Why Are Ladders on Ships So Steep? And Why Aren't They Stairs?

In this episode we're taking a closer look at a common feature on ships, ladders, or are they stairs, and why are they so steep?
For a copy of the battleship's deck plans:
maritime.org/d...
For our What If event:
www.battleship...
To support this channel and the Battleship New Jersey:
www.battleship...

[@dave623]

There are very few people on this planet who can extemporize for 13 minutes on ladders and still be this compelling.

[@darthkek1953]

Lindybeige did an hour on medieval siege ladders... every minute of which was gripping. I'm sure there is a "gipping ladders" pun in there somewhere.

[@bbsonjohn]

@@darthkek1953 Definite not the person in Valve making Source engine

[@darthkek1953]

@@bbsonjohn ???

[@DivineMind222]

There are even few people who use extemporize in a sentence.

[@hellacoorinna9995]

A salt can git bovedeck or lowdeck in a storm, yarrr. The lubbers climb upper down as babes in the woods.

[@radhazcat]

I fell down a flight of regular stairs when I was a kid. I was on USS Gridley CG-21 in the early 80's. Our baker fell down a steep ladder during rough seas and got a compound fracture of his legs. We had to do an Unrep to get him to better medical facilities. He did not return to our ship which was a shame since he was a good baker.

[@k9hays]

I was on the Gridley in 90-93. Went to the 1st Gulf War on board too. I do miss her! I was an OS and we had the recently upgraded NTDS system and SM-1 missiles. The Griddog did bob like a cork in heavy seas! I guess she was pretty top heavy. We could jump entire ladders if timed right but pretty dangerous

[@dryan8377]

@@k9hays Hey Andy. Fellow OS1 here. Got out in 93 after 12 years. Cheers man! West Coastie!

[@antifa_communist]

I have a question: Is Deck 1 at the top or the bottom of the ship? I figured you might know this since you served on a warship and I don't know where else to ask.

[@k9hays]

Yes deck 1 would generally be the main deck. Then there are numbers and letters that designate levels above and below the main deck. Like O-2 level being on the next level of the super structure from the main deck.

[@dryan8377]

@@antifa_communist Anything above the 'Main Deck', which is what you see from the outside, is preceded by zero, or oh. Main deck would be 00 deck (never used). First deck above that would be oh one deck, followed by oh two, then oh three. If the bridge is located on the oh three deck, then it is called the bridge, not by deck number three .

[@martinwalker9386]

It is understood that “he fell down a ladder” may mean a sailor received “percussive attitude adjustment.” It is not legal, however it happens. There was a story I heard on ship that a number of wallets had been stolen. One day at sea the Captain announces, “We have a thief on board. I want him caught and brought directly to me. However, if on the way he hasn’t slipped on a ladder and broken a bone he in not guilty.” No more wallets were stolen.

[@josephhodges9819]

That may have been how they did it in the 80s but now it is all about the paperwork. I have had to cuff a few senior enlisted who thought slapping junior enlisted was ok.

[@tagsizemeezy2329]

I was literally coming to the comments to say this exact thing, falling down a ladder is for what i call "lowest level possible minus paper work counseling"

[@tagsizemeezy2329]

@@josephhodges9819 and you are the reason im glad i got out... I know you have to do your job and all and i respect that but man if a junior dude is fucking up you gotta handle that and all paper work does is ruin a career vs a small ass beating and no paper work and you just have some bruises, good to go

[@josephhodges9819]

@@tagsizemeezy2329 You are the reason they changed the rules. Beating up on a junior enlisted and then dare them to defend themselves. I have seen it go so far that they ended up with broken bones and concussions.

[@BitwiseMobile]

@@josephhodges9819 Yeah, the 80s Navy was a very different thing than it is now. For better or for worse the Navy has changed. I got out in the early 90s and I could the changes already happening. It was confusing times for many, I'm sure. Especially the old salts who did things the "traditional" way. I volunteered my time in trade for a college education, so I was never planning on being a lifer.

[@bankuei]

I really appreciate that you're honest about how safe/unsafe these things are to traverse, and that all of this is just a matter of practicality to fitting things in where they could.

[@dawsonharris5735]

13 mins to 13 seconds. Thanks

[@Weesel71]

This ties in nicely by topic with another YT clip on why Victorian staircases were so dangerous. Basically, there was no code at the time and the ideal rise and run of a step had not been determined. The really steep stairs were those leading to the servants' quarters. Coming down facing front and carrying something was a common recipe for injury. Nice explanations, Ryan. People forget that a warship is basically a machine built to destroy other machines. The comfort of its human parasites is of secondary concern. HAGO.

[@Yaivenov]

I prefer to think of us sailors as symbiants, thank you! :p

[@absolarix]

@@Yaivenov Pffff, oh, please! xD

[@nautifella]

@@Yaivenov Came here to say that. Parasites make us sound like _Marines._

[@Yaivenov]

@@nautifella ded

[@meeperdudeify]

@@nautifella an unmanned ship probably has a much longer life expectancy

[@jefffreymuth2519]

I’m CDO at the USS Hornet Museum in Alameda. On May 15 2016, I fell through a 3’x3’ open hatch from the 4th deck to the 5th deck. Severe life threatening injuries, 2 1/4 hours for EMS to get me off the ship and too a Trauma Center, next 46 days in the hospital, back to the Hornet in six months, still a volunteer after 21 years. Museum ships can hurt you!

[@IvorMektin1701]

WOW!

[@jeremyt7722]

Damn, hope you're doing ok! Falls are seriously underrated, even a slip in the shower can be completely life changing.

[@robertmurdock9750]

On the USS Independence CV62 we had a Machinist Mate fall down the trunk of the #4 shaft-ally which had vertical ladders and was supposed to have steel safety nets at each level which was removed to lower something big down the trunk. He just jumped in without looking and fell 5 decks and landed on the aluminum handrail running along side of the shaft. It didn't hurt him except his metal watchband cut his wrist. They thought he was dead at first but he was just fainted and, every time someone would mention it around him for a few days he would faint again.😂

[@colemarie9262]

@@robertmurdock9750 uhhh meaning he had a serious head injury that wasn't checked? Lol jesus guys!

