The Battle of Surigoa Straight is really epic. A Japanese fleet steams up towards the repaired and refloated battleships sunk or damaged at Pearl Harbour and those ships get their final revenge.
Surigao Strait : The total shells fired per battleship: Appendix US Battleship Ammunition at Surigao Strait Ship Capacity Total On-Board AP HC Rounds Expended (all AP) West Virginia 800 375 200 175 93 Maryland 800 685 240 445 48 California 1200 318 240 78 63 Tennessee 1200 664 396 268 69 Mississippi 1200 744 201 543 12 Pennsylvania 1200 453 360 93 Did not fire Data from "Two Ocean War" by S.E. Morrison. The Cruisers fired well over 2000 rounds of 6 inch and 8 inch shells. U.S.S. Louisville fired 333 rounds of 8 inch shells.
@@model-man7802 Thank you to your dad for his service - a part of the greatest generation too! Those service men went through events that we will never have to go through. Take care!
Nishimura was, from all accounts, a gruff, unimaginative sort who wasn't much for making plans, believing he could just sort of bull through whatever came his way. Of course, not even the tactical genius of Ozawa or Yamamoto could've overcome the force imbalance toward which he was steaming. Some days you're the windshield, and some days you're the bug.
@@paulspahn4529 As a mountaineer (A native West Virginian, for the uncultured) i would prefer if he used "The West Virginia Hills" or "West Virginia, My Sweet Home". Both are and have been state anthems.
I couldn't imagine being a Pearl Harbor for the weeks after the attack. Hearing the pounding coming from those ships and not being able to rescue the trapped sailors. To hear the pounding get less and less as time went on. It would drive me crazy with sadness and heartbreak
It is terrible, if I remember correctly when USS Oklahoma was rolled over, and crew went in to prep the ship for being towed out to sea, the found a group of men locked in part of the ship and according the the calendar they left, they survived until December 23, 1941 EDIT: It was actually West Virginia. NOT Oklahoma.
@@Cpt_Boony_Hat You're right, It was West Virginia. I remember hearing the story but for some reason I thought it was Oklahoma. But after looking it up yes it was West Virginia, A link to both Wikipedia which references it, and another source with slightly more detail. Really sad no one wanted to be on guard duty next to West Virginia because days/weeks after the attack they could still hear men banging on the hull trying to someones attention so they could rescue them, though there was nothing they could do to save them. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_West_Virginia_(BB-48)#Pearl_Harbor (Last paragraph before the "Repairs and Modernization" section) www.warhistoryonline.com/featured/pearl-harbor-16-days-to-die.html
I know that. Someone was mentioning torps as AA, and I only said that'd only work if the "torpedoes" in question are actually missiles used by a space fleet or something.
Doris Miller served aboard the West Virginia during the attack in Pearl Harbor. His efforts in the attack landed him a navy cross, and it was recently announced that CVN -81, the fourth Ford class carrier will bear his name!
Because the battle damage to West Virginia was so extensive she wasn't recommissioned until September of 1944. As a result, she was fitted with the most modern radars available. A combination of her SO-13 and brand new SK-2 radars allowed her to detect the Japanese fleet sailing down the Surigao Strait at a distance of 34 miles against the clutter of the many small islands in the strait, long before the other vessels in the task force. When the Japanese came in range. the West Virginia, using her improved Mark 8 fire control radar combined with the SO-13 was able to fire her first salvo at almost 13 miles from her target, the Japanese battleship Yamashiro, scoring a direct hit with at least one round. It is reputed to be the longest hit by one ship against another in the dark during the entire war.The other two slightly longer range hits during the war both happned in daylight.
@@SamsonCheung Yes, all the Pearl Harbor battleships with the exception of Mississippi got a chance to get their licks in that day. She had the oldest fire control radar of the group and was unable to come up with a firing solution until seconds after Adm Olendorf ordered a ceasefire. Even though her single 12 gun salvo didn't hit anything, it was the last salvo ever fired at another battleship. Seems somehow fitting that this was the last battleship versus battleship fight in history.
My grandfather was on the team that installed the new electronics and radar. When he went to enlist after his cousin died in Guada Canal the war department tried to convince him that he was more valuable to the war effort not enlisting.
