Mothball ships

[kiki5711]

In a bay thirty miles northeast of San Francisco lies several dozen retired Navy ships, which served in four wars. These “ghost ships” are slowly being scrapped one-by-one, and by 2017 they'll all be gone. Fortunately, photographer Scott Haefner and his friends sneaked past 24-hour patrols to photograph these heroic relics.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/fjelstud/incred ... ball-fleet

[Rum]

Entropy does its inevitable work..

Great pics though!

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Mostly transports and amphibs. But this is a heavy cruiser, I do believe.

[klr]

Mostly transports and amphibs. But this is a heavy cruiser, I do believe.

Or a battleship? Iowa is currently berthed in Suisun Bay, which I presume is the subject of the article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suisun_Bay

But you're probably right about it being a cruiser, because that fire director/control widget was not located on the turrets of the Iowa class IIRC.

Or maybe it's an illusion and the director is located above and behind the turret.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

That's the rear turret, so you're seeing the director above. But my guesstimate is based on the space between the side and the turret. That's roughly were the surrender ceremony took place onboard Missouri, and the festivities were placed beside the turret, plenty of room. Here, no so much. When you watch footage of USN heavies, watch for the distance from bow to turret to see if it's a BB or a CA.

[klr]

That's the rear turret, so you're seeing the director above. But my guesstimate is based on the space between the side and the turret. That's roughly were the surrender ceremony took place onboard Missouri, and the festivities were placed beside the turret, plenty of room. Here, no so much. When you watch footage of USN heavies, watch for the distance from bow to turret to see if it's a BB or a CA.

The odd thing is, I have a book on cruisers of WW II, and I was reading it only the other day. I'll have a look again later on to see if this picture matches to anything in it.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Stern view of Iowa.
There may be some fisheye going on there.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

The picture above is after the ''80s refitting, her secondary battery is reduced by four twin turrets.

[klr]

Stern view of Iowa.
There may be some fisheye going on there.

Amazing how distorting the foreshortening effect can be. Are they Harpoon launch tubes, mounted at a 45=degree angle? I can see Tomahawk boxes in front of them (as in astern of them).

[Gawdzilla Sama]

The angled ones are Harpoons. There were four sets of ABLs, two on each side between the stacks and the two pairs on the 01 level aft. When raised to launch position the ABLs formed an X, so no launcher could interfere with anothers. Thirty-two cruise missiles total, plus an unspecified number of reloads that may or may not have been on that ship or on another ship inconspicuously traveling with her.

[klr]

The angled ones are Harpoons. There were four sets of ABLs, two on each side between the stacks and the two pairs on the 01 level aft. When raised to launch position the ABLs formed an X, so no launcher could interfere with anothers. Thirty-two cruise missiles total, plus an unspecified number of reloads that may or may not have been on that ship or on another ship inconspicuously traveling with her.

You know too much for your own good.

[kiki5711]

I knew I'd hook, line and sink her, some of you guys. he he he..............actually, they really are interesting pics!!

[klr]

I knew I'd hook, line and sink her, some of you guys. he he he..............actually, they really are interesting pics!!

Us, naval geeks? Never ...

Now excuse me while I rearrange some items on the starboard deck ... I mean the right side of my desk.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Mostly transports and amphibs. But this is a heavy cruiser, I do believe.

Or a battleship? Iowa is currently berthed in Suisun Bay, which I presume is the subject of the article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suisun_Bay

But you're probably right about it being a cruiser, because that fire director/control widget was not located on the turrets of the Iowa class IIRC.

Or maybe it's an illusion and the director is located above and behind the turret.

On closer inspection it is an Iowa. I'd tell you how I know but I'd have to kill you first.

[klr]

Mostly transports and amphibs. But this is a heavy cruiser, I do believe.

Or a battleship? Iowa is currently berthed in Suisun Bay, which I presume is the subject of the article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suisun_Bay

But you're probably right about it being a cruiser, because that fire director/control widget was not located on the turrets of the Iowa class IIRC.

Or maybe it's an illusion and the director is located above and behind the turret.

On closer inspection it is an Iowa. I'd tell you how I know but I'd have to kill you first.

Hmmm .... I think I'll pass on that one so.

Just as long as she ends up as a floating museum somewhere. I say send her down to 'Frisco, since she obviously can't go home to Iowa.