[@robertmurdock9750]

@@colemarie9262 I don't there was anything wrong with his head. I believe that when you mentioned it around him he would just start reliving the fall. It was an aircraft carrier so we had a captain doctor on board and he said he was alright.😂

[@supergeek1418]

While aboard the submarine USS Thomas Edison I once stepped onto where a (normally closed) hatch was in upper level AMR2, only the hatch was open, and I suddenly found myself in *LOWER* level AMR2. Luckily, I landed on my feet, and (besides being a bit stunned and surprised) was unhurt. The machinest mate on watch looked up said "Well, thanks for dropping in!" I made some comment about that could have been a lot worse, climbed the vertically runged ladder back to upper level, and went about my business. From then on, though I was always *EXTRA* careful around that (normally closed) hatch and ladder. Like I said at the time, "That could have been a *lot* worse!"

[@Gr3nadgr3gory]

My only question is why name a ship after a scumy businessman?

[@JustAGooseman]

@@Gr3nadgr3gory Thomas Edison being a scummy businessman is Balkanoid propaganda.

[@Gr3nadgr3gory]

@@JustAGooseman no, it's history. He hired people to invent things for him. He's no more an inventor than Caltech is. Also he fried an elephant to discredit AC power. (While using DC)

[@ZGryphon]

@@Gr3nadgr3gory A _true_ cynic would say there's no more classic American success story than that...

[@Gr3nadgr3gory]

@@ZGryphon fair enough.

[@daynelagemann4727]

after a few weeks on ship you get used to sliding down the ladders on the railing if they were not chained railing, it was way faster to get around. Many a time I feel down those dang ladders especially the ones going down into the MMR on my ship. It was one of the longest and steepest onboard and that three deck fall was a doozy if you missed a step.

[@SSN515]

A lot of times there was oil and grease on those main space ladders too, and you usually "discovered" it when going down for the mid watch.

[@leftyo9589]

you can get a lot of speed when those handrails get nice and polished, especially on the 2&3 deck long ones. wet or greasy hands before you make it sporting.

[@loganthesaint]

Laying at the bottom contemplating your life choices that led you to this exact moment in time.

[@superdave8248]

LOL I was sitting here thinking the exact same thing. This is something I thought everybody figured out within the first week or two on board ship. You grab the hand rails on each side and slide right down. Your feet never even touch a step when going down. It is like an unspoken rule. You don't paint over the handrails. And if you need to "break" you use the palm of your hands to act like a break. What people don't realize is that the sailors going down these ladder wells are much younger than you average person. Crew members average age is probably not even 21. If they do tumble such as falling due to ship sway, they tend to get right back up and keep moving without even registering the fall.

[@ThomasKent1346]

I was a Radarman aboard the Enterprise. Our berthing space was righ below the CIC. We had a ladder like the one shown going from our berthing space down to the Hanger Deck level. I always slid down it. (Grab the hand rails, hook your ankles over the rail, slide down using your grip on the handrail to control your speed).

[@darrenconway8117]

As Duty Officer of the Day, I once ran an exercise with the Duty Watch to simulate a crew fall down the engine room hatch/ladder. The ladder was vertical and 2 decks high. The exercise included putting the patient into a Neil Robinson stretcher and hoisting him up back through the hatch. Not a trivial thing to do. The next night, a crew member actually fell down the engine room hatch, and a different Duty Watch had to get him out.

[@Yaivenov]

Loved those grab handles. Coming down the island I could basically grab the rail and swing down jumping the entire ladder; from top rung to standing at the bottom in one move. 05 level to main deck in under 60 seconds if I was in a rush. Only time I actually fell was stepping through an escape scuttle. Was bringing my other foot down through it when my heel slipped off the rung. By some miracle I shot through the scuttle without hitting the sides or the ladder itself and landed on my feet in a slight crouch. No way I could ever pull it off again.

[@GasketManzrevenge]

That right there is a 'pucker' moment. I cringe to think if luck/skill/guardian angel wasn't on your side that day.

[@mojrimibnharb4584]

Beautiful memories.

[@dynamicworlds1]

Yeah, when I was younger I loved going down the main part of the stairs in my home by putting one hand on the railing, one on the wall, and just jumping. Eventually, though, I got tall enough to hit my head on the overhang and ended up splayed out over the landing. I was fine, don't get me wrong, but it kinda put a damper on that.

[@tabithamartin4092]

I spent a lot of time going from between the 03 and the 2nd deck. I got pretty good at jumping down the ladders.

[@Yaivenov]

@@tabithamartin4092 Night Orders as messenger of the watch: from the signal shack on 06 level to main engineering on deck 7 and back again with a CIC somewhere in between. My best time was 20 minutes.

[@bigchungus2063]

Ryan you are a Gem and we appreciate everything you and the entire staff and volunteers do to keep USS New Jersey in tip top shape and to educate us on all the aspects of her history ❤️

[@mikeall7012]

Thanks for the background on this... I work in the nuclear industry as an Engineer. There is a healthy percentage of Navy vets that work at the plants (mostly as engineers and operators). Many of them zip down the stairs at a expedited rate, especially the operations folks with a ship or sub background. At the first plant I worked at there were 2 injuries in one year on the stairs, both Navy vets, with one injury being considered serious. I'm an Army vet myself and always poke fun when I see the Navy vets speed down the staircase and remind them that they aren't on a boat anymore or that Masterchief isn't going to reprimand them for lack of hustle. And yes, I am trolling by saying 'boat' just like they troll me about everything Army, lol. As I get older and more senior, it does concern me that some of the guys I see dont even touch a single step on the way down. And the vast majority of the time there is no need to rush around the plant like that, unless you are trying to give the safety department folks a heart attack.

[@tommal-bm5mq]

I think ,as older submariner, it might be colleagues getting older. I could slide down at 19, really should not at age 58 ,but might try again if I visit a USS Alabama /USS Drum again.

