September 24, 200817 yr On my recent 2500mile rounder to FL and back, I did not spot any trains. I did, however spot this. Much larger! Cannot get it all in the viewfinder! Thought I would share a few pic's! It is the USS Alabama, sitting in Mobile Bay. There is a fair amount of history about this 60 something year old ship. Suffice it to say that as something of a WWII history buff myself, I find it difficult to miss an oppertunity for a tour. Yet I need half the day minimum to rush through things here. Cannot do it justice, yet I sent the wife off on a shopping spree just to buy some time! And as an engineering study, these massive beasts stand alone. How all this was done via sliderule shall always baffle me. The sheer power amazing. The firepower awesome. The speed swift! The manufacturing and technology of its time simply boggles the mind. And it is all intact, HERE!
September 24, 200817 yr Author The basic data on the beast. Nearly 700 ft long, 300 or so feet of the deck was done in 6 inch armour plate. This is some HEAVY METAL! Try welding one inch of steel plate sometime!
September 24, 200817 yr Author This wee plackard says a lot! I will try to add more later, I need a beer now!
September 24, 200817 yr I had a one-on-one guided tour (it was a quiet day) of HMS Belfast once. More of a pocket battleship it's still a brute. HMS Belfast
September 24, 200817 yr Belfast is *only* a heavy cruiser, we in the UK (stupidly) scrapped all our battleships!
September 25, 200817 yr It is the USS Alabama, sitting in Mobile Bay. There is a fair amount of history about this 60 something year old ship. Suffice it to say that as something of a WWII history buff myself, I find it difficult to miss an oppertunity for a tour. Yet I need half the day minimum to rush through things here. Cannot do it justice, yet I sent the wife off on a shopping spree just to buy some time! Mark, You'll have to stop by up here in Muskogee, Oklahoma and crawl around inside the WWII submarine, USS Batfish, we have in our military history park and museum. I've taken the kids through it many times and it still amazes me about the conditions the men faced in combat. I've never watched "Das Boot" again without slinking down in my chair, finding it hard to breathe..... One time, after a few beers, a bunch of us were gonna sail it up the Arkansas River and attack Tulsa, but we didn't have enough cash for diesel to get us there, but we could afford a few more beers.... Jon
September 25, 200817 yr Author The park at Mobile is rather unique, in that they have a submarine and a aircraft museum as well. These guys just like BIG toys, simply amazing what all is there. I have actually been there many years ago(never miss a chance) and I was somewhat surprised to find out that the hurricane Katrina had actually wiped out most of the aircraft hangar some three years ago. Most has been cleaned up, although there are still many damaged rare aircraft. Seems the 20-30 ft waves just piled them up at one end of the hangar. Here is a pic of a plumbers nightmare! Figure it out! Oh trust me, there are many, specially in the sub! Edited September 25, 200817 yr by copemech
September 25, 200817 yr Author As an answer to the quiz, al that stuff powers what is behind it, an SR-71-- the fastest ever 1960 technology that has never been beat! At an official mach 3.2, this was easily exceeded! They were only recently retired.
September 25, 200817 yr Author Jon, subs are not all that small! The Uss Drum there is only 311 ft long! 27 ft wide! Set on dry ground, it is HUGE! Somewhere about 6 stories from the tower to the keel! Not bad for 1942! And yes you can travel all through it. It IS a plumbers nightmare! How all this worked is just beyond me. Still rather cramped, I sort of got a laugh at the valves and handles next to the head's! Just hope someone does not go pulling and pushing at the same time!
September 25, 200817 yr Jon, subs are not all that small! I climbed around in it with my son and two grandaughters and then imagined 78 other crew members inside there with me, and then it felt reallllllllly cramped..... Jon
September 27, 200817 yr I had a tour round the USS Kittyhawk, when the Pacific Fleet, stopped off in Hong Kong on the way back from Operation Restore Hope in Somalia. Even though its one of the smaller US aircraft carrier, it still had over 30 aircraft in it. Didn't find the drive thru McDonalds though!
September 28, 200817 yr Author I climbed around in it with my son and two grandaughters and then imagined 78 other crew members inside there with me, and then it felt reallllllllly cramped.....Jon You are right Jon, the smell just after breakfast would probably rival the john at Texas stadium! Just think about the NEW technology, they can stay down for MONTHS! Nor can I fathom a modern carrier with 5000 souls on board. Makes the mind reel! But the old stuff is what amazes me. No Computers! Well sort of!
September 28, 200817 yr Author You see these things sticking out the sides of the turrett. These are some massive optical sighting systems. I cannot give great details as the no longer seem to function, yet it seems to me the observations taken were basically run through an anologue computer in order to figure a fireing solution in order to launch a shell the weight of a car and hit a target ! Simple! When you are bobbing about in the ocean! Edited September 28, 200817 yr by copemech
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