Kamikaze Attacks on USS Missouri

[@tonyciriello6872]

My father (Albert A.Ciriello) was on the ship when this happened. I was able to send him to the private re com. (plank owner) then the public re com. and finally to Pearl Harbor when it became a museum. I am very happy to have been able to go with him to pearl and listen to him talk to the people who served on that great ship. He worked on internal communications which gave him access to more of the ship than most.

[@tomedgar4375]

My father, William Edgar was in the army. Did not talk much about the war but did talk about the whistle made by the 16” shells as they flew overhead and was impressed with the accuracy that the Mighty Mo could hit enemy positions. Much respect to the greatest generation. They did not fight for the socialist wave hitting our nation today.

[@GorgeDawes]

They must have been very different from their British counterparts then, as those lads voted in a socialist government about ten minutes after the war in Europe ended (arguably the only one we’ve ever had).

[@unclepat2518]

My Uncle, Carl K Greene was lost at sea when his ship U.S.S. Morrison(DD-560)was sunk by four kamikaze hits during the battle of Okinawa on May 4,1945.

[@TheFlatlander440]

Very knowledgeable young lady who knows her US Naval history, especially about the USS Missouri. Thanks for sharing. Cheers!

[@wrayday7149]

Curator - "That was a once in a lifetime photo." Pilot - "Tell me about it."

[@steventrujillo1858]

I served on the USS Missouri 84-88 and just want to say it was a true Honor to serve on this ship and I will never forget my experience serving on her.

[@MauiDave74]

Meghan's really great in this video. She and the Missouri Memorial need to do videos like this regularly too. There's so little on the Missouri's channel. C'mon Meghan, don't let Ryan be the only internet famous battleship museum curator on KZbin. You guys can easily put out a 15-20 minute video just like the New Jersey each day. :)

[@MauiDave74]

@T.J. Kong For what's essentially a two person crew and a shoestring budget, they do a really good job pumping out so many videos per week. They're not professional documentarians, and I think most of us understand that. They learn and get better as they get more experienced. But what they make is really good. And what they're doing should act as a push to other museum ships, including the other Iowas, to do regular videos too.

[@GorgeDawes]

Meghan speaks clearly, knowledgeably and is a delight to listen to. I’d be quite happy to see more of her on the channel alongside yourself.

[@calebdean2440]

I went to the Missouri on my honeymoon a couple years ago and was very intrigued on how respectful the Kamakazi exhibit was to the pilots. It's definitely worth taking to the time to go see.

[@trentland]

It is so great to hear two people who know their stuff (cold) chat like this. This is just great.

[@garydubose7067]

Great video! My dad went on the Missouri at the end of the war. He drove a landing craft and was ferrying guys from the ship as it was bringing them back to the states. He had lunch one day on the ship. When he told me about it, it was obvious that it meant a lot to him. Keep up the great work!

[@martym6983]

Few years ago in a hospital waiting room, met a vet from the MO that was a Bofors AA crewman. He still had shrapnel in his leg from a kamikaze attack.

[@dougm5697]

BRAVO ZULU! Well done! Two of the most knowledgeable battleship curators I have ever seen. I had the privilege to work with Meghan on the Battleship Wisconsin, in Norfolk, Virginia and have witnessed her expertise as a battleship tour guide and historian. Once again, great job, look forward to more excellent presentations in the future.

[@garywayne6083]

That unedited photo of the first attack shows how really crowded the ship was with men at their combat stations. Wow!

[@KevinBreak]

That photo is actually a model diorama; check out the figures and the spinning prop blades and shiny clothes. ... and the lighting is entirely different kzbin.info/www/bejne/oaDSan5vZs6Gg5I

[@d.b.cooper7290]

@@KevinBreak Wow! Great Diorama.

[@michaelgraziano8038]

They're pronounced "Mizzurah" and "New Joizee" respecrtively. *runs away*

[@dukeofgibbon4043]

"Misery"

[@normanhosford2506]

I pronounce it Missouri but I'm from Iowa. The Missourians pronounce it Mizzurah as do Iowans near the southern border. To them it's the I-oh-way class. But only in songs.

[@iowa61]

"It's the State of Mizzurah. It's the Battleship Missouri." Straight from Commander Missouri's mouth at the recommissioning.

[@averagejoe112]

It's weird cause the New Joysey could only travel up and down 287 and gave it's position by exit number. Small gold chains were mandatory as the uniform.

