Shaft Alley

[@gregwarner3753]

When I was on the USS TUTUILA ARG-4 (A WW2 Liberty ship) one of my jobs, I was rated as a Machine Repairman, was to sit by the main engine, a three cylinder reciprocating steam engine and lubricate the crosshead slides with an oil filled squirt can. One squirt per minute per cylinder. Absolutely mind numbing job. We were crossing the Pacific Ocean at the time. That takes a long time.

[@ut000bs]

"That takes a long time." That got me laughing out loud. I'm sorry that happened. lol 🤣👍⚓️

[@ianbutler1983]

I can't believe that was not automated.

[@johnstudd4245]

@@ianbutler1983 You would think so, like steam locomotives from that era had lube boxes that were triggered from the reciprocal motion of the other engine parts. But he mentions crosshead slides, that might be a part that has a lot of movement and difficult to hit.

[@Stude59]

Why automate something when you have a sailor standing around?

[@Stude59]

I was an MR also. Served with a fellow MR who transferred from the Tutuila to the Proteus. His name was Gregg Kuenzle (sp). He was from New Jersey or somewhere there about. As I recall, he was on the Tutuila when she was transferred to the Nationalist Chinese.

[@zackakai5173]

These "dark depths of the ship" videos are what I'm living for at the moment. I've seen all the publicly accessible spaces on the Alabama and the Massachusetts multiple times, but it's the spaces like this (that for obvious reasons will probably never be open to the general public) that are the most interesting to me. I'd love to see a video of the electrical deck under the 16" gun pits with better lighting than in the turret crawl video (the rest of that video was great but that one part was too dark to make much out).

[@unitedwestand5100]

The Alabama is 680 ft long. The NC is 728 ft long. The NJ is 887 ft long. All 3 class battleships were 108 ft (limited by the width of the Panama Canal) at the Beam, and all 3 had a similar draft. (Also limited by the canal) The Iowa-Class was long. But, all 3 classes had the same caliber main gun. These areas has in were death traps in battle. Could you imagine being down there while the ship was taking on water? Scares me just thinking about it.

[@tonywebb3867]

I never served on a battleship, I did my time on a tin can but understand well those small, tight spaces. One thing to remember, you are going through them while tied up to a pier. Imagine being underway in heavy seas trying to get around down there!

[@vxrdrummer]

Amen to that brother! For example, getting down into the 'snake pit' on a Type 42 Destroyer during a storm was never pleasant...and the spaces this guy is in in the video, are certainly quite roomy!!! Bilge diving or getting into tight spaces to work was an art and was also dangerous at times. You could easily get stuck and then if anything happens that needs a quick escape, you are done for. Members of the Standing Sea Emergency Party (SSEP) couldn't get too far in unless they gave their surcoat to someone else so that they could go in their place in the event of an emergency. I used to enjoy bilge diving though. The scariest place on a warship that I ever went into was the tunnel underneath the seadart mag, between the control and power rooms. It was a tunnel only just wide and deep enough to get into and was pitch black, and also pretty much the width of the ship. Once you were in, it was forwards only and literally drag yourself along the whole way until you could finally get out. I did once, and once only. Another one was crawling on your back underneath the Tyne gas turbines. That was horrible one as it was only inches of space above your nose and you had to drap and push yourself on your back all the way across...there was bilge water half way across normally as well! It was a garuntee to get soaked in oil, fuel, water, and probably sailor's wee wee!!!

[@jeffrentsch4318]

No no sire, no tiny places for me. I struggle with panic and clostrphobia while working under dash cars.

[@paulloveless9180]

@@vxrdrummer what a description! What is meant by the "sailors surcoat"?

[@us-unclesam6566]

When 'mothballing' ships for the reserve fleet, we put jacks under shaft for maintaining centerline of shaft with centerline of bearings and stern penetrations. Hire me for maintenance!

[@Itapirkanmaa2]

Or the shaft should be slowly rotating, like the spare cylinders waiting in storage in the paper mill.

[@kainhall]

crawls in feels around "lol nope.... pit of death"

[@cruser69]

As this battle ship MM, I spent many a watches in these shaft alleys. The first yellow tank you pointed to was for lube oil, 2190TEP. Along the whole length of the shaft they have “spring bearings” also in the shaft alley. These supported the weight of the shaft. The thrust bearing did transfer all the thrust to the hull. Although there was a thrust bearing in the main reduction gears, it only was for small thrust. That was shaft packing, it always seemed smaller than I thought it should be to me, but that was it. It was usually wrapped multiple times around the shaft to seal it. The cooling water was on when turning, making sure to have a small leak while turning for cooling. The final space was food dry stores. You could actually get from there into M division bear thing if the doors/hatches were open.

