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Ship Photo of the Day

Griz882

Frightening children with the Griz-O-Copter!
pilot
Contributor
Weird, were't they standard, replacing Kingfishers mid 44-1946?
I know about 500 plus we’re built and they were deployed at sea as can be seen, but by 49 and the very early 50’s they stop appearing on big gun ships. Helicopters ya know.

25822
 

Pags

N/A
pilot
Looking back at Burke's career, it was certainly interesting. In August 1955, Burke succeeded Admiral Robert B. Carney as Chief of Naval Operations. At the time of his appointment as Chief of Naval Operations, Burke was still a rear admiral, upper half (two star) and was promoted over the heads of many Flag Officers who were senior to him. Burke had never served as a vice admiral (three star), so he was promoted two grades at the time of his appointment.[2] Has anyone else been promoted directly from 2 stars to CNO?

Here is the wikipedia writeup if anyone wants to take a quick look. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arleigh_Burke

As for a few more ship photos, staying with cruisers: the last heavy gun cruiser USS Newport News, CA-148.

View attachment 25814
USS Newport News (CA 148) and USS Midway (CVB 41) during transfer at sea operations, 20 April 1950. Note 3"/50 and 8"/55 guns and wood deck planking on Newport News; 40mm and 5"/54 guns on Midway; radars on both ships. Interesting that the crew on the Newport News are in blues and not dungarees

View attachment 25815
Starboard bow view while "Med Moored" in Genoa, Italy on 26 October 1958.

View attachment 25816
Port side forward view while "Med Moored" in Genoa, Italy on 26 October 1958. Good view of the twin 3" anti-aircraft guns that replaced the quad Bofors 40mm

View attachment 25817
On the Gun line standing by to support the troops, circa December 1968 - June 1969, Vietnam coast; (foreground) USS Newport News (CA 148) & (background) USS New Jersey (BB 62).
I recall taking a tour of the Philly Shipyard when I was a kid and they had Newport News and her sisters in mothballs there along with CV-38. I remember the your guide pointing out that Newport News at the time only had two guns in her #2 turret due to a turret explosion.
 

Randy Daytona

Cold War Relic
pilot
Super Moderator
I recall taking a tour of the Philly Shipyard when I was a kid and they had Newport News and her sisters in mothballs there along with CV-38. I remember the your guide pointing out that Newport News at the time only had two guns in her #2 turret due to a turret explosion.

Here is a superb 17 page article about the Battle of Haiphong Harbor with the Newport News carrying the flag of Seventh Fleet. The cruiser made a call asking for air support, specifically illumination with a couple of A-7 Corsair II's dropping flares and Rockeyes - The Corsairs were from Attack Squadron 93 (VA-93). Lt. (j.g.) WilliamW. Pickavance was the flight leader, and Lt. (j.g.) Pat Moneymaker was the wingman. (Both pilots retired from the Navy with flag rank.)

The intensity of the action can be seen in the amount of ammunition expended: The Newport News alone had expended 433 8-inch rounds, 556 5-inchrounds, and 33 3-inch rounds during the thirty-three-minute operation.

http://uss-newport-news.com/hist/operation_lions_den.pdf

As for the turret explosion which happened a couple of months later, here are some photos from just after an 8" round detonated in the center barrel on 1 Oct 1972 that killed 20 :

25837
An exterior view of the gun in which the explosion occurred. The barrel has been blown completely clear of the turret and is connected only by the gun liner.

25838
 

Griz882

Frightening children with the Griz-O-Copter!
pilot
Contributor
Not all US Navy vessels were oceanic or even built in the US. I present to you, the China Gunboat.

25910
Built in China at the Kiangnan Dock and Engineering Works, Shanghai specifically for the US Navy, they were intended to replace six gunboats captured after the Spanish American War. Those of a certain age (or COVID lock-ins searching for movies) probably remember the movie “The Sand Pebbles,” a must see for all Naval types.

They were the:
USS Mindanao
USS Luzon
USS Oahu
USS Panay
USS Tutula
USS Guam

Most of you likely know the story of the USS Panay...attacked by 12 Japanese aircraft in December 1937, and sunk at Nanking, China while the was evacuating Americans from the embattled city.

25911


All of the ships served as part of COMYANGPAT (Yangtze Patrol) and that command was disbanded on December 5th, 1941. The USS Guam, renamed the USS Wake earlier in the year was the last ship left in China and on December 8, 1941, was captured by the Japanese when marines of the Special Naval Landing Force stormed the ship before news of Pearl Harbor reached the crew. Trapped in a no-win situation at the start of WWII, her captain did what he could to ensure the safety of his sailors who were marched off into five years of Japanese imprisonment - the first American POWs of the Pacific war.

25912
 

Randy Daytona

Cold War Relic
pilot
Super Moderator
Happened to see a couple of articles on the HMS Queen Elizabeth and her strike group today.



And analysis from George Friedman on the Royal Navy, in particular aircraft carriers


27540



27544
For comparison, an older photo with the USS George H.W. Bush

27545
Another photo of HMS Queen Elizabeth and her sister ship HMS Prince of Wales.
 

ABMD

Bullets don't fly without Supply
Not all US Navy vessels were oceanic or even built in the US. I present to you, the China Gunboat.

View attachment 25910
Built in China at the Kiangnan Dock and Engineering Works, Shanghai specifically for the US Navy, they were intended to replace six gunboats captured after the Spanish American War. Those of a certain age (or COVID lock-ins searching for movies) probably remember the movie “The Sand Pebbles,” a must see for all Naval types.

They were the:
USS Mindanao
USS Luzon
USS Oahu
USS Panay
USS Tutula
USS Guam

I just watched this movie with my 90+ yr old grandmother, she loves TCM, never heard of it before watching it.
 

Griz882

Frightening children with the Griz-O-Copter!
pilot
Contributor
It's a great movie. I love the scene where they are chopping away at the river barrier.
 

Max the Mad Russian

Hands off Ukraine! Feet too
Another photo of HMS Queen Elizabeth and her sister ship HMS Prince of Wales.

Nice pics, thanks. What do you think about two islands? Coupled with funnels exhaust it seems that turbulence over such deck is a nightmare. Maybe this is the main cause they declined CATOBAR/C-Lightning. If the shipdrivers won the battle for their own island, at the same time they won the one against common sense. Or yet there's some intricate wisdom in this twin-island design?Why not three then? Say, FW and RW crowds of this "tailored" air group once deside to separate ways and each will claim the island to own...
 

Hair Warrior

Well-Known Member
Contributor
Nice pics, thanks. What do you think about two islands? Coupled with funnels exhaust it seems that turbulence over such deck is a nightmare. Maybe this is the main cause they declined CATOBAR/C-Lightning. If the shipdrivers won the battle for their own island, at the same time they won the one against common sense. Or yet there's some intricate wisdom in this twin-island design?Why not three then? Say, FW and RW crowds of this "tailored" air group once deside to separate ways and each will claim the island to own...
 
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