If there is a club for US Battleships that have run aground in friendly waters, I’d like to think HMS Warspite was given an honorary membership. I mean, we liked Churchill so much we made him an honorary US citizen, so it would make a lot of sense.
Ender He makes constant subtle jibes at EVERYONE, his own country included. It’s called a “dry sense of humor”. You’re taking offense to non-existent insults.
My favorite U.S. Battleships based on appearance alone. Those clipper bows looked amazing. It's too bad they weren't a hundred feet longer and 6 knots faster.
I have to be honest I prefer the look of the Iowas, but the look of the rebuilt WV is just fantastic in my opinion. It looks like the Navy took a page out of the Brit's book on modernizing and stripped her of all the needless stuff - making her look solid and ready to lay down with the best of them.
@@marckyle5895 yup. I just meant that effectively all we did was hack off everything off of the hull minus the turrets and then just build new; which is what the Brits did with all of their major modernizations until they ran out of funds like that one QE - the name escapes me right now, but it basically still had it's WW1 superstructure due to lack of funding and was the least overhauled.
Japan: I sunk your battleship!!!! America:......I revive her and build 20 carriers!!!! Japan:....Wait...T.. that's not how the game work, you can't do that!!! America: no YOU can't do that, I can do whatever the hell I want.
Yamamoto knew very well that could happen. Their only chance was what Americans call "shock and awe". They achieved the shock, but anger rather than awe.
@@christosvoskresye true, Yamamoto was looking for a decisive victory, he need to destroy the carriers if he had beaten the carriers they could have lasted another year on rampage to bring in the oil and resources from Indonesia to build a fleet capable of going toe to toe. When he died, the old guard took back control and went back to the battleship mindset. Even their biggest carrier, was re purposed as a support carrier, to carry planes to other carriers. Japan just, didnt have the time or the industrial capacity to rage a war against the US. Pearl harbor should have been called off when the carriers were not sighted, and waited 3 more days for their return from midway, dropping off planes. They also should have hit the dry docks and fuel, would have had a long lasting effect, as the only ship not salvaged from pearl harbor was the arizona and the Monahan, i think
"West Virginia was sold into scarp" -- how about following up with the story of how the scrap yards dealt with the retired warships of all countries and the work involved with this ?
The poster child for "you can cut me up for biscuit tins but I'll make you WORK for it" is HMS Warspite, who, contrary to the last, jammed herself up off the Cornish coast and made the breakers come to her! :D Then of course there was (what was left of) USS Oklahoma, who broke her tow and foundered in the middle of the Pacific, like 'I"m FREE! I'M FREE!!! Haha! Bye, suckers!"
USS Brooklyn ( O'Higgins ) sank herself while being towed to India. I like to think ships would rather sink than endure that degrading slide up onto the scrapping beach. Not all of them go quietly!
Love the WeeVee Capt. Bennion from pearl harbor was buried near my home in Salt Lake City after receiving the Medal of Honor posthumously for his actions at Pearl Harbor. I try and visit him on December 7th and got to this year. Love this episode. the West Virginia is one of the ships I absolutely think should have been saved as a war memorial. Sank at Pearl Harbor, resurrected into a bigger, meaner, tougher ship and had a vital role in the last battleship on battleship fight in history.
@Old Iron Nice. One thing about making it a museum ship is by the time it was removed from the list by the navy there were not a lot that could be done to take it on a trip all the way around south america to the east coast. This assuredly doomed any attempt to do so.
@Old Iron true I think Annapolis is the closest spot. Still makes me sad. But then I think most notable ships should be preserved. Of course looking at how USS Texas is rusting away that really isn't always feasible
@@justinarchibald3857 Portland, OR. would have been a good spot; after giving BB3, the USS Oregon (museum ship) back to the USN, who stripped her down to a floating hulk as an ammunition barge, stationed her in Guam for the duration of the Pacific war, then scrapped her remains... to Japan.
Thank you for this video. I had an Uncle (Mother side) on the Wee Vee at Pearl Harbor. He lived. After she was put back in service, my Uncle (Father side) was aboard her at the Battle of Surigao Strait. So this ship has a place in the hearts of my family. Again, Thanks.
