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The Last Time Battleship New Jersey's 16in Guns Were Fired
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- čas přidán 4. 07. 2024
- In this episode we're talking about battleship armor.
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The views and opinions expressed in this video are those of the content creator only and may not reflect the views and opinions of the Battleship New Jersey Museum & Memorial, the Home Port Alliance for the USS New Jersey, Inc., its staff, crew, or others. The research presented herein represents the most up-to-date scholarship available to us at the time of filming, but our understanding of the past is constantly evolving. This video is made for entertainment purposes only.
I'd like to see you go over the inactivation process for the propulsion plant. That would include when she last moved under her own power, when the boilers were extinguished for the last time, and what work needed to be done to inactivate the boilers and engines.
I second this request
Yes please 👍🏽👍🏽
Yes, I third this... if third is a thing
hazard a guess, when she was brought into port knowing that she would be mothballed again they already started the process of defiring the boiler, and started bleeding oil back to the storage tanks. once in port i'm sure they'd let things cool down and reach static temp and they'd begin the dewatering procedure and then starting the preservation process for the flues etc. not much to do to a boiler to preserve it. open your blowdowns and then keep the internal open and dry as possible, the reduction gears etc would also get their cosmaline and other preservatives to keep it in static sound condition should she ever need to be brought back again
It would also be interesting to hear about what was done by the navy to 'demilitarize' the ship before she became a museum.
Hearing about the last time she was underway under her own power would be pretty cool.
How about when she was the first recomissioned battleship to lead the battleship division one as a true capital fleet class ship?
I think a good follow-up video to this one would be what procedural changes were implemented in 16 inch gun drill as the result of the USS Iowa Turret 2 center gun open breech explosion.
Its not what so much of what changes were made, but to reinstate procedures and quality control that had been there previously that had been neglected for high-ranking prestige.
czcams.com/video/derlR2hx_Zk/video.html
I worked a guy in the late 1980s, who served on New Jersey during the Lebonan deployment in 1984.
His description of when the guns were fired was a life changing moment. He said you had to be there to fully know the power.
I remember being in elementary school and hearing the rumble of New Jersey's guns as she worked up for her deployment to Vietnam.
We were used to hearing the 105's from Camp Pendelton,
but one of our teacher's (a Navy vet) had to explain why we could hear what sounded like thunder when there were now clouds.
Wasn't the last time, but I got to watch her fire her 16" guns from a bunker at the Marble Mountain transmitter site next to 3rd Amtrac in 1968. We were only a few hundred yards from the beach.
I didn't see her fire her guns on Feb 26th 1984, but I did see her fire them on Feb 8th 1984. I was on the USS Trenton (LPD-14) as part of MARG 1-84. That was the day we pulled the Marines out of Beirut. We were between the New Jersey and the coast of Lebanon and the New Jersey had to wait for us to finish loading the Marines and get out of the way before they could start firing. By the time I had a chance to grab a camera we had already moved off the coast a bit but have a grainy picture of her firing her guns into Lebanon. My other New Jersey story has to do with my father. He was a Navy Chaplain. I was recently going through some of his papers and came across the pamphlet for the New Jersey's Aug 21, 1957 decommissioning ceremony. He was listed as giving the invocation.
And Reagan was re-elected after that disaster….now we get upset about laptops…
@@cutl00senc Which has nothing to do with the post.
Was on board in 1983. Full broadsides and target practice. 5” and 16” guns. Saw an atoll disappear from radar on the first shot, 20 miles away. Was on board during a typhoon in the South China Sea. Helped holy-stone the deck. Con’d during UnRep and Refueling. I’m one of the very few.
How was the ship in the typhoon? What was it like being on board? Thanks
@@kevinrichards1539
South China Sea. Huge typhoon developed. There are no safe ports. Can’t outrun a huge, fast moving typhoon. Stayed on the leeward side of several islands. Constant 12 degree list.
Very few? There are thousands of battleship veterans who all did their parts and deserve credit as well
@@hulkhoganstights6596
Trying to steal valor here? Or trying to make COMMON that which is very UNCOMMON???!!
Your ego needs to be checked….
