movie "Saving Pte Ryan" was about?). so the story of gov't implanted snitches is probably a latrine rumour.

[@scottygdaman]

hi Drach. hope you had a good one in the colony. First season listener you dont want to know how many years. i wanted to say THANK YOU Sundays would not be the same without some naval history. also your the bestes historographeeer on youtube their tube any tube also thanks for investing in all us navy nerds. Cheers

[@lukedogwalker]

Waterspouts 😀 When my Dad was in the RFA, they used to drive the ship directly at waterspouts as a game to pass the time. Yes, they were bored, and no, they weren't worried about damage. I reckon cruise ships would only be worried about discomoding some promenading passengers, or perhaps don't want a few tons of sea water to get dumped into the open air water park that often graces the top deck.

[@vikkimcdonough6153]

Welcome back, Drach! 🤗🫂

[@ROBERTN-ut2il]

Amazingly enough, Drach actually made sense in his recommendations as to the Royal Norwegian Navy with his ideas of torpedo boats and minelayers. The Norse had begun a modest naval rearmament program in the late Thirties TT Sleipner Class (3 ships 1936-39) 597 tons 30 knots 3X4 inch 2X21inch TT 24XMines Odin Class (3 ships authorized, 1 completed 1939-40) 632 tons 30 knots 3X4 inch 2X21 inch TT 24XMines Compare to the RN's R class DD's of 1916 975 tons 36 knots 3X4 inch 4X21 inch TT DD Two authorized, none completed 1220 tons 34 knots 4x4.7 inch 4X21 inch TT ?XMines CM Olav Tryggvasson (1934) 1596 tons 23 knots 4X4.7 inch 1X3 inch DP 280 mines A defensive minelayer/sloop - offensive mine laying would be carried out by torpedo craft As far as Norway's readiness and slow response to the invasion, a Royal Commission was formed post war to investigate the incompetence and treasonous behavior involved. Its findings were so scandalous that they have never been made public as the King ordered them suppressed.

[@ROBERTN-ut2il]

Compare the DD's to the RN Modified W Class of 1918 1120 tons 34 knots 4X4.7 inch 6X21 inch TT The CM to the USS Terror 1942 8840 tons 20 knots 4X5 inch DP 875XMines, also a defensive minelayer

[@NickiesAdventureChannel]

YESSSS ❤ I’m in bed full of flu … feel so crap… and just saw this upload 😊 brilliant ! Many thanks 🎉

[@mark7321]

Weekly relapses to you.❤ Hopefully you have recovered in the meantime. 😊

[@theonetruefunk9628]

On your example about a drill with a clutch or similar function, on most drills I've worked with, there is a setting that overrides the clutch. And yes, it definitely tries to break your wrists. Many a drill has been thrown across the job because of it lol

[@rupertboleyn3885]

One WWII building program I'd change - ditch Vanguard. I love her, but she was just a waste of money. Alternatively, actually make her construction an actual top priority until she was finished, not the on-again, off-again silliness that eventuated.

[@bkjeong4302]

I’d extend this to basically the entire WWII generation of battleships, but if I had to do just one, I’d go with Vanguard.

[@TrickiVicBB71]

A hard decision. But yes. Cancel building it. Get all those workers and the drydock to be used for other things

[@FltCaptAlan]

47:07 I wouldn't count the "Nelson Style" the same as the various cruisers (Takao, Myoko, and Helena/Brooklyn) seeing as the Nelsons' guns all would swing forward, where the cruisers the 3rd turret would swing aft, so 2 different styles. this is also why I don't regard the Izumo in WoWs as a true "all forward" ship, as not all the guns swing forward, but they get the same, or better, armor benefits

[@Aelvir114]

