The Drydock - Episode 329

[@dukenukem8381]

Because for the last year or so I mostly used Drydock's episodes to fall asleep , my subconscious must be sailor by now with a thick facial hair and singing sea shanties.

[@christopherdigby5829]

How strange! I thought I would be the only person who did this

[@lourencoalmada1305]

I bought KZbin Premium just so I could fall asleep to drydock episodes with my phone screen turned off. I just wish Drach removed the loud horns, gunfire, and bells from the intro because they sometimes wake me up 😅

[@dethronedemperor]

I’ve been falling asleep to Drach’s videos for years. My subconscious will make admiral any day now.

[@DIVeltro]

I both listen to these while sleeping, and while I'm driving for work. I can safely say the Guadacanal playlist will go mostly across the state time wise.

[@rienkhoek4169]

​@@lourencoalmada1305Are you me?

[@johnfisher9692]

Merry Christmas to you, Mrs Drach and of course Baby Drach's first Christmas Don't be surprised if she finds the wrapping paper just as much (perhaps more) fun as the actual presents

[@dimasgirl2749]

What are the chances that the baby's first Christmas present is a toy ship?

[@Wolfeson28]

@@dimasgirl2749 Gotta start small, so Baby's First Destroyer Escort...USS Samuel B. Roberts, perhaps?

[@Alsatia13]

Potential question for a future Drydock episode. Why aren’t naval shells “boat tailed” like rifle rounds? Theoretically wouldn’t naval fire be more accurate due to the better aerodynamics of the shells?

[@leftcoaster67]

Merry Christmas Drach to you and your family. Thanks for all you do.

[@billbrockman779]

Under your Tirpitz scenario, USS Washington potentially kills enemy BB’s in two oceans against two fleets.

[@bkjeong4302]

Her and Duke of York. Ironically, IOTL they still ended up as the only two WWII-gen battleships who definitely did their jobs with no room for doubt (since the others either failed to serve as capital ships, or engaged enemy capital ships in situations when airpower was an option).

[@TrickiVicBB71]

Washington and DoY would be in a class of their own, having the distinction of being the only World War Two battleships sinking two enemy battleships, if I am thinking clearly.

[@niclasjohansson4333]

​@@TrickiVicBB71Kirishima was only a pre ww1 design battle cruiser, and the "undergunned" Scharnhorst was sunk by a force of 13 ships in total, taking hundreds of shells and 11 torpedoes before going down ! I guess that you never heard about Hood, and the other battleship that was sunk by gunfire, the old French BB Bretagne, sunk (perhaps by Hood), while being moored in harbor while backstabbed by her former allied !

[@michaelbeale559]

USS Washington: I can do this all day!

[@metaknight115]

@@bkjeong4302 I should disagree with that statement, there were a number of battleships which were very effective. KMS Gneisenau scored the highest kill sheet of any battleship with 20 ships sunk or captured, notably the aircraft carrier Glorious and the destroyers Acasta and Ardent, with her sistership Scharnhorst following up with 15 kills. The KGV class was arguably the most effective modern BB class. Prince of Wales critically damaged the Bismarck with shell hits that caused a major oil leak and fuel contamination, directly leading to the massive 50 ship hunt that sank Bismarck. KGV assisted in sinking the Bismarck. Now yes, air power was an option, but this was before the days people knew "carrier>battleship", there was no indication Victorious's raid damaged Bismarck, and Ark Royal's only caused the rudder jam. Basically, there was no real way for the British to know if air attacks could actually sink Bismarck, so battleships seemed like the better option, which Rodney and KGV excelled in and sank Bismarck. Finally, we have Duke of York. Bismarck sank HMS Hood, Britian's only battleship capable of exceeding 30 knots, while Tirpitz forced a convoy ship to scatter, leading to 26 merchant ships being sunk in the most successful U-Boat attack. USS North Carolina basically saved USS Enterprise at the battle of the Eastern Solomons, probably one of if not the only instance of a battleship actually being vital as a carrier escort rather than some sort of 2nd rate duty they did while the carriers did the heavy lifting. North Carolina shot down 14 of the 37 aircraft, saving Enterprise from being finished off. You already know about Washington. USS Massachusetts off Casablanca was surprisingly underrated, given her performance was something of a pseudo successor to HMS Warship off Navik. Even if you don't think her sinking Jean Bart is impressive, shells from Massachusetts that missed Jean Bart sank the destroyer Le Malin, three troop ships, and a cargo ship in the harbor. She then turned her attention to attacking French ships, scoring hits to the light cruiser Primauguet, the destroyers Fougueux, Milan, Fronduer, and Boulonnais, and a floating drydock, sinking all of them either directly or alongside escorting cruisers, depending on the source. Her 16-inch guns were crucial for the victory. USS South Dakota also crucially served as a distraction for the Japanese fleet, allowing Washington to sink Kirishima in the first place.