My father served on the West Virginia from the summer of 1941 until December7th 1941. Dad told me lots of stories about the attack. None very pleasent. He, also, had stories of pre-attack history. After the attack dad was stationed on the USS Salt Lake City.
My wife's grandfather served aboard Arizona in the late 20s/early 30s. Right after Pearl Harbor he went and re-enlisted, and spent the entire war aboard New Mexico.
Captain Boony Hat Thats the story that parents are told on WVU orientation tours. Some people actually believe it. The bell from the first USS West Virginia (ACR-5) is also non the WVU campus. When the battleship was built the cruiser was renamed USS Huntington.
I think this class, though not the biggest, are among the best looking battleships built. They combine the elegance and power of a battleship while being pleasing on the eye. Even the late cage mast look good to me. When she got the 5" turrets and the new superstructure, that was the selling point. An early treaty battleship that outgunned a Bismarck, had better accuracy then a Nagato and was more stately in appearance then a Vanguard. While, late war, having a better AA battery then all of them. The simple step behind the Tennessee class of adding the 16" guns was beautiful. It added to the symmetry and the clipper bow was something that was dated, but very elegant. HMS Hood would be my other pick for the best looking ship.
My Uncle, Matt Matherly was part of the crew of the West Virgirna including the wrestling team. He was know as Wee Vee becuase of his size. Uncle Matt was the 1937 "All Service" Wrestling Champion (118 Class). I have his championship trophy and many of his Navy items, ribbons, ID cards, boards, hat band with emblem. Some of his items are very interesting, especally the Japanesse script that looks like American money used in places like the Phillipians (It's clear marked as Japanesse). Uncle Matt rose from Seaman to Warrant Office 2nd. Uncle Matt had been transfered from the West Virigina just prior to her being moved to Pearl Harbor. He was in the South Pacific when the war broke out and was later sent home to make ready the USS Iowa for commissioning.
Excellent! Even more pleased that you're back in business again. Please don't exhaust yourself; we'll still be around even if you take a couple of weeks on your back.
At least she was out of sight of flag officers quarters, or worse yet, the ARMY, when she did it. Unlike some OTHER BBs I could name (*cough*cough*) :D
Lynnhaven shoals is a tricky area, you don’t have to be a BB to get into trouble there, I was riding a DLG in the 70s that managed to grab some sand and nearly get into some serious trouble there. It seemed as if that was about the location that we secured the sea and anchor detail and during the turnover to the standard watch, minor items would be missed, normally harmless but if conditions were just right (or wrong) you could hear the “AwShit” launched on the bridge all the way into CIC! Id think it was not common, but certainly not rare!
Amazing video of an beautiful vessel . My grandfather served aboard her as an officer from mid till end of the war and while he had passed away before I was born, my family still keeps his personal memoirs of the time. He was close by when the Kamikaze attack hit the ship and we even have a small shard of metal from that very aircraft which he had kept as a reminder.
My Dad served on the WeeVee as well. He was transferred to her as soon as she was fit for battle in '44. He was in the Main Battery Plot, serving on her until the day before the Japanese surrender. I have his firing logs from the Battle of Leyte Gulf. Your Grandfather, my Dad, and all those who served on BB48 deserve our respect.
I think it’s very inspirational that the “Wee Vee” was refloated, repaired, and made a substantial contribution to the war effort. I am particularly inspired by the bravery of the me doing fire control and counter-flooding which, although the ship was to sink, positioned her to be raised to fight again.
Served. Killed in action, while in Port. Rezzed by ship healers, themselves fueled by fanatic outrage, she re-entered the fight and carried it right to the enemy's shores. If a ship could talk, what would she say?
Thank you for this story. I've been asking for a long time, but had not realized that you had made this episode way back in 2018. I also liked your trilogy on the salvage operations at Pearl Harbor.