[@connorkilgour3374]

After a whole summer volunteering and working on the ship I'm with I found myself tripping on normal stairs a lot the first few days after we were done for the season :D Keep up the great work!

[@arjovenzia]

Good on Ya. Looks like a fun project. Its amazing what your body adapts to and re-learns. I work with A LOT of LED's, a monochromatic light source. spend half an hour in pure green light, when you get out into regular light, everything has got a red hue to it for a while. even in that short amount of time your brain is re-calibrating to try and get colors (which of course is impossible with monochromatic light, its all just shades of one color). "sea legs" is another one, I get mine really fast, dont get seasick. My sister, even after hours on the boat is still staggering around. I'll stagger for a bit when we hit land, but my sis stands Pin Straight immediately. Brains are amazing.

[@johnc2438]

Yup... sailors do fall down ladders. I was on summer break in 1973 and was asked if I'd like to go on a WestPac cruise -- with the promise to get me back in time for fall class registration. I jumped at the chance and flew up to Seattle where I boarded the Gearing Class USS Carpenter (DD-825) and departed -- with three other similar destroyers -- just a few days after spring final exams. As this was my first experience on a Navy ship at sea (I had been a Vietnam sailor and had had different hazards to face), I was eager for some real sea duty. Found out in a couple of days just how tricky those ladders can be, especially in a tin can that rides like a wild roller coaster in a storm. Take one step down when the ship rolls and you can easily miss the next step and land on the deck below. Handrails saved me more than once! Did take a fall stepping through a hatch on my way to officers' country when the ship pitched up and caught my foot late one night. I lay breathless for several moments and finally got up and slowly, but now very carefully, made my way to the bridge where the sea was really rocking and rolling. Ship passageways at night (red lights only) in a rough sea state are loaded with dangerous protrusions that want to snag you, ladders included! Had a great summer on the Carpenter and visited Adak, Alaska; Yokosuka, Kure, and Sasebo, Japan; Taipei and Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Hong Kong, Guam, Midway, and Pearl Harbor. Loved answering the question, "What did you do this summer?" Great video! 😎

[@richs7362]

I personally found out while touring several museum ships that going down steep ladders facing front ways may be faster but when wearing shorts and low socks your constantly rubbing your upper heal on the last step because of the stated limited surface to step on and after a few ladders it becomes pretty raw and sore from all the rubbing! Doesn't help that the ladders are usually covered with a anti slip coating...Ouch!

[@earnestbrown6524]

So the real reason we wear boots and pants in the Navy. 20 years and I never found out. 🤔

[@Acecool]

I used to slide down stairs for fun... You can position your feet at certain distance apart, forward / back and at a certain angle and it feels like a continuous slide with some slight bumps and those bumps slow you down enough that the landing is safe but you can go down quite a lot faster than normal. Discovered it by accident.

[@robertturner5638]

Thank you for explaining shop ladders to your viewers. I served aboard the USS Constellation CV-64, & got to see the New Jersey when she made a port call at NAS Coronado in 1987 or ‘88. Even with her 16” guns at full elevation, they didn’t clear the Connie’s flight deck. An amazing sight to be able to look down those gun barrels!

[@IamGroot786]

I hurt myself quite a few times on ladders, but those knee knockers were no picnic either!

[@Mike_Gray68]

I think knee knockers are more dangerous than the ladders. Miss judge the Hight and you go sprawling across the deck with everyone laughing at you.

[@tommal-bm5mq]

My first sub had oval hatches , I always caught my shoulder /collar bone on one of the dogs lugs on the top of oval . Hurt like hell.

[@ctg6734]

I enjoy these videos that cover the more mundane features of the ship. Really gives insight into what life aboard the battleship was like.

[@rogerwilco2]

I have noticed how the audio is a lot better than it was in your early videos. Not sure what changed but this was really easy and clear.

[@danemb3300]

Ships are built for compactness some ladders are steeper than others, when I went to sea I was younger and fitter than now; as I'm in my 86th year and would find it in uncomfortable if not dangerous just trying to keep my feet. Having youth on your side you can do almost acrobatic movements when jumping down ladders, the steepest ladders I found on ships were the one going down to the engine room I would have great difficulty climbing them now and scary going down them.

[@bsa45acp]

When going up or down a steep ladder, look out for that edge of the deck as you ascend or descend. That is a self correcting error and it helps to be a short guy on a ship. As a docent on a 'museum' ship I loved your explanation of ship's ladders.

[@kerfooey7946]

Yeah I gave myself a goose egg on the Massachusetts because I forgot to duck, now I am extremely careful in every place my head comes remotely near

[@corthew]

I loved the stairwells on my ship. You could slide down the rails quickly, and in high seas a single well-timed step could put you at the top instantly.

[@uaetub]

Being from Northern California, when driving down to the bay area I would see the mothball fleet in Suisun Bay. I would see the Iowa's bow sticking out from the lines of ships stored there. When they finally pulled the Iowa out and towed it to Richmond for repaint, I was on it the first weekend they allowed visitors on board. It was a total mess. We didn't get to walk around much so we went to the Red Oak Victory instead. We had a great time with my kids freely exploring the entire ship. When the iowa was almost done with paint I went down again before they towed it to San Pedro. I just want to say I love your videos and watch every time. Thanks for all the hard work of keeping it fresh and interesting. 👍

[@Eggplant359]

Ryan, seeing a fuel oil line early in the video makes me wonder if you would make an episode that details the conversion of the ship from black oil to more modern distillates in the 1980s.

[@rogeroday9408]

We used JP-5 on my ship and still called it fuel oil. That was in the 70’s.

[@herrcobblermachen]

Hah all this is spot on. When designing bb55 in a 3d walkthrough, trying to get the player up and down very steep steps causes the game engine to think it's an impasse. But it doesn't look right if you make it into an actual ladder function. I found a work around for that (using invisible in-between steps), but trying to get a player through the hatch hole without needing to crouch is yet another problem. It's funny to see the virtual mimic reality so closely.

[@KarolOfGutovo]

If it's a walkthrough, maybe you can just not put collision on the part that players hit their head on?

[@kolt46]

Always fun to watch this channel to remind me of parts of the previous life i had 86-92. I remember falling down a ladder returning onboard after having a few too many in port, feet fist, my butt hitting every rung. Also remember going up & down ladders during heavy seas and the ship rolling, that was fun.

[@jebadias1468]

I slipped plenty of times, especially when in a hurry, but I usually held on to the rails and managed to catch myself. I don't recall ever actually falling all the way down a ladder. What I do remember is hitting my head while climbing several times. When climbing up fast I would grab the side rails and pull myself up while pushing off. This allowed me to clear more steps at a time, but every now and then I would get a bit too high and drive my head right into the upper deck. God that hurt, but it saved so much time when it worked that it was worth it, especially considering how many decks I needed to climb to get from my berthing to GQ station.

[@Squib1911]

I hadn't been onboard a naval vessel in quite some time when we visited the New Jersey. I gave my family some pointers on knee knockers and ladder wells before entering the ship. Being older and definitely out of practice I wasn't sure what to expect. I went up and down the ladders like I was twenty years old again. We had a great time as a family on that visit. Thank you for what you do to preserve a beautiful ship and our American heritage.

[@tonytrotta9322]

General Quarters: "General Quarters, General Quarters! All hands man your battle stations. The flow of traffic is up and forward on the starboard side, down and aft on the port side. Going down forward you grab the rails loosely and lean back with elbows over the rail and can slide assist down for speed. My dad was in WW2 on USS Louisville CA 28 from 1943-46 and said that was how the sailors went down fast. There was a less than minute to get to your station for General Quarters and at times sailors ran to their battle stations with part of their clothes in hand and dressed at their station. Thanks for your video.

[@bkip20002]

During my 20 years, serving on five different ships, I can't say I ever saw a sailor go down a ladder backwards; only the occasional civilian guests. I'm sure there have been rare mishaps of falling down a ladder, but I never heard about one. This includes hundreds of civilians taking open house tours, fire and security drills, and General Quarters.

[@smhedge]

You should have seen people going down ladders backwards everyday...... just before knock-off. During sweepers, every ladder on the ship should have had someone going down backwards, with foxtail in hand. I'v been out for 25 years and can still hear the call over the 1MC. "Sweepers, sweepers, man your brooms. Give the ship a good sweepdown, both fore and aft. Sweep down all lower decks, ladderbacks and passageways. Now sweepers."

[@markbrown8097]

Only time I would go down backwards, is if I was lugging a heavy piece of test equipment, with it bouncing off of each of the treads. Good thing most equipment was "ruggedized'

[@Mike_Gray68]

I will say that I took the ladder backwards only once, and that was coming back from liberty and I was so drunk I almost fell of both sides of an 80' wide pier. Oh those were the days.

[@ohhs7830]

As you know, Sailors grab the rails and mostly slide forward down the rails barely touching the steps.

[@FaustoTheBoozehound]

Great info here, as always. Ryan is a gem. That said, our curator also displayed some inattention to ladder safety, specifically being on a ladder with legs crossed and hands in pockets. Losing your balance in that position with no way to catch yourself almost certainly results in a serious injury. Please don't underestimate falling from heights even if they're ""not that high".

[@railroad9000]

On the wooden minesweeper I was station on, I always used the grab rail and just swung down. It was far quicker. Of course I was MUCH, MUCH younger then!

[@Vnx]

I took a tour of the battleship Wisconsin a few years ago. The tour guide, an old sailor himself, advised us that going down the ladder backwards was safer... and then promptly said real men go down the ladders forwards. I took the ladders forwards, but the lip of the opening gets close to your face quickly in the descent.

[@ivanj05]

That's a heck of an entrance Ryan.

[@wacojones8062]

At 70 years of age, I take my time on stairs I usually back down if I have stuff to carry. Left hand on Railing. I have had several ladders fail after being properly setup and an improvised one on a tree failed dropping me 20 feet to the ground for a solid back fall onto a rock. Been up some right proper scary ones on power transmission towers just bolts into angle iron legs.

[@vburke1]

I took a header down a ridiculously steep stairway in an office I used to work in that had a right angle turn to the last 4-5 steps from the bottom. I managed to catch myself by the rail but caused myself a lovely rotator cuff injury in the process. I've been VERY careful of steep ways ever since.

[@scottkelley1558]

I used to test aircraft reactors and traversed most of the ladders on CVN68 Class ships. The scariest ladders are the pure vertical ladders in escape trunks and those for the shaft alleys. shaft alleys were especially scary as you have to lean back over the shear drop (equivalent to 4 decks) so you can get your foot oto the top run through the armored deck. I was not married at the time so never wore a wedding ring. One young sailor fell on a short vertical ladder near an SSTG and he caught the ring on the ladder. He suffered a horrific injury. The doctors saved his finger but it shook me to my core. I never wear a ring during any thing outside of office activities.

[@eastcoastwatch672]

Ryan your spot on coverage of ladders brought back many memories of my shipboard life onboard the USS Franklin D Roosevelt CVA 42 aircraft carrier! We were actually banned from sliding down the ladders as you skillfully demonstrated in the opening scene of video. It was odd though, there was no prohibition of using the grab bars. I used to just jump down the hatches aiming for the third step from the bottom (putting my body at correct angle) and grab the bar on the way down past it and swing out onto the deck without touching the ladder once. Risky business though, not done by many, kinda daredevilish, but very speedy !

[@EasyKill7]

We were working on the USNS Pathfinder to rebuild the Propulsion, and when the ship came into the yard, the gang planks the yard used, were so steep it was like climbing a mountain to get on board. The Crew luggage was sliding down and the crew was holding on for dear life. I had a 150 lbs of tools when I barely got to the main deck. My brother took a dive down a ladder on another ship a couple weeks back... now he has worked on ships for forty years, so, it can happen when you least expect it.

[@charlesgantz5865]

Going up and down the ladders was always fun in heavy seas. If you were going up the ladder when the ship pitched up, it felt like you weighed a thousand pounds. If you were going up the ladder when the ship pitched down, it felt like you were weightless. Which way you faced going up or down is largely a matter of common sense. On a vertical ladder you obvious had to face the ladder. On less steep ladders where you could go down facing away from the ladder, usually you would go down like with normal stairs. If you were carrying something, you could either very carefully go down facing away from the ladder, or face the ladder so you could rest your package on the steps. And if you had two people carrying something, the one on the bottom would face the ladder, the one on top would face away from the ladder. Also, some good advice onboard ship is to remove any rings you may normally wear, including wedding rings. A very common injury was to catch the ring on the hatch rim. That could cause a very nasty injury.

[@cocodojo]

Its way more fun at the very front or back of the boat during heavy seas!

[@jayschafer1760]

Ouch. "Degloving" injuries are not ones that I care to imagine!

[@markbrown8097]

I'm sure more than one sailor has lost a finger due to wearing a ring or rings whilst traversing a ladder. I know of at least one who will never be able to wear his wedding band again after a mishap.

[@hanktorrance6855]

This is one of the more fascinating episodes, it may be "the weeds" but it's about life on the ship and things most of us take for granted!

[@georgebowling560]

I spent nearly 4 years on the USS Saipan LHA-2, and I have no memories of going down any ladder backwards. I do remember once coming up a very steep ladder with a small hatch with a catch bar at GQ speed and ramming the catch bar with the top of my head. Good thing I have a hard head, but even so I still had a roughly eighth inch dent in my skull for the next month or so.

[@dbfbobt]

Late 1960's, Madison class FBM. Slipped on ladder to lower level ops, watch band caught and broke. One of several reasons nobody wore rings aboard and why expansion type watch bands were popular.

[@lseul8812]

I don’t know if it was your idea or not to start the channel but it’s fantastic. You deliver the material in an enthusiastic manner and with supreme knowledge regarding the subject matter at hand. Just a super job all around! Keep it up

[@ncmarmstrong442]

Great discussion about ship's ladders! RCN reserve officer here and I used to volunteer aboard HMCS HAIDA, a WWII Tribal class destroyer built in Newcastle, UK, during the summers when she was still in Toronto. Like the host, I had taken to sliding down most of the ladders in the ship after a few weeks and this was now my fourth year volunteering in her. One day I was going down a ladder in the after deckhouse that led the engineering officers' cabins flat, facing outwards as I always tend to do - when my foot slipped. This was one of the longest ladders in the ship with a drop of about fifteen feet and nothing at the bottom to break my fall, and the image of broken limbs and other serious injuries flashed before my eyes. Luckily for me, this ladder had a two part hatch at the top, where the main hatch had a smaller raised circular hatch imbedded in it. The main hatch was closed and I was going through the smaller higher opening, though this made it more awkward to reach the first step and may have accounted for my slip in the first place. At the last moment as I fell through the hatch I whipped my arms out to both sides and - very painfully - caught myself on my biceps on the hatch rim as my legs swung freely below me. Despite the severe pain, my mind was more occupied by the dangerous accident I had just avoided. My arms from my elbows to my shoulders were almost entirely covered with black bruises for weeks after my close call!

[@MCMilitaryForce]

I've visited the USS New Jersey last year, I didn't know there was so much information just on the ladders

[@edwardweeden2834]

Ryan, You're doing a BZ job! Well Done. I am a birdfarmer (Forrestal Class only) and we had escalators from main deck to the O-3 level - for aircrew only . . . BUT . . . in my entire career at sea, I NEVER saw them working! Poor flyboys. The rest of us used to 'hoist up, chain down' using the regular ladder types: use the chain to help run/leap, pulling you up the ladder, use the chain to slide/leap down the ladder. You only slipped once - then asked a senior PO how to do it right! If you are familiar with the territory of the area and know WHERE on the chain to grab, no problem. If you are in an unfamiliar ladder/territory, use your feet and gravity will do the rest. In train-ups or on a cruise, we often had GQ or Man Overboard drills every 2-3 days, plenty of practice getting used to the exact route to your battle station or muster station. We had 6 minutes to get to our station(s) before Condition Z was set . . . and God help you if you didn't make it!!!

[@adamdubin1276]

Once slipped off a ladder while climbing down to a floating dock... the dock was floating out just a little further than I realized so my foot missed and I went down into the water, luckily it was low tide and shallow enough that I did not hit my head on the dock, unluckily I landed ass first on a bunch of barnacles...

[@arc00ta]

I've seen a dude try to show off and slide down the ladder and get both legs stuck through. Snapped in the middle of the shins. Not that it stopped me or anyone else from doing it though, so theres that.

[@LordSlayer001]

In a Middle School Washington DC trip....back in ......1992, We went on a very quick tour of the USS Barry. It was quick because a ceremony was scheduled later that day and they had to get the ship ready. It was quite literally a '5 minute tour'. As such, we went through the passageways very quickly, and when going down a flight of stairs, my forehead discovered the edge of a hatch. The rest of the ship tour was a blur as my head throbbed. My head was getting back to normal when a day or two later, it found a low ceiling going down the backstairs at Mount Vernon.

[@BruceMusto]

Thank you. You came down that ladder at the beginning the way any sailor would.

[@jacksonbrown6199]

In my time on ship, especially while carrying heavy/bulky items, we always went down using the front-facing, lean back method. To the point where we're almost fully leaning back onto one of the railings. Front-facing is just the way to go for sailors. Way more efficient.

[@fabu4792]

I slip down ladder wells fairly often last time I did it was on a ladder well that at the bottom of the stairs was 2 walls and a door to the left, when I fell down the door it was being opened by a guy in my division. The ladderwell is so steep there that as I landed (on my feet thankfully) it appeared to him that I simply fell out of the overhead. Scared the crap out of both of us lol

[@mrdecider]

When serving on the New Jersey 1970 as an FTG3, I recall going from 011 deck (Radar at top) down to deck 6, paint locker. With a chit to get a paintbrush and a cardboad box the Chief wanted. Then to the bow to the paint locker. Then back to 011, THEN it was time for lunch. :-)

[@ZetaReticulian]

@10:18😣 ouchy…… I felt that!