[@thomaslinton5765]

Just stumbled across a Youtuibe video claiming that the the British developed a "trap" "that Accidently Destroyed Germany's Entire Submarine Fleet." So glad that you bring us actual history.

[@Wayne.J]

Japanese also had pilots on land based air forces. There was about 1500 aviators at the start of the Pacific War in the IJN. Some of the elite fighter pilots were land based in Philippines. And some post Midway dive bomber were assigned to land based squadrons. And some instructors in 12th Combined Air Group at the start of the war, were Chinese veterans.

[@tomlindsay4629]

Thanks for the Hoche guide this week, you were kinder than I would have been, and I'm a French predreadnought apologist.🤪

[@washingtonradio]

I wonder where the French put the ahem

[@notshapedforsportivetricks2912]

In the fighting tops, I wouldn't wonder.

[@drrocketman7794]

Safety being a major concern for the Turtle submersible, I am reminded of a tragedy involving a small experimental submarine where its designers ignored safety protocols to their own peril and sadly died when their submarine imploded. I doubt I would volunteer to cram myself into a tiny wood contraption for several hours, even for historical research.

[@silverdrillpickle7596]

Exhausting research; excellent presentation! Thank you, Mr Gentleman 🫡

[@mkaustralia7136]

On the pilot training for the IJN, Ugaki’s diary has lots of insights regarding IJN air groups being deployed on land in the Solomons campaign. Recovering them for carrier operations was an issue for him at times. On another occasion when he was based at one of the island bases - I have feeling it might have been Truk rather than Rabaul - he laments the use of carriers to ferry equipment around the place, rather than being equipped with aircraft.

[@73Trident]

Sunday morning Drach and coffee, what a great start to the day. Merry Chrismas to you and yours Drach.

[@metaknight115]

Where does this idea come from that HMS King George V was absolutely useless in the sinking of the Bismarck and Rodney did all the work? KGV scored hits that destroyed Bismarck’s aft turrets and I think the shell that penetrated her conning tower and killed her command staff

[@tent7014]

My Highlight of the week play along to the song at the intro with a ching ching on my cuppa tea to match the riviting Noises !

[@benrobertson7855]

Great as usual.thanks.

[@Schmidty1701]

43:21 Looking at the words at the top of the prints, they call it Battleship Cruiser. Very interesting

[@FrankBarnwell-xi8my]

Merry Christmas, and more happy adventures/research in the New Year! In your visit to Galveston I'm guessing you had to pass a few hundred meters of me along I-45. Small world.

[@MartinCHorowitz]

A nice surprise,you answered one of my Questions!

[@alganhar1]

About the only vaguely safe way I could see to test a Turtle replica would be to have the thing in a large enough pool, with a full safety team, including a couple of divers specifically tasked with pulling the operator out if things go wrong, and maybe have it attached to some kind of crane system, with maybe an emergency umbilical. There is just not the space in there to stow diving gear, let alone get into it if something does go wrong (some people forget how bulky the tanks are when it comes to scuba gear). Not even the space to wear it while operating the thing. And even if there were its so small that if things did go wrong (pretty much inevitable in anything but a mill pond), they would go wrong really, really fast.... You would not get me near the thing, and I have been diving for forty years..... Not as it is shown in the illustrations anyway. You would have to make significant changes to it before I would be willing to risk my life in the thing. And those changes would probably ruin the point of the tests....