@@wolfman007zz that’s a very weird response. Nobody except you claimed to be a sailor here. All veterans on battleships need to be acknowledged for their service. Just because you were a cook doesn’t mean your the only one who served
4:35 The last time she moved at all was a couple weeks ago, so it is pretty well documented 😀
Yes, but that was not under her own power which is whatis being suggested here. When she was moved a couple weeks ago, she was being moved with the assistance of tugboats.
@@russelljohnson6267 Hence the "moved at all" rather than "moved under her own power".
I was on the USS Fort Snelling ( LSD - 30 ) off the coast of Beirut and witnessed the 16 inch gun firing. Awesome site and sound!
I’ve always wondered, prior to the Iowa explosion how high up the chain of command was approval needed to fire the 16” guns? Was the Captain able to plan his own exercise while out at sea?
I assume in modern times due to missile costs there’s a ton of red tape and planning that goes into test / practice firing of any missiles but always wondered about the battleship’s main battery.
I would make a guess that navy doctrine at the time would require the crew to be able to load and fire the 16 inch guns in a certain time frame. To achieve that requirement, the crew would have to train for that. How often they need to train would be at the captain’s discretion. Unlike modern missiles which simulations can be used for training purposes, crews need to use live ammunition though there were dummy shells for the 16 inch guns. However there was a huge stockpile of ammunition for the 16 inch guns left over from WW2 and in fact after the Iowa’s were stricken from the navy, the ammunition in storage had to be disposed of.
Also when an Iowa was on its last sail before decommissioning they freely used it up as it is the easiest way of disposing the onboard ammo.
@@tomnewham1269 I totally get loading drills, but I’m wondering about actual live fire.
There’s several unique scenarios that probably each have a different answer:
A) tiger cruise - did the ship’s captain have authority on his own to authorize firing of the 16” guns with either live rounds or training rounds
B) press / PR opportunity - did the captain have the autonomy to authorize live fire for a photo op
C) actual live fire training missions against one of the Navy’s live fire areas. For example, coming out of an extended dry dock period did the captain have the ability on his own to authorize a day of live fire training against a live fire target area (obviously referring to a designated live fire area, such as one of the small island the Navy owns for target practice)
D) while in transit to a new location (let’s say from the Philadelphia Navy Yard to Europe) did the captain have the authority to order a training fire mission on a random patch of ocean.
For all these scenarios by “authority” I’m referring to the explicit autonomy to conduct these actions without risk of repercussions from superiors.
@@cruisinguy6024 The thing is, once you load, you more or less need to fire. Unloading is difficult and dangerous, so you only do it when you really need to. They've got dummy shells and smaller powder bags for training.
@@KingdaToro right, I’m aware they had dummy bags and inert training shells. What I want to know is if the captain could wake up one day and decide to fire a few salvos at the ocean / live fire range.
@@cruisinguy6024the barrels have a finite life so I am sure they had a set amount they could fire for training in a given year. They tracked how many shots per barrel.
I’ve visited this wonderful beast on so many occasions as I only live 30min from where she’s docked. Each time I take a tour I learn something new because each veteran that gives the tours have different stories and different things to add. I hope some additional parts up the ship will open up for tours soon as well. Anyways I’m glad to always donate to keep her maintained
I was aboard the USS New Jersey for the last time she fired her 16" guns. I also worked on the ship when she was in dry dock before sending her to Bremnerton. Looking up at the "Black Dragon" from the bottom of the dry dock was awesome. The steel stands supporting her were huge as well as the propellers.
I know that the ship will never operate again, I know that the age of the battleship has been relegated to the annals of history, I know that a weapon with a 24 mile maximum range is almost quaint in this day and age, but I also know that I cannot help but feel as though we are all somewhat diminished by the absence of those magnificent thunder chuckers.
I completely agree. It's probably possible to come up with some plausible fictional scenario that could justify big guns coming back into prominence on the sea but it seems super unlikely for it to ever happen in reality.
On the other hand, U.S.S. Constitution IS still in commission and she's full of "thunder chuckers."
@@gildedbear5355The Falklands affair was a surprise.
