The US Beast That Punished Japan Nonstop

[@slinksracing5215]

I have been watching all of your “Dark” channels for years and have always loved them. This one hits very deeply with me, My maternal Grandfather served aboard the Birmingham from 3 June 1944 through the rest of the war. He enlisted in September 1943 at 17 years old and was discharged in 1946 at 20 years old. I have heard stories from family of the very few stories he spoke about during his time in the war, I’ve collected books that mention anything about the Birmingham and it verifies the stories I’ve heard. He was one of the many aboard her that received a Purple Heart. I was very fortunate to have known him early on in my life, though I never grew old enough to truly get to know him, he passed when I was just 7 years old in 2002, his service and and stories I’ve been told of him have always given me inspiration and goals in life, for he is majority of the reason I enlisted in the USAF. I have been all over the world now through my still on going service, and can honestly say I have stepped foot on many of the locations I can honestly assume my grandfather stepped foot on as well under entirely different circumstances. Both in uniform, but only I had the luxury of doing so in peacetime because of the many men such as my grandfathers. Thank you again for always the great stories, videos and research.

[@paulhansen5374]

My dad was on board the USS Reno during the attack on the carrier Princeton, His ship was actually there first alongside the Prinston to help with fires and so on. But due to the list of the carrier, it was damaging the Renos superstructure and they had to withdraw. The Birmingham had replaced the Reno so it could take over and assist the carrier because it bigger and had been taller in the water. My Dad explained what happened next, the carrier blew up with all those men on the starboard side fighting the fires. The cruiser moved away from the carrier and the Reno came along side to assist the cruiser, and what he told me next you will not hear in history books. In his own words the whole starboard of side the Princeton was a waterfall of blood, and body parts. He said it was the most horrific thing he had ever seen and never forgot. Mind you I was only 6 years old at the time, but the way he looked when he told the story and how sounded made me never forget. After all was said and done after the explosion, my dad's cruiser put 3 fish into the carrier sinking it due to smoke it was generating, fearing it would give away their position and drawing in more air attacks. Later on, that year his ship got torpedoed and almost sank. He served 22 years in the Navy, earned the rank of Force/Command Master chief and was offered Command Master Chief of the Navy, but declined because he hated Washington DC. Hope you enjoyed this story, told to me by someone who was there!

[@williamkennedy5492]

Thats a very interesting story, thank you, My father was in the Royal Artillery, and would tell me similar stories, Our fathers were heroes and we respect them, thank you for your post, Rgds Cheshire UK

[@paschaldobbins8430]

My uncle was KIA on Birminghm when Princeston blew up. RIP Uncle Bobby. I never thought to ask Dad if they Navy offered to let him come home as the surviving son.

[@paulhansen5374]

@@TTKDMS Thats correct. After my Dads ship was torpedoed and went in for repairs, It was the crew who did the dirty work of cleaning out the various body parts that where not fresh, this was only after the ship was in dry dock. One of the smaller repair facilities on some island port.

[@francus7227]

​@paulhansen5374 Do you remember the lyric of The Rolling Stones.... "When the Blitzkrieg raged and the bodies stank. Pleased to meet you. Hope you guess my name.... who who." ??? When we think of war, we rarely think of the stench. I've treated gangrene in the hospital. The smell will knock you over. I did 4.5 years active duty U.S. Army during peacetime. My dad is Ret. U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. P-3 Orion. Both of us are glad we never had to see war.

[@426superbee4]

GOD BLESS YOU ALL! My dad served on the USS Shangri-La, as a pilot, Didn't see a whole lot of action! Near the end of the war. HE HAS SOME GHOST STORIES that happen? Like men carrying bombs and rockets off the ship the fall off the planes that landed. Fires they had to put out ! Dumping planes over board, that was all shot up ect ect.