[@tindjin07]

"Don't drop the phone, it is our only light." Sounds like the start of a horror movie. Ya'll need to buy a couple of headlamps and spare flashlights. ;-)

[@BattleshipNewJersey]

We put 3 lights all on the same rig that holds our camera so if we drop that down a pit, we have a problem. However, we do always have a spare flashlight in both our pockets but to be small enough to fit in a pocket means its not so great for filming!

[@AWa-ik2ez]

I hope you have a certified marine chemist on staff. They MUST check the air in all of those spaces shortly before you go in, every single time, every single space. I used to inspect old ships like that one. It is really easy to die way down in there. It hits the victim VERY quickly. There is no escape. There are pockets of bad air. If you get into one, it’s the end of your whole group. When you feel it, you’re dead!

[@BattleshipNewJersey]

You're spot on. These are well trafficked and well ventilated spaces, but yes, we are very careful.

[@GaryCameron]

@@BattleshipNewJersey Finding your way out of a space like that in the dark would be a nightmare, even if you know the ship's layout well. Imagine trying to escape from a battle damaged listing, sinking vessel where the power has failed. No wonder so few survive when a major warship is sunk.

[@CharlesShopsin]

That part was terrifying even though I know they everything obviously worked out.

[@shelleyking8450]

"Uh-oh, pit of death." So reassuring that you both reacted so calmly.

[@leechjim8023]

What you REALLY needed was rope to rappel down with!

[@achdumeineguete]

I never thought of something like the need for a thrust bearing. But yes, it makes sense to have one :) Very interesting to see the lesser frequented areas of this ship. Thanks!

[@vxrdrummer]

They are clever pieces of kit as well. I have worked on them in service as a sailor in the Navy, and then completed technical studies of them on modern warships, and for something that is quite simple in it's operation and indeed it's overall construction, it is still performing engineering magic with how they can tilt and allow for different types of shaft movement. Very cool.

[@mrz80]

One thing you got on a crewed, active warship was lots of warm bodies to keep stuff clean, rust free, and *painted*. You can tell Big J's gone a long time without a buncha folks with paint brushes aboard her. I particularly recall the gunhouses in turrets 2 and 3 showing a lot of peeling paint when I was there a few years ago. Can't imagine that's fun job for a small, mostly-volunteer contingent trying to maintain and restore a ship that big.

[@zenmail42]

As at least a half dozen of my friends will attest: "Painted dirty in clean dirt!"

[@Cirux321]

@@zenmail42 Or as a HT (Hull Technician) buddy of mine once told me; Once over dust. Twice over rust. Three times over oil and water.

[@KG5IF]

The thing is restoration never stops. Allways work to be done esp with a small number of crew doing the work. Hats off to them.

[@SueBobChicVid]

If it doesn't move: paint it. If it moves: salute it.

[@us-unclesam6566]

Moisture control not evident. Going get the big 'J' sooner or later without PM.

[@taofledermaus]

It's hard to judge where you are in the ship at times, or things like where the shaft begins, etc. Would it be possible to show a drawing of the ship and mark your location?

[@72polara]

Hi Jeff! Cool to see we have common interests other that toys that go bang.

[@anexpertateverything4816]

Great idea!

[@thawk1435]

@@72polara this toy takes going bang to a whole new level. 🙃 🙃

[@sc1338]

Great idea! Visualization would help for sure.

[@Pt0wN973b0iI]

I said this too, to highlight where he is at in each video. That way we ( viewers ) have a better understanding.

[@BrianSmith-yn2zg]

So glad I found this channel, love seeing this side of those great ships. Thank you for posting these vids.

[@BattleshipNewJersey]

Welcome aboard!

[@Coinbro]

Your the luckiest ever I have seen ships but nothing like this

[@popeye6457]

I was a shaft alley rat onboard the USS IOWA 1983-1986 best time in my life.

[@willardpatterson706]

Thank you for your service. I’m also very jealous lol

[@duanem.1567]

Brings back memories of standing engineering watches on Missouri. It was the under-instruction EOOW's job to climb down those trunks (through the scuttles; the hatches were closed at sea) and check all the shaft alleys once per watch. Usually found a very bored seaman apprentice down there either reading a book or asleep. It was a warm, noisy, lonely place to stand a watch.

[@Pt0wN973b0iI]

I LOVE how serious this channel is an straight to the point.

[@o484]

I love the M Division's MTV logo

[@Bovey100]

I absolutely love that you show all the less known spaces throughout this amazing ship! New Jersey and her sisters are incredible pieces of engineering!