[@roberthilton5328]

Looking at Vittorio Cuniberti's portrait photo early on a Sunday morning I can't help but think there is some resemblance to you, Drach!

[@jtpenman]

Merry Christmas Drach!

[@Tuning3434]

Time for some Drydock to wash the bad memories of WoWS 2024 away.

[@kennethdeanmiller7324]

Idk, I've always been under the impression that ALL of the Japanese Carriers were very formidable opponents. No matter whether it was the carrier conversions or the purpose built carriers they were still to be feared & respected just as much as the original "Kido Butai!" And although the pilots on Kaga & Akagi may have had more experience but every carrier is dangerous until it is sunk or all their pilots are killed or injured.

[@jackray1337]

Thank you.

[@philiphumphrey1548]

If Tirpitz sailed against PQ17, wouldn't it likely be reported by Norwegian resistance? Or maybe by an allied submarine. In which case Duke of York and Washington would have been on their way. If they in turn were spotted by German aircraft or U-boat, my guess is that Tirpitz would promptly skedaddle back to Kaafjord.

[@robertmatch6550]

Early coffee and DryDrach. Too cool!

[@Aelvir114]

45:11 And Stanley Goodall was also involved in design for G3 Ngl, Yavuz being rebuilt in Italy would be super cursed.

[@nathanzylla4961]

Trying to dive a turtle replica....and then ocean gate sub....ummm nope...not volunteering.

[@SamAlley-l9j]

Thanks Drach.

[@tonyjanney1654]

The most optimistic option for Tirpitz v. PQ 17 is the outcome of the destroyer/cruiser action against Tirpitz and her escorts which forces PQ 17 to scatter and allows the Germans to chew on some merchant ships. However even this "optimistic" result, will give Duke of York and Washington, as well as their escorting cruisers and destroyers time to get on scene. I would assume the Allied warships will be in a rather vengeful mood, so I can't see the engagement going well for Tirpitz and the Germans.

[@lewiswestfall2687]

Thanks Drach

[@kemarisite]

1:46 I remember Parschall saying something about the attitude within Kido Butai at the time, that "If the sons of the concubines fail, the legitimate sons will certainly succeed." Carrier Division 5 beinf the sons of the concubines while Carrier Divisions 1 and 2 being the legitimate sons.

[@TrickiVicBB71]

I remember him saying something like that while doing a video chat with Drachinifel. I think it is one of the Battle of Midway videos

[@OceanViewLocomotiveMachineCo]

I apologize if this has been asked before, I'm new here. How do you speculate the Battle of the North Cape had been different if Bey and Hintze kept a closer reign on the 5 destroyers and not left Scharnhorst alone for attack?

[@JaneCobbsHat]

45:35 in other words the line of Jeremy Clarkson.

[@bkjeong4302]

Funnily enough, what prompted me to ask that question about the Shokakus was some gentleman who actually did think they were completely useless, were viewed as a non-threat by the Americans, and that the Guadalcanal campaign was fought entirely at the surface with airpower playing no role. He was INCREDIBLY convinced of this (to the point he outright said Santa Cruz was not part of the Guadalcanal campaign and accused me of historical revisionism when I said it was), and some people actually assumed he was correct!

[@warwatcher91]

They were the best Japanese carriers of the war by a mile, that person had to be trolling.

[@bkjeong4302]

@@warwatcher91 No, they were completely serious and genuinely wanted to "educate" me.

[@GrahamWKidd]

Hello Saturday night!!

[@papajohnloki]

the battle of the santa cruz islands was the only clear-cut victory -tactical and strategic- between the us and japanese carrier forces- with the shokakus taking the honors (Cape Engano was a strategic victory in that the japanese did what they set out to do)

[@WALTERBROADDUS]

Rather than redoing the Hunley or Turtle. People should look to narco submersibles of today....