@@20chocsaday true, but for battleships to be relevant again, missiles and aircraft need to be ineffective, for some reason. There are things that could plausible cause that like decades long geomagnetic storms that jam radar and radio (and whatever else is needed), defensive tech that can take over the guidance systems of missiles, even just a was so big that nations can't afford to make complex missiles so dumb shells are the only thing that can be produced. These things /could/ be developed or happen, it just seems unlikely.
Think of it this way, battleships are like horses. They were good, but what replaced them is so much better that there's almost nothing that would make them relevant again.
@@gildedbear5355 Check back on Ryan's videos.
I think he said New Jersey would bounce the Exocets.
Would love to see them all back in service!
I would too but the price would be ridiculously high.
I was on the USS California CGN36. We pulled out of our home port of Alameda Ca three days before the Loma Prieta earthquake. The Navy performed an exercise in which the three remaining battleships joined in the same battle group for the first time since WW2 and the last time ever (please fact check this). I know there were pictures taken and I believe that our ship led the formation. If someone knows where to get the pictures, I would love to purchase a copy.
During that operation, we performed night shelling of San Clemente island. The Mighty Mo was in our wake. The concusiones from her guns was so pronounced that I had to keep checking my chest for my own heart beat. This was on the giving end. Imagine how the Gerries felt in their bunkers on the receiving end. I don’t know how they didn’t cut and run.
We pulled into the yards in Bremerton to refuel the reactors (1990-ish). The Missouri was on the other end of the yards being placed in safe store. Sad to see that beautiful ship in that condition. I exited the Navy in 1992 after 10 years. It was the last ship I saw in the Naval Ship Yard while driving around the sound heading home.
I remember the last time, I was there. The captain had said we can off load the ammo the hard way or fun way. I also did the last cruise up the west coast for the Portland Rose Festival.
Wow at about 2:00 that's a big helicopter (Chinook? maybe a smaller variant) to land on the battleship! Didn't know they would do that.
O no no. That is a quarter size RC model, surely a battleship couldn't be as big as that.
I landed on the New Jersey in 1983/4 with that Helo which was a CH-46E, Have the hat they gave still. I also was ashore during one of her broadsides hit the Valley and took out ten tanks. I was at the Airport and it lifted the front of my Helo 4-5 feet off the pad. My squadron was HMM-261 the BULL's,
NJ was in Sydney harbour for the Australian BiCentennial Naval review in 1988 and loosed a broadside at the end of the evening, what a sight that was. 2 years earlier Mighty Mo had been there for the RAN 75th anniversary and had put on the same show
MY SON AND I LOVE SEEING THE OLD VIDEO'S OF IT'S DAY'S ,, KEEP THEM COMING .. DONT BE AFRAID TO BLOOPER MY SON SAID ..HA!!! THX.
I would like to see a video on the Battleship New Jersey's "fighting lights".
We all know that the ship will never be reactivated again but I think an interesting topic for a video would be what work would be needed and the steps taken to reactívate the ship’s engines and boilers.
And what would be deleted during a modernization process? Main gun computers for something more modern like a laptop form? etc, etc, The possibilities for discussion would be interesting and endless.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the targeting for the big guns could be done on a smartphone app.
@@kman-mi7su yet, being what they are. They are protected against EMP attacks.
@@Ghauster Not the radars for aiming them. Something more modern would be far more protected because it was designed and tested to be resistant.
@@Ghauster I'm sure they have countermeasures that would be installed. And, the weight savings benefit of getting rid of that antiquated computer system. Every pound counts on a warship.
Another good question related to the munitions would be if BB-62 launched any Tomahawk missiles in both training and combat conditions.
Thanks for sharing this video and information.
My father lived in Beirut during the war. He told me if you heard the shell coming that meant you were gonna be ok, because otherwise you'd already be dead. He also said whenever New Jersey fired her guns, the entire city knew.
A spectator sport, I heard.
Love they talks and videos, thanks for keeping our Great military tradition and history alive.
When was the last time USS New Jersey conducted flight operations?
Ryan, the old girl wants all her bits and pieces back. Please put her radar and tower back where they belong. 🙂 As always, thanks for sharing.