2:16:30 The ship in question is the Tier IX light cruiser Neptune, being WG’s attempt at the Neptune-class cruisers. Nevermind the fact that the twin Bofors AA are in STAAGs instead of BUSTER mounts, but I think the problem WG has made for Neptune is by them copy-pasting Edinburgh and Fiji's turrets for Neptune and calling it the “6"/50 BL Mk XXIII in Mk XXV mounts”. The Mk XXV mounts used the same 6"/50 QF Mk V (later redesignated as Mk N5) as the Tiger-class and 1947 Minotaur-class, the only planned DP mount for the BL Mk XXIII was the Mk XIV turrets intended to arm the cancelled group of the 1943 Minotaur-class, which was similar to the Mk XXIII mount used by Edinburgh and Fiji but was a bit roomier. After their cancellation they took that design and developed it further into a far more complex turret design and using the new, autoloading QF Mk V gun and were a bit larger with a more prominent, curved room compared to the simple flat roof of the Mk XXIII as well as having the guns in a conventional arrangement and spread further apart as opposed to the center gun being set back 2.5 ft back as per the Mk XXIII mount. Oh and the Mk XXV had an elevation of 80° (higher than the Tiger/'47 Minotaur twin Mk XXVI) while the Mk XXIII was only 45°. Yeah, by all forms of logic the turrets they gave Neptune would actually not be DP on the slightest. WG basically simply misinforms players about their main-battery purely because they couldn’t do a new turret model for Neptune, meanwhile a new fictional turret design is used for Seattle instead of copy-pasting Cleveland turrets.

[@alex7x57]

2:55:44 There is a specific term for that, which is "clubbing", ie to wield as a club. It applies to both pistols and muskets. Matt Easton of @scholagladiatoria has an entire video on the technique entitled "Clubbing The Musket".

[@USAACbrat]

Th speed and inertia can cause a turret to over run the stops and jam. Extended firing at extreme rotation can cause to jump the stops an freeze.

[@frankbodenschatz173]

Thanks Drach for answering my Japanese radar question!

[@SCjunk]

2:26:00 French retained off shore fire support until 1957 - after Suez in which Jean Bart turned up to give support although only one turret was operative, in the event she fired only 4 main armament shells at Port Suez on Nov. 5th 1956. She then returned to Toulin via Cyprus on Nov. 17th.

[@benwilson6145]

The British had Fire support from the Navy in 1982 in the Falklands. The USN used fire support in the 80's in Lebenon

[@onenote6619]

On the subject of radar in the Pacific theatre, the Allies had conducted a massive back-and-forth campaign against Germany. Japan was using systems at least one generation behind. Alfred Price in 'Instruments of Darkness' quotes: "Initially there was no call for electronic jamming and we did not want to give the Japanese any advance warning for what was in store for them". Once the decision was made to throw systems designed to jam Germany in late 1944 against Japan in 1945, all indications are that the Japanese systems largely collapsed. Not that they would have helped much even if 100% effective.

[@gagamba9198]

Re Japanese radar, the valves (vacuum tubes) they manufactured had a high failure rate and another problem was acquiring nickel needed to produce them - as I understand it to prevent overheating. Their source of supply ended up being Hong Kong coins for their nickel content. BTW, there's a channel here that somehow obtains ordnance from as far back as WWII and opens them for examination. He has a good one about GE's VT radio proximity fuze used against kamikaze attacks by the USN. Most of his videos are shorts.

[@notshapedforsportivetricks2912]

Damn! Only a three hour Drydock! Expect severe withdrawal symptoms.

[@mark7321]

Hope part two alleviated the symptoms somewhat 😅

[@AdamMisnik]

Cold War USN ships crews were drawn from all over the country. Technical ratings tended to draw more from the north and traditional ratings more from the south but even they weren't deliberately segregated. Mid-Westerners were surprisingly heavily represented even though they grew up nowhere near the ocean. In WWII a greater part of the American population was concentrated in the North-East but there was no policy to segregate ships crews by region then either. The last of the Civil War veterans had died off in the 1930's and regionalism in the military was traditionally discouraged because of that experience.

[@ROBERTN-ut2il]

Internal security. I once dated a girl who was a USAF brat. Her dad had spent a career as an aerial gunner (including missions over North Vietnam) and was supposed to be a senior NCO when he retired. So, she was stunned to see her dad wearing the insignia of a Chief Warrant Officer at his retirement ceremony. (USAF had WO's back in those days). After several years as a gunner, he had been recruited as an undercover investigator by the Criminal Investigation Command and become a warrant officer after training. So no one - not even his wife - knew that he was living a dual life, mainly working fraud, bribery and black market cases while flying as a gunner.