[@KG5IF]

A snipe friend of mine gave me a tour of the engineering spaces while I was stationed aboard the USS-Oklahoma City CG-5 including the engine rooms, boiler rooms and evaps. A special treat was shaft alley while we were underway. There is not alot of room between the shaft, bulkhead and deck. Dont want to screw up there. If you fell and got wedged against the bulkhead instant death. The shaft wouldn't slow down down one iota. A tour gives you a great appreciation for these guys that work in a hot and dangerous workspace.

[@graymodeler]

Richard McMahon I was in 3rd Division on the OK City from 1968 to 1970.

[@skunked42]

I served on a ship that had a sailor fall from a ladder in shaft alley onto a shaft coupling...those bolts on the flanges really did a number on them.

[@skullofserpent5727]

@@skunked42 that's probably the worst way to go

[@bobbyrayofthefamilysmith24]

@@skunked42 did they died

[@skunked42]

@@bobbyrayofthefamilysmith24 No, just got really damaged.

[@saltyroe3179]

My 95 year old dad, LtCmndr and chief engineer said that when he had the watch he would always check shaft ally as problems there would be serious. He once discovered a pair of sailors using it for a romantic meeting

[@deeexxx8138]

Well, it IS called Shaft Alley LOL

[@leechjim8023]

It HAD to be gay since there were no women on these ships back then.

[@adamnouiguer3430]

Knew the aptly named shaft alley was where the sailors consumed their don't-ask-don't-tell meetings. It's perfect cause of the lube oil pipes.

[@saltyroe3179]

@@leechjim8023 dad reported it to the skipper, which resulted in the sailors being invited to the skipper 's cabin on a regular bassis.

[@trailhog86]

A guilty pleasure of mine watching Ryan navigate various tight areas of the ship. Keep it coming! Very cool!

[@rfjohns1]

I don’t think I would go there without a spare light !

[@Paladin327]

Or 5

[@MattBlank0]

I don't walk from by bedroom to my kitchen without at least two flashlights.

[@fishua5564]

That does look like packing. Square cross section, goes in the stuffing box helically. Since the shaft is not moving you should be able to tighten the seal on the packing and stop any leaks. Not a sailor, but a seal guy. Don't deal much in packing anymore though.

[@IDJEGOI]

"Thats the man hole leading to the fuel tanks" -> me not knowing anything about ships: "Oh yeah that tiny door right?" -> Him pointing at the rabbit sized hole in the floor... -> me: "Oh"

[@djmoo1984]

@Battleship New Jersey. I just wanted to say, although I have never had the privilege of working on one of these magnificent beasts. As a long time Automotive Technician, that also has some industrial maintenance experience. I can wholeheartedly understand the cutting of the audio when you introduce yourself to an unexpected piece of machinery, equipment or bulkhead and let the colorful metaphors slip. I always enjoy your videos and it's great to see these areas that rarely get shown, or documented. If I lived closer, I'd gladly volunteer any time and/or mechanical ability I could to help maintain her.

[@templer4295]

Thanks for saving our history and honoring the men and women who serve!! Please keep these coming. I am coming for a visit and I will gladly support you and your mission!

[@A50S2D]

Hi, I've recently found your channel and am amazed by how well you show this magnificent ship. I was able to take a limited tour when she was recommissioned in 1982. I wonder if you have found the bearings used for the shafts. Bearings for ship shafts were typically made from Lignum Vitae which one of (if not the) heaviest densest wood in the world. They have lubrication properties making it ideal for this application. This was used because nothing else is better. If you find some of this wood they can be made into pens that have a great historical value. I have made pens from the bearings from the ship Dulos Phos which sailed for nearly 100 years before being made into a hotel. Bye for now

[@Zubenelshamali]

I love this video; I grew up in New Orleans LA in the 1950's & 60's, whenever a USN ship docked here it was open to the public. My dad would always take me, submarines, destroyers, aircraft carriers. I was fascinated. If I had free run (which I didn't) I would have been crawling around the confined spaces marveling at all the machinery. Thanks for the video; you owe the camera lady dinner after all this!

[@nondemify]

There are exactly the areas of the ship I've always been curious about but rarely find documented. Thanks for what you are doing.

[@yes_head]

Great video. It gives you a whole new appreciation what crews had to deal with dealing with battle damage to spaces like this (which was not infrequent if you go through the major sea battles of WWII.)

[@muskaos]

S-2 is generally crew's mess, so that store room was probably for dry goods like cereal, or flour, food items that did not need to be refrigerated. S-2 Cargo is the group that did food break outs every day based on what the cooks ordered for the day's meal plan. BBs were not aviation capable, so S-1 had the spare parts store rooms.

