Solving Mysteries in Drydock

In this episode we're talking about how we solve mysteries.
For more on the paint colors:
• How Do You Paint Under...
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The views and opinions expressed in this video are those of the content creator only and may not reflect the views and opinions of the Battleship New Jersey Museum & Memorial, the Home Port Alliance for the USS New Jersey, Inc., its staff, crew, or others. The research presented herein represents the most up-to-date scholarship available to us at the time of filming, but our understanding of the past is constantly evolving. This video is made for entertainment purposes only.

[@TXGRunner]

This really emphasizes the fact you are a curator managing a museum with artifacts for education and research, as opposed to a history buff showing off a collection for entertainment. It is the tedious work of organizing original documents that makes them available to researchers and historians to do better, more accurate work. Kudos to you and your volunteers.

[@cruisinguy6024]

From the outside it certainly seems the BBNJ curatorial staff put much more emphasis on managing a museum with all its artifacts compared to other museum ships. It’s a rather unique situation as the museum itself IS the chief artifact but is also filled with thousands of sub artifacts from guns to wartime documents. I grew up in Texas and the Lexington was one of the two museum ships within reasonable reach. Still to this day the Lexington barely has a footprint online and the museum itself never seems to change much. Meanwhile here you have the NJ pumping out quality educational content nearly every day about a broad range of topics, down to the caulking between hull plates. What an absolute treat. I hope other museum ships take note of the *millions of dollars* the NJ has raised recently and will step up their own game to reach a boarder audience.

[@Andy-rp3ee]

These folks (Ryan and everyone else) are amazing. So cool to see this

[@cameronsienkiewicz6364]

You do know what the definition of a curator is, right? Lol, cause you literally just defined one.. The job of a curator is is gather, analyze and catalog for future generation.. yes, there are those useless curators that are essentially just salesmen for paintings that aren’t even worth the paint and canvass they’re painted on (most painted art is just bullshit, used by the wealthy as a place keeper for their money, that means no less to them than the stocks they purchase.. they’re “investments” plain and simple

[@TXGRunner]

@@cruisinguy6024 Good points. I've never even visited Lexington, and I'm a pilot who has flown to Corpus many times. I visited USS Texas a few times as a kid, once as an adult. As I recall, the visit was more entertainment than education. The Nimitz museum in Fredericksburg is a good example of what I think you're describing. The old Nimitz hotel is worth a visit, but it is more a tourist attraction venue than a museum, even though they have one of the midget subs recovered from the attack on Pearl Harbor. I honestly don't know what research materials, if any, they have. Do they have ADM Nimitz personal papers, journal, or letters? They would be a tremendous resource to historians and writers. Museums should be fun, entertaining, and appeal to tourists; I just think they have a broader, deeper mission which includes creating educational materials and content as BBNJ does. Online media makes it possible for them to create content, as Ryan does here. His first video were rough. He obviously felt uncomfortable in front of the camera, but he's become very relaxed and confident. His presentations now are very high quality. Like you, I hope other museums follow the lead, especially BB Texas.

[@TK-rz6hj]

As someone who works in archives, I love this highlight of the importance of them, as well as their often confusing complexity

[@0mn0mable]

Same!

[@emmettjones5165]

I've often wondered what future archivists would make of the 1990's, when New Jersey last docked. Digitization was beginning, but memory and storage were expensive and local. Telex and fax were very common, with no easy way to digitally archive. Times have changed. Most correspondence originates digitally worldwide now. Mass offsite cloud storage is cheap and common. This stored data may change owners over time, but will persist. Many will not know the struggle to archive those earlier decades still considered 'modern'.

[@dougnorton5143]

Something maybe few realize, these ships, planes, etc., were planned most likely to have finite lifespan and certainly were probably never intended or thought of to still be surviving this long. Therefore, certain things were probably done for cost and tine efficiency seeing as how they never intended it to reach this age of life and or to become a museum piece where people would actually come to visit. While it's great that these steel heroes have lasted, they do make it quite the challenge to keep them in a useable state. My hat is off to all of you who have put in so much time, effort, and money keeping these machines up for the rest of us to enjoy visiting!