[@Sherwoody]

If I had an unlimited source of money, I’d love to have an actual working version of James Bond’s submarine Lotus Esprit, not a fake one like they used in the film. But that’s not going to happen.

[@FrankBarnwell-xi8my]

Merry Christmas Walter

[@Andy_Ross1962]

There's nothing in British law to stop you building a Turtle and launching it. Private craft don't have to comply with any safety regulations if you are stupid enough to do it.

[@jlvfr]

re: the "stupid sub" that tried to get to the Titanic...

[@jeffbybee5207]

Was thinking that In America we shouldn't have to get permits to do arguably dumb dangerous things but then I understand jet skis are forbidden off the west coast,?

[@Edawgpilot]

@@jeffbybee5207this is something of a misnomer. Jet skis are banned in several national parks, and far more of the western states are national park land than the lEast coast

[@benwilson6145]

Nothing is so simple, yes you can build an unstable ship., but! You will never get it certified and never get it registered You may be arrested , charged and jailed if any one gets injured or killed.

[@jeffbybee5207]

@@Edawgpilot what you say is true but I be leave I read the coast guard banned jet skis going off shore and do know they have veto power to stop craft they think are unsafe from ocean passages

[@mytube001]

14:40 What permits? It would be a boat like any other. It wouldn't be regulated beyond what normal leisure boats are.

[@mahbriggs]

I seem to remember one being siezed by officials while tied up to a dock in New York! Something about being unregistered and failing to meet safety inspection!

[@mytube001]

@@mahbriggs Well, perhaps USA have strict rules. So do it somewhere were that's not an issue.

[@conradswadling8495]

merry xmas

[@Cbabilon675]

I wish to wish everyone a merry christmas and a bright new year😊😊❤

[@BlackTieSunValley]

I don't think that the health and safety issues, or the minor modifications needed to navigate a human powered vessel at night, even in NY harbor would be particularly difficult. It would require a chase boat. I don't think it would be all that difficult to find someone who is an endurance athlete who enjoys torturing themselves in that way, who overlaps with some interest in historical recreations. I think the issue is re-enacting wouldn't help us learn anything.

[@seanmalloy7249]

You also have the problem that the Japanese are eating their seed corn, in that they're keeping their experienced pilots out in combat, continually eroding the quality of their air groups (a problem which also began to become critical later in the war for Germany), while the US was able to rotate pilots back Stateside to train more pilots; as the war continued, the skill disparity continued to tilt in favor of the US.

[@ABrit-bt6ce]

I looked to get your book from US Naval Press or whatever and signing up seemed like an awful lot of faff at the time, maybe I'll take another look later.

[@ssgtmole8610]

Recreating the Turtle and its mission is "incredibly dangerous" but your considered swimming in plate mail experiment isn't? 😂 Have you seen the results of the Frenchman jumping off the Eiffel Tower to try out his flying suit? ☠

[@FrankBarnwell-xi8my]

Sir Johnny Walker. Sure. Take a shot.

[@SephirothRyu]

Drach, which of Starfleet's various Enterprises is your favorite?

[@brucefelger4015]

Not many men are Sgt Ezra Lee, that's for certain

[@kaiinuakuma]

Question: Indiana Jones and the Great Circle game has Nazi warship on top of the mountan ( dont ask why ) called KMS Kummetz . Year is 1937. Is KMS Kummetz a utterly terrible atept of drawing Bismark by game designers ? OR is it What if Germany doing battleships in 1920ties / early 1930ties ? Because it kind of has vibes of Bayern and Bismark having a baby.

[@bryansavage5056]

Had there not been the German are presence in Norway that was historically there to help protect the German surface units stationed there it is very possible that the Royal Navy and US Navy could have sent Capital ships Cruisers and destroyers to batter the German surface ships into submission but with the threat of land-based are it was a no-go

[@benwilson6145]

Had there not have been a German presence in Norway the Russians could have taken over Norway.

[@merlinwizard1000]

23rd, 22 December 2024