[@joshuaherget7704]

I'm active duty navy with 7 1/2 years on ships and not gonna lie, the look of awe from people when I visit a museum ship and fly down ladderwells absolutely cracks me up!

[@lpd1snipe]

8 years former Navy Engineer BT and 18 years Merchant Marine assistant engineer here. I learned the safest way is to slide down forward as you can see what you're going to run into when you're going to GQ or firefighting. You develop a lot of upper-body strength and you learn to swing forward when you're going down so you don't catch the rungs.

[@SlipFitGarage]

When I toured battleship Iowa I went down most ladders facing forward. However, I was wearing shorts that day and the back of my calves got turned into ground beef because they would rub on the griptape (like sandpaper) that was on the ladder treads. Towards the end of the day I found myself going down the last few ladders backwards to save my calves. One of a tour guides saw me going down backwards and gave me a little grief about it. I told him my calves couldn't take anymore grinding and he just laughed and smiled.

[@sambrown8224]

i love how you talk about the little things on shipboard life. Going down to the engineroom , we had a double ladder with a small landing in between because it was over 30'. During a drill my heel got caught and i fell forward. I grabbed the grabhandle and my feet swung out like swinging on a monkeybar. I would have been seriously hurt if it weren't for that handle. The railings were all chromed so we would all slide down on the handles and our feet didn't touch the stairs at all.

[@remaguire]

I've mentioned this in other comments on this channel. I was on USS David R Ray in the early 80s and we were steaming through a typhoon in the South China Sea from Hong Kong to the Gulf of Thailand. One night I needed to go from the 2nd Deck to the Main Deck. At the bottom of the ladder, I went to take my first step up, when I suddenly found myself at the top of the ladder! The ship had dropped into a trough and pretty much "elevatored" me to the Main Deck!

[@relerfordable]

interesting! My Dad was a Master Chief in engineering during WW2 and Korean War. He passed last year on the 23rd of December. He use to talk about stuff like that. He always said those below deck didn't get enough movie credit as the pilots or gunners were always the talk of Hollywood. He would have loved this KZbin channel.

[@BillWilsonBG]

Fell down the ladder that goes to the bathrooms on the Salem, that was a fun way down. Surprised I only took a bit a skin off a finger and didn't put a big dent in my head.

[@angelsy1975]

Supposedly the stairs in my house came off a boat - they're steep enough, and as a Navy vet, I can believe it. Normally, I always go down forwards, but two months ago I was carrying stuff and going down backwards and missed a step - and BOOM! Woke up in quite the untidy heap at the bottom. I'm old and fat and out of shape so I didn't exactly jump up to check myself over, but luckily nothing was broken - like my neck or back, otherwise... well, I like to think somebody would have found my dead carcass by now. I did have to laugh - I didn't wake up dead, ya know? First time I ever did that, and it was in *my own damn home*. 😀

[@AubSec]

Ladders are much the same way in the navy today. About 6-8 years ago I forget exactly when the Navy started requiring those of us in Engineering to wear Fire Resistant Coveralls, which were just full cotton coveralls treated with some sort of chemical. The treatment made for very weak material, so you could start to see everyone getting holes in the back of the leg (Like a 2:31 ) on their coveralls from walking down the super steep ladderwells into the Engine Room.

[@tehRedRunner]

I've been on my ship for a couple years now, and I did not know about flipping the ladders or flipping down those little side rails for cargo. I've never seen a single sailor do this on my ship, though I admittedly don't work below the second deck much. Maybe they do it more when moving stuff down into deeper spaces.

[@edwardrhoades6957]

Didn't flip the ladders on LHA-4, but we did use the fold-down side rails for sending food to the reefers and dry storage.

[@Mystic-Midnight]

Back in highschool JROTC we always stayed on the Lexington for a few nights a year and by junior year I was finally comfortable with using the grab bar as a swing between decks

[@heathershimamoto121]

I attended a 40s New Year's Eve party on Hornet about 9 years ago, and we got to take a little ghost tour. There were about 20 of us in the tour group. I can clearly remember every single person pausing before a ladder, taking several seconds to think about the safest way down, before slowly and carefully going down backwards. I dont blame them, seeing as i did the same thing! It was made even more nerve-racking by the fact that some of us ladies were wearing heels...no falls, but it was on everyone's minds. Lots of fun though!

[@joseywales6146]

I served on USS Inchon (LPH-12) and descending face first was the norm as we were up and down ladders so much; we were in our teens or early twenties and bulletproof anyway. Our working spaces were far forward with our berthing a deck above. In a rolling sea you could easily jump the full height of the ladder between if you timed it right.

[@HomerJ1964]

The Forrestal class carriers had an escalator. It ran from the mess deck to the 03 level. When they designed the ships the put the squadron ready rooms down on the 2nd deck to protect them from possible kamikaze attack. To keep the flight crews from tiring themselves out climbing up to the flight deck, they put in the escalator. By the time I served on Saratoga, Officers were the only people allowed to use it. Enlisted sailors still did occasionally though. I knew one sailor who was transporting cruise boxes down the escalator once. When he reached the bottom, his foot wound up between the cruise box and the bulkhead. It crushed his foot.

[@kotori87gaming89]

Ladderwell safety is a big issue on ships. It's very common for sailors to "ride the rails" and just slide down the stairs, or to jump several steps at a time. I used to do this too, once upon a time. All it takes, though, is a few drips of oil in the wrong spot and you're going to have a very rough landing. I've seen a number of sailors get very serious injuries from sliding down the rails, in some cases permanent disabilities. Fortunately no fatalities, although it can happen. Nowadays (when we're not in emergencies) I remind sailors to take "every step, every time". It only slows you down a bit, and could save your life.

[@Aethelgeat]

I occurred to me that with a vertical or steep ladder, a smaller hatchway in needed to be cut into the deck. Smaller and lighter hatches to move. More deck space above. The theatre plant at my college had steep ladders to access the dimmer packs and the control booth. The common way to come down them at speed was to slide both hands down the rails until you were head down about 45 degrees, then swing your body down to the floor. That is, if you were tall enough. The shorter folks landed about two or three steps up or started two or three steps down.

[@HybridPhoenix08]

Going head first down a ladder? Noooooo thank you.

[@FaustoTheBoozehound]

Smaller deck penetrations give better strength too

[@Mike_Gray68]

When I was in the Navy way back in my younger days, I would slide down almost every ladder. The only ones I would not slide down were the ones into them main engineering spaces Those ladders were at least 2 decks down in one long run. Those scared me, but you always knew when someone did come down fast because it was a hell of a racket when they hit the bottom which was the metal grating you find down there.

[@sword_of_light]

Wow. Those ladders *are* steep. I mean, the ladders on my ship were steeper than, you know, the stairs in my house. But it wasn't ever a problem going up or down - the only thing I had to worry about was smacking my knee on the lip of the hatch - which was a frequent event, even when I got my sea legs.

[@wittwittwer1043]

Interesting talk on ladders. While I was a Marine infantryman, I spent a lot of time on ships: LPDs, AKAs, LPHs, LSTs, & APAs. The longest stay was on the USS Vermillion AKA 107--32 days, during the Santo Domingo ruckus in 1965. Regarding falling down a ladder: When were pulling liberty in El Ferrol Spain after Operation Steel Pike in 1965 (USS York County, LST 1175), some of my buddies got so drunk they could barely walk, and fell down a ladder near our compartment. They came tumbling down with a loud racket. I saw it happen, and it looked to me as if there should have been serious consequences--broken bones. However, they just lay on the deck at the foot of the ladder, laughing. I'll bet they were severely bruised the next day, though. On many of the ships I served on, there wasn't much clearance for your head going down a ladderway, so you didn't "bounce" on the balls of your feet going down. Many of the overheads in those locations had a padded cushion so you wouldn't split your skull.

[@wouterke9871]

Very interesting, nice overview of small human factors and the limited space on board.

[@richardgreen1383]

The longest ladder I know of on a ship exist on the Essex class carriers, one I have used is on the USS Yorktown (CVS-10 a museum at Patriots Point) and the other was on the USS Randolph (CVS-15, scrapped). The ladder goes from the hanger deck (main deck) up to the 02 level where the JO bunkrooms were forward of hanger bay on the 02 level (flight deck is the 03 level). The joy of the JO bunkrooms on the Essex class were that they were right under the cats. The Yorktown was not too bad as they were steam (but by then I was down in officer country right forward of the hanger bay on the main deck. When on the Randolph they were hydraulics and very noisy.

[@15Med3]

i remember going up/down the ladders on USS Massachusetts when i did a tour last year....i went forwards and backwards and both were casual speed...couldn't imagine doing it under attack, with the ship moving in the ocean with alarms sounding and ppl hurrying to their action stations also i never payed attention to Up on one side Down on the other so thats cool to know

[@dannyseo6759]

0:04 Don't try this at home kids! Ryan is a professional!!

[@andyproctor696]

I was on stationed on 2 carrier's in the early 80s. All these years later, I still do a little back-kick going off the top stair of a staircase. You can always tell a ship's sailor by the scuff on the back calfs of their dungarees!

[@davidcruz8667]

Ladderways, passageways, knee-knockers and a multitude of hatches that you have to open then secure behind you with heavy levers are part and parcel of shipboard life. After a career in the Marine Corps deploying aboard carriers and gators, navigating a ship's interior becomes second nature and it's probably one of the main contributors to staying in shape while afloat. You get used to going up and down ladders in several ways automatically, whether I'm sliding down the rails, skipping down rungs, reversing when carrying heavy objects such as seabags, tool boxes, or aircraft landing gear wheel assemblies, and instinctively leaning and pitching in accordance to the roll of the ship as it moves through the seas without you having any visual reference to the ship's attitude as it moves across the swells. I've loaded supplies by using the sliding panels that can be swung onto the rungs, used gravity to send shipping cases down to a lower deck, reached the flight deck to load onto helos by Daisy-chaining ourselves with our gear straps, and many other things. Also, as a sailboat sailor, ladderwells are necessity, and I can get around in a blow without even thinking about it. Good memories. Oh, and another trick I use is to descend a couple of rungs facing forward and grabbing either the deck ladder opening edge or sometimes the provided overhead bar and swinging down to the deck below for the rest of the way without having to use my feet to climb down to the bottom. Very quick and efficient. As for your question, yes, of course I've fallen down a few ladderways, as well as banged my knees and hit my head and shoulders or something while negotiating passageways and ship's spaces. A lot of things are welded and bolted to the bulkheads and such and they're made out of steel, so you just have to learn to stay clear of these obstructions. And don't even get me started on coming back aboard after a heavy night of drinking in Haifa or Hong Kong or Subic Bay or Dubai or Bali wearing slick cowboy boots and out of money, having to report to the Ready Room before wending my way to the squadbay and hitting the rack. (Let me know if you've ever disembarked off the ship down rope nets into a Mike boat into 25-foot seas wearing civvies. I did this in Bali when I got my shell back. Fun times!) 😁🇺🇲👍😎 Semper Fi.

[@nsconductor2007]

Ryan did the slide to kick this video off. Excellent!!

[@Blackjack701AD]

I’m sure there’s an outtake video somewhere of Ryan trying to get that entrance right.

[@BattleshipNewJersey]

Fortunately, that one only took one try. Getting his name right might have taken twice though.

[@richcruse2689]

Slid down many ladders, including the ones you showed, and many more on her. I don’t ever remember falling off a ladder, but have missed a rung or two. Almost got degloved by my wedding ring on second ship, not BigJ. I have NEVER seen a ladder turned over for handling stores, especially on Big J. The slides on the ladders used mostly for stores, although I can remember a drunken sailor being “escorted” down two of those into our engineering berthing compartment. As I recall the backing was for dirt and dust, not as stores slides. Also, I can remember the ladders that were removed often had pins, not bolts in them, to make it easier to remove.