[@BB.61]

Looking forward to story time with Uncle Ryan again.

[@mctag5317]

Needs a comfy chair, a pipe, a fireplace and a dog at his feet.

[@MosBikeShop]

@@mctag5317 I like him sitting on strange machinery in the heart of the ship. More story time!

[@aserta]

@@MosBikeShop Or when he's crawling inside some narrow spaces.

[@bobhealy3519]

You are fast becoming a national treasure Ryan. Keep up the great work.

[@donbrashsux]

He’s a walking Library.. amazing

[@GDMonty1029]

Would love to see a blog-style video of what a typical day of a curator is during dry dock, from how you interact with the yard team, to things like the caulk that need reached, to what type of quality reviews you’re doing of the day’s work.

[@pruittiii]

Periodically, they should do "A day in the life of Ryan".

[@rhondarosenberg7108]

Yes please @battleshipnewjersey

[@Kellen6795]

Seeing this library makes me really really want to go through it and digitize every single document in it. Both for the fun of being able to look through everything and find interesting tidbits no ones known existed for the last 50 years as well as to preserve it digitally so if something were ever to happen, we'd have all this wonderful paperwork to go back on and look through

[@MickGallJr]

Not to mention that AI language models such as Chat GPT or others would be able to help us organize and reference the material. It would probably be very useful to have an LLM able to pull from the material and help research things about the ship faster.

[@russellhltn1396]

As someone who builds document scanning systems, I understand the drive - but I also have an idea how much work that would be. Using a modern high-speed scanner (80+ page per minute) I'd say at minimum several months for a full-time employee.

[@matthewdockter2424]

Although I do appreciate your historical videos, I'm really digging this explanation of "the dirty work" that goes into protecting this history. If you did more "Random stuff a Battleship Curator does" videos, I'd be excited to watch!

[@joelmacdonald6994]

Yes!!! I want to know what the daily “boring” work is. There has got to be some hard, not as fun, work that has to be done. What a great idea, I’d never even thought of that. What is the less glamorous part of being a curator, that those of is that would love the opportunity, would entail?

[@johnramsey2009]

I’m so impressed with how you just keep cranking material out and you make it look so effortless now. It’s fun to go back to your first videos and see how this channel has developed.

[@BluestedSRT4]

Caulk and paint will make it what it ain't. That old adage was apparently good enough even for the US Navy.

[@johnstreet797]

Slogan of Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, "File to fit, paint to match."

[@douglasboyle6544]

A grinder and paint make me the welder I ain't ;)

[@salty-9]

You know that story when you were a kid about the librarian living in the library?... I am 100% CONVINCED Ryan lives on Big j.. as she very clearly is his love. It's like sam Malone with cheers. Always love the video and love the care and respect everyone who works with her has.

[@Andystuff800]

That archive ideally should be digitized and made available online. Would make it available to more people and make it easier for you to read through. Great resource.

[@traderalex1]

I want to know how the portside outboard propellor got a chunk of bronze bitten out of it? That's a mystery.

[@rearspeaker6364]

a ocean going Loch Ness monster wanted a snack.

[@chrislongbeard]

A kraken. If there is salt water loch Ness monsters we're in trouble

[@douglasboyle6544]

It just tastes good.

[@timbonjovi]

It's amazing how much work and dedication the caretakers of battleship New Jersey have put in. You really have to love what you're doing to do what they've done.

[@foundersrule3496]

Ryan and Libby always provide interesting presentations.

[@twilightroach4274]

Jeez Ryan! You are pushing yourself to that absolute limits on this project! Please take care of yourself mate! As a person that works in a fatigue managed industry (long distance truck driver) I can see the effects of all of the stress’s of this project mounting up. Please take a break before something bad happens. And that goes for all of the people on this fantastic project. Please all take care of yourselves, and your work mates, nobody wants to see this project marred by a preventable accident.

