Ship Photo of the Day

[PhrogPhlyer]

USS Abraham Lincoln corrosion. There are ships that went through WWII that had less corrosion. Is this a function of current coating methods, lack of command attention to ship appearance while underway, or other considerations? During my WESTPAC in the mid-80's there as an LPD, I think is was the Deluth, that looked like it just came out of overhaul. Immaculate cleanliness and paint. You would see sailors chipping, needle gunning, and painting, every time you landed on her. Her officers and crew had incredibly high morale, and were proud to show you "their" ship. So again I ponder, what lead to this level of visible corrosion.

 

[BigRed389]

USS Abraham Lincoln corrosion. There are ships that went through WWII that had less corrosion. Is this a function of current coating methods, lack of command attention to ship appearance while underway, or other considerations? During my WESTPAC in the mid-80's there as an LPD, I think is was the Deluth, that looked like it just came out of overhaul. Immaculate cleanliness and paint. You would see sailors chipping, needle gunning, and painting, every time you landed on her. Her officers and crew had incredibly high morale, and were proud to show you "their" ship. So again I ponder, what lead to this level of visible corrosion.

View attachment 46142

Coating methods is a big one but there’s honestly a lot to unpack there.

We stopped using lead based paints. Some of it is definitely EPA driven, but the crew HAZMAT lead exposure aspect of it is honestly a stronger one (all that chipping and needle gunning has that now aerosolized lead going…somewhere). Modern ones supposedly work just as well, and better in some protective aspects, but generally need more professional application and prep than untrained 19 year old kids can do.

We generally dont pay for the time needed. If you want a real good paint job, you really need some down time during the right environmental conditions. Ideally a dry dock availability. Painting a ship in San Diego summer? Not too bad. Doing one in Norfolk? Flip a coin if the weather supports. Operationally, we have also been riding the dwindling Fleet like a rented step mule for decades.

Crew size reductions didn’t help either on the manpower side - not as much labor to do all that chipping, grinding, sanding, painting upkeep. But to clarify for this one specifically though - can’t really put this in the crew. Very limited what you can do when deployed and underway doing combat ops continuously like they were.

 

[hscs]

The condition is driven by straight time at sea. They will likely have it sorted out during POM. See HMS Hermes after the Falklands.

 

[Randy Daytona]

As an example of you can only push engineering so far, Japan produced the Chidori class torpedo boat. To circumvent the London Naval Treaty, these “Torpedo Boats” were 269’ long, a beam of 24’3” and a displacement at max load of 780 tons. On this small ship, the IJN mounted three 5” guns and four 21” torpedo tubes, half the armament of a full sized destroyer. This led to disastrous topweight issues which led to the capsizing of IJN Tomozuru in 1934 during a storm. An engineering study resulted in a redesign of the ship and lessons learned for subsequent shipbuilding: a massive armament is no good if the ship turns upside down in rough weather.


Initial look of Chidori(November 1933)


Chidori on trial run off Maizuru, after 1934 refit


Tomozuru on 24 March 1945


IJN Chidori class Tomozuru1934

 

[CommodoreMid]

Ha I knew they found creative ways to circumvent the treaty, but wasn’t aware of this fun fact.

 

[Griz882]

As an example of you can only push engineering so far, Japan produced the Chidori class torpedo boat. To circumvent the London Naval Treaty, these “Torpedo Boats” were 269’ long, a beam of 24’3” and a displacement at max load of 780 tons. On this small ship, the IJN mounted three 5” guns and four 21” torpedo tubes, half the armament of a full sized destroyer. This led to disastrous topweight issues which led to the capsizing of IJN Tomozuru in 1934 during a storm. An engineering study resulted in a redesign of the ship and lessons learned for subsequent shipbuilding: a massive armament is no good if the ship turns upside down in rough weather.

View attachment 46160
Initial look of Chidori(November 1933)

View attachment 46161
Chidori on trial run off Maizuru, after 1934 refit

View attachment 46162
Tomozuru on 24 March 1945

View attachment 46163
IJN Chidori class Tomozuru1934

The Tomozuru study had a big impact on the IJN, perhaps mostly on the Mogami class cruiser where it was determined that designers added excessive top weight that not only caused instability, it caused cracks in the hull welds when the guns were fired in full battery.

 

[Randy Daytona]

The Tomozuru study had a big impact on the IJN, perhaps mostly on the Mogami class cruiser where it was determined that designers added excessive top weight that not only caused instability, it caused cracks in the hull welds when the guns were fired in full battery.