I know they said on the live stream on the way back to her pier they are going to hold off until after they get her berth dredged. They will have to move her back to Paulsboro while that work happens
@@RarestAce Agree with the 1st half. disagree with part 2- back to Paulsboro- As I recall they were removed before going to Paulsboro.
@@wfoj2 They have to be off to make it under the Walt Whitman Bridge, so if they are going back to Paulsboro in a few months while the berth is dredged they would have to come off again. It doesn't make sense to spend the money renting a crane 3 times when they could just wait and only have to do it once.
Not sure if moving over to Penn's Landing area would be an option, then the ship wouldn't have to go under the bridge again.
@@RarestAce Ah that makes sense. Thanks for sharing that and hope you have a good evening.
You might review where she has been. Voyages from commission to her final as a museum ship.
I have two questions: What was New Jersey's first combat mission like? By that I mean the first time she either fired her guns at an enemy or came under fire. The second question is do we have any information on what opinion her enemies had of her, either specifically or all the Iowa class ships? From any era?
How about the last time she ran aground? All the Iowas, actually. I only recall one off the top, when the Missouri I think, grounded in Norfolk Harbor.
Saw my first Battleship New Jersey license plate yesterday
All this nice information.
I have to do some research on myself but I think I was onboard for the final “16 guns . I was in the Navy reserve in that time
I would like to see at least 2 new battleships be built. I'm not talking full size WW2 era battleships; I'm talking about pocket battleships. With a mixture of missiles, ciws, 10 inch guns , machine guns and 10 aircraft (obviously not F-18 but F-35 vtol ). I believe it would work.
1sr and last times cruise missiles were fired?
In training and combat.
The 1983 bombardment I got to see. I was on the USS Kennedy and we were in port in Haifa Israel. We could see the flashes and hear the explosions of her shell from there.
Thanks for all the great work! Think I finally gave up with a new question for you. If the ship was 100% released to you, the navy removes all restrictions and you now own the ship, what would be some of the thing you would reactivate first. Unfreeze the rudder, ge the engines going, the motors for the turret, etc... granted if budget wasn't an issue. Thanks again and keep up the great work, you have ab awesome team.
While not first / last content, how about a series on " Day in the life of a XXXX on the ship " ?
They have done a few videos on specific days on the ship. They have records from both daily actives and special events.
When was the last time she used her anchors?
When did she shoot down her first Imperial Japanese aircraft?
What did she fire her guns at in anger the first time?
When was the last time her boilers were hot?
Are there any news articles or whatnot about her being the fastest battleship in the world?
Thank you for everything you do, folks!!
Watching this, I got to thinking about the wood deck. What kind of wood, treatment, replacement & so on.
Awesome thank you
During the drydock, I recall it being mentioned about the plumbing in the ship being a problem. Seem to imply that many of the valves and what not in the ship had rotted away. Particularly rubber valves.
I would be curious to see a video on the viability of systems in the ship, plumbing, etc. And whether or not any restoration efforts are planned to fix them.
Thanks in advance for considering this request.
If I was curator for the battleship New Jersey I’d always be telling women in bars they need to come check out my place.
Great info! Curious as well if NJ or her sisters ever launched a Tomahawk in anger, or if that program came too late.
I remember coming back from the iran Iraq war and seeing a demonstration of guns being fired I believe port side a couple of miles away the pressure was intense I was on board Robert g Bradley ffg49
Not a first or last, but which captain was C.O longest? Did any execs move up from 1st officer to captain her?
Ryan, how often was New Jersey struck by lightning? Could you tell us more about lightning mitigation and warships in general?
You could maybe talk about the first time she was dry docked as a museum ship, and the last time she was dry docked as a museum ship.
This is sarcasm before anyone gets too upset
I would like to know.
1. First time she fired her guns
2. First time she fired her guns at another ship
1) Somewhere in her commissioning phase (June - Dec. 1943)
2) Iowa and New Jersey only fired their main guns against an enemy ship once, during the wrapup of operation Hailstone (17-18 Februari 1944), an extensive carrier raid against Truk. The battleships where risked (!) on the 18th to clean up the last cargo ships and some destroyers escaping Truk Lagoon, which could have ended up in disaster as the Japanese where able to lob a few torpedo salvo's towards New Jersey that missed by not to much margin. Spruance realized he took unnecessary risk, and should have used his carriers to finish up the ships instead of risking loosing up his brand new battlewagons.