[@johnofnz]

02:55:25 - Flintlick pistols as clubs in boarding actions? I remember this being depicted in a really cool old painting of a Maori boarding party ambushing a sailing ship, and just as a warrior is climbing up over the side there is a member of the crew desperately swinging the pistol butt at his head.

[@sewing1243]

Re: 01:35:59 - Captains cannot enter the wardroom? In the current US Navy I don't believe the Ship's Captain, or any other Officer, can enter the Chief Petty Officers Mess unless invited.

[@verysurvival]

Gdynia is a different place to Gdańsk.

[@gokbay3057]

Yup the German name for Gdynia is Gdingen/Gotenhafen while Gdańsk is Danzig. And indeed afaik the main reason the former grew a lot in the Interwar Era was because the latter was a free city so Poland built up Gdynia to serve as its primary port.

[@gazeboist4535]

2:53:45 Ah, I remember doing the exact same thing with a little spray bottle that was kept near my bed to deal with stubborn cats.

[@molybdaen11]

Also treating the ship as it's own person and giving it last rites increases the moral. I mean especially in a emergency situation it helps a lot to have rites and procedures you can hang on to when you want to panic. Also the surviving sailors may tell about how they treated the ship with respect to the very end, which might inspire new recruits to give they best too since it's they family now.

[@davidbrennan660]

Humans live and die by Rituals, it is deep in our placing worth to existence, a bond with your Ship as you live and could die on is important, People give a structure a soul we feel within ourselves, all the better to fight to keep it afloat and fighting to save you is just part of being human. As an Engineer I get such foolishness 🥺 with building and some machinery I look after,...... if it held mentally so...... it keeps working, as it wants too.🤪 Machines and structures with no soul just fall to pieces for no reason.. it seems.... 🥺 and and I know what I have written is nonsense yet it works...🤪

[@molybdaen11]

@@davidbrennan660 Praise the Omisaiah.

[@johnjephcote7636]

I read many decades ago that the discharge of a cannon - the shock wave that is, would cause a waterspout to dissolve into rain.

[@xenokarasu]

The videos' length is increasing to accommodate the hillariously ever-increasing viewers' names length!

[@USAACbrat]

The Mattox took a 4-6" sell just forward of the center of the turret about 3' below the deck line SBD-AFT, into the traverse mech. She as pulled out of mothballs and served as a reserve training ship in the President Regan's 600 ship navy. he was home ported in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, USA. She was retired the third failure of getting an "E" rating '

[@donklesa6040]

Light bulb explodes, engineer is born.

[@toddwebb7521]

Well on a mid 30s pre war hood refit it's probably more plausible than you think because the one R class that got a partial modernization Royal Oak got it's work because it was damaged by an air raid during a Spanish Civil War neutrality patrol, so if a butterfly flaps it's wings and the Admiralty had Hood doing Spanish Neutrality patrol instead of Royal Oak a bomb damaged Hood presumably gets Royal Oaks time in drydock for an upgrade

[@USAACbrat]

patching sails work, just as ell as well as new sails. Yacht Whisper, home port Dinner Key Florida, won the Palm Beach Yacht Club, 5 year Gold Coast Cup winner. Defeated skippers during this period; Dennis Conner, in his catamaran, " Capt. Courageous" Ted Turner driving a Cal 40. Whisper was the last Cal 40 to race the SORCE Racing Championship. Race was won By Robin 2 built in 1958. The only boat we gave time too. "Whisper as built in 1967, Found abandoned, on the dock behind Monty's Trainer Restaurant, Monty's dock open and owing storage. Rebuilt by local professionals to show the yachty' How to sail a 'California 40' lightning 17' class, dingy lines came from Bluebird 14' sailing dingy.

[@Plantagenaut]

Drach, could you expound more about the War of 1812? That has some great meaning and battles your followers will enjoy.