[@axysdnyd]

Lost audio a few times during the video. Absolutely awesome video, I would love to be able to see these spaces myself as I'm a huge battleship fan. Love the Iowa class ships, truly magnificent and nothing else on earth compares to them.

[@BattleshipNewJersey]

We deliberately cut audio where there was nothing happening but the sound of our out-of-breath camera person and the occasional yelp when they ran into something!

[@axysdnyd]

@@BattleshipNewJersey Ahhh, that makes sense. I can imagine with the small openings and tight space there were a few choice adult words used when the camera operator smacked into something in the dark.

[@spvillano]

@@axysdnyd yeah, can relate to that, just from our Stryker and previous M113's. Even those had gotcha spots galore. Nothing more embarrassing than to take yourself out within your own armored ambulance!

[@JustMe00257]

Kudos for making this outstanding battleship a presence on KZbin. Great job 👏🏻

[@jetdriver]

I was aboard on my Midshipmen cruise in 1990 when she went to Portland for the Rose Festival. Prior to going up River there was a lot of work being done to make sure void spaces got de watered to reduce her draft over the bar. We were taken down into a void I think on the Port Side that I believe was inside the skeg. I say this because we had to step from frame to frame with a bottomless pit of blackness below us. Eventually we were given a can of spray paint and everyone was able to paint their initials on the bulkhead. So in theory somewhere inside the ship are my initials to this day.

[@BattleshipNewJersey]

We will keep our eyes out for them, whats the initials?

[@jetdriver]

@@BattleshipNewJersey BP. There should be several other sets in the same area. If it helps my memory is also that the space was unpainted.

[@BattleshipNewJersey]

We found a few on this particular adventure which sounds like right where you're talking about so we might start back there.

[@srsykes]

Hey thanks for the tour. It brought back a memory of one of my most HATED duties. I was a junior engineering officer aboard a light cruiser in the 70's. Seemed to me like I was always catching the morning engineering watch when we would get underway. So not only was I up at 3:30 am but I had to make inspections of the worst parts of the ship. We had four shafts and all of those those after bearings were in the hardest to reach spaces.

[@stevencovington4715]

at 6:21 Yes, that would be the emergency packing used to seal the stern tube seal. It was teflon coated woven asbestos fibers shaped into a square cross-section. Most ships had converted from just the "pure' mechanical packing on the stern tube to a mechanical seal called a "syntron seal". The seawater piping going to the sterntube assembly was for flushing and cooling. The emergency packing was used as a backup if the syntron seal failed mechanically. The shaft in question had to be brought to a stop to install the packing, usually at least two rings, and the packing gland adjusted to allow a slight drip leakoff. (Retired Machinist Mate; served on USS Midway cv-41, among others)

[@HE-162]

In the event of catastrophic failure...could water simply flood in around the shaft? Presumably there were bilge pumps nearby capable of outpacing the theoretical maximum inflow of water from a failed seal?

[@stevencovington4715]

@@HE-162 , Actually there is NOT that large of a de-waterring capacity on the shaft alley (speaking of the USS Midway, and other ships in general. Simply put, the ship is NOT designed to be dewaterred as a generasl standard, just with capabilities to overcome "standard expected leakage'(plus an expected percentage. The ships have emergency dewaterring equipment that is portable.

[@HE-162]

@@stevencovington4715 just to make sure I’m understanding: the ship has the capacity, with either in place or portable pumps, to outpace the theoretical inflow if the gland catastrophically failed. I’d imagine as well, that shaft alley could be isolated from the rest of the ship via watertight doors and bulkheads, if necessary due to an inrush of water?

[@stevencovington4715]

@@HE-162 , A quicker method would be to evacuate the space, close all watertight fittings, and attach a low pressure air line to the test fitting adjacent to the closest non-flooding space. The low pressure air pressure would be WAY more than the sea pressure coming in. That would really be more effective than attempting to dewater the space at THAT time The sealing and flushing water pressure on the stern tube seal (around thirty PSI) has to be more than outside sea pressure to work in the normal situation.