[@aserta]

And apparently, he's also been stripping ships for parts (as per the last video - of this comment).

[@williestyle35]

​@@asertaYes. This is something Ryan has commented and talked about in videos before. The Navy _allocates_ "surplus" and condemned parts that museums can pull from the Reserve Fleet and the "mothball fleet" when those old ships are heading to the scrapers (generally). As Ryan said just recently in a video, Battleship New Jersey was given time to pull part from ships stored at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. Good comment.

[@DavidSmith-cx8dg]

Just like our Naval publications . there used to be so many volumes of books with chapters covering every aspect of ships technical specifications , laying out the procedures and materials for almost every job . Some really good detective work by Ryan and co. to find answers . Knowing what you need is often only the beginning .

[@tools6106]

Reading specs and reference documents is a difficult and painstaking job. Having run industrial machines and doing repairs and Maintenance on them, I’ve had a sample of look to this document that leads you to another and another… this kind of work is difficult and brain teasing! I commend you all for your research and application of developed plans. You doing this in such detail will save thousands of hours in the future for up and coming curators in the future. Hats off for your hard work! God Bless!

[@tonyInPA]

We’ve never met but Owen is a rock star. As one who has spent hours digging through the library looking for specific items (like the anchor windlass machinery) without success it’s great to have them better organized. While that manual was never found ( thanks USS IOWA for sending an electronic copy) the collection is in a much better place now. If ever have to dig through what seems like a thousand EOSS binders it’s too soon!

[@HinmanAveRepair]

You beat me to it. Thank you Owen - not fun or glamorous, but invaluable work that few will tackle,

[@chetcalhoun613]

Glad someone saved the notes! Historic video y’all are making-thanks Ryan and your team!

[@bobbenson6825]

After the "boot" video the other day, I bet it was a relief to do a video in a quieter location. Fascinating stuff as usual, I never realized the sheer number of documents you're dealing with and trying to organize.

[@andersed1]

Now I know what I would volunteer for if I ever get the time to head down to Wilmington for the USS North Carolina. This is one of my favorite videos. You are absolutely right, the DOD writes everything down, and then forgets where they put the paper.

[@bruceb4349]

Nailed it

[@semajnollissor661]

This is another example of experience being something you get right after you need it.

[@oldguydoesstuff120]

Looking at the volume of information in your library makes me wonder if you have any plans to digitize and index the contents. I realize that is a huge project and would take many years and a bunch of money. But the benefits would pay off in times like this when you could find information quickly when the pressure is on to obtain it. The future Ryan will appreciate the efforts as the next yard period approaches, as will the efforts to document the current yard period.

[@ColonelSandersLite]

It would also be good for preservation reasons too. A lot of paper starts to fall apart once it starts getting old. Besides that, suppose there's a fire in that room someday?

[@oldguydoesstuff120]

@@ColonelSandersLite Yes. Preservation of historic documents and the use of those documents for research are often incompatible. Documents get fragile with time, so looking through them to find information has to be slower and creates some risk for damage. Digitizing the documents makes them readily available for research purposes while still protecting the originals for their historic significance.

[@MosBikeShop]

My first thought was to run a welding bead along the seam. My second thought was wait, how long is that seam? Thank you for tales of the nitty gritty of it all.

[@douglasboyle6544]

There's that old saying "A grinder and paint make me the welder I ain't" In this case I think it's caulk and paint :)

[@jjhead431]

Simply knowing what book to find things in is an accomplishment, and often more important.

[@steveh8013]

Black 3 ring binders with white-out labeling = USN

[@Don_Rodrigo44]

looks like the dry dock workers finally had enough and kicked Ryan out 🤣

[@wallyschmidt4063]

For all the records you have, I hope you on the battleship are making a digital copy of all the manuals that you have. Keeping a copy of manuals at the time of when the battleship was in commission is a great idea along with a digital copy. If you are missing a manual you can always use a digital copy to make a new one.