[@michaelpiatkowskijr1045]

As far as I can recall, the only open 5-inch 38s would be on the USS Texas. All other battleships have twin 5-inch in inclosed positions. All of the destroyers have single or twin 5-inch enclosed. Because they are enclosed, they have an auto stop by the turret itself. Some escort destroyers had open 5-inch guns. I believe the Essex-class carriers had open single mounts. I don't know if they were taken off when the angled flight deck was added.

[@ROBERTN-ut2il]

Sorry but no. The batteries at the end of WW2 were Arkansas, New York and Texas = 6X5/51 singles in casemates, 10X3/50 singles New Mexico and Colorado = 6X5/51 singles in casemates, 8X5/25 singles Mississippi = 16X5/25 singles Idaho = 10X5/38 singles in turrets Nevada, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, California, Maryland, West Virginia = 16X5/38 in turrets The 3 inch and 5/25 were in open single mounts.

[@USAACbrat]

The Mattox Of Gulf of Tonkin fame, Aft turret would jump the stops if fired at full traverse. This as due to battle damage after it was repaired. The rear alignment wasn't good. The STBD an Port Alignment at the transom wasn't level. STBD side as 2.5" high. Not uncommon in ships that dropped a lot of depth charges.

[@Wolfeson28]

30:48 I'm very curious what these recently available documents you're referring to are, and exactly what they say, because I'm a bit more skeptical that the US would have entered the war against Japan without Pearl Harbor occurring pretty much as it did. I would guess that the documents you're referring to are letters or memoranda between FDR and members of his inner circle, but I think there's a big difference between someone like FDR saying they were *considering* declaring war or that they *wanted* to declare war based on any of those pretexts you mentioned, and there actually being enough public and political pressure for Congress to actually approve a declaration of war. Yes, there were some naval ships around the Philippines as potential "trip wires", but would the Japanese sinking one or two small warships way out in the Philippines have generated anywhere near the outrage that Pearl Harbor did? After all, the sinking of the Panay four years earlier hadn't led to war - although the Japanese were far more apologetic about that than they would likely have been in 1941. The part about declaring war simply due to the Japanese invading the Dutch East Indies seems especially flimsy. Your comparisons to the British entering the World Wars over Belgium or Poland really don't hold up, since in both of those cases the British had signed a formal treaty guaranteeing those countries' independence, which the US had not done for any Dutch or British holdings. I mean, how would you justify declaring war on Japan over invading Dutch colonies, but not declaring war on Germany when they invaded the Netherlands proper two years earlier? I have a *very* hard time believing that the US Congress or public would have gone along with declaring war over someone else's colonies being invaded, against a country that had not yet attacked US territories or forces. Critically, though (even though this goes a bit beyond the initial scenario), even if any of those non-Pearl Harbor scenarios did bring the US into the war, they would not have generated anywhere near the national outrage and resolve that happened historically. That, in turn, could have easily led to the US' will to continue the war all the way to ultimate victory weakening or collapsing partway across the Pacific in the face of increasing casualties (which was more or less what the Japanese were counting on happening).

[@wcate8301]

Wolfson28, I'm wondering how you think war with Japan could have been avoided, even without Pearl Harbor. With his eyes on Dutch East Indies and French Indo China, FDR was busily reinforcing the Philippines, ostensibly to aid an ally, but actually to threaten the shipping lanes between Japan and her conquests. B17s, P40s, and an expanded Navy base and Asian Squadron were looking more and more like an expeditionary force than a local policing force. B17 and PBY surveillance of Japanese shipping would surely generate loud protests and an eventual attack. MacArthur's prewar general disregard of airpower would just about guarantee that attack to be (1)surprise, and (2)devastating, with heavy casualties. If in doubt, witness MacArthur's performance nearly a full day after Pearl, when he allowed the majority of his air force to be destroyed on the ground by a "surprise" but entirely predictable raid. He hadn't even bothered to set up an early warning ground spotter network, as Chennault* had suggested a year earlier. *Maj Claire Chennault was dismissed from the Army Air Corps for heresy and insubordination during MacArthur's reign as Chief of Staff of US Army. He went on to command Chiang Kai Scheck's Nationalist Chinese Air Force, the later American Volunteer Group (Flying Tigers), and eventually the US 13th Air Force.