[@michaelgraziano8038]

@@averagejoe112 Man, I painted a target on my back but you just ran in all lit up launching flares and playing the Star Spangled Banner on the loudspeaker!

[@jimtalbott9535]

I was able to get to Pearl Harbor in summer of 2019 - it was a heat wave at the time, but being able to put my hand on the hull where that dent is was very profound.

[@faeriekerry]

This is a great video. I knew a man who was one of the gunners that shot at the kamikaze. He also was one of the men who found the pilot on deck and he showed me some of the pilot’s personal items he recovered from the plane. He said he couldn’t bear to get rid of the items because it felt so personal. There was a photograph of a Japanese woman, some money, and a few other trinkets. He’s also in the background of the photograph when Gen. MacArthur signs the surrender document with the Japanese ministers. Amazing man.

[@shocktrp66]

She's right "Missouri" ends with an "i" not an "a"...

[@TheShalomstead]

I just moved here. We should inform all the natives

[@BillSteinhauser]

I'm born & raised in Missouri, so 21:02 the state is pronounced with an "E" sound at the end. The middle sylable gets the emphasis even though it is shorter when poken. This tends to sound like Mih-zoo-ree (Unless winter temp is -15F, when people mention living in the state of misery)

[@1roanstephen]

I had a friend, since passed away, that served on Missouri in WW II. He worked in the shell deck for turret two and his Battle Stations Air was a 40 MM mount. He witnessed the Kamikaze hit on Missouri and the surrender.

[@ardiffley-zipkin9539]

Thanks for this video. It gives me insight into My Dad's war experience. My dad was on the deck of his ship at his battle station during to a Kamikaze attack on the USS Oberon. He was an electrician's mate. I was amazed. He was a young guy, just out of high school. He was fearless then and for his whole life. RIP, Dad. Bless our armed forces and navy who won a war against evil. Now is the time for all good men snd women to come to the aid of their country !

[@dannypeters9688]

Loved this episode. This would be an interesting route for other ships.

[@ccserfas4629]

Meghan is as good as Ryan!

[@1mouseman]

Yeah they are adorable together

[@MrTexasDan]

Very interesting and entertaining talk by Meghan. She does well on camera. Thanks very much for the discussion on the Kamikaze attacks.

[@johnbeauvais3159]

There are two things that have always amused me, first is that the kamikaze that twice protected Japan also gave Jimmy Doolittle and his army pilots the tailwind necessary to make it to China. As if the gods gazed upon the formation of bombers and said “oh my that looks like Jimmy Doolittle, best not anger him.” The first foreign act of war to occur on Japanese soil was the Doolittle raid. The first time armed warriors actually set foot on Japan was the crew of the USS Barb. A submarine that while on patrol off shore the crew decided destroying a train was a worthwhile endeavor. The raiding party included a Hatfield who designed the trigger for a bomb fashioned from the scuttling charge of the submarine. So in thousands of years the first army to land and wage war on Japanese turf was a handful of submariners and a good ol boy who wanted to detonate a train. History truly is wonderful.

[@wdcjunk]

The Barb’s story is available as an audiobook here on KZbin. Written by her CO it’s an amazing story.

[@michaelclark587]

Had the opportunity to visit USS Missouri just before Christmas in 2019. One of the guides showed us the dent and told us the story. Thanks for recounting the tale.

[@davidb6576]

This was a great team-up! I hope you guys get a chance to do more on other subjects, and with other Curators too.

[@tdsmotorsportshomegaragedy241]

I just listened to a book "Requiem for Battleship Yamato" on the Yamato from the story told by the aft Radar operator officer who survived. Very moving book from those who knew death was coming. I would love your perspective on the damage he talks about. Mostly from the fact that she sunk due to repeated torpedo hits on the same side / Bow outside the armor belt. Similar to an Iowa, it had little armor front and aft of the turrets. He mentions that no bombs were know to get through the armor deck but repeated hits to the same un armored bow caused too much flooding and they couldn't stop the list. says at least one torpedo past through the ship due to holes in the narrow bow. The total destruction and what saved his life was the fire still burned after she slid under and the main bunkers blew her in half pushing several people to the surface in the air bubble.

[@0_1_2]

This video had some amazing archival footage!! Thank you

[@paulj.ingram2839]

On our honeymoon in 1982, wife and I went to visit her stepbrother in Bremerton, WA. He was working at the time as a “yardbird” in the Naval ship yard. Missouri was tied up there and you could walk right on. There was no visitor center. We need to get over to Pearl and see her again.

[@pizzafrenzyman]

so much talent in 1 room. overwhelming.