When was the last time the 16'' guns turret's were rotated
I just wondered if the incident on uss Iowa in 1989 put a restrictions on the firing it's main guns on all lowa class battleships till the investigation concluded. Then 1991 Iraq war the restrictions were lifted to fire the 16inch guns.
I’ve long wanted to know when she last moved under her own power. And, if they knew then that it would be the last time.
Same for the guns firing actually - on that last training trip, did they know the guns would never fire again?
Couple of good clips that could be a new Title Card: 2:40; and 4:07 - the rotating turret looks so menacing!
Turret #1 at the 2:30 mark has 2 items on top if it - uncertain what? Perhaps some specialized RADAR, or camera, or ... - Interested to hear that. Humm. 16 inch guns fired in anger- lets see since 1980 to 1995 - for all 4 Iowas, only in 1984 and 1991- correct?
Was it a Joke I saw on Facebook that the Navy has chosen a contractor to upgrade the Wisconsin in order to return her to active duty? Because I figured hell would freeze over before the Navy re-commissioned a battleship! Here's hoping it's not a joke cause that would be a great time to be alive if it were true.
Please talk about the loss of USNS Hiddensee. Im devastated by her loss.
I tend to agree. Sometime down the road, a video on USNS Hiddensee -- a Soviet-built corvette commissioned into the East German Navy and sold to the US after the reunification of Germany, used by the US Navy for a number of years before becoming a museum ship, and ultimately scrapped due to an inability to maintain her -- partially related to design differences, in that she was meant to be disposable in the first place -- would be a fascinating story to tell, inasmuch as similar US Navy ships of the same era, would have just merely had the "new" worn off them after just 20 years in commission.
There's design differences there, and doctrinal differences there, as well as crew proficiency differences (I would imagine) between the US and Soviet navies of the Cold War era, when she was built and in service.
@@Supersean0001One of the older videos on this channel, listing endangered Museum Ships (this was during the COVID era, before she was scrapped) did mention her. It seems like her disrepair and eventual scrapping was mostly because she was a side exhibit in Battleship Cove and they preferred to invest their limited funds into the other ships. The ship's different design was not the main reason.
I'd like to know how NJ (or the Iowas in general) performed during their shakedown cruises. I'm curious what issues or concerns they found testing the ships the first time, having only the drawings and projections until that point.
My understanding is that the Iowa has at least one ( and maybe more ) of her 5" guns that can fire and do fire blanks for ceremonial purposes. Does the NJ have a 5" turret for that purpose as well?
Her last time firing ever was my Birthday. I was 7yrs old that day.... kinda a neat fact i cqn attach to my birthday. Especially with how old she was, and combat and deployment experience she had already when i was 7.
I would love to know about the last time her boilers/engines were fired up (either to move under her own power, or ever)
I finally have a good question? If the 16 inch barrels can elevate up and down, that means there must be enough room for them to move inside the armored housing. I know the weather shield is flexible but it’s definitely not armor! How does the front of the gun turret remain protected when the barrels elevate in their openings?
alaway informative, Ryan.
Could you please tell us about the last meal was served before food services ended? A walk through the galley and food storage areas.
Thank you
We will see what we can find for a last meal, but here's the galley: czcams.com/video/fupDGdy6CnU/video.html
I’m curious to know, when was the last time the 16 inch guns of any Iowa class were fired, and was this the last time in history the main guns of a battleship were fired?
Whatever the answer to the first question is i am sure that the answer to the last question is, yes. The Iowa's were the last battleships in service anywhere in the world and any other battleship museum ships in the US were already in operation as museums before they left service.
Great video
Great videos! From an engineering standpoint, would you explain how the propulsion plant was operated. Please include the hierarchy of officers and enlisted personnel including watch stations and rotations. A real bonus would detail electric plant lineups and water production underway. That's a lot to ask!
Yes to all of those things !:-)
As always interesting. Are there statistics on how often she hit with the main gun right on target (within a error circle)?
