Update on BB-35...

[UTAH]

Man, two more places I've got to drag my old butt to.

Hunter

[Dave Grubb]

A look inside the Texas. This includes the biggest trust bearing I have ever seen

[Truckman]

Thanks, Dave, I had not seen that one...I might add that not all the elderly surviving Japanese aviators from the onslaught at Iwo Jima almost 80 years ago are entirely convinced of the Texas' peaceful intentions...One decided to take a closer look in his own personal Zero while making sure those AA guns remain de-milled and non-functional......Ben

[UTAH]

Dreadnought - love that label.

Some of the definitions said a Dreadnought was also clothing. Sure nuff, ran Dreadnought on Amazon - and everything from hoodies to car towels popped up. Thet tells me the label has been bastardized to the point it's become a catch-all commercial commodity.

Yet, looking at the Texas shows what Dreadnought originally meant.

Hunter

[Dave Grubb]

dreadnought
/ˈdrɛdˌnɔt/
IPA guide
Other forms: dreadnoughts

A dreadnought is a battleship equipped with large guns of the same caliber. A dreadnought comes in handy in a sea war.

There are a lot of types of boats, such as sailboats and yachts, but this is a boat with an unfriendly mission: war. Sometimes spelled dreadnaught, this battleship was bigger and speedier than previous battleships. It also packed impressive firepower in the form of high-caliber guns. It was named after the HMS Dreadnought, which set sail in 1906. However, the word goes back to the late 17th century when it meant a fearless person (who dreaded naught — nothing).

Definitions of dreadnought
noun battleship that has big guns all of the same caliber
synonyms :dreadnaught

[Truckman]

That's interesting---the NJ was redone in the Philadelphia Navy Yard----and then towed across the Delaware River to it's permanent dock in Camden.

Dave, since you're a fan of BB-62 USS New Jersey, you probably already know about this channel......Ben

[Dave Grubb]

Thanks---I have not seen that. I have been a rogue fan of the NJ project. During the entire time the overhaul was in the works I would commonly get a birds-eye view of the progress since the Navy Yard lies just to the NE of the end of the runways at PHL. Often the approach to them came from the NE and the plane would be only a few hundred feet over the Naval Ship Yard as it was on final approach. That view of the Naval Yard was always of great interest to me because of the variety of ships there in dry docks plus ones tied up waiting for a dry dock. The size of the NJ was made evident when seeing it in close proximity to other naval ships there which ran the range from carriers to submarines.

[Independent Voter]

here ya go Ben

[Truckman]

Thanks, Dick...That is from some time back judging by the vehicles in the parking lot...It still had its torpedo blisters, and some good paint on it......Ben

[Dave Grubb]

....and the NJ is going "home" again.

[Truckman]

....and the NJ is going "home" again.

The cost for all of it is about $10 million and he says they could use donations to help cover the costs.

Money spent carefully to preserve history is always a good investment for future generations...Efforts to alter history by removing statues erected to those whose achievements fail to meet the standards of the majority of those in power are always an abomination...I shudder to imagine what will become of monuments such as the Alamo and the San Jacinto obelisk once the invaders from our southern border become the governing powers...Events occur, and obscuring their memory does not alter the past, but can move the line that separates good from evil...

History happened, let it stand on its own......Ben

[Dave Grubb]

You will not garner an argument on that from me

[UTAH]

I like it when Americans salvage and rehab ships like the Texas and NJ. We honor our military members and vets when we do so.

When I was a kid in the family car, we'd drive past Fairfield CA, near where the Mothball Fleet is located:

Suisun Bay Ghost/Reserve Fleet: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suisun_Bay_Reserve_Fleet

Seeing the Fleet was sobering. It just seemed such a waste. Yet, at least the ships are still with us - and some may be rehabbed in the future. If not - where's the harm?

Hunter

[Dave Grubb]

They used 5200 gallons of paint in the rehab of the USS New Jersey

[Truckman]

They used 5200 gallons of paint in the rehab of the USS New Jersey

The weight of which would have affected the sea performance, fuel consumption and also the weight of what the ship could carry in stores, munitions and personnel if it was still a currently serving warship...In a blue water vessel that weight was a necessary addition to slow corrosion...In aircraft the story is different...The great majority of B-29's going into service during the waning days of WWII had polished aluminum skins with no paint whatsoever...The weight savings of several hundred pounds increased the amount of fuel and ammunition each one could carry...Earlier bombers, such as B-17's and B-24's benefitted from paint by smoothing some of the exposed rivets which improved their aerodynamics to a certain degree...The B-29 used mostly flush rivets allowing the polished metal to improve the flow of air, thereby increasing fuel efficiency......Ben