[@stevencovington4715]

OOOOH!!!! That would NOT have been a safe method at all!!! I forgot that the sheer volume of ANY space would have catastrophic force with using even low-pressure air! LP air is used to perform static pressure tests on tanks and other compartments, but under extremely controlled situation, and at significantly low pressures. Like around FIVE PSI!!! Think about it, how many square inches of surface area there are on ANY compartment. Multiply all those square inches times whatever air pressure you have it at is a LOT OF ENERGY!!! A mere one-foot area is 144 square inches, multiply that by just 5 psi, and you have 720 pounds of energy! An escape hatch scuttle is about two feet wide (big enough for a person to fit through., so about a ton of force is behind a mere scuttle! The better way to isolate the flooding would be to "Stop and Lock the affected shaft" That is , to brink that particular engine to a stop using the astern (Reverse) turbine to overcome the forward momentum of the ship, and then setting the brake on the reduction gear, at on some cases like on older ships, setting the big friction brake on one of the couplings on the shaft. Then the crew could inflate the emergency boot to stop the leakage (Much like a bicycle tube) and install the emergency packing. Then deflate the boot and make arrangements to unlock the shaft. [Preferred method is to bring the ship to a stop and release the brake , but can use the astern turbine to the pressure required to stop the shaft if the ship MUST maintain speed (war, emergency). In twenty years of steaming, we drilled this regularly, but in actuality, I have NEVER done a "Stop and Lock" that we ACTUALLY locked the shaft. We drilled just to be sure that the crew COULD perform a "Stop and Lock"

[@johnd4348]

The Navy makes the smallest holes to get from compartment to compartment. Good thing most guys in the navy are young.

[@bjharvey3021]

Most curators are weekenders, but you are the real deal. Also your camera operator is a legend. Bravo to you both.

[@BattleshipNewJersey]

Thanks and welcome aboard!

[@samaxe6495]

Love the walkthroughs of these engineering marvels.

[@manuelkong10]

with your immense knowledge, I HOPE you're training several other people in the care of this ship

[@danmathers141]

It's definitely good I was not a sailor. I am a tall guy and have problems in tight spaces. I can't imagine what it would be like on a smaller ship.

[@michaelsommers2356]

The solution to that problem is to get a job that doesn't take you into those spaces, such as skivvy waver, where you're out in the fresh air and sunshine all the time.

[@robertpoore7604]

Great job. It's very cool to see you explore and explain the interior of this mighty battleship. Thank you

[@BattleshipNewJersey]

Thanks! Let us know if there's anywhere you want us to explore!

[@USSBB62]

@@BattleshipNewJersey How about the 5/38 mount and the Handling room. Then the Directors for secondary batteries. Sky 1,2,3, or 4 Maybe a camera shot from the main deck to see the placement of Guns, handling rooms , and Directors

[@randallfawc7501]

thanks for sharing this link. Your knowledge of the inner workings of the ship is impressive. Thanks again!

[@jamesbanas1815]

Great videos! I'm a retired Air Force C-130 pilot but have a degree in Mech Engineering so I love videos like this on large engineered things and the spaces most people don't get to see. I have a suggestion to maybe make a bit of money for the museum. A while back, I got to visit the Titan II ICBM missile museum in Arizona where they refurbished a complete Titan II missile silo and command center. They have standard tours but also set up and schedule small group guided tours that include areas not accessible on the normal tours and they even have overnight stays set up to spend the night in the control center sleeping area. Earns them a bunch of extra bucks to help with upkeep and refurbs. Just a thought. Again, thanks for the videos.

[@crp5591]

Ryan does these under the "Curator's Tour" package. You get to go to places you are interested in (within reason) or leave it up to curator's discretion of some super interesting spaces. $500 for a group up to 10 peeps for three hours.

[@leechjim8023]

@@crp5591 A three hour tour, a THREE HOUR TOUR; sounds ominous!!! HA HA HA!

[@leechjim8023]

PS: Il,l go anytime!!!

[@jimconnelly816]

Excellent description of thrust bearing brother

[@B1900pilot]

I may have a little bias, but this is the best channel on KZbin!

[@Tinskipper]

Yes, in fact the material you showed is a packing gland material. It's the same stuff that we used in the packing of water pumps at the water district I worked for. I have replaced thousands of feet of this stuff.

[@bryanshaw3711]

Hey Ryan, "First in, first out" doesn't necessarily apply to food but does apply to perishable items or items with a shelf life, such as hazmat. It is a supply concept still in practice in the Navy today.

[@jimeastman4666]

Brings back memories! I worked port side shaft alleys in the early 80’s.

[@timothy098-b4f]

Excellent tour as always Ryan! I have a question that I can’t find the answer to online, and was hoping you could shed some light: what are the specs of the New Jersey’s propeller shafts? Are they solid or hollow? What’s their length and diameter, and are they each one long piece, or made up of shorter pieces connected by flanges? Are they supported by roller bearings or old-style Babbitt? Thanks in advance for answering!

[@johnstudd4245]

I would think they would be hollow, but how thick the walls? Each shaft on an Iowa class has to handle over 50,000 horsepower. I know most shafts are connected at points with flanges also, depending on how long they are. There can be a big difference in length between the inboard shafts and outboard shafts, or the 2 shafts on a twin screwed vessel.

[@mikus4242]

Rules on the Texas are two sources of light anytime you go below the 2nd deck. Volunteers DO NOT go into confined spaces below. Those closed spaces have lots of rust and the rust eats the oxygen. When opening a confined space, the maintenance crew has to ventilate the space before entering, otherwise the results could be DEADLY.

[@BattleshipNewJersey]

We always have a phone plus a flashlight but we also travel in packs. I lose a light, my partner still has his. Any space thats been sealed has rules about entry, but most spaces are always open so we arent worried about air.

[@mikus4242]

BB35 also has a rule of 2 people minimum, each with 2 sources of light.

[@XShifty0311X]

Different ship, different rules. New Jersey most likely has a different Operational risk management plan than the Texas. The Texas is in a different state of maintenance than NJ... Like NJ doesn't have persistent flooding problems.

[@DonaldMcKay3768]

On a sea trial of a frigate where we were trying to track down the source of a vibration, I had to crawl into the double bottom and listen in various locations. The engineering officer on watch told me the space had been "gas freed" and tested to make sure the air inside was breathable. I didn't get to see that evolution and it would certainly be of interest. Also reassuring! I don't remember what I used for light and in retrospect I don't know how I would have localized the noise if I'd found it. No frame numbers in there.

[@charlesdeyoe1301]

This was a great video. Thanks for showing us remote sections of ship!

[@floobertuber]

Pretty unique content, love it! Thanks for posting. 👍

[@cletusgaming6108]

Yellow tanks in the navy was lube oil tanks not fuel oil, fuel oil tanks or valves and pipes are yellow and black striped jp5 tanks valves and lines are a purple color. The oil valves there below the small tank was lube oil manifolds for distributing the oil throughout the ship into different tanks

[@markwatson3135]

It’s great how deep you go into the New Jersey. The map would be a great idea! Keep up the great videos

[@kevinswayze4176]

Ryan, i did enjoy your visit to the shaft areas. On our ship the sailors had changed the name of shaft ally to "HAPPY VALLEY'. The jacking gear that we had, am I am sure on all Navy ships have, is a motor that is attached to the main reduction gear.

[@conantdog]

Great videos fascinating all the very places we can see yet can't go. Great work you're doing 👍

[@GreyRockOne]

Nice video, too bad it's so dark! brighter lights and a more sensitive camera is in order! What was that "pit of death" you briefly showed?

[@HoosierHawk]

Yes that is the stern tube packing. I worked in the valve shop and shaft alleys on USS Wisconsin. @6:23

[@willblack5419]

Dude, bring more then one light! Love the vid!

[@EricGoesToShopClass]

Packing like that is also used in valve bodies, so it could also be for that huge group of valves it was sitting next to.

It always impressed me that each shaft had 58000 horsepower

[@donaldparlettjr3295]

Loved the artwork down below.

[@mikeh2006]

Those echos at the 'pit of death' part are pretty creepy.

[@braunx25]

I enjoy the videos crawling around the lesser seen parts of the ship. Can we have more light in future videos please.

[@Hokieredneck]

I have deck plans of the USS Missouri and love following along compartment by compartment during these videos.

[@ZGryphon]

The cinematography in those last few minutes was like a "found footage" horror movie. _The Blair Battleship Project._

[@geoffreybradford]

Sort of like watching "The Poseidon Adventure" except right side up. But , you got me-just subscribed.

[@BattleshipNewJersey]

Welcome aboard!

[@alwaysbearded1]

Thank you so much for showing us the normally inaccessible spaces on this ship. I miss the days when I was allowed in shaft alley on Jeremiah O'Brien, liberty ship in SF while she was steaming. At that time I was a volunteer over at Hyde St. Pier, AKA San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park (visible in my photo). Don't know if that is why they let me back there or because I seemed to be smart enough not to do stupid things like get killed by a slowly moving shaft (idle speed 18-20 RPM). I'm surprised that there is not such a size difference between a battle ship shaft and a Liberty ship's shaft. They won't let you do that anymore which is a shame as it would be perfect to show a short shot of that to give your audience a sense of what it looks like.

[@paulsotheron710]

The woven square section “rope” you pointed out near the stern gland did indeed look like gland stuffing and I imagine would be the size used in the shaft gland.

[@ronalddunn291]

Thank you for all you do 🇺🇲👍.

[@Barnekkid]

Very interesting. I was surprised the prop shafts weren't bigger for such a large ship.

[@Stude59]

My sea and anchor watch staton on the Proteus was down in the shaft alley. Didn’t do anymore than climb down the access trunk to the alley, don my sound powered headphones and sit and watch the shaft go round and round. The shaft alley was a long and narrow space, relatively free of any clutter. The overhead was too low for me to stand up. The only way in and out was the access trunk. The forward bulkhead separated the shaft alley from the engine room, the aft bulkhead kept the sea out. One end of the shaft went through the packing gland. By design there was always a little sea water coming through the gland to keep things lubed and cool. The shaft was about 18-24” in diameter if my memory serves me.

[@USSBB62]

Great Video's makes me a little homesick for "The Good Old Days" Philly to Viet Nam to Bremerton.

[@jamielacourse7578]

Great place to come to after wading thru the usual brain snot on the 'Tube......

[@MrMopar413]

At the beginning that rope like material is gland packing material. I’ve worked on tugboats and cabin cruisers enough over the years to recognize that stuff.

[@kevinstonerock3158]

During my visit to the Yorktown in Charleston I was amazed at being able to hear other visitors while they were talking to each other. I’m curious how far the sounds travel through the New Jersey, both lengthwise and top to bottom. Hearing people on board would make the ship come alive again.

[@BattleshipNewJersey]

Depends how thick the armor is in that spot. And, probably more so, how close to a blower you are. My office, for example, can hear people talking in the deck above me when the power is off and the blowers aren't on. Otherwise, I can't hear someone in my passageway.

[@taraswertelecki3786]

It does look like packing material, the kind I use to pack the gland end of stuffing tubes. The shaft alleys though are not occupied when the ship's engines are engaged, because the drive shafts while rotating are very dangerous. Failure of a shaft while rotating would be fatal to anyone in the space. Only when the engines are stopped and or the ship docked do personnel venture into the shaft alleys for their inspections or maintenance work.

[@mikehoshall6150]

As others have pointed out that yellow tank at the start is probably for lube oil for the spring bearings on the shaft.

[@peppermill7163]

Makes you realize how many different jobs there were to do in order to keep the ship functional

[@Bill-xx2yh]

God Bless all who served. I think of Battle ship's, as seen on TV, beautiful large decks, open command and conference rooms.. The terror of being deep below deck...tiny rooms and tiny DOORS, no windows and no way to see what is going on... Those tiny rooms full of lead paint and leading to smaller tiny rooms full of "valves" poor lighting and vents... Do they have any with "larger more OPEN" floor plans? What time is "break?" I never could of made it. LORD GOD have mercy on them, (and us) all.

[@BattleshipNewJersey]

We always recommend to those that find battleships to be too tight to try the army, they got lots of room!

[@Bill-xx2yh]

@@BattleshipNewJersey yeah submarines were out for me also...no good windows.

[@Bill-xx2yh]

My dad was the radio officer in the Navy during WW-II. Being from Nebraska he finished ROTC at Harvard and was sent to war. From San Francisco to the Solomon’s he was onJ.. Morgan’s old motor yacht the Corsair. It still had the OLD silver wear and China...but no "guns".

[@jakeblanton6853]

Depending upon your job / rating, you may never see the cramped spaces like this on a lot of ships. For example, if you are on an aircraft carrier, you might not go topside that often unless you are in the aviation group, but if your work area is at or above the hangar bay, you probably won't be cramped usually.

[@robertmindrup5315]

Love your videos! Any chance of turning on the lights? Surely all these spaces were lit in the day. Thanks, Robbie

[@jeffhoser7717]

Unfortunately its impractical in a museum ship to keep the shafts on slow roll to ease the gland load and prevent bowing of the shaft due to prop weight . Its easy to see why the Iowas had such large crew sizes; little automation ! Hard to believe these spaces were regularly patrolled when the ship was underway . These out-of-the-way spaces were also convenient areas for creative crew entertainments like stills .

[@rtqii]

My friend served on Enterprise, when an officer during training maneuvers committed to an order for full emergency power, resulted in bending a propeller shaft. This shortened the life of the ship because the increased vibration and stresses on the thrust bearings resulted in structural metal fatigue. The steel plates and frame members absorb the energy and it crystalizes and causes cracks in the steel. This loss of ductility also reduces resistance to things like torpedoes and mines.

[@ThePaulv12]

This was fascinating. I felt like a naughty boy exploring something I shouldn't be watching this.

[@Sideshowbob007]

Yes Ryan That's gland packing. Keep up the good work.

[@manshakhadim3854]

Everytime i watch one of these videos i am amazed what can be built

[@tungsten8290]

13:58 I'd definitely recommend that every individual person, whenever going into an area of the ship that doesn't have emergency lighting, carry their own light source and a backup. For trips that deep, probably on a retractable lanyard or something. Even just an LED Maglite solitare light. I know of shipyards with the requirement for everyone that goes into the hull during new construction.

[@johnstudd4245]

I'm some what claustrophobic. I would not go down in those spaces unless I had at least 3 or 4 lights of some sort right on my person. That would almost be my worst nightmare being down there with no light.

[@willj78]

I wish my girl would go aft on the shaft

[@shubinternet]

You folks need headlamps and separate handheld lamps, plus whatever you're using for the camera. And everything needs lanyards so that you can't drop them!

[@haldunkel4080]

Excellent video.

[@wolfkremen]

while the packing around the shafts is still intact, it could be caulked with a marine grade silicone adhesive, as common practice in large storage marinas. After years the caulking is peeled or scooped out easily.

[@acester86]

It would be cool to have personal tours of the depths of the ship.

[@BattleshipNewJersey]

Ryan gives personal tours of the ship for $500 donations which can be set up by emailing [e-mail]

[@scottjohnston9672]

@Battleship New Jersey - If the ship will never move under its own power again, and the gland seals of the propeller shafts are prone to leaking, why were the propellers not removed and the shafts sealed over like they did with all the sea chests?

[@BattleshipNewJersey]

We don't like to make changes to the ship if it isn't necessary. The ship has not been drydocked as a museum, but when we do it in the next decade we will consider it.

[@shanejohns7901]

@1:51 I am surprised that someone could actually have reached out and touched that spinning shaft like that. If it was a consumer product, it'd be recalled for something like that. But this generation had bigger things to worry about than Darwin awards. Which makes me wonder how the newest huge ships like Aircraft Carriers do it. Do modern Carriers have exposed shafts there where passers-by could actually touch them while they were spinning?

[@johnstudd4245]

I would think so, I know I have seen vids of people putting their hands on the bearings while underway to check for overheating. They need to have access to the bearings constantly.

[@nathanokun8801]

In regards to things like the propeller shafts and triple bottoms and so forth: When reactivated, what changes were made to the ship against underwater weapons such as mines and torpedoes, compared to what the ship was like in 1945, when in full-up wartime WWII status. Propellers and rudders were weak points, though in US ships less so than with BISMARCK, for example. Any special design features concerning their resistance to damage and changes made thereunto during post-WWII reactivations??

[@BattleshipNewJersey]

No changes were ever made like that. Repairs were made to the various ships, but no major changes were made to improve them.

[@nathanokun8801]

@@BattleshipNewJersey Thanks.

[@vvogt4252]

Awesome Tour. I Remember places you that you could go on the USS Independence CV-62. And Spaces You could Not go. Ex. Weapon Spaces, CIC, ect. And definitely not on the flight deck during Flight Ops.

[@americanmilitiaman88]

I would sign a waiver that if I get hurt lost or died I wont hold the museum responsible if i could explore the entire ship

[@richardelushik1177]

Is there a auxiliary steering system/steering gear on the ship, and if so, has a video been created or planned for that space? I'm an old Army hand, but totally enjoy following anything I can find on the large WWII war vessels. I hope for a visit to the New Jersey in 2021.

[@michaelsommers2356]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/qX2VYoqilJKEmsU

[@callenclarke371]

Fantastic Content. Absolutely fascinating.

[@fire304]

While visiting the USS Yorktown last year I was looking at the DC map of the ship and I saw a space labeled "Egg and butter stores" located in the lower decks forward (I want to say deck 7). I have to imagine that the NJ had a similar space also located deep in the voids of the ship. While visiting the bakery (located higher up in the ship, deck 2 or 3, and very far aft) they had a display in the bakery of the recipe for chocolate chip cookies, which included several dozens of eggs. How did the sailors move such large quantities of supplies through the ship, and what would be the procedure if General Quarters were called while moving, say 10 dozen eggs. Would they deliver the eggs then proceed to their station, abandon the eggs where ever they were? Its little things about life aboard ship like this that fascinate me.

[@USSBB62]

From pallets brought over by Helo (Vertrep) or by highline (Ship to Ship) 20 sailors in quick succession would run out and grab an individual box. Then Over to the large ladder (two ladders wide) one had a slide to slide boxes of food down to another line (working party) hand over hand to the storage area as seen.

[@fire304]

@@USSBB62 I can see that being the best method for UNREP but I'm talking day to day, when done Seaman is sent by the chief to get eggs.