[@rabidbigdog]

Great interviews, now with bonus BEAGLE!!

[@dalesql2969]

Yamato's orders on her final mission were to fight through the american fleet, do as much damage as possible, then to beach on Okinawa. Continue fighting as long as the ship was viable, then the crew were to abandon ship and join the defenders ashore. So it was definitely a one way mission, and non-essential crew were given the option not to sail. So I regard it as a kamikaze mission.

[@Aenonar]

Though everything you said just makes it a normal last ditch effort - or classic Japanese banzai charge - rather than a straight up suicidal explosion like a normal kamikaze... Banzai you charge the enemy and fight and survive as long as possible dealing as much damage as possible versus giving your life for one last kaboom...

[@robertf3479]

When Yamato and her escorts came out Admiral Spruance issued orders for three or four fast battleships with cruisers and destroyers to meet her in a surface engagement. I'm not certain which but at least one of these would have been an Iowa class ship (Missouri?,) two South Dakotas and likely North Carolina. They didn't get the chance because Admiral Marc Mitscher's (TF-58) Chief of Staff, Admiral Burke didn't wait for orders from Fifth Fleet to begin organizing an air assault. When Spruance transmitted his alert orders the reply from Admiral Mitscher was that he was already aware of the Japanese attack force and was in the process of launching aircraft. Spruance did not countermand and so let the aviators do the job.

[@richardmartin6622]

@@robertf3479 No surface ships of the USN were involved in the actual sinkiong. . It was clearly a aircraft victory by planes from aircraft carriers

[@robertf3479]

@@richardmartin6622 Please read again what I wrote. Spruance did NOT send out battleships or any other surface combatants to counter Yamato though he DID order the formation of a Surface Action Group to do that. By the time the order was ready Mitscher's TF-58 had already launched without awaiting orders from COMFIFTHFLT, forestalling a possible surface action. If the two surface groups HAD met it would have been FOUR modern US fast battleships plus four to six cruisers (light and heavy) and five to eight destroyers against Yamato and her tiny handful of escorts.

[@wdcjunk]

I can't believe I missed that scarf when I was on the Missouri back in 2001. I'm sure I missed so much just by not having the same perspective I have now.

[@randyjohnson6845]

From 3:15 to 4:03 that is some of the most intense and unique anti aircraft fire I have ever seen...I cant believe some other documentary or other ww2 movie hadn't put that video on the big screen...it is 45 seconds of the most intense battle scene I have ever could imagine

[@bwilliamstown]

The Missouri memorial staff need to get back at Ryan and start referring to the New Jersey as New Jers-uh

[@AvengerII]

Does that mean they'll start referring to the USS Iowa as the USS "EE-OH-WAH" and USS Wisconsin as USS "WHIZ-KHAN!!!-ZIN"?

[@victorbrown3032]

New Joezy...?

[@AvengerII]

@@victorbrown3032 Nuke Joisey, I think!

[@c1ph3rpunk]

+1 Joi-zee

[@jimreilly917]

Joisey. New Joisey.🤣I’m from Missouri. Which in July and August we pronounce misery. Damn hot here🤣

[@JohnRodriguesPhotographer]

The Yamato was only supposed to receive enough fuel for a one-way trip to Okinawa. The fuel Depot scrape literally the bottom of all their tanks and gave her extra fuel. The technical description of the mission for the Japanese was for the Yamamoto to fight its way to Okinawa run aground and be a fixed battery. Then once all the guns are silenced the crew is supposed to go ashore and help with the defense of the island. Even if they were going to send the ship to be a battery and fire on US forces, the ship needed oil to operate even the guns other than the 25 mm. I can't imagine trying to train one of the secondary turrets let alone the primary manually. So from the perspective of the orders given to Yamato, no it wasn't a suicide mission. In reality it was acknowledged that it was. They disembarked many of the crew before departure leaving a board just enough to operate. In particular the younger crew were the ones disembarked.

[@joeschenk8400]

Great one...I like the videos showing the connection of New Jersey with other ships.

[@danwilson9530]

Discovered this channel a few days ago. I’m hooked!

[@lonnywilcox445]

How do I pronounce Missouri? Like, misery also sometimes misspelled as marriage.

[@Philistine47]

Indeed. I heard it called "Misery" fairly often when I lived thete.

[@williammcguire5685]

I'm an old Navy guy and I really enjoyed this video world war II what a Time. However I was not in world war II. Thanks for putting it up.

[@JimDandy49]

I am building a 1/350 scale model of the USS Missouri in her Desert Storm configuration. Is there any kind of deck plans available that you know of that would show exactly where the damage that is still visible today is located, so I can include that?

[@ramal5708]

Have Revell 1/350 Missouri with 1945 configuration, if I know where the damage is I would never damage my precious model lol

[@pilotsimms535]

I'm from there, so I pronounce it "Misery" due to the terrible weather.

[@gregwallace9314]

Spent 3 weeks there as a tech in a service shop during the winter. The locals told me that it is called misery during the summer and snowzery during the winter. I liked St Louis alot and wanted to move there but my company did not approve of lateral moves for it's techs. But I returned twice as a tourist and enjoyed it all.

[@sstroh08]

The kamakaze hit that is mentioned around 7:30 actually left a very shallow dent in the side of the ship that they never removed because of the story. I remember seeing it when I visited the mighty Mo about 10 years ago. Crazy stuff.

[@sstroh08]

I guess I should of waited before posting this because she ends up mentioning the dent haha. I was the goober that leaned over the raining some to see the rest of dent on the side of the ship haha. I didn't fall in though! Lol

[@ronmason1710]

Visited the Iowa a few years ago. They showed us a hit on the number 2 sixteen inch gun turret port side from a reputed 8 inch shell. There is a small almost invisible indentation. Phenomenal amount of armour on that class of ship.

[@Horseshoecrabwarrior]

You can call it "Battleship Mizzerah" if I get to call it "Battleship New Joisey"

[@paulandersson2358]

Google ”René Hieronymus Missouri” för pictures. He built this Kamikaze scene in 1/72 scale. The (uncropped) photo which in the video is claimed to be an original photo from 1944, is actually of the model! It was built and photographed less than 10 years ago. The propeller of the plane is a give-away.

[@ScumfuckMcDoucheface]

Yeah, I spent a good 10 minutes scrutinizing the 2 pictures side by side, it's very clear they're entirely different scenes... very close though, very well done

[@rickblackwell6435]

Wonderful and informative discussions. Thanks.

[@georgescott7556]

this is awesome learning all about all these battle ships!! you all freaken rock!! love all ships!! watching from missoura👍 on the kansas city side!! we say it both ways here!! love BB63 MISSOURA!!😉🖖

[@jerrydiver1]

Just wait 'til you get to start visiting them. There are some spaces aboard each where, although empty of crew, they are eerily like they were when on active duty, where you can smell the heated oil smell and hear the ventilators blowing just as when the ship was at sea. I guarantee goosebumps.

[@georgescott7556]

what's even bad about it is that im a trekie!! i love the fictional naval space ship's also!! these young kids don't know about these awsome ship's know matter what ship they were or country there were men on them! i wish we could get one here i don't think the missouri river is deep enough!!

[@georgescott7556]

love the MIGHTY MO!!!! that's missoura for you sir!! thank you battle ship NEW JERSEY love that knowledge about the ship's and what went on them!!👍🤘😉🖖🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[@alwaysbearded1]

You make a good comedy team. You should do more collaboration.

[@HH60gPaveHawk]

Stationed in Missouri now… literally everyone outside of STL area says Missouri (not missour uh) that I’ve met.

[@nonna_sof5889]

Misery, for whomever is on the receiving end of her 16" fire.

[@ReverenXero]

Effectively firing a shell that weighs the same as a vw bug, 13 miles inland.

[@jakebray561]

keep up the good work! thank you guys

[@harryinoklahoma1866]

Great Video Ryan.

[@crazyguy32100]

"I'll be deep in the cold cold ground before I recognize Missoura" - Abraham Simpson.

[@studinthemaking]

I agree.

[@josephstevens9888]

LOL!!

[@1mouseman]

Damn Red Legs! Josie Wales is lookin fer ya

[@josephstevens9888]

@@1mouseman The Outlaw Josie Wells - my favorite Clint Eastwood movie!

[@williamgurtner4759]

My Uncle Albert J Gurtner, was onboard the Missouri, when this happened. He had collected a few pieces of the Zero as war souvenirs. He would show us the pieces and his sunrise card too.

[@studinthemaking]

What a sunrise card?

[@williamgurtner4759]

@@studinthemaking , a Sunrise card was a card given to the Sailors in attendance for the surrender of the Empire of Japan. Effectively ending WW II.

[@ScumfuckMcDoucheface]

@@williamgurtner4759 thank you, I had never heard that term either

[@studinthemaking]

@@williamgurtner4759 Cool.

[@julieenslow5915]

Gentlemen? Your names..... one gave me a good laugh, one was just ugly. I am hoping that was the response you hoped people would give?

[@davelewandoski4292]

another great video Ryan, thanks!

[@tomdaley9154]

Really enjoyed this one. Kinda nice format

[@BIackCadillac]

My great grandfather was on a DD called the USS Laffey I believe it was a Destroyer anyways, that ship got attacked and hit by an absurd number of planes. I think they got hit successfully by like 3 or 5 kamikaze's, a shit load of bombs, and maybe a torpedo I can't really remember but he said it was a cluster fuck. "There were so many planes it'd make a battleship blush" is what he said haha.

[@BattleshipNewJersey]

Are you aware that the Laffey still exists and is at Patriots Point in SC?

[@legoeasycompany]

@@BattleshipNewJersey She's worth the visit for sure

[@libraeotequever3pointoh95]

Laffey is "gud 'bote". Very famous history.

[@BIackCadillac]

@@BattleshipNewJersey Yeah I need to make my way over there sometime it's not too far from me. Few hundred miles.

[@kichigaisensei]

I have been on the Missouri. The dent from the impact of the kamikazi is really a reminder of the perils of war.

[@starshipmechanic]

it's cool when Ryan gets other museum ship people on, with discussion going through the major historic moments of their ships and talking about preservation and the different museum spaces they have and why and how they curate them, the similarities and differences in their ships, how they are funded, there is so much that is interesting about these ships, it'd be great. Maybe make an occasional ongoing series out of it, inviting different representatives from other museum ships, someone from the Navy maybe to talk the Constitution and Nautilus and any other museum ships they may run or support, the NPS for the Cassin young and their ships in San Fran, maybe even see if you can get someone from the royal Navy to talk the HMS victory (that would be cool to compare with the Constitution curator as both are wooden ships with very different environments), I'm not gonna tell you guys how to run your channel, and I imagine it would be super hard to organize, even virtually, but just Ideas.

[@marvinacklin792]

Reading S. E. Morrison again. Just finished the struggle for Guadalcanal, superb history--your series is really good. PS Did they ever ID the pilot?

[@booniebuster4193]

Just a quick note. You mentioned that pieces of the plane that crash on the deck of the Missouri were saved. My uncle Glenn E. Gash was on the San Francisco when a Japanese plane crash aboard on November 12, 1942. After he passed away, I inherited all of his war souvenirs. He saved two pieces of that Japanese plane which are now in my possession.

[@IanCaine4728]

I love a good crossover episode.

[@wesleyworley8982]

I served on USS Missouri 1988-92. Captain Kaiss was the only one who ever called it "Missourah," and having a father and family members from the great state of Missouri, I always thought it was kind of funny. I started out in 3rd Division and was intimately familiar with the kamikaze damage from chipping and painting it repeatedly. The New Jersey was always across the pier from us at NAVSTA Long Beach. We always felt sorry for our homely older sister, and her crew that was in four duty sections while we were in six sections, and from 1990-1992 we just called her spare parts (she decommissioned two years before we did).

[@steveaustin62]

That was interesting, a good collaboration, thanks from down under.

[@donaldparlettjr3295]

Treat Meg to a good Philli cheesesteak. She came all the way for one.

[@robertthomas5906]

Oh no, not the cheese steak wars again. I worked with a couple of guys and apparently two shops exist in Philly across the street from each other. One thought one was the best, the other was sure his was the best. They looked at me - well? I said the supermarket Steak Um's cheese steak is the best. They both looked at me. I said - what? I don't know, I haven't had either of them. Man that was priceless. Comparing a supermarket steak ums to those cheese steaks! Like I had insulted the Virgin Mary or something.

[@AvengerII]

The USS Intrepid still holds the record for surviving the most kamikaze attacks among museum ships. Four kamikaze strikes... Let that sink in! And some veterans HATED serving on the USS Enterprise (CV-6) during World War II! 20 battle stars, folks. You get a star for every engagement you SURVIVE. Either way, the vets didn't have an easy time serving on either ship!

[@Neutercane]

They also get battle stars for battles that they don't survive. Both USS Oklahoma and USS Arizona received battle stars for the Pearl Harbor attack.

[@invadegreece9281]

I have a slight feeling Laffey survived more

[@julieenslow5915]

@@Neutercane Is that because they manned their guns and were firing back? I find it odd how satisfying it is to me to know they got battle stars for that attack. They definitely went down fighting.

[@Neutercane]

@@julieenslow5915 I did a bit of research, but I'm still not 100% sure of what the exact criteria for earning a battle star is. I think that the way it works is that if they were in the battle area during the specified time period, whether or not they fired on and hit (or missed) the enemy or were fired on and hit or missed by the enemy, they still participated in it. Kind of like a football game. You may not have made any tackles or scored points, but were still on the field with your team.

[@julieenslow5915]

@@Neutercane Thank you. I was surprised at the emotions that hit me when thinking of the USS Arizona and the USS Oklahoma in Pearl Harbor. I wasn't even born yet. Some things - like "Remember the Alamo" as an example - are timeless and eternal to those that know what happened - and what price was paid. May it always be so.

[@JerroldKrenek]

this is one of the BEST episode i have watched, GREAT JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and BTW i am from the South, an A not an I

[@proonguice8386]

Can’t help but wonder if the kamikaze had killed a number of the Missouri crew if that body would have been unceremoniously kicked overboard before the captain could intervene

[@47vulcanride]

You M-Lady are very well informed on these things. It is obvious. Thank you, very interesting.

[@lancesay]

looking back, it was a privilege to have called this battlewagon, the uss missoura/mizzurah (never missouri) home from 11/13/90 and went to the iraq war known as the desert storm/shield until decom on 3/31/92.

[@engineeringoyster6243]

Lovely video. I 1st visited the Missouri in Bremerton as a teenager. And again in Pearl Harbor about 13 years ago.

[@Lucas12v]

I hope sometime you'll go into detail about cleaning the 16" guns. I'm pretty familiar with cleaning normal firearms but I'm guessing there's a few differences.

[@F-Man]

I second this!

[@robotbjorn4952]

Easy. Drain the oil when warm. Replace the filter. Refill with fresh oil of recommended weight. Repeat every 3000 shots.

[@F-Man]

@@robotbjorn4952 🤣🤣🤣

[@libraeotequever3pointoh95]

I think there already is a video on cleaning the 16 inch guns.

[@RandomGuy17768]

I think they punch the guntubes like they do on tanks or mobile artillery guns. It's just that it takes more men to do it.

[@jontey1004]

went to missouri a few years ago well worth the trip. Keep it up guys

[@wdcjunk]

13:27 OHHH -- MY -- JESUS -- WHAT IS THAT? I have to wonder how many tens of thousands of dollars it would cost to produce that lens setup today.

[@robertpenney001]

Why did I read this in R. Lee Ermy's voice?

[@HH60gPaveHawk]

It’d be cheaper, not more expensive. Looks like a Crown/Speed Graphic 4x5 camera with what is probably a some sort of large sonnar or telescope lens design. Because of the crop factor associated with smaller modern imaging, a lens with similar field of view would probably be a few thousand dollars at most today. Just to get the equivalent of a 200mm full frame lens (the longest lens commonly used in weddings, reportage etc) on a camera of that size, you’d need a 700mm lens.

[@0_1_2]

@@HH60gPaveHawk more info please! Would this be used mainly for still shots or motion picture?

[@HH60gPaveHawk]

@@0_1_2 I haven’t found concrete info on the manufacturer, but looks like a still large format camera. Would probably use a 4 or 5 inch roll of film in a magazine if the user recalled “snapping away”, since similar civilian cameras of the time would have taken 15-30 seconds to change film sheets between shots. Telephoto lenses are tough to guess at but maybe a 1000-1200mm focal length, so the equivalent field of view of like a 400mm lens now in 35mm terms. That’s about the beginning of what we’d call wildlife lenses now. I have a 450mm lens for reference that would make a robin fill the picture at about 15m. I used it at an air show recently and a fighter would have filled the frame at about 500-700 feet. The shot in question looks too wide for that, however, so either that’s not the camera used or it isn’t as tele as it looks.

[@deltapee9259]

It looks like a reconnaissance camera that gets mounted in the plane.

[@tonytrotta9322]

The USS Missouri BB 63 was not in WW2 until Jan 1945. The older battleships & older cruisers did the majority of the Island bombardment in the Pacific. My dad who passed in 2017 at 92 was a S1c on a 20 mm twin mount on the heavy cruiser USS Louisville CA 28 which had 13 battle stars for her WW2 service. I toured the mothballed USS Missouri BB 63 and saw the USS New Jersey BB 62 in Bremerton, Wash. in 1978. The USS Louisville was hit by (3) kamikaze in the Pacific and my dad witnessed (52) sailors and Rear Admiral Theodore Chandler buried at sea due to the (3) kamikaze hits. USS Louisville also delivered Halsey's staff and officers of (150) to USS Missouri in Guam - May 1945. There is an 8 inch 55 caliber gun turret in the Nevada Desert Atomic Test Site which was found in 2016 from USS Louisville CA 28. It was damaged from 1 st kamikaze hit - knocking it out of commission. Turret in the Desert on Y-tube: ttps://kzbin.info/www/bejne/gHuQaYOvf72Ib7M

[@FP194]

And your point ?

[@gregwallace9314]

I heard a story about that incident. A chief run on deck after the hit and looked over the side at the damage and said "D--n we gotta paint it all over again " . It is one of those stories that add spice to the history of a ship.

[@cr250rdr]

More of Meghan please! (Missouree native)

[@Odin029]

I knew a guy who's passed away now, but he was from some little town in Missouri near the borders with Oklahoma and Arkansas. He always said Missoura and I think I've heard a few people from West Tennessee who say Missoura, but I can count all those people on one hand... well maybe Ryan makes 6 people.

[@axmajpayne]

The two "versions" of the photo at 14:53 are actually two different photos of the same attack taken at nearly the same time. That might just be a video editing error though with the wrong picture put there. The one on the right with more guns visible is taken from further outboard and either a little further away or lower than the one on the left. You can tell because more of the side of the 5in gun mount is visible while more of the top is obscured.

[@BattleshipNewJersey]

We tried to get into in this video but the key is that one photo was censored and zoomed in.

[@edfederoff2679]

If I had to guess, I'd say that Ms Rathbun was visiting her home town...

[@REXONATER70]

Wow mam you know your stuff. I could listen for hours.

[@johnnylyme]

Concerning the iconic photo of the Kamakazi about to hit the Missouri: About 2o years ago in Hopewell Junction NY while I was wearing my USS Missouri baseball hat, I was approached by an elderly gentleman who asked if I had served on the MO, ( the Iowa's were all reactivated at the time ) I answered no I just wear the hat because I love the Iowas'. He asked if I was familiar with that photo and I replied yes. The gentleman then proceeded to tell me that he was a gunner's mate in the 40MM gun mount just above the one in the photo when the plane hit the MO . According to him there was so much action and noise (40 MM Bofors are very very loud) that the gun crew had no idea that the ship had been hit !!

[@josephstabile9154]

Thanks for the interesting video. Lived in St. Louis area for 60 years, and in this part of the state the pronunciation is overwhelmingly "MissourEE". In the the outstate, more rural areas is where one tends to hear the pronunciation "MissourUH". I think this is due to the rural/country/Ozark accent one tends to hear from Missourians (have never heard this pronounced "MissourUHins") from these areas of the state. Thanks again for the video--your loyal Battleship New Joizey fan...

[@patrickkasper2776]

Thank you for the history lesson

[@jaggolf6425]

How did the ship keep all the guns clean?

[@tonytrotta9322]

The gun crews (Divisions) cleaned their own gun stations guns. Also, each sailor knew the other sailors job too.

[@jaggolf6425]

@@tonytrotta9322 Thanks

[@tonytrotta9322]

@@jaggolf6425 You are welcome!

[@F-Man]

@@tonytrotta9322 Can’t imagine how long it would take to clean out the 16-inchers after a day’s work. Takes me long enough to do a good cleaning on my 9mm pistol! 🤣

[@robotbjorn4952]

Windex and paper towels

[@billgx]

It was interesting to be aboard the USS Missouri in the summer of 1990 when Capt. Kaiss relieved Capt. Chernesky as commanding officer. Chernesky always said "Missour-ee" but when Kaiss arrived, he said "Missour-ah." It was funny to see how members of the crew, especially the officers, quickly changed their pronunciation to follow the captain's. Sir, just last week you were saying it one way and now you are saying it another way, why is that (heh, heh)? I have a number of relatives and friends from Missouri being from Kansas myself. Even they can't agree, I've heard it both ways. Around here, we mostly use the "ee" ending. Bill Gx, BB-63 crewmember 1987-1991.

[@jamescameron2490]

A recent book by Lars Celander, "How Carriers Fought", makes the case that given the effectiveness of US anti-aircraft defenses and CAPs, to the point that most of any strike would be lost anyway, kamikaze tactics were actually not unreasonable from the Japanese perspective.

[@GorgeDawes]

Military History Visualised makes the same point. Since the odds of returning from any given mission were minimal, why not try to guarantee a hit? m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/h6LadamugbuNf6s

[@cdstoc]

I like the "Missour-ee" vs. "Missour-a" debate at the end. It's much like the "Hawai'i" vs "Havai'i" debate, and both boil down to regional accents. I've visited battleships Iowa and Missouri, they're both fascinating.

[@larryl212]

OUTSTANDING!!!

[@cpofastforward7720]

Once got dragged into an internet flame war over whether that famous pic of the first kamikaze was retouched because you can't see the barrels of the 5" mounts. Wish we'd had the sequence of pics then. (Also, I am the Chief of the Ship, HMCS Sackville. The world's last Flower Class corvette and Canada's Official Naval Memorial).

[@jamescameron2490]

I just posted a comment asking that very question. I've wondered about that for years. What was the consensus?

[@cpofastforward7720]

@@jamescameron2490 like too many such conversations, it deteriorated into two camps calling each other stupid. However, I never found the evidence raised in the discussion to support it being a fake compelling.

[@jamescameron2490]

@@cpofastforward7720 as I see it, what would be the point of faking it? On closer inspection, I agree with the Battleship New Jersey response to my question that the barrels are in fact just barely visible, but very hard to pick out. I attribute that to a combination of factors, including the way the mount is facing, the extremely depressed elevation of the guns, the camera angle, and, the resolution of most copies of the image. It all adds up to a picture that is visually deceptive, but not faked.

[@ramal5708]

Look at the 5 inch guns depressed so much. The radar guided fire control really works but not for very low flying aircraft

[@b.w.22]

To my eyes, the “cropped,” Navy photo is profoundly different than the broader viewed one that’s supposed to be the original. It’s as if they were at different times and on different ships. One photo is from a lower angle, the wake is different, the little deck with the 9 on it is different (one is smooth and one has a brace), and on and on. What gives?

[@tomwolf4716]

It looks like a model of the real thing when you inspect the two carefully

[@stylinstylist2005]

@@tomwolf4716 Agreed...I thought it was a photo of a model when I first seen it...

[@chloehennessey6813]

She explained why it’s cropped. She mentioned OpSec, the Navy cropped it to censor the picture. Please review the video again.

[@b.w.22]

@@chloehennessey6813 - No, I know that’s what was said, but to my eyes the two images are different in ways that go beyond just cropping. To me they appear to be two different events and possibly two different vessels even.

[@touchofgrayphotos]

The first ship struck by a Kamikaze was the HMAS Australia, the flagship of our Navy in WWII. She would take a total of five kamikaze hits, the first one on the 21st of Oct 1944, which killed the Captain, Captain EFV Dechaineux, and she quickly patched up, and then took more hits on the 5, 6, 8 and 9 of January 1945, which pretty much put her out of the remainder of the war as she withdrew back to Sydney for repairs, then back to the United Kingdom for a major refit.

[@studinthemaking]

At 13:19 what types of camera are they using?

[@NetTopsey]

🎼🎶 Missouri, Missoura New Jersey, New Jersa Tom-A-to, Tom-ah-to Pot-A-to, Pot-ah-to Let's call the whole thing off 🎶

[@peterlee4682]

As they said in the video, the escort carrier St. Lo was the first U.S. ship sunk by a kamikaze. Interestingly, her original name was the Midway but the Navy wanted that name for a big fleet carrier under construction. As some of you may know, changing the name of a navy ship in service is to put a curse on the ship. From what I heard, at least 25% of the crew of the original Midway put in for transfer when they heard the news of the change. How many got transferred, I don't know. Early in the war, the attack on the HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse almost became the first kamikaze victim; a Japanese torpedo plane made two passes but the torpedo would not release. On the third run the pilot told his crewman that if the torpedo did not release, he would crash the plane into the ship. The torpedo did release...

[@WBtimhawk]

Name a more iconic duo. I'll wait.

[@ericcorse]

Well I was in a class with a guy from Missouri in the 7th grade and he said Missora. As a matter of fact he corrected me when I said the I pronunciation. This was about 1965.

[@justaguynamedmax8207]

Well, being from Missouri, I can assure you that 99% of people here pronounce it properly and not like some idiot that can't read.

[@ericcorse]

@@justaguynamedmax8207 I'm sorry someone pissed in your cornflakes, lol

[@TheBrakpan]

Interesting book shelves behind Ryan. What books have you got there Ryan?

[@alviecrumpton5216]

That was cool, perhaps not as cool as having all four curators hanging out and answering questions...hint, hint... but pretty neat just the same.