[@ToastedWaffles_]

I'm currently in the Navy and I have a had a few close calls with the ladder-wells on the ship, I've also had a few impacts involving them. Most of the time it involves the lip on the deck for the hatch and accidentally giving it a kick on my way down the ladder. So my advice to anyone going to a Navy ship for the first time or a museum ship is watch your step on the way down or you might find yourself going head first into the deck or bulkhead.

[@red7880]

I used to slide down ladders if they weren't too steep but during my first trip on a certain ship i didn't realise there was a pipe there so i banged my head on it, fell down with my back landing on one of the steps and also managed to sprain my ankle. It did teach me a valuable lesson to be careful around these things. Also when walking down, I always go forwards at a 45 degree angle so more of my foot can stand on the steps but i can still go faster than backwards, unless im carrying something heavy then it's backwards.

[@jh02720]

In the mid 80’s I was on a fast frigate. The ship would pitch quite a bit in heavy seas. It was felt more in the forward part of the ship. So you felt weightless when the ship deck dropped from underneath you and then really heavy as it rose again. The ladders (stairs) were very steep to save space. There was this one ladder in a forward passageway that passed up through an extra large hatch (this is the only way this would work). So we would stand at the bottom of the ladder and just before the ship dropped, using the rails to pull ourselves up as we jumped, we would leap up the ladder well to the next deck. Fun times. 😀

[@kevincrosby1760]

Up facing the ladder, down facing away, just like stairs. "Rail slide" or "Rail grab and swing legs" down if in a hurry. Like anything else, you eventually get used to it and don't even think about it. Ladders, knee-knockers, crowded passageways, hatches...all can be quickly and efficiently navigated with a full coffee cup regardless of sea state.

[@ytlas3]

When you work on ships, you rarely go down any ladder with both hands free. Always go down forward. You'd be surprised how many dimwits try to go up ladders without looking first. Worst ladders I ever saw were the ladders to the fireroom on Adams Class DDGs. They went down vertical about 5 rungs, then angled back about 30 degrees. Went down into the hole with my back to the ladder because it was the only way to carry anything.

[@ytlas3]

In 20 years, I remember falling down a ladder twice, both times landing on my feet, in a big heap. You have to remember, working on a large ship like a carrier, it's 6 decks down and at least 12 decks up. As a working Leader in the later years, I had to check on the other workers in the morning and afternoon, along with my own job, so I'd be going up and down over 100 ladders a day.

[@JamezGrimm]

I always just thought they were so steep because of the ship were to capsize, they were still able to be used. Great information!

[@allys537]

I worked ob the C-5 Galaxy while in the Air Force, our flight station and aft troop ladders were about exactly like this, we would go FWD, AFT and sometimes at a 45* angle also depending weather or not we had a tool box or a part. Same with a B-2 or B-1 maintenance stand.

[@angrytigermpc]

Had a shipmate take a fall right outside CSMC. She fractured her arm - forget which bone(s)/how badly - but left the ship and never returned. Fortunately we were in port. It really is crazy how used to the motions you get and how efficient you become, even when you're at mod Z (hatch down, scuttle up, like at 5:38 in the video) and for the ladderwells you most often use (on your way to and from your workspaces, berthing, etc.) you know how each one is, where its handholds will be if any, and so on. So you're just throwing yourself through those holes at full speed, 99% sure that if you reach out your hand just so you'll catch the grab bar you know is in such and such location. In retrospect, I probably could have dialed it back a bit, because god knows how bad things could go when I'm going down a ladder through a scuttle and the bar was damaged or something without it being reported.

[@cliffcannon]

My father fell down a ladder on New Jersey in 1951, carrying a box of the Admiral's dining china ... never thought to ask him whether it was a starboard or a port ladder, or whether he was facing toward or away from the ladder when he fell. Or what happened to the Admiral's china ...

[@DDGVET4]

We always slid down the ladders (with pipe handrails) in the forward position especially when General Quarters was sounded. You controlled your rate of decent by using your hands / grips as a brake. You could slide down 90 degree ladders backwards. That was done mainly on submarines.

[@melainewhite6409]

Surprisingly interesting. Spiral staircase second staircase in a former home. Only after my fall did I recognize and appreciate that the step width on the inside is very shallow (and metal stairs can be very slippery). Took my time thereafter and focused on staying toward the outside of the steps.

[@duenge]

Per my late uncle.....Many a sailor spent time in sick bay due to ladder injuries incurred after returning from a long night of drinking during shore leave.....

[@eliasthienpont6330]

I always went down the ladders facing forward.... and going down I just put my hands on the rails, lifted my feet and slid down. Now I fell down a stairway here at the Abbey, and ever since then the Prior required that I use a walker.

[@TheJudge2017]

Love Ryan's Questions. Before he even asked I knew the question would have been "Have you ever fallen down stairs before"

[@dragon1a]

I used to assist with hard hat tours on BB35. While going down the ladder way to "Plot", the sole came off my left shoe, sending that foot thumping down the leading edge of each step and pushing my right ankle between two rungs about 4 feet above the deck. The fall played Slinky with my right MCL, tearing it 3/4 of the way across. (I was off work from the Saturday before Thanksgiving until sometime in January. I'm sure my real world boss thought I was faking it!) Moral of the story: ALWAYS wear good foot wear while working on or touring ships!

[@CheezyDee]

The Mauna Kea had an additional hazard if you work in the Pit and come down the ladders on the port side; there's a shutoff valve for aux exhaust to the SW feed heaters on the evaps and it's like a 6" rising stem gate valve upside down. When we were cold iron or steaming in port and the evaps are shut down the valve is closed and the stem is out of the way, but when we were underway and making fresh/feed water that valve is open and protrudes down quite a bit. My Chief who was just a MM1 at the time when he reported aboard when we were in port and he got used to sliding down the ladders since most of them were the same angle. Well next time we get underway and 12 miles out, fire up the evaps, and he comes down for watch he runs right into it. I think he had that acme thread mark on his forehead for a week.

[@ahoward2kable]

I used to slide down the ladder handrails on my elbows and arms. The grab handles were very useful for holding on in heavy weather I ate it several times.