[@brucewilliams1892]

@30:48, conditions elsewhere were worsening besides the threats from Japan. Perhaps you need to look up the USS Reuben James' story.

[@darekbraden]

With regards to sailcloth, Linen is stronger when wet, and is in almost all physical properties superior to cotton. However once the Cotton Gin is invented cotton is significantly cheaper and easier to get your hands on.

[@w.osterberg9385]

@30:48 I was asking because while FDR and some politicians were ok with going to war, most were still very isolationist even after the Panay incident. FDR evan ran for re-election in 1940 promising that American boys would not be sent overseas ..... i just wanted Drachs take on the political climate in the USA at the time. For which I thank you Drach.

[@carloschristanio4709]

When did the publics will ever stop a us politician....a democrat nonetheless. But i agree on the public and would be interesting to see the political fall out, maybe the catalyst for the rise of the american fasict party?

[@frankbodenschatz173]

Running and saying something for an office is one thing, actually meaning it is so different. He wanted to go to war and knew what was at stake all over the world!

[@carloschristanio4709]

Remember the "conspiracy theory" that stated that Roosevelt moved the fleet to pearl harbor to goat the japanese into attacking it... well drach said that Roosevelt planned tripwires units by the Phillipines...so I wonder if it was all part of the plan?

[@ROBERTN-ut2il]

@@carloschristanio4709 It most certainly was part of his plan to manufacture an "incident" See Rear Admiral Kemp Tolley's Cruise of the Lanikai. "In early December 1941 in the Philippines, a young Navy ensign named Kemp Tolley was given his first ship command, an old 76-foot schooner that had once served as a movie prop in John Ford's "The Hurricane." Crewed mostly by Filipinos who did not speak English and armed with a cannon that had last seen service in the Spanish-American War, the Lanikai was under top-secret presidential orders to sail south into waters where the Japanese fleet was thought to be. Ostensibly the crew was to spy on Japanese naval movements, but to Tolley it was clear that their mission was to create an incident that would provoke war. Events overtook the plan, however, when Pearl Harbor was bombed before the Lanikai could get underway. When Bataan and Corregidor fell, she was ordered to set sail for Australia and became one of the few U.S. naval vessels to escape the Philippines. In this book Tolley tells the saga of her great adventure during these grim, early days of the war and makes history come alive as he regales the reader with details of the operation and an explanation of President Roosevelt's order. Tolley's description of their escape in Japanese warship-infested waters ran"

[@ROBERTN-ut2il]

Yeah, "Save the Imperialists!" wouldn't have gone down well in the US in 1941

[@wesleyfoster1967]

30min, live notification,set to ALL received , subscribed, given 👍, Audio, Video is Good.

[@snakeplissken2018]

Alternative history question, what if Yamato and center force would have came through Surigao stait where 7th fleet had their trap set and crossed the T

[@johnshepherd9676]

The picture of the Yavuz is immediate post WWII. Note the the US aircraft aboard a carrier with F8Fs aboard.

[@samp9539]

Re: The engraving of the damage to Thunderer's boiler (circa 2:54:00). Why does the man pointing at the damage hold a lobster in his left hand? ITWSBT

[@michaeljacob4287]

"HMS Saracen" by Douglas Reeman, published under his own name in 1966 by G.P. Putnam's Sons. He also wrote the Bolitho series under the pen name Alexander Kent. It's a nostalgic read on my bookshelf next to "The Cruel Sea". Both volumes were discards from the Columbus Public Library in Ohio, in the mid 70s.

[@GARDENER42]

The Forestry Commission was set up in 1919 to ensure a strategic supply of timber after the shortages (mostly of pit props) during WW1. Italian POWs were used for planting trees during & shortly after WW2 & I found a couple of rock faces in Ennerdale valley carved with Italian names & dates from 1942-1946.