I love your videos. Always informative especially when you use your voice rather than the computer voice. One thing that did get me about this video was the reference to the 5 in 38 twin mounts is being turrets. In the usn unarmored or very lightly armored gun enclosure is referred to as a mount. As in Mount 5-2 mount 5-6 mount 40-2. The first number would refer to its size the second it's location, fore to aft, port side even numbers. This enabled people to very quickly identify the caliber, location, and number of the mount. Any aircraft guns usually had one phone talker / gun tub, which in a tub with 4 20 mm he would do all the communications for those guns.
Hope your feeling better, hospitals are so depressing! The food gives a whole new meaning to mystery meat! Always thought it would make a great horror Story!
I came across a color video that was shot in early 1942, primarily covering the raising of WeeVee. Lots of detailed closeups, but oddly edited out of sequence, the first part is moving her into drydock, while raising her is late in the video. Many other ships are shown, including tug Hoga, now a museum ship, as well as street scenes. One thing noticeable in the video was sealing all the portholes in the hull to facilitate pumping her out. It looks like after refit, they progressively eliminated the portholes. In April 1943, the lower row was gone, in July 1944, they were all gone. Later US ships were notable by their lack of hull portholes, probably a factor in better US damage control. An aside, I've been to West Virginia many times, you get sick of that song 24/7 in the touristy areas. Search for "Pearl Harbor spring 1942".
This might sound silly, but i would have mothballed the new ships and sailed the older ones for a while, saving my newest ships for as long as I could. And scraping the Big E, was just wrong.
I too love the clipper bows of the these ships and in particular, the rebuild of Tennessee, California, and West Virginia made them look similar to the South Dakota class above deck level. Fitting that these ships were part of the battle line at Surigao Strait.
According to his action report regarding 12/7/41, the first officer on the WV (Roscoe H. Hillenkoetter) spent the time of the attack leading firefighting efforts aft, and did not abandon ship until after the order was given. Whether or not that was his place during an attack and not on the bridge beside his captain while he was fighting his ship, I was not in the Navy and could not say.
USS West Virginia had two famous names from the Pearl Harbor Attack - the ship's captain, Mervyn Bennion, and one of its stewards, Doris "Dorie" Miller. Captain Bennion was mortally wounded during the attack, but refused to leave his post where he succumbed to his wounds and would earn the Medal of Honor. Doris Miller would become the first black American to win the Navy Cross when he manned an anti-aircraft gun.
Need to do a video on the USS Proteus (AS-19) sun tender. Represented SUBPAC 7 during Japan surrender. Keel laid in I believe 1944. Very interesting history.
Years ago, a fellow told me his dad was on the WV. I said, “didn’t it sink at Pearl Harbor?” He said his dad was just sitting down to breakfast when the attack began.
When can running your ship aground NOT cause you to be relieved from Command? When the way to communicate with your engine room and steering room both break down at the same time causing a virtually complete loss of any control of your ship.
Excellent video! How about the Dixie class destroyer tenders? Specifically, the USS Yosemite, partially because she served through the Gulf War and was decommissioned only after fifty years of service.
May I suggest HMS Duke of York and HIS Victorious. The former for sinking the Scharnhorst and the first ceremonial sunset in Tokyo bay after the Japanese surrender, the latter for a distinguished career in both the Royal and United States Navies. BZ.
My grandfather was on the USS West Virginia after it was rebuilt. After Pearl Harbor. I still have a black and white picture of the West Virginia and her crew.
Holy crap , that story about the trapped men in the store room is utterly terrifying, especially when you consider it must have been pitch black unless they had cigarette lighters or something similar whose fuel would be rather limited in any event. As terrible as the fate of those men trapped in Oklahoma was, there is some sort of existential dread about this situation that crawls up my back.
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The Battle of Surigoa Straight is really epic. A Japanese fleet steams up towards the repaired and refloated battleships sunk or damaged at Pearl Harbour and those ships get their final revenge.
How fitting is that !!!
Surigao Strait
:
The total shells fired per battleship:
Appendix
US Battleship Ammunition at Surigao Strait
Ship Capacity Total On-Board AP HC Rounds Expended
(all AP)
West Virginia 800 375 200 175 93
Maryland 800 685 240 445 48
California 1200 318 240 78 63
Tennessee 1200 664 396 268 69
Mississippi 1200 744 201 543 12
Pennsylvania 1200 453 360 93 Did not fire
Data from "Two Ocean War" by S.E. Morrison.