Additionally, the Mogami class were classified as light cruisers mounting triple 6” turrets. As war approached, these 6” turrets were pulled off and replaced by twin 8” cannons whose new turrets not so coincidentally had the same diameter- presto, instant heavy cruiser. (and these 6” turrets were then installed as secondaries on the Yamatos.)

This forward thinking has carried through as the Izumo class helicopter “destroyers” seemed to have little problem converting to the F-35.

 

[Randy Daytona]

A few photos of the South Dakota class battleship USS Indiana (BB-58). Commissioned in 1942, she served throughout the Pacific in WW2, and then went into the reserve fleet before being broken up in 1963.

Her worst damage during the war came not from Japan, but operating under blackout conditions after midnight off of Kwajalein, she turned in front of the battleship USS Washington (BB-56) and was rammed amidships, destroying a propeller shaft and ripping off 200 ft of armor plate - Washington's bow didn’t fare too well either.



Indiana in dock in Pearl Harbor showing the temporary repairs after the collision with Washington

Indiana underway in January 1944


USS Indiana bombarding Kamaishi, Japan, 14 July 1945









Battleships and heavy cruisers steam in column off Kamaishi, at the time they bombarded the iron works there, as seen from South Dakota (BB-57). Indiana (BB-58) is the nearest ship, followed by Massachusetts (BB-59). Cruisers Chicago (CA-136) and Quincy (CA-71) bring up the rear.

 

[Randy Daytona]

“The rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air” of our national anthem are courtesy of HMS Erebus, a Thais class sloop. At 108’9” long and a beam of 29’8”, she displaced just over 400 tons. A very successful hunter, she captured numerous ships after her launch in 1807.

In 1812, she was sent to the Western Hemisphere and armed with a battery of the new 32 pounder Congreve rocket. On 12 September 1814, she sortied with a number of ships to bombard Fort McHenry, which led to Francis Scott Key penning the Star Spangled Banner.



1814 depiction of rockets being fired

 

[Uncle Fester]

USS Abraham Lincoln corrosion. There are ships that went through WWII that had less corrosion. Is this a function of current coating methods, lack of command attention to ship appearance while underway, or other considerations? During my WESTPAC in the mid-80's there as an LPD, I think is was the Deluth, that looked like it just came out of overhaul. Immaculate cleanliness and paint. You would see sailors chipping, needle gunning, and painting, every time you landed on her. Her officers and crew had incredibly high morale, and were proud to show you "their" ship. So again I ponder, what lead to this level of visible corrosion.

View attachment 46142

Speaking with all the authority of a former Shoe First Lt….

You can only get at all that, especially around the waterline, when you’re pierside. During the Big War, ships were regularly retrograding back to forward bases like Ulithi for maintenance and housekeeping. Ships are always fighting a running battle against rust, and always on the losing side, so long as they’re underway.

 

[Randy Daytona]

Ironically, the only Allied ship sunk during the morning of D-Day was not US, British or even Canadian- but rather Norwegian. HNoMS Svenner was a former British S class destroyer given to free Norwegian forces. She was struck by 2 torpedoes fired from German torpedo boats off of Sword beach.

 

[PhrogPhlyer]

The third and last Indiana-class pre-dreadnought battleship USS Oregon (BB-3) in dry dock at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in 1898.

 

[Gatordev]

Ship designs back then were like the Porsche 911 of that era. You can't tell whether they're coming or going.

 

[Randy Daytona]

The first attack from aircraft launched from a ship occurred on 19 July 1918 from the converted battlecruiser HMS Furious. Called the Tondern Raid, 7 Sopwith Camels took off and successfully destroyed German airships and hangars ashore. The design of HMS Furious, with a forward takeoff platform, a rear landing platform and an island in the middle, persuaded several of the pilots it was safer to return to Denmark rather than land back aboard ship, others ditched.

Tondern raid - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

HMS Furious with its forward flying-off deck and aft landing deck


Wreckage of Zeppelins LZ 99 (L 54) and LZ 108 (L 60) in their hangars


The seven Sopwith Camels on the flight deck of HMS Furious en route to the Tondern raid


Furious seen in 1918, after being fitted with an aft landing deck


Closeup of the ship shortly following its initial conversion and in dazzle paintscheme. An SSZ class blimp is on the after deck

 

[PhrogPhlyer]

An SSZ class blimp is on the after deck

An oft overlooked valuable contributor to naval warfare during WWI.