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#1: BB-61 Iowa's last journey photos Author: pvt_Grunt, Location: Melbourne, Australia

Posted: Mon May 28, 2012 10:05 am
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Some close up photos too, notice the condition of the timber deck in #15

http://framework.latimes.com/2012/05/13/battleship-iowas-final-journey/#/1

#2: Re: BB-61 Iowa's last journey photos Author: dj,

Posted: Mon May 28, 2012 5:13 pm
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Slide 14...you meant. Interesting they chose San Pedro / Los Angeles as museum site. I've been to the Missouri at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii...the ship where the Japanese signed their surrender. Not many Battleships left to see in the world...amazing to see these ships in person.

#3: Re: BB-61 Iowa's last journey photos Author: dj,

Posted: Wed May 30, 2012 3:00 pm
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Just arrived in Port this morning and is all over the local television news...it is awesome to have the Iowa permanently docked in my home town.

#4: Re: BB-61 Iowa's last journey photos Author: pvt_Grunt, Location: Melbourne, Australia

Posted: Thu May 31, 2012 9:16 am
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I toured the HMS Belfast when I was in London, only a cruiser though so you win.

#5: Re: BB-61 Iowa's last journey photos Author: ke_mechial,

Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2012 9:14 am
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Great Photos... Thanks...!

#6: Re: BB-61 Iowa's last journey photos Author: AT_Stalky,

Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2012 5:19 pm
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Thank for photos Grunt.

Its good its becoming a museum.

#7: Re: BB-61 Iowa's last journey photos Author: dj,

Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2012 6:14 pm
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I wonder if there are any Battleships left in Europe? The Royal Navy maybe has one left?

The Iowa looked amazing shown on High-Def television taken from cameras at sea level on small boats. They had a team of divers cleaning the hull in preps before docking as museum. The TV cameras on small boats really gave a good perspective of how massive the Battleship is.

As I recall only the Japanese made larger Battleship than these late-war U.S. ships. The Bismark was probably about the same size but introduced very early in the war so outclassed anything the Brits had at that time.

#8: Re: BB-61 Iowa's last journey photos Author: US_Brake, Location: USA

Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2012 4:13 pm
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Link

I was a Radioman aboard the USS New Jersey from 1989 until it's decommission in 1991.

I served on the most decorated Battleship in the history of the United States. It wasn't until years later that I became the most decorated Close Combat III player in the history of the United States. Laughing

#9: Re: BB-61 Iowa's last journey photos Author: johnsilver, Location: Florida

Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2012 10:36 pm
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Quote:

I was a Radioman aboard the USS New Jersey from 1989 until it's decommission in 1991.

Seriously? I often wondered through the years, including when used to play H2H back in the glory days how many fellow swabbies there were amongst us..

I too was a "Sparks" onboard the USS Engage (MSO 433) 1979-83 and USS Frank Cable AS-40 1983.

JS

#10: Re: BB-61 Iowa's last journey photos Author: US_Brake, Location: USA

Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2012 11:30 pm
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hey John.

Yes, I got to go on one Westpac Cruise in 90-91 Aleutian Islands, Korea, PI, Hong Kong, Singapore, Straits of Hormuz, UAE, Bahrain, Thailand, Singapore, PI, Guam, Pearl Harbor Hawaii, then back to Longbeach Ca.

#11: Re: BB-61 Iowa's last journey photos Author: ronson, Location: England

Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2012 11:03 am
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dj wrote (View Post):

I wonder if there are any Battleships left in Europe? The Royal Navy maybe has one left?

The only remaining RN ship of this time is HMS Belfast, a town class light cruiser. this is fully restored and moored between London bridge and Tower bridge on the south bank of the Thames in London.
As far as I know its open to visitors every day of the year, apart from Christmas period, but check with the Imperial War Museum before visiting just to be sure.

All the battleships of the period were scrapped, the majority before 1950, with only the KGV class living on until the end of the 50's, when they too were broken up.

Cheers
Ronson

#12: Re: BB-61 Iowa's last journey photos Author: johnsilver, Location: Florida

Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2012 8:52 pm
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Hi Brake,

Sounds like you had more "fun" than I did. The Sweeper I was on was built during the Korean war and was not in the best of shape, attached to a USNR unit actually and we were the full time crew.

Did manage to see many nice Caribbean locales, Panama, Guantanamo Bay, Mexico. Then the ship was used extensively in the Mariel boatlift and this will sound odd for some of you history buffs and maybe not to others.. But we actually pulled in a couple of mines adrift.. Left over from the war.. Bales of marijuana from probable drug runners thinking we were a CG Cutter and tossing them over board.

Then the nice fishing off of the fan tail in the evenings.. That was always the best part..

Many years after got out, went onboard one of those fancy new hybrid fiberglass hulled MSO's that came to Port of Tampa that was open for visitation. It was like a floating palace as compared to that old wooden hulled relic of years past, with most of the crew's sleeping bunks forward, 4 tall. Rough seas and nobody slept. Nothing you don't know about if ever served on a small ship with a shallow draft.

I do miss it sometimes and think back often, as can tell.

JS

#13: Re: BB-61 Iowa's last journey photos Author: US_Brake, Location: USA

Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2012 10:28 pm
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I once asked the Admiral, "what his favorite cruise was" he said, caribbean.

#14: Re: BB-61 Iowa's last journey photos Author: dj,

Posted: Sat Aug 11, 2012 3:58 pm
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What was it like on board the NJ when the big guns fired? Obviously the gunners in the turret wear earplugs and gear for protection. But on the bridge or other parts of the ship it still must have been intense.

I did some research and found that the Bismarck was actually larger than the Iowa class...along with the Japanese super battleship Yamamoto.

#15: Re: BB-61 Iowa's last journey photos Author: US_Brake, Location: USA

Posted: Sat Aug 11, 2012 4:45 pm
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Link

I put on ear protection and stood on deck next to the 16'' guns when they fired. Intense shock and heat wave. Definitely rocks you to the core. After that, I made my way back inside the ship. LOL Shocked

#16: Re: BB-61 Iowa's last journey photos Author: dj,

Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2012 4:54 am
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Brake is legit. That's amazing...last remaining WWII Battleships still served all the way until the 90's. Wondering if it is more economical to keep these as floating coastal artillery support vs the cost of deploying Air to Surface missiles, helo's or other options.

Must really be terrifying to face the wrath of these heavy guns. I spoke with a WWII veteran that operated landing craft in Italy. He told me how much they hated getting shelled by the big German coastal artillery. After all these years he still could barely even talk about it, brought back painful memories.

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