[@paulcowan3222]

You have got to admire the repair crews that patched up these ships so could fight another day. Unsung heroes

[@johnstreet797]

My dad served in the U.S. Navy in the South Pacific in many battles with the Imperial Japanese Navy. His action station in one of the ships was a Bofors mount. They had a stand down between waves of enemy aircraft and the guys were talking. One said, "If this ship got hit really bad, would you take your chances in the water, or stay aboard and try to save her?" My dad said he would absolutely stay aboard and try to save the ship. The guy said, "You sound really sure about that, why?" My dad said "Because I can't swim!" The other guy asked, "What are you doing out here in the middle of the Pacific ocean, in a war with the Imperial Japanese Navy and you can't swim?" Dad said, "Listen, you make me captain of this gun mount, and give me a whole gun crew of non-swimmers, and I guarantee we will blow anything out of the air that tries to separate us from this warm dry ship!" I call that motivation.

[@jimmyboy131]

Dang man, Birmingham sought no quarter, and gave none. Huge respect to the crew, and the lives lost, and the wounded.

[@bobbyb2222]

My uncle served in the Navy during World War Two, told me a story about his ship being hit by a torpedo and sinking. He almost made it to a life boat but turned around to retrieve his wallet which he left by his bunk. As he said this my Aunt yelled at him and called him a dummy. He then said “ I had to go back, my wallet had my only picture of you in it.” I will always remember that story for the rest of my life. Ps. I remember afterwards my Aunt jabbing at him telling him he still shouldn’t have gone back but I know in reality my Aunt was very touched by the sentiment.

[@adriantowe278]

Thanks for sharing cool story

[@JohnShields-xx1yk]

Boston born 1960 I owe these men for my freedoms I have everyday. God bless all who served and for those who serve today. 🇺🇸🙏

[@richiesacolic436]

You are a real one Brother ❤

[@johngreenwood771]

Dittos brother

[@AnthonyOMulligan-yv9cg]

They got the better weather☀️

[@busterbeagle2167]

We all are in debt to these fine men

[@paulhansen5374]

So was I,Chesey Bay naval Hospital 1964

[@TheChipper1966]

Thank you for sharing this story. My dad was onboard Birmingham during the Battle of Leyte Gulf and told me stories of his time in the war. I feel like I got to have another visit with him, so again, thank you.

[@BuzzSargent]

This particular show points out that Every Class of US Navy Ship was important in defeating the IJN. The Carriers and Battleships get the glory but it is the Cruisers, Destroyers, Mine Ships, Subs and even boats taking men ashore all won the peace. Happy Independence Day.

[@jeffdege4786]

It was the subs that destroyed Japan.

[@cruisinguy6024]

@@jeffdege4786they sunk an incredible amount of shipping but that’s only one piece of the puzzle.

[@jeffdege4786]

@@cruisinguy6024 *tt the subs who turned the Japanese man from a conquering army to a bunch of isolated, starving detachments.

[@rayaznavorian8708]

Thank you for producing great videos for us to enjoy for FREE.

[@jacqueschouette7474]

My sainted father served on the USS Birmingham during World War II. He joined the crew in 1943 before the ship sailed to the Mediterranean for the Sicily invasion and was on board when the war ended. He said that the closest the ship came to sinking was when the Princeton blew up. He was a boatswain's mate and his battle station was a quad 40 mm anti-aircraft mount on the port side of the ship. He said that he was watching damage control fight the fires on board the Princeton when something told him to go below and he was there when the Princeton exploded. Most of the men who were killed on the Birmingham were like him, just watching damage control fight the fires when the Princeton exploded.

[@paulhansen5374]

My dad was on the USS Reno during this battle, saw the whole thing happen. Because the loss of life, and the broken water lines, He said that the whole side of the ship was a waterfall of blood! He was 17, it really affected him.

[@PeppersStarLine]

It’s not just the surviving that should be respected but the people that gave their life’s up for us all to be here. Thank you veterans and fallen alike!

[@stevenmullens511]

Thank you for this video. My grandfather served on the USS Belleau Wood CVL 24. It was great to hear his ship on this video.

[@paulhansen5374]

Sounds like your grandfather and my old man where in the same task force during that battle! Did he tell you any stories about what had happen? I would love to hear another perspective about it.

[@JefferyMckay-qy8tc]

There's an lvt of the same name, I served on it as a marine

[@dw-bn5ex]

Great story. The ships were as tough as the sailors.