Any interviews with the last crew / gun crews to talk about the last firing of the 16” or 5” guns?
You should make a video in which you estimate, mathematically, how long you could reasonably estimate a search to last if you assume that the police have a team of 50-60 people working and in-communication with you and your staff, to conduct an exhaustive search of the entire ship to ensure a wanted fugitive is not on-board. Basically, how long would it take 50-100 people, working in shifts, if necessary, to make sure you don't have a stowaway??
Who the heck am I kidding? What sort of fugitive would be dumb enough to hide on a decommissioned battleship on the Delaware river??? Unless you can eat steel - that's not going to last long
How about the last time the command "All ahead flank" was given, and how fast she went on that occasion?
Could the guns fire blanks as a demonstration similar to how ive seen the NJ fire her 6" guns? That would be neat and something to behold.
Was New Jersey the last Iowa class to fire her guns, or did one of the others sneak in some training shots after 1990?
Both the USS Wisconsin and USS Missouri fired their 16" guns and Tomahawk cruise missiles during Desert Storm starting mid-January 1991. The Missouri got attacked during Desert Storm on February 25, 1991 and the UK ship HMS Gloucester took out at least one Chinese made antiship HY-2 Seersucker missile headed for the Missouri. The sailors aboard the Missouri braced for impact. A great big shout out to the sailors aboard the Gloucester for saving many lives.
So cool! What is the most fuel efficent why to run a battleship while at sea?
Which Battleship fired her 16” guns during the Gulf war? I recall watching the Gulf War on TV and seeing a Battleship fire the guns and the reporter commenting it was like shooting a VW Beatle 12 mlles away and hitting its target inland.
Met the Marine that called in that last fire mission.
In the early 1990's as the last battleships were in the process of being decommissioned. Did anyone make a effort to take good high quality footage of them firing their guns for the last time?
How about a show on the never built Illinois and Kentucky .
Would love to see the first and last entries in the ships log..
Im absolutely sure Ive missed the video on how the 5 and 16"ers are cleaned.. #hoppes
2:36 wow, is this footage from that exact final training volley or just other footage that has been captured in a different exercise?
a different exercise
@@BattleshipNewJersey right on. thanks for all the terrific content, as always 👍
When was the last time she launched Tomahawk missiles?
Keep seeing stories about the navy having contractors put preliminary plans on reactivation iowa and wisconsin. Is there any way the navy ever would?
Can we get the first time she fired on a aircraft? Also her first shoot down of a aircraft.
Ryan, I know in the past you've gone over accounts of people who served on New jersey where they mentioned you could see the 16-inch shells as they flew down range. You've shown video of the guns firing, and of the shells impacting, but do you have any video taken on board showing the shells in flight?
Will we ever see new warships with similar large calibre armorments as New Jersey and sisters?
I've never seen a video on how the ship's brig was used.
When was the last time her gally was used to feed the crew?
Alternately, when was she brought down off of steam power, boiler wise. For her last time?
When was the first time Battleship New Jersey received operating support from the NJ Department of State? 🤪
With the iowa incident, inwonder if there was mixed emotions onboard the new jersey when it fired the main battery this last time.
Obviously excitement and anticipation to let hell fly but at the same time after that incident i wonder if it was on the back of the gunnery crew's minds they could all possibly be incinerated in an instant.
How possible would it still be for the Iowa class’s main guns to fire powder charges?
"Last time she moved at all" seems like it would be rather recent. :)
I’d like to know when was the last time the four iowas saw each other, like I know the last time, Missouri and Wisconsin saw each other must’ve been during the gulf war
Do you think the US will ever get the USS Pueblo back? I just read it’s still actually listed as a commissioned vessel
I presume you currently have no live rounds or powder on board. Does the navy have 16" rounds stored somewhere and how and where were the rounds manufactured?
How many times has New Jersey been re-decked? How many times was the deck painted?
What is the rate of twist on the rifling of the 16 inch 50 Caliber guns?
How hard would it be to get New Jerseys 5 inch and 16 inch gun to fire as she is now? Could it be done without her being taken to dry dock?
How does the paperwork with the ATF work for the guns? I assume the guns could still function could they not?