[@ROBERTN-ut2il]

Short Sunderland's Rube Goldberg bomb loading equipment "The ordnance was stored inside the fuselage in a purpose-built bomb room and was winched up to racks, under the wing centre section, that could be traversed out through doors on each side of the fuselage above the waterline to the release position." Why underwing bomb racks weren't good enough is a mystery.

[@hughgordon6435]

2:25:02 that carrier looks just odd!😮😮

[@AnthonyBieniek]

I was wondering ,while I know we don't have the info structure to make the large plates of armor for Battleships. what about using Kevlar combined with Steele plate. I've been watching a show that's been experimenting with kevlar to make suites of armor and even though the samples are very thin it seems to do the same job as Steele. is it something that has already been researched.

[@ROBERTN-ut2il]

Why woyuld we want to do it for ships?

[@crimsonsplat]

I used one of those aftermarket ketchup or mustard squeeze bottles to squirt water on the light bulb to get the hiss, er, bulb pop. My parents were similarly un-amused. As for boiler explosions, wasn't that the real reason for loss of the USS Maine in Havana? "You furnish the pictures, and I'll furnish the war."

[@SCjunk]

2:55:30 Beating with a pistol (pistol whipping) is fairly commonplace in warfare. Listen the the Unauthorized History of the Pacific War (current editions The Invasion of Peleliu (Parts 1 and 2 of 3 parts) -Operation STALEMATE) mention is made of a marine bludgeoning Japanese with his M1911.

[@Shadooe]

37:42 There are also lots of examples of men "saving the colours" as well. Matthew Latham for example... for a flag? It would be easy to get another piece of coloured fabric, but that's not REALLY the point is it.

[@wesleyfoster1967]

Hope your trip went well stay healthy.

[@danhaas9730]

Related to the question on waterspouts, are there many instances of riverine craft (warships or not) being destroyed by tornados? I'm aware of one such instance: the 1840 tornado in Natchez Mississippi, which to this day rates as the 2nd deadliest tornado in American history, due in no small part to the fact that it destroyed over 100 flatboats in the river and at 2-3 larger riverboats tied up alongside the shore.

[@andrewszigeti2174]

Drach, you're getting quite good at dealing with the various tongue-twister Patreon names!

[@SamAlley-l9j]

Thanks Drach.

[@Trek001]

I believe there is some sort of spirit investiture on JMSDF though not to the extent of the old Imperial Japanese Navy Edit: the question credit for the question on the fictional monitor is shown as the next question's at the 2:08:06 mark

[@hughgordon6435]

Was there, in all truth, a message through the fleet "Winnies back"?

[@jeffsaxton2051]

Railroad locomotives are almost always fire-tube boilers, but how many fire-tube boilers are on ships versus water-tube boilers? Water-tube boilers when they pop will often spill lots of water directly on the fire, but fire-tube boilers pop with more propelling force.

[@KenR1800]

Imperial Federation... sounds like a Star Wars / Star Trek crossover episode...😂

[@coldwarrior78]

Concerning the 5"/38 stuck at the stops- I was told by a WWII sailor that the stops were not very strong and a high speed traverse and elevation change from one limit to the other could bend the stop creating a situation of gun is past operating range, so system would not operate. He said hydraulic jacks and big levers were needed to pry the gun off the stop and back into normal operation range. Sea story or actual experience?

[@Tim.NavVet.EN2]

A lesser known Murphy's law: If necessity is the mother of invention, then sheer desperation must surely be the father! (a minor grammar correction & I added the: surely, so the quote is now correct.)

[@johnferguson1970]

Tim, I have been saying that since I was an undergrad (40 years ago). :)

[@comrade_commissar3794]

How is this at all related to Murphy’s law?

[@Tim.NavVet.EN2]

@@comrade_commissar3794 Drach's quoting of Edison, and Murphy's variation of it..... Plus, the German Radar Detectors were, at least in part, born of Desperation!

[@philipyates-jw5wx]

23 min. Wow, never seen Lord Charles without Ray Alan before.