Fliger747 wrote:According to a NAVWEPS article only Wisconsin has the barn door system installed, most likely as an experiment. In their 80's reactivation Wisconsin was the only one who had loose rudder issues.
Maybe there was a system to do it remotely. In the steering gear control rooms, each rudder is on a separate, duplicated system. Each rudder has its own trick wheel and the two are located in separate compartments. When steering was routed to one of the three conning stations, they controlled the two rudders together by sending the same signal to both simultaneously. Possibly on Wisconsin something was done to allow the conning stations to control the rudders separately by sending different signals to each rudder.
When steering was done from the steering control rooms, each rudder moved on its own and the two rooms would have to communicate with each other to keep synchronized. If one room steered port and the other steered starboard, they could close the barn doors on any of the Iowas.
It mentions USS Missouri and Wisconsin being equipped with 25mm Bushmaster Mountings at the time of Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm in 1990-91.
Now Missouri's 25mm mounts are clearly evident in photos and in her crew video filmed at the time 'A Call to Crisis": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGsTwyPZM8o So there is no doubt that she carried them.
Just wondering does anyone know for sure if Wisconsin carried the 25mm Bushmaster mounts also?
There is some footage of her on YouTube from the period, but it is too low resolution of the lighting is too tricky to definitively tell if she has the mounts. And all the photos I know of in books etc are also from too far away to definitively tell. Unless of course they were mounted in a different location to those on Missouri?
Just curious as I have the Tamiya kit that I plan to ultimately build as Wisconsin in her 1990-91 Desert Shield / Desert Storm fit. Thanks.
It's definitely hard to tell, but I'm leaning towards not.
In this pic, you can see a barrel just to the left of the 2 5" mounts, almost dead center of the photo. But, then again, it could just be one of the saluting guns.
Mr. Church wrote:Thanks lads for your replies, much appreciated.
I will assume no Bushmasters for Wisconsin unless some definitive smoking gun (Smoking Bushmaster?!) evidence emerges in the meantime.
I think you are correct here. As I said, there is only an urban legend that they were taken from MO and shifted to WI. How would that have happened at sea?
I've received a few inquires on the next Iowa-class book.
I've been moving a bit slowly on it because the next on in the queue is the external hull structure and we have the big event related to the topic.
That is, USS New Jersey is going into drydock. I expect to be able to go over the entire hull and photograph areas that have not made it in print before, such as the keel.
Thanks for posting those videos - it should be an interesting event to watch - Anchors Aweigh!!!
Hank
HMS III
Mocksville, NC
BB62 vet 68-69
Builder's yard:
USS STODDARD (DD-566) 66-68 1:144, Various Lg Scale FC Directors Finished:
USS NEW JERSEY (BB-62) 67-69 1:200
USN Sloop/Ship PEACOCK (1813) 1:48
ROYAL CAROLINE (1748) 1:47
AVS (1768) 1:48
Fliger747 wrote:So Hank, will you be able to find your old bunk?
Tom,
Sadly No! The X Division berthing area on the stbd. side, main deck was converted (along with the former Capt's. Office) into a walking museum of the ship's history. On the port side opposite where I worked in the Enlisted Personnel Office - that was being used for storage and a junk room when I was on board last in 2001.
Sigh.....
Hank
HMS III
Mocksville, NC
BB62 vet 68-69
Builder's yard:
USS STODDARD (DD-566) 66-68 1:144, Various Lg Scale FC Directors Finished:
USS NEW JERSEY (BB-62) 67-69 1:200
USN Sloop/Ship PEACOCK (1813) 1:48
ROYAL CAROLINE (1748) 1:47
AVS (1768) 1:48
Fliger747 wrote:Hank:
Did you still have the pipe rack bunks or were you upgraded by NAM?
No upgrades in those days. We had the 3 or 4 tiered aluminum pipe racks with the 3" thick mattresses. The upgrades came in 1981/82 when the ship was refitted at that time - beginning of the whinners & crybabies' era!!!
Hank
HMS III
Mocksville, NC
BB62 vet 68-69
Builder's yard:
USS STODDARD (DD-566) 66-68 1:144, Various Lg Scale FC Directors Finished:
USS NEW JERSEY (BB-62) 67-69 1:200
USN Sloop/Ship PEACOCK (1813) 1:48
ROYAL CAROLINE (1748) 1:47
AVS (1768) 1:48
I'll bet, min required upgrades to get them out of dock. First time I saw the new bunks was aboard Sacramento. Could be worse the WWII guys aboard Saratoga were (I think) still using hammocks and heating water by blowing steam in a bucket. Then those new 30's Destroyers even had a laundry!
Saw an article about a Machinist Mate on board in your era and a devotee of Captain Schnider who was going to ride her down to the Philly Yard. Said he was going to fire her guns to return a salute. Wonder what that meant.
Fliger747 wrote:Hank:
Saw an article about a Machinist Mate on board in your era and a devotee of Captain Schnider who was going to ride her down to the Philly Yard. Said he was going to fire her guns to return a salute. Wonder what that meant.
Tom,
I saw that also - can't recall the guy - he's a volunteer on the ship - I think they mean that he'll fire a saluting gun in response to the ship getting saluted as it passes by one of the forts on it's way down river. The article I read stated "big guns" but IMHO, that is total B.S.
Hank
HMS III
Mocksville, NC
BB62 vet 68-69
Builder's yard:
USS STODDARD (DD-566) 66-68 1:144, Various Lg Scale FC Directors Finished:
USS NEW JERSEY (BB-62) 67-69 1:200
USN Sloop/Ship PEACOCK (1813) 1:48
ROYAL CAROLINE (1748) 1:47
AVS (1768) 1:48
Fliger747 wrote:Hank:
Saw an article about a Machinist Mate on board in your era and a devotee of Captain Schnider who was going to ride her down to the Philly Yard. Said he was going to fire her guns to return a salute. Wonder what that meant.
I think they mean that he'll fire a saluting gun in response to the ship getting saluted as it passes by one of the forts on it's way down river.
Right on the mark. The ship returned salutes as it went downstream.