[@rtqii]

Our steel was developed and improved during the war. At the start of the war the steel mills were not all up to snuff. The government accepted delivery of a ship as part of an early contract, and the ship promptly broke up and sank. Senator Harry Truman basically accused the steel industry of defrauding the taxpayer and sabotaging the war effort. The quality of milled domestic steel improved dramatically almost overnight. Truman's investigative committee was the reason Roosevelt picked him for the VP in his final campaign.

[@Doncroft1]

Never ceases to amaze me what a ferocious and deadly foe Imperial Japan was to the United States and how brave our soldiers had to be to face them in battle. Even though Japan couldn't match our numbers, their soldiers and technology were more than a match for us, especially early on.

[@drmarkintexas-400]

⭐🎖️🙏🤗🏆 Thank you for sharing this

[@johnstreet797]

Several of your stories mentioned Espiritu Santo. My dad was assigned duty there and came down with dengue fever. They called it break bone fever because men infected hurt so much they thought every bone in their body was broken. There was no treatment then, you waited it out, and recovered, or died. After about ten days his fever broke, and soon they sent him back to his hooch. He went to the shower tent, scrubbed up, and every hair on his body washed off. His survival makes me happy, since I am here.

[@semikavithana4126]

Imagine being shot at with hundreds of rounds while flying.Thats crazy

[@FaithfulObjectivist]

Amazing story. Thanks

[@seansimms6693]

Cleveland is a tough cruiser…Battle Stations! Midway on PS 2 it was my favorite ship.

[@Joe-u9l]

The industrial might of thr U.S. was intense back then and it had the good fortune of being under no threat making it much easier. The navy finished the war with ten times the vessels Japan had for the entire war. Japan should have chosen a better path and listened to Yamamoto who told his government they never had a chance.

[@Doncroft1]

The Japanese military was mighty, but as you said, the Empire simply could not match our numbers.

[@SirLionofBiff]

@@Doncroft1 The critical difference was industrial might. And there are lessons .... right now, the Chinese have a staggering production capacity, and global ambitions.

[@rodneyadamson8270]

My grandfather, a cousin or two, in the Navy and one great uncle in the merchant marines ❤

[@paulkweiner6577]

Wow !!! Excellent plus video !!! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[@falconinflight6235]

Excellent insight

[@isopowered5004]

Thanks.

[@prazcuray1388]

Gotta wonder if the Japanese pilot that did a fly by and didn’t attack didn’t feel right about attacking men trying to get to stay afloat. Humanity pops up in weird ways without us knowing most of the time.

[@rickluttrell5529]

My father served on a converted Liberty ship the Alkaid in the Pacific in WWII and the heavy cruiser Bremerton in Korea.

[@johngaither9263]

The US built 26 Cleveland class light cruiser and 175 Fletcher class Destroyers. No country has ever produced so many Capital ships in such a short time.

[@brucesheehe6305]

We can't seem to build anything in a timely fashion these days. South Korean company is buying old Philadelphia Naval Shipyard to try to build ships for us.

[@cruisinguy6024]

Neither the Clevelands or the Fletchers were Capital Ships, far from it especially the Fletchers. Capital Ships were battleships, battle cruisers, and carriers later in WW2.

[@cruisinguy6024]

@@brucesheehe6305it’s complicated. On the one hand modern warships are far more advanced than they used to be and all those electronic systems are incredibly complex to build and integrate. While it may take a decade now to build a new super carrier that could be sped up with additional funding however these are all planned out far in advance for a certain production rate to match a carrier being retired. It is true that our ship building capability is a shadow of what it used to be in part due to private industry chasing cheaper ships and more profit. From a national defense perspective it would be extremely wise to update the Jones Act to modern times it’s not the only answer. France, for example, has significantly higher cost of labor yet they have a thriving ship building industry. Most modern cruise ships are built either in France or Italy. We, as a nation, need to decide we want to preserve our shipyards. IF we think there’s reasonable potential for a peer / near peer war in the coming decades then we should absolutely start taking measures to rebuild our shipyards. Unfortunately Congress is being held hostage by obstructionism and can barely even pass a bill to keep the lights on. Americans need to set aside their political ideology and actually look at their elected politicians and their history. For example many US Reps voted against the infrastructure bill but then turned around and took credit for the funding coming into their state. This is a problem.