The Cruisers fired well over 2000 rounds of 6 inch and 8 inch shells.
U.S.S. Louisville fired 333 rounds of 8 inch shells.
@@tonytrotta9322 yep,dad was on California and he told me 63 rounds in 16min.👍
@@model-man7802 Thank you to your dad for his service - a part of the greatest generation too! Those service men went through events that we will never have to go through. Take care!
Nishimura was, from all accounts, a gruff, unimaginative sort who wasn't much for making plans, believing he could just sort of bull through whatever came his way. Of course, not even the tactical genius of Ozawa or Yamamoto could've overcome the force imbalance toward which he was steaming. Some days you're the windshield, and some days you're the bug.
The ship didn’t have guns, it had large, cylindrical speakers blasting country roads at the enemies.
Lol 😂
Old Towne Load
For once I'm actually disappointed that he did not play this at the beginning of the video
I came here to find a comment like this, and I'm leaving satisfied! :P
@@paulspahn4529 As a mountaineer (A native West Virginian, for the uncultured) i would prefer if he used "The West Virginia Hills" or "West Virginia, My Sweet Home". Both are and have been state anthems.
Trapped underwater knowing no one will save you is a horrible way to go, one cant even imagine the desperation those poor souls experienced.
I couldn't imagine being a Pearl Harbor for the weeks after the attack. Hearing the pounding coming from those ships and not being able to rescue the trapped sailors. To hear the pounding get less and less as time went on. It would drive me crazy with sadness and heartbreak
It is terrible, if I remember correctly when USS Oklahoma was rolled over, and crew went in to prep the ship for being towed out to sea, the found a group of men locked in part of the ship and according the the calendar they left, they survived until December 23, 1941 EDIT: It was actually West Virginia. NOT Oklahoma.
Tyransorous I thought that story was from thr West Virginia not Oklahoma
@@Cpt_Boony_Hat You're right, It was West Virginia. I remember hearing the story but for some reason I thought it was Oklahoma. But after looking it up yes it was West Virginia, A link to both Wikipedia which references it, and another source with slightly more detail. Really sad no one wanted to be on guard duty next to West Virginia because days/weeks after the attack they could still hear men banging on the hull trying to someones attention so they could rescue them, though there was nothing they could do to save them.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_West_Virginia_(BB-48)#Pearl_Harbor (Last paragraph before the "Repairs and Modernization" section)
www.warhistoryonline.com/featured/pearl-harbor-16-days-to-die.html
@@TEHSTONEDPUMPKIN ; Poor bastards.
Yes, I too like having torpedo tubes to round out my AA armarnent.
Submersible float planes are a real killer
If those "torpedoes" were actually missiles in a space fleet and not a blue water navy, then sure.
@@typehere6689
No, just normal torpedoes. Not the Battlestar Galactica or BD Armory type. As noted above, it's to defeat submersible float planes.
@@klobiforpresident2254 BD Armory ha
I know that. Someone was mentioning torps as AA, and I only said that'd only work if the "torpedoes" in question are actually missiles used by a space fleet or something.
Doris Miller served aboard the West Virginia during the attack in Pearl Harbor. His efforts in the attack landed him a navy cross, and it was recently announced that CVN -81, the fourth Ford class carrier will bear his name!
And CVN-80 will be christened 'USS Enterprise'. Maybe the folks in the Navy realized how much history they scrapped and are doing what they can.
That's perfect! I have always found Mr. Miller's story fascinating. And, finally, we're getting a new Enterprise!!! Whoop, whoop, whoop!
Love how she came back and was a decisive player on one of the only battleship brawls of WW2
“If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.” --- Obi-Wan Kenobi
Because the battle damage to West Virginia was so extensive she wasn't recommissioned until September of 1944. As a result, she was fitted with the most modern radars available. A combination of her SO-13 and brand new SK-2 radars allowed her to detect the Japanese fleet sailing down the Surigao Strait at a distance of 34 miles against the clutter of the many small islands in the strait, long before the other vessels in the task force. When the Japanese came in range. the West Virginia, using her improved Mark 8 fire control radