Opening the Door to the Armored Conning Tower

[@RCAvhstape]

The sound of the locks when he rotates them is satisfying.

[@studinthemaking]

True.

[@eliasgordon4321]

Agree. Who knew they might be able to start a Battleship ASMR channel? Lol

[@adamc8627]

Why was that one of the 1st things I thought too? And how did they capture it so well? Am I autistic? 😆 lol

[@f-ducket4586]

@@eliasgordon4321 Agreed! Such nice sounding gearing .. designed by engineers using slide rules and made by machinist using analog tooling.

[@colinl2908]

Sounded like bank vault door pins sliding into place from a movie.

[@user-wl7pj7xt4v]

Every time he finds a piece of equipment that still works, an angel gets its wings

[@davidb6576]

Not wings, its Repair Badge.

[@dougwestphal7003]

And what if you are right. How many Angels have got their winngs

[@wykpenguin]

I'm sure the battleship is the best evangelical instrument. One salvo and how many souls go to heaven?

[@tcpratt1660]

@@wykpenguin Ask those poor Iraqis who saw the USS Wisconsin's drone...hands UPPP!!!

[@jadedengineer]

But it’s never his microphone that he finds working...

[@Curien247]

"The air just stops moving" ... (reevaluates life choices) "So, let's crack this sucker back open."

[@nottiification]

I imagine cranking the door closed goes a lot faster when theres shells landing all around the ship.

[@Lucas12v]

Yeah, but it feels slower

[@GaryCameron]

They would open it even faster if the ship was foundering

[@alexmoi2735]

and the ship is listing...

[@jeebus6263]

That's assuming they bothered to use it in the first place...

[@rulebretgne5244]

@@jeebus6263 Drach has a whole slew of jokes about that

[@Cipher160]

“Radar will never spin” *spins* “Door will never open” *opens* “The Navy will never reactivate the Iowas” ...

[@TheEvertw]

We will never fire the 16" guns ...

[@jeebus6263]

I say we do just for fun, if i ever run for president that will be my campaign :)

[@basmca1]

It would ofcourse be awesome to see them in action again, but they would need to be practically rebuild to be of any use. With the current technology she would just be a massive floating free target.

[@jeebus6263]

@@basmca1 you're making a lot of assumptions, they were built for a particular purpose clearly requirements are ever changing. However a country's warships have also always represented the nation in a way, and that requirement has not changed very much since the great white fleet did it's thing.

[@genejeffries2888]

@@basmca1 free target for what? No one has anything that would sink one. None of the current crop of shipkiller missiles are designed to deal with that much armor. You might be able to break her keel with a few well timed torpedoes. Maybe bunker buster bombs... nothing has guns that can do more than make her cranky. Nothing in any navy has anything with armor like that anymore. If you could secretly refit them in a meaningful way and turn them loose, the world's navies would shit a collective brick.

[@chrisb9960]

If you aren’t leaking hydraulic fluid you are out of hydraulic fluid. I’ve heard that before... from someone in the army. They were discussing a CH-47 Chinook.

[@acbhorn3]

It's very true had a crew chief tap me and say "hey if that quits leaking let me know" very fun flight....

[@corystansbury]

Same advice for a CH-46

[@Lemonjellow]

Same thing goes for oil leaking from an 87 F150 with a 300 I6... 😆

[@coyotehater]

It’s not leaking, it’s just marking it’s territory...

[@danielharnden516]

Makes me wonder how the shuttle crew felt

[@vaikkajoku]

Next week, we see Ryan hand crank a main battery turret.

[@MoparNewport]

OOF! Probably would have to settle for the 5" battery getting hand cranked though.

[@ian_987]

Thats gonna have to be a time-lapse one

[@JustSomeCanuck]

"As you can see, me and three of my Olympic weightlifter friends have pulled out the crank handle..."

[@USS_ESSEX_CV-9]

@@MoparNewport with a couple people you could probably actually turn a 5" 38 caliber twin turret. I'd say somewhere between 2 to 10 people depending on the strength of the people you're using and how much thought was put into these things being manually trained. You might just be able to get away with a main battery turret if a LOT of thought was put into it. (You also would need a LOT of people regardless of how much thought was put into it)

[@Foxyjosh]

The Texas has a system in place to do that. lots of chains on pulleys and lots of people to make it work.

[@Tuck-Shop]

I have never heared someone so happy to say I was wrong. This honesty is one reason why Ryan is so awesome

[@OmegaReaver]

Now that we know the doors can close, we definitely need a Nicholas Moran style "Oh bugger, the conning tower is on fire" demonstration!

[@tcpratt1660]

Drachinifel has form in this department, I mean, with a video like "Oh Lord the ship is on fire/sinking/exploding/disagreeable..." ! :)

[@jeffjr84]

@@tcpratt1660 that was the damage control one it was good. lol My response to wwii japanese damage control was "wow they had that" because of that gap in tech knowhow and the fact that they could not deviate from procedure on pain of literal beatings.

[@can_hauler]

Considering how things where (probably) done back in the last few years of the 30s, and how just about everything on NJ is built to last I wouldn't be surprised if somehow there is still some grease in there that came with the ship when she was first launched

[@jeebus6263]

That goes for most classic or vintage equipment

[@sebastianthehotsaucedude5473]

Ok I'm signing up for the curators tour. No questions.

[@ashman187]

Oh, you get to ask questions ....

[@sebastianthehotsaucedude5473]

@@ashman187 rude of me to assume I'd get any questions 🙃

[@JosephLedbetter]

@Greenish Man I think he said about $500 in a video recently. And he said he can accommodate like 15 people but it'd be better to bring a small group of 3-5. However I'm new here don't listen to me :)

[@BattleshipNewJersey]

You're mostly right, we generally cap it at 10, but yeah, we recommend smaller groups.

[@chrismath149]

I was always glad that I can live in the 21st century but goddamn, serving on a battleship would have been awesome, and probably infuriatingly uncomfortable.

[@doughudgens9275]

Ryan doesn’t need gym membership: between all the ladders, hatches, and repair work, he gets plenty of exercise.

[@johnbuchman4854]

He has to stay trim for his barrel crawls.

[@mr_no_fun8789]

I used to work at a shipyard in Philadelphia. Lemme tell ya, I was in the best shape of my life! Hauling buckets of tools and welding leads up from the dock to the main deck then down to the bottom.

[@Chiraq312boi]

You should see how fat most of the navy is now.

[@AvengerBB1]

@@Chiraq312boi Army too. I'm a chunky civvie, but there were some guys I could run circles around stationed at Ft. Huachuca a few years ago... We're talking kids there for AIT training fresh outta basic too. Almost made me want to try signing up... lol

[@joerg-michajahn4963]

I'm actually impressed to see how easy it seems to be to operate the whole mechanism.

[@davidb6576]

Me too. But as mentioned, on a rolling ship at sea it's probably not quite so easy.

[@TheEvertw]

Ever seen a bunch of sailors loose an anchor? That's why they like to keep things simple... -- 'Cause you may need these systems when you have something pressing on your mind. (I have the greatest respect for people willing to lay down their lives in service of God and Country).

[@sierraone9181]

Best Iowa Class Channel by far. Wisconsin powered up their Tomahawk launchers last year to elevate; no video. Love the NJ; been there twice!

[@davidstewart5811]

That is some serious engineering to move that smoothly after all these years.

[@UnitSe7en]

Not really. It's not precision, it's just big. Not really an engineering marvel? Just good old steel and big gears.

[@thiagofeltrin9841]

@@UnitSe7en it's pretty obvious now that you are not an engineer haha it's amazing to see a mechanism that has been used a lot, passed through a lot and already aged to simply function. And this one function with perfection.

[@CasabaHowitzer]

@@thiagofeltrin9841 not really. The mechanism is incredibly simple and very sturdy because it's so big

[@sheeplord4976]

@@thiagofeltrin9841 It isn't a particularly advanced system. The door weighs 3800 lbs, but B-17 bombers carried multiple 2000 lb bombs aloft using aluminum spars through turbulance, flak, etc. Engineering is not just making something work. Engineering is about making something do the most at the lowest cost.

[@jg2072]

Given your emphasis on the redundancy of the ship you should know there is a way to manually open the door. Impressive engineering.

[@raygiordano1045]

There's so much more to warships than making floating guns than I imagined. Between this channel and Drachinifel's I am learning a lot.

[@jeffjr84]

@@raygiordano1045 watching both of those guys i can tell you the ship is more about redundancy then killing. like drac says, It can run from most of what it cant kill. if he says operation ten-go is a go run lol.

[@shannonp922]

There's a manual back up for every system on board a warship. He needs to do a video in after steering and show the crank handle for the rudder lol

[@littlejackalo5326]

I have never been on a ship like that, and I knew there had to be a manual redundancy system in place. That's how it is with every critical piece of machinery, especially military maritime and aerospace ships.

[@raygiordano1045]

@@littlejackalo5326 Redundancy is a little like paranoia. Sure, I am paranoid, but am I paranoid enough? You don't want your ship mission killed for want of a critical system, but you don't have an infinite budget, nor weight capacity. In engineering, and most things in life, it seems there's always a trade-off.

[@blowinkk9396]

That door is probably opened with a set of gears not hydraulics when doing it by hand

[@jeebus6263]

Agreed, similar to power steering

[@MrBen527]

Yeah, I'm also assuming he was turning the gear set that's otherwise driven by the hydraulic fluid.

[@USS_ESSEX_CV-9]

I think the gears are actuated by hydraulics normally, which is probably why he thought that the door was not openable because if hydraulics are acting on reduction gearing then a LOT of forces probably required. The hydraulics are probably just there to open and/or close that door in a reasonable time frame

[@DimensionMachine]

I fully agree, the hydraulics normally spin the gearbox, but it can also be operated manually. No hydraulic fluid whatsoever would be required, which if you think about it really is the point of a backup redundant system. Amazing engineering and craftsmanship in these old ships!

[@williamstrachan]

@AmericanPatriot14 - depends on the aircraft. I know the Jetstream T1 the manual pump was still working on the hydraulics.

[@tyree9055]

So that's where Ryan goes when he wants some peace and quiet! ☝😅

[@sebastianthehotsaucedude5473]

Like, not even the police could get to you in there. Lol

[@GaryCameron]

@@sebastianthehotsaucedude5473 In Canada during the 1990s they scrapped the main nuclear bunker the government was supposed to run from after WW3. When they tried to auction off the bunker that was designed to survive a hydrogen bomb they had only one private bidder. The Hells Angels! Wisely they decided not to sell to them and it became a museum instead. diefenbunker.ca/en/

[@danielharnden516]

I don’t know. I’ll have peace and quiet as soon as I spend minutes cranking this handle and hope somebody doesn’t know how to climb up into the conning tower. I’m sure Ryan has tons of places that he is maybe the only person in the decade to get to. We have seen several of them

[@clementwolf4081]

@AmericanPatriot14 used to do diving and once had a buddy take long on a small lake for he went in so considert it safe .... i then continued to go to 7ft , check for animals and had a relaxing lay down "sleeping with the fish" when i came up 5 min after when i recognized him going in i went up. ( bit of a sailor story - but my diving watch said i been under for half a hour there....)

[@mikes954]

Us viewers wouldn't be here if not for an awesome curator! Your quest for understanding and knowledge is contagious!

[@sharlin648]

quick question. If heavy round did actually impact on the armour but was defeated by it and didn't pen, wouldn't it still be horrific inside from the sheer concussion, as you're basically locked up inside an armoured bell.

[@guywhodoesstuff3314]

It would be awful, that's a massive amount of kinetic energy being transferred into that metal. Sound would be unbearable, and the concussion the crew would feel might possibly be lethal depending on proximity.

[@GameOver-fn2og]

Direct impact of round from battleship's wouldn't have to penetrate it to kill person inside. Energy from impact would be transferred through metal wall and cause spalling effect on other side of the tower's armor.

[@biosaber585]

so what you're asking is also kind of the same question that occurs with tanks. TO MY KNOWLEDGE, you could survive but it's NOT going to be fun and may knock more than one person unconscious if not outright kill someone. The big variable here is the round that's hitting the tower. Smaller size shells would overall cause less damage and also be less detrimental to the crew inside the tower, and of course things like wiring and other parts of the interior will help dissipate the vibrations as they absorb the energy from the hit, but a sufficiently sized shell that would dent, mar or damage the armor is almost assuredly GOING to kill someone, maybe not everyone, but at LEAST one person is likely to be killed from the impact. Of course attacks like that tend to have causalities of other varieties so I doubt that'd be as big a worry as yknow.. a shell punching through the deck or something to that degree

[@visionist7]

The crew inside would all wear flash hoods I think and possibly wired headphones to be able to communicate with the crew outside and down in the engine rooms etc. Maybe the headphones would help a little. Then again probably not much

[@smokeonthewater5287]

Similarly armored conning towers of other ww2 battle ships were penetrated like butter. That armor protected from 5-12 inch guns but 14-16 inchers slice through it.

[@sailcat662]

My fear would be having the mechanism fail after locking myself in.

[@tim_bbq1008]

I was waiting for him to lock all the bolts and then we hear the pin drop. Uh-oh...

[@clementwolf4081]

@@tim_bbq1008 and then you get "the chieftain" ? o no the ....... is on fire ? (rip my dear sailors if you know who i mean)

[@ashleighelizabeth5916]

My thought was along the lines of being in the thing during a battle if the ship started to capsize and sink and not being able to get out... Gives me the willies to think about stuff like that.

[@vf12497439]

Fairly sure the local fire department isn’t equipped to deal with 17” class A armor and 3” locking lugs to hold a 3,000# door in place🙂

[@fsodn]

Yeah. I suspect the other armored door, behind the camera, is open for that very reason.

[@teegirl4568]

I thought Ryan was going to say that the door is so well balanced that he could move it with one finger.

[@julieenslow5915]

That is true of most bank vault doors. But the bank doesn't move, rock or roll when the bank is open. Usually.

[@kiiiisu]

@@julieenslow5915 usually yes but have u watched most recent pirates of the caribbean? :D

[@julieenslow5915]

@@kiiiisu I've seen four...I think. How many are there? They seem to multiply!

[@RCAvhstape]

@@julieenslow5915 Unless it's in California during an earthquake.

[@julieenslow5915]

@@RCAvhstape Very true that!!

[@BIBSTERSrepairshop]

You had me at mess around with things that still work......

[@jamesnewing886]

When allowed, I will be coming from the UK for the curators tour - thanks for the content Ryan and team, awesome.

[@walter2990]

My admiration to the guys who continue to address this ship, and even making the small brass fittings shine! This is from a retired Firefighter who had several years of Wednesday "Brass Days", where we polished all of the brass on everything brass on the trucks & in the station! Thank God for the "Never Dull" polishing products!

[@GrockleTD]

ah yes, the door that weighs roughly 50% more than my car

[@unluckyirish2763]

If you got your fingers caught in that door you aint gotta worry about em any more

[@davidrobinson3716]

I hope some screenwriter in Hollywood sees these videos and write a movie about some battleship museum staff surviving a zombie apocalypse on board an Iowa class battleship. No zombie is going to open that door from the outside.

[@aaronmarshall3940]

Im not the only one thinking zombie plans ?

[@jeebus6263]

We are in a Zombie apocalypse, they're just lame zombies... less braindead (not by much) and more masked

[@eniszita7353]

that would be very cool. and I bet the battleship staff would make a deal with a studio to film there.

[@bigredc222]

Have you seen the movie Battleship? Aliens are attacking earth and some navy guys and retired veteran tour guides get the USS Missouri battleship operational. It's pretty ridiculous, they get steam up in about an hour, and there are live 16" shells and powder on the ship, it's still fun to watch.

[@eniszita7353]

@@bigredc222 totally unrealistic, yet fun in terms of a heroic story of old sailors operating an old ship. in real life the turrets needed something like 90 men per turret to operate.

[@howitzer8946]

WOW, more new things learned. THANKS Ryan

[@flyingninja1234]

To think this entire ship, was built without modern computers & modern machining. It's truly a marvel of engineering.

[@unknown-ql1fk]

The noise the locking pins make-amazing

[@aleccrombie7923]

Thank goodness for that demonstration. I had visions of you trying to push it. The more I learn of this battleship,the more I am impressed

[@Oldguy1900]

Retirement goal: Full time volunteer on a Iowa class Propper name : Armored conning tower. What guys call it: Man cave

[@daldrete01]

I love the sound that the locking pins make

[@benwelch4076]

That was so cool, that is some really fine engineering to be that smooth after almost 30 years between greasings. I feel I need something like that in my house, just to crank it open and close. Imagine the stress relief, from doing that. If I ever get to that part of the country I am so getting that tour.

[@midship_nc]

curators tour sounds awesome...wish we had that at BB55 North Carolina

[@mikekopack6441]

The gun turret tour is fantastic and highly recommended to anyone who has any interest. I need to go do it again (it's been a few years...)

[@andrewfletcher5584]

Love to see items on the ship that are still functional! And thats a good way to get me to sign up for curators tour!

[@bernardk3437]

Ok we need video on history Ryan, and how you know all this knowledge

[@BattleshipNewJersey]

Check this out kzbin.info/www/bejne/r3bFpGdnZa-oe6M

[@josephalexander3884]

Excellent video. Thank you Mr. Szimanski.

[@IvorMektin1701]

That door weighs the same as my '86 T-Bird!

[@robertmcdonald1419]

Damn. I stood right there looking at that door and imagining it closing almost 20 years ago. I love this channel, as I get to revisit this awesome ship again. The tour of this ship was incredible. It's worth making a long trip to experience what Ryan works so hard to preserve. I moved away from NJ in 2006 and really wish to go back and visit soon. I will be touring the ship again for sure.

[@fogdelm]

are there no blowers for air? that seems like a missed opportunity. Of course, if your going into a battle.. I would bet that the "claustrophobic" feeling is more like an armored hug all protected and safe.

[@andreww2098]

probably not working as the ships mothballed

[@BattleshipNewJersey]

Generally the blowers on board do work, you can hear them in many of our videos, but there isn't one in the conning tower, its too tight of a space most likely.

[@Hemimike426]

Makes me wonder if vital parts of the ship were thoroughly CBRNized as part of upgrades, it'd make sense then for the conning tower to have filtration and overpressure systems

[@aserta]

The only damage for this channel is the changing sound quality, other than that, chef's kiss.

[@mikekopack6441]

I was half expecting the door to get stuck closed and you being trapped inside! lol

[@Beemer917]

I am a machinist. Dad was a machinist, Opa was a machinist.I always had carbide insert tooling . Maybe back in '81 when I first started I used some steel tools. I know how to sharpen a steel end mill and hand grind my own lathe tooling out of steel blanks but that's old school. I really feel for the Machinists who's work I see on this fine battleship. I can imagine how long it took to make just the door for that conning tower! They must have been carving at that thing for months, and it's just one part! The men who built this ship were some serious craftsman, that's all I can say. Good job boys.

[@tim3612]

Cant' wait for the Beer fest on New Jersey! Remember to take the tour first.

[@chasjetty8729]

Thank you very much. I don’t have much of a chance to make it out and see the ship in person, but your videos give me a chance of a lifetime. Really amazing to see that door swing. Heavy little piece o history.

[@notme123123]

What places do you think are safer than the conning tower with the door closed? Cheyanne Mountain? You have the ultimate panic room!

[@leftnoname]

Iowa had advantage over Cheyanne Mtn.: it was well protected and mobile. First, they’d have to locate and establish a track of Iowa, then, they’d have to try get in range and deploy weapons and hope to actually score a hit and survive. And, of course, Iowa could absorb anything, but a very close nuclear explosion.

[@rossinimauro]

@@leftnoname sorry to say no, a modern torpedo will sink her easily as it will detonate under the keel, where TDS is limited to double or triple bottom. When Iowas were built torpedoes hit the side of the hull. Nowadays they attack the bottom 'breaking ship's back'. On youtube you'll find plenty of SINKEX videos involving torpedoes.

[@c.a.mcdivitt9722]

Yea, but you can't get off-world from an Iowa. :)

[@Predator42ID]

@@rossinimauro While effective, there is no guarantee that would work on an Iowa. Since those same torpedo's won't work on Supercarriers, odds are they won't work on battleships, so a direct hit will be needed.

[@SlavicCelery]

@@Predator42ID Not to mention, if the Iowa's are out for dirty deeds... they're going to have so much ASW surrounding them. They well have at the very least some form of aircraft carrier accompanying them. Along with Destroyers, Frigates, and Cruisers.

[@pt109che]

Great demonstration, we visited USS Missouri in December 2023 at Pearl Harbor and amazed by the thickness of the conning tower.

[@c.a.mcdivitt9722]

Theoretically, if the hinge was shot off, wouldn't unlocking the door cause it to fall out of its jam on it's own accord?

[@8vantor8]

The proceeds to put a door sized whole in the floor

[@c.a.mcdivitt9722]

@@8vantor8 Hey, it's better than being trapped in the conning tower.

[@md4luckycharms]

@KING/ARGLE/BARGLE/THE/4TH/OR/SOMEBODY/ELSE along with the locks, if the locks could retract in that position it looks like the door would fall out

[@c.a.mcdivitt9722]

I'm not convinced that your "protusian" would continue to function if the door were unlocked, since it depends on those locks to take up the weight of the door, which is otherwise sitting on a sharply angled jam.

[@md4luckycharms]

@@c.a.mcdivitt9722 we are all in concurrence

[@rogerrathbun444]

Ryan , I served as a BT on the Iowa and the Wisconsin . I would have LOVED to have served on all four but they decommissioned them before I could accopmlish this goal. You do a GREAT job on these videos

[@ThePTBRULES]

I own a bank and bank vault, with said door. Yes, this is a brag, and the door's mass is such that it keeps going once you start it.

[@jamestamu83]

Great video! Interesting topic and fun to watch the old mechanisms still work like new. Ryan has the perfect demeanor for a curator. Knowledgeable and willing to share information with others in a non-condescending manner. Wish I lived closer to NJ b/c I'd definitely sign up. Keep 'em coming!!

[@Lemonjellow]

As someone who has to move the print section on a printing press that weighs close to that with just an 18" diameter handwheel... it is absolutely amazing what gear reduction can do...

[@MoparNewport]

Im an automotive tech. When you see how insanely tiny most gears are that directly propel any given vehicle, it gives new appreciation to 'mechanical leverage gear drive'.

[@a64738]

You can move a 4 ton sailboat with one hand... The weight of the door is not really a issue on itself, you can move a 10 times more heavy vault door by one finger when it is well lubricated (but it will be slow). The door is made like that because if you could move it by hand it would also move around and be dangerous when the boat is out at sea when the ocean waves make to boat roll.

[@MoparNewport]

@@a64738 difference being the medium- a boat is in water, a turret on metal bearings riding on cold grease n metal. Massive friction coefficient difference.

[@a64738]

@@MoparNewport You can still open a 10 times more heavy vault door with one finger, in fact it is much more easy then moving a sailboat on water. As I said the reason for the door being moved by cranking or hydraulics is to lock it in place so it can not flap about when the boat is moving... Is that really so hard to understand???

[@toddr1124]

That thing cranks closed pretty dang smoothly and quickly! A very well thought out system!

[@trshaffer]

Fascinating, just wondering if it was ever actually closed in combat. The accounts I have read seem to have the crews out on the bridge when battle was going on.

[@8vantor8]

They absolutely had it closed in combat, no better way to protect your ears from the 16 inch guns when your that close

[@invader440]

It's a condition Zebra opening so yes it would have been closed during combat or when the ship was at GQ.

[@jeebus6263]

I think the brits stopped including them, several were removed from other ships in rework. They were hardly ever used...

[@Ranzoe813]

The noise the locking mechanism makes while being engaged is strangely satisfying...

[@oceanhome2023]

That is some quality steel and brass !

[@jackhenry2272]

Curators tour sounds awesome, know what I want to do next time I come

[@HaddaClu]

When the ship was in mothballs was that door kept shut and locked or just shut? I mean I just took a look at the other video as well and I didnt see any other way to open the conning tower from the outside if it was kept locked unless the navy had some poor grunt greased up climb up the trunk and then use the hand crank.

[@Therealguymins]

the ending made me realize how wholesome this man is

[@jamesluck2969]

Personally I was always under the assumption that the safest part of a Iowa during a battle was off the ship.

[@dundonrl]

Only if you can swim really good!

[@leftnoname]

I’d take my chances aboard an Iowa rather than in the water.

[@lars7935]

As long as there are no other aircraft around the safest place is probably in one of the spotting aircraft.

[@danielharnden516]

I was going to say back in Iowa but maybe too cheeky. Much better to be on the ship than in the water.

[@alnonymous9361]

The safest place is in port but that wouldn't be very helpful. Calm seas never made a good captain.

[@iamsam8446]

It's amazing the enginuity, precision, and build quality of machinery from this era. Battleships, missile silos, and dams are built out so well and able to withstand almost everything - and still function today.

[@battleshipnewjerseysailor4738]

I believe that the crank was a direct mechanical feature of the door and also it is just electric motors that open and close the door; what you would need for the system to be hydraulic is a fluid tank, pump and control levers and if it were hydraulic it would take a lot more time to operate the door with a hand cranked pump

[@edfrawley4356]

Despite Ryan's protestations about taking forever and a day that door seemed to move pretty quick once he started turning the crank. Sure seemed like a mechanical operation from my perspective.

[@galfawker339]

True.. You need a mechnical crank when the hydraulics is NOT WORKING.. So it make no sense to crank a failed hydraulic system in any design.

[@tissuepaper9962]

Pretty sure the "gearbox" he was turning is just a hydraulic motor. The return tank and all that are on the lowest level of the ship afaik.

[@battleshipnewjerseysailor4738]

@@tissuepaper9962 There was no hydraulics associated with this door, just a manual crank and an electric motor

[@tissuepaper9962]

@@battleshipnewjerseysailor4738 I didn't see your name initially, I will defer to your expertise.

[@ArcanisUrriah]

"Don't think it needs to be locked open, as it probably won't move" But if it _does_ start moving, nothing will stop it! lol

[@mtlbstrd]

Ryan, I have to say, I’m a big fan of your work. I’ve watched your early videos, and you sir, have come a long way. Great job, glad you do it and glad y’all have put out these vids.

[@BuschLightMatters69]

Is there any record of of a battleship commander using the conning tower in combat?

[@jeebus6263]

Probably not

[@FltCaptAlan]

During the Battle of Tsushima during the Russo/Japanese War, the Russians used their conning towers while the Japanese didn't, and they didn't protect the Russians too well, with Admiral Rozhestvensky being injured while in the tower

[@Cirux321]

I dont think I would want to be in there. Highly restricts field of view of the battle. Plus if a bomb or shell hit the conning tower, it most likely wouldnt penetrate it, but everyone inside would be incapacitated anyway. The shockwave from the impact would rupture eardrums and ring their bells bad enough to take the crew out of the fight. That's why the Royal Navy and eventually the US Navy did away with the heavily armored conning towers.

[@zeedub8560]

I thought Captain Baker of U.S.S Texas did after the pilot house was hit by a shell that bounced off the top of the conning tower, but I just looked it up and he transferred command to the Executive Officer, who was already stationed in the tower. I suppose once the armored doors are closed for combat, you don't open them to let someone in. Even the Captain.

[@jonakers704]

It has been over a year now since this was filmed, and I have to say that you have taken great strides in production value since this was filmed! Those doors are easy ones when compared to the reactor compartment doors that I had to open on both a nuclear powered cruiser and even the submarine that I trained on... your door cranks open in about 30 seconds... ours took about 30 minutes of cranking to get open properly.

[@toddwebb7521]

Considering that Bismarcks bridge crew got stuck in the con after the doors jammed and roasted by the fires on the ship I don't have a lot of faith in a conning tower.

[@8vantor8]

Tbf Bismarck also had over 2000 rounds and over 10 torpedoes shot at her, and that didn’t even sink her( her crew ended up blowing her up themselves)

[@Predator42ID]

@@8vantor8 Hornet, I refuse to die.

[@8vantor8]

@@Predator42ID wasn’t that the Yorktown?

[@jeebus6263]

Bismarck's is probably the only con-tower ever really used, idk...

[@tommatt2ski]

Hood's conning tower was blown clear of the sinking ship by the detonation of the forward magazine , and was located several hundred yards away from the forward portion of the wreck. It was said to be 600 tons in weight

[@akrocuba]

I love these vids about the New Jersey and battleships in general. Great job!!

[@craigcontofalsky4387]

Guess they thought the guys in the conning tower were the most important guys to keep safe!😀

[@Yutaro-Yoshii]

Nicely lubricated! The sound of the lock actuating is so satisfying!

[@Yutaro-Yoshii]

Safest place: Outside the ship

[@edevans5991]

Logically the safest place is in the powder magazine. If you are in danger then the whole ship is in danger.

[@jameschenard7691]

Augghhh...you just beat me! Agree 100%. And as an added bonus...if it is compromised, you’re not going to have time to worry about it.

[@leftnoname]

One thing to keep in mind is powder magazine could have been flooded if deemed necessary. I’d say conning tower and fire control room were the spots to wait put a situation.

[@johnasbury9915]

Amazing that things still work so well on her. What quality of build!

[@scottbruner9987]

To answer your question at the end, the safest place on an Iowa in combat, is FAR AWAY from the range of anyone's weapons. 😂

[@scottbruner9987]

@Willie Dynamite I agree.....not too much to worry about there. Maybe a rogue combine harvester....

[@johnbuchman4854]

Safest place would definitely be the cockpit of the Kingfisher, cruising well clear if the action!

[@Aubury]

This one part of this battleship is an awesome piece of engineering, no expense spared. How the crew inside would have been effected, by a heavy shell hit, is another matter. Very impressed..

[@DinoNucci]

Kinda crazy that even he's still learning things about the ship

[@TheEvertw]

I used to think these ship were really easy from the cutaway views in my kids magazines. Seems they left out some details....

[@willdsm08]

That ship is big, I mean really big. I doubt there has ever been any one person who knew everything about the ship, it's just too big.

[@MaximMachineGun]

I think that might be the safest place in Camden NJ! I could see this video becoming a bit of priceless knowledge in that town!

[@Ozark-nq9uu]

It's all good until you close the door only to find at that moment all the hydraulic fluid has leaked out of the system and you are stuck inside. I assume there is some sort of redundancy?

[@jeebus6263]

I'm not sure hydraulic fluid is necessary for the hand-cranck to work

[@Lucas12v]

It may or may not need fluid depending on how it's designed.

[@Ozark-nq9uu]

@KING/ARGLE/BARGLE/THE/4TH/OR/SOMEBODY/ELSE I must have missed that part. Thank you.

[@gwydionrusso3206]

I think it would be cool if you guys started offering the ability to open and close the conning Tower doors as part of some of the tours

[@Bane_Diesel]

When I visited last weekend this door was one of the things I took a bunch of pictures of because it was insanely thicc.

[@jamesharding3459]

8:27 My vote goes for the aft barbette. Statistically, most hits taken by battleships occur on or near the forward superstructure and amidships. HMS _Hood_ was a rare example of a capital ship taking noteworthy damage aft, and the barbette and turret was some of the thickest armor aboard.

[@bigwrenchgarage1360]

If you accidentally lock yourself into the conning tower, who do you call? Battleship Pop-a-Lock? No worries, a shipyard smoke wrench will get you out.

[@billhanson4921]

in about a week lol

[@powerwagon1897]

Great vid as always.....I so hope to be able to visit one day , and will absolutely do the curators tour.

[@AdamMGTF]

RN officers are confused by this silly armoured conning tower -thing. Daft "yank" idea. 😅

[@georgerockwell-z3c]

Watching that door close was EXTREMELY SATISFYING.

[@SpartanElite43]

Where would I look into possibly scheduling a Curator tour and firing a 5 inch gun? I see the gun firing on your website but not the Curator tour. I would love to do the tour and record for my channel if that is ok. Obviously it would be in the future as it would take me some time to set everything up but I am sure I could raise the money with help from my audience on my channel. I absolutely Love the Iowa Class ships and Love this channel. Can't wait to meet you in person. Edit: I actually just found the email.

[@ClarkPerks]

Curator’s Tour info - www.battleshipnewjersey.org/visit/group-tours/tour-options/

[@Rightin02]

"if both of these have been shot away you've got muuuuch bigger problems" hahah. Thanks for sharing another amazing video. The volunteers are heros.

[@ericbengtson2822]

You guys are the best, I love your videos!!! I am planning on a visit/tour later in the year.

[@obi-wankenobi4640]

I tried to find Ryan when I was on the New Jersey back on May 18th but didn't see him. Had a great time touring the ship.

[@TurpInTexas]

I'm claustrophobic , glad I missed the video where it showed you climbing through the gun barrel, that picture totally freaked me out!

[@habanerocat2241]

The armored Conning Tower has two of those doors. One on the port side & one on the starboard. You can see the other one behind Ryan at 4:11.

[@itsmezed]

I'm stunned not so much that the door mechanism and locks work, but how smooth they turn. Aside from a bit of squeaking, it didn't appear that it took a lot of effort a hand crack the door and it's locks. It's cliché, but they really don't build 'em like they used to.

[@alwaysbearded1]

No wear, no moving door frame. Works like it did from the factory. I bet they rarely used it except in battle or training for battle, at least by hand.

[@gregclower9639]

I was in the door industry fro some 12 years. Impressive to the engineering of the door and the buggers that had to "hang it." Big ass pivot hinge with seals, shims and bearings.

[@Murph9000]

Do you think that maybe the cable trunk was originally a viable escape route, but became blocked over the decades and various refits? It would certainly have always been tight, but it just seemed so close to being possible, and perhaps some addition or movement of cables over the years stopped it? With not much probability of immediate BB Vs BB action, they maybe considered it to be acceptable to lose it, compared to the effort needed to maintain the necessary clearance when making modifications?

[@moparmike2535]

That is super cool that the door still works after all these years. A testament to how things were built back in the day.

[@Crushercorp]

Thank you for these great videos, I always find myself watching them one in a while. Very informative and entertaining.

[@stephenb9330]

I have seen this similar "Battle Bridge" door on the USS Alabama, when I visited her during the summer of 2020. Very impressive.

[@TrevooS]

Love watching these videos, always found ships, in general, interesting but you have taken time to do research and describe this battleship really well in all your videos

[@mikekochanek9068]

I just found your channel and I have to say that I really enjoy your videos and appreciate the time and effort that you and the team spend making them!