[@thomashenshallhydraxis]

The capital ships of a navy are its most important warships; they are generally the larger ships when compared to other warships in their respective fleet. A capital ship is generally a leading or a primary ship in a naval fleet. But still; building 176 destroyers in the years of WW2 is pretty solid work. I could not imagine in modern times. 176 ships being built for war in a four year period; and actually working properly

[@sketch6995]

Well they pissed us off 😤

[@reillyfamily7557]

The ABSOLUTE GREATEST GENERATION Of (Men/Women) IN UNITED STATES History!!!!......

[@rickluttrell5529]

God bless America Land of the free Home of the brave One nation under God

[@einfisch3891]

The title of this video is wild 😂

[@MichaelKunz-mt2oo]

Would love to see a "Dark Seas" episode detailing how the radar proximity fuze was brought to bear against the Japanese, from inception to deployment. A great research resource is Ralph Baldwin's book on the subject.

[@adamspivey]

They definitely don't make men like they used to. Looking at our young men today, I can only hope they would find the courage to fight as bravely as these men did.

[@garyweaver6026]

What is the definition of Further More?

[@roycsinclair]

Sister ship of the Light Cruiser Pasadena which my father served on in WWII.

[@cruisinguy6024]

That is not Wake Island at 5:39, anyone know what it really is depicting?

[@markgazelka8493]

Always great documentaries, but all too frequently distorted by inaccurate footage. Example; at 4:44 into your video, there is a depiction of a Nazi artillery crew firing a large artillery piece. Nope, that was in Europe, NOT the Pacific theater of operations. Details matter folks…

[@garyweaver6026]

What is the definition of, More Over?

[@DavidRLentz-b7i]

David R Lentz, Columbus, Ohio, USA (Tuesday, 13 August, 2024) I very much like your topics, and I appreciate your solemn manner of delivery (evocative of Will Lyman, Frontline’s [PBS] narrator). I do not know how you lot conduct your activities in making your KZbin videos. However, the occasional mistakes I find are not to denigrate; errors, being false, undermine veracity, and truth through accuracy in any endeavour is the first duty. At 5:43 in your video, you note that on 5 October, 1943, the USS Birmingham (CL-62), Cleveland-class light cruiser commenced shore bombardment upon Wake Island. At 5:50 and 6:10, the film footage depicted different views of the Curtiss SC-1 Seahawk reconnaissance aircraft, which not for over another year (22 October, 1944) had it entered operational service. Chance Vought’s OS2U Kingfisher scout plane then had been on station, four per cruiser; as common as these had been-one had rescued Charles Lindbergh, the renowned aviator, and his comrades from their plane that forcibly had ditched at sea thousands of kilometres from any civilization-it surely would have been no difficulty to acquire a handful of five-second excerpts. This is no minor quibble here: the historical inconsistency immediately caught my full attention.

[@davefellhoelter1343]

Buddy's Dad was the "Nashville" survived these types' attacks to the END! Gramps? was a SeaBee?

[@maces1405]

Don't touch our boats!! 😂

[@rajeshkanungo6627]

Question for naval gunnery experts: don’t naval guns wear out their barrels? Are these ultra large barrels replaced after 1000 or shells have been fired?

[@frostedbutts4340]

Absolutely not an expert just an idiot on youtube but yes. A battleship barrel only lasts several hundred rounds- you can probably push it much further with degraded accuracy before it's unsafe. Relining big barrels like that is a slow process few dockyards could do

[@hughsmith7850]

WOW

[@quinbenson]

What on earth is going on with that thumbnail? Looks like the Birmingham, but with some crazy additions. What's going on at the bow? What's that plume to port at the stern?

[@garyweaver6026]

What is a hose pipe?

[@garyweaver6026]

What us the definition of, None the less?

[@CrotalusHH]

I enjoyed the video and story. I'm curious why the narration mispronounced so many words. AI?

[@yzfool6639]

American and British streamers can't be bothered to Google pronunciations.

[@CrotalusHH]

@@yzfool6639 They pronounced it correctly half the time.

[@ThePrader]

I wonder, with the number of 6 " and 5" rounds she fired at the IJN, and their shore fortresses, how many times did the USN have to replace her worn out rifles for new barrels?

[@GeorgeNeely-k9l]

X at it

[@propman3523]

Dah? At this point in the war, where were was the US air cover? You make it sound like this was December 1941. Very interesting, I've never heard of a cruiser doing mine-sweeping duties. Interesting.

[@mknewlan67]

He said they were covering mine sweeping while bombarding the island.

[@mikereeves1510]

The music is too loud.

[@828enigma6]

Much too loud.

[@AllieRogers-mq1kf]

People that compare our shipbuilding of then to now are missing a big point. While yes right now we can’t build like we were then. The world was at war then. We are still in peacetime now. If we were to ever enter into major war again you would see the US arsenal begin to churn again. FDR made it profitable to build military equipment . As long as there is profit Americans will supply what is needed.

[@LordTharak1963]

It only had 12 inch guns. Not 16 inch ( or who are you kidding 18 inch) re-edit

[@shawnc1016]

6-inch Mark 16

[@LordTharak1963]

@@shawnc1016 got ya .reviewed

[@bbradleyism]

You can always tell AI in the narration. Boogeyville?

[@christianarfi]

Envahir le Japon de l époque c était 1 000 000 de soldat us condamné à mort

[@johngaither9263]

Perhaps but it would no doubt have doomed many millions of Japanese civilians to death. As bizarre as it sounds the Atomic bombs ended up being life savers for both sides.

[@Deepak.R-a-n-a]

Voice over 😢

[@navret1707]

A light cruiser doing mine sweeping? How about a vid covering “Iron Bottom Sound”?

[@TheBestDog]

I think their sister channel, Dark Seas, has done a couple of episodes on the Battle of Guadalcanal

[@edwardpate6128]

He stated they were covering minesweeping operations.

[@MikeMc-512]

0:37 There are 1,760 yards in a mile. 18,000 yards is 10 miles.

[@slckb0y65]

but hey, at least we were the good guys, right ? .... right ? :x

[@dkmike2299]

well considering it was an attack on the US that began all of it with japan, yeah I would say so... We were also on the side of the allies who only joined the fight because there was just some psychopath nazi who was trying to take over the world and started WW2, so there's that too... i mean how old are you? this shouldn't be hard to understand? right?

[@slckb0y65]

@@dkmike2299 and why did japan attack the US ? and who let it conviniently happen ? funny how you don't feel like pointing it out ;) also you say germany started ww2, you sure about that ? you really really sure about that ? ;)

[@SwanOnChips]

🇺🇲💖 & ✝️🛐

[@TP-ie3hj]

Just curious do you order at the drive through using your super drama voice? Hows that go? Make dentist appointments with it?

[@Rob-157]

I think his narration is entertaining. Reminds me of the old narrated war movies.

[@yzfool6639]

@@Rob-157 TP-ie3hj was just explaining why he doesn't have subscribers in a backhanded way.

[@billindreboe8630]

Downvoted Music too loud

[@JefferyMckay-qy8tc]

My grand dad is a normandy vet

[@FoxWolfWorld]

Oh cool, another AI generated video full of errors 😏

[@mknewlan67]

Yet here you are again.

[@Rob-157]

Why are you here

[@TheosekMechanes]

Hate the AI videos.

[@denoginator1]

1st

[@auro1986]

and for this you dropped two atom bombs when you have many ships and sailors?

[@828enigma6]

So what's your point? The use of the atomic bombs convinced the Japanese to surrender, sparing millions of lives on both sides.

[@CharlesCurran-m9p]

I suppose you’d rather they killed 10 million in an invasion rather than a few hundred thousand by a-bomb. You do know that several fire bombing raids killed more than that, right?

[@tswizard13]

Yes, and it took two atom bombs and there were still Japanese army officers plotting to kidnap the emperor and prevent him from surrendering!

[@Black_0pCar0lina]

There should be a ban on nuclear weapons. Use that material for power plants and stop burning coal.

[@CharlesCurran-m9p]

@@Black_0pCar0lina Noble idea but how would you insure compliance?

[@YaMomsHouse561]

Yea yall gotta fix that

[@sketch6995]

Holy shit I didn't know it could launch a spotter plane.......that's cool

[@YaMomsHouse561]

Talk I little slower what's the rush?.