[@doorwhisperer]

Good investigationing! Pretty neat to have a reference library... taking the glovebox owners manual to the max level

[@dewboy13]

I wish I lived on that side of the continent, because I would be there volunteering all the time. You've inspired me to look into volunteer opportunities around my area, in order to help out. THANK YOU RYAN, AND ALL WHO WORK SO HARD TO HELP PRESERVE OUR HISTORY!

[@robertgarrett5009]

Hope your shelves/book cases are all tied at the top. These do move once loaded, and is a simple fix of just running one of the back x-frames between shelf units. Even 100+ year old librarys require this to prevent dominoing. Keep up the excelent videos.

[@happyhighway106]

#176 Thank You for this information! When I check out the old Car Ferry SS Badger at Ludington, Michigan (which I had helmed many years ago). I well check the vent pipes to see if rust exist on the deck. She is over 70 years old, also, but still operating (coal fired). Happiness is The Highway!

[@isaacmatthews1966]

Quite possibly the best audio quality I’ve ever seen on this channel

[@WardenWolf]

This definitely shows how much work you really put in as a curator.

[@tombriggman2875]

Ryan, I was told that when the Navy deactivated the ship they gathered tech manuals and stacked them in multiple locations, e.g. Broadway. This ans I'm sure subsequent efforts to store them in magazines resulted in the confusion that you found. Bravo for finally creating a real library.

[@ypaulbrown]

Thank You Ryan, I would have never thought so many books would be part of the museum....... you are a great curator.....best wishes, PB in Florida

[@TimTernet0]

The heart comes from the detail.

[@RichardMorey]

Good idea keeping funds in reserve. Keeping track of all the docs would be a major task.

[@chadhartsees]

I love it. Sort of the Navy's version of "This page intentionally left blank."

[@cb01ttr]

I find these videos fascinating. More so given than I actually built a Tamiya 1/350 model of New Jersey. Thank you for preserving these magnificent machines.

[@markciocco2509]

Digitize those docs! Searchable!

[@jimmiles33]

There is literally always somebody working on that. However, it’s probably a volunteer doing it.

[@randymagnum143]

​@@jimmiles33perfect job for interns!

[@maddogmaz1576]

You should try to get a list of former shipmates that would be willing to be on call to answer stuff like this. I've seen former crews respond on here

[@cheebawobanu]

Truly, I think I would forego the rest of the ship to live in this space. AWESOME

[@syn6294]

Hi! Looking forward to our upcoming dry dock tour!

[@AirJoe]

Same here. I'm going Saturday!

[@ranchero50]

I can smell that space just looking at it.

[@joelmacdonald6994]

Oh yes, smells like library. I wouldn’t even know where to start reading.

[@pjbth]

I'm pretty sure I can smell that room through the images 😂

[@masaharumorimoto4761]

Oh wow, I could spend years going thru all those manuals and logs, love that stuff!!! A direct window into someone's daily routine from decades ago :)

[@arniestuboud]

RYAN, I what ways are you all documenting what is occurring in this drydock period so your successors 30 years from now will have all of this very valuable information? WORTH AT LEAST ONE VIDEO !!

[@BattleshipNewJersey]

pictures, videos, this channel.

[@robertgutheridge9672]

Ryan you and your staff and volunteers all do a phenomenal job as others on here said you're becoming like a national treasure with your knowledge of the Iowa's your knowledge of past ships and the care you are taking of the big j my great uncle served on her just before and during the first decommissioning and I'm pretty sure that he would approve of the care that you're taking of his ship he always talked about her as if she was his ship anyway

[@asn413]

dutiful and dedicated. outstanding. i would like to mention that the automobile restoration industry might have a lot of products that will help this conservation.

[@thedomesticoperator]

You're gonna be leading military officers on a SUPER tour someday if they reactivate it! PASS THE KNOWLEDGE TO US BATTLESHIP MAN!

[@damienvillano4044]

I'm shocked that none of the other Iowa class battleship curators had the information. I hope you will share it with them for future drydock maintenance. Can't wait to do my drydock visit!

[@sawyerawr5783]

As somebody who's trained as an archivist (and even occasionally gets to do actual archival work), I get great joy out of seeing a collection like this get slowly organized. No doubt if (for some inexplicable reason) I'd been the one searching the collection for the change order, I'd have been giggling like an idiot once I found it. I also really appreciate the mention of how "You didn't know what you had in your collection?" Yes, that's kind of how archives are. Even the small one I get to work with has that issue. And honestly...that's kind of the fun, at least for me.

[@markmclaughlin2690]

This was truly interesting and a great example of the enormous amounts of documentation that y’all deal with. I had no idea it was so extensive. Thank you for presenting this.

[@charlierumsfeld6626]

WOW!! Archiving valuable information is critical to the preservation effort. I had no idea. Thanks again for more insight to the mission

[@MartysRandomStuff]

All I can think of is "that room must smell great". Seriously, I hope that room has that used bookstore smell.

[@Droopybear]

Thanks Ryan for the update!

[@BuckCalabro]

Take THAT, Bembridge Scholars!

[@MrScott1171]

Suggestion for the future. Begin digitizing all the documents. Starting with the the dry docking history which will include the current dry docking. And go from there. You can organize it a lot better and not have to worry about the paper disappearing or getting damaged/destroyed. I know it will take time. But in the end it will be worth it for the future of the ship.

[@BattleshipNewJersey]

We've been working towards that for years.

[@mikereinhardt4807]

Well done! I find historical research like this so interesting. Thank you for all the hard work you do...

[@KentStreet]

Great work by you and your staff/volunteers organizing the documentation.

[@dakotaman408]

Cool info. I was in Long Beach in 1990 when I was active duty. Btw, NIMITZ has some riveted seams in certain spots

[@frankrizzo1433]

Brian, Thank You for your dedication to preserving this part of American History. Would it be helpful to ask the Library of Congress for advice to catalogue and organize these manuals. How about the Smithsonian? I'm sure this isn't the first time a task like this has been started.

[@BattleshipNewJersey]

Last time we asked the National Archives for documents they said they'd get them to us by 2090. Thats not a typo. They don't have the ability to digitize our stuff.

[@bruceb4349]

Wow. And I thought asking the boss for a raise took forever to get an answer to.

[@kman-mi7su]

Excellent video Ryan and crew! it shows a glimpse of just how much work must be done before physical work on the hull can be done.

[@NicManGun]

thanks for posting

[@janjocham7720]

The books in your archive library are in such a nice order. If an iowa battleship travels through a hurricane? I'm sure things would be so much different compared to duty as a tour ship.

[@ronaldmiller2740]

GREAT VIDEO!! RYAN,,, AND INFO.

[@BlindMansRevenge2002]

Excellent work as always to you and your crew Mr. curator.

[@donaldhill3823]

Obviously it would be an expensive project but I hope these logs/manuals get digitized someday. They can be a valuable window into history that is often lost.

[@calvinteeter2514]

My suggestion is likely not possible and maybe just wishful thinking. I would like to see all of that information digitized to a searchable format. I realize what a huge undertaking that would be. I am sure you have enough to do already! All the best to you and the great job you are doing now.

[@bret9741]

I wish I lived close Ryan…. I’d volunteer to help in any way possible.

[@shibasurfing]

I wish you success with your unexpected caulk situation 😉

[@MyKnifeJourney]

I wish you all success in documenting and cataloging all that info.

[@2dogsf-ing]

The government documents everything, then waves the hands to where it might be in a room. Was perfect clarification on our government works. 😅

[@MoparNewport]

I know others have said this but i want to add weight to it - please, please do try to digitize everything. Itll give the world a chance to see the innards of BB62, while also preserving things should the worst happen. Excellent work as always!

[@laurianweisser5944]

Man, this is one of the best videos in this series. And yeah, I am a friggin nerd

[@martinavery3979]

Cork the outside of a couple of tanks, block the air vents and pressure test, pressure the tank a little. Standard shipyard stuff. Surprised the navy didn't do it to eliminate or verify the riveted seams. There might be some reports still to be found.

[@HM2SGT]

5:18 *If I'm reading this document correctly, it looks like a lot of the piping was plugged. Something nobody thinks about when they indulge in sentimental romantic Nostalgia about reactivating these ships especially fast, quick and in a hurry is that much of the plumbing would require a great deal of attention. Can you imagine trying to take out all that piping to deliver freshwater or carry away waste or even just the sea water circulating... the blockage from corrosion in addition to the deliberate obstruction created in the inactivation process would require stripping everything out and replacing it. I can't imagine it would be anything but a Monumental task!*

[@gregkarkowsky967]

You're doing a yeoman's work, Ryan.

[@76Starship]

Nice job to you and your team.

[@garyjarvis2730]

All of this information should be scanned and archived to prevent loss in case of a fire.

[@cosmopezzolla996]

Great job guys!!!

[@CorvetteBob]

Looks like your not going to just run down to Home Depot and buy a couple tube of silicone caulk. Great work Ryan!

[@uwillnevahno6837]

I have a slightly different take on the whole "reactivation" question. If a Battleship were reactivated then would its various awards from prior wars be on display? What about aircraft kills?

[@itsallspent]

I am finding the story of dry docking , the ship, fascinating.

[@brentmchenry9273]

Great info as always! Keep up the great content

[@tomjones4318]

Always give scale reference in photos. Can be a coin in closeups or a person in others.

[@henrycarlson7514]

A fine example of Extream dedecation. Thank You

[@calebpearce9334]

Ryan’s voice sounds really nice in this video. Must be the sound dampening from the records.

[@NotSure416]

Does being onboard the ship during drydock feel any different?

[@paulbankard1525]

If you haven't already done so, I would suggest looking into PDF Archiving your documents library. Thus allowing your documents to be searchable within a computer and being able to find information somewhat faster. Also helps preserve those that are aging, by allowing you to view the digital version vs the aging more delicate paper.

[@peter-pg5yc]

A fine video. really got me interested.

[@largesleepermadness6648]

As a former squid, I’m betting somewhere in the library of the Big Navy they have all recent publications and documents stored for each of the Iowa class BBs and the current MACHALTS when they were last active. They are real anal about the stuff we did and changed and made sure all the machinery alterations were documented. Including SIMA alterations and yard period alts. Question, are their former Navy personnel working for the Battle Ship Museum now?

[@Erik-rp1hi]

After the dry dock you need to find volunteers to scan all the documents. Then a word search is all that will have to be done to find info. Heck. it could be accessed by the public too.

[@googacct]

I agree. Scan the documents, run OCR on them and probably at some point in the near future it will be possible to train an AI on documents. At that point you could ask a question and the AI should be able to answer it with references.

[@tonydagostino6158]

I hope you have a good fire suppression system in that room

[@luke-wv9te]

that caulk looked like it didn't hold up in the photos you showed, at least its going to be applied above the paint

[@whatever8282828]

I wish I could smell the likely mustiness of that library. Is it on the tour? I'll get up there one of these days.

[@domenicodiscepola]

Digitizing will help save time and money. AI, advances in document indexing technologies, etc. are extremely cost effective and even free in some cases. This will also open up virtual volunteers to help, since the work can be done remotely. Food for thought.

[@rshawiii]

just what i was thinking, and then feed it all to an AI model. LOL

[@charliewhiskey8440]

Your mountain of documents sounds like the perfect grad project for an IT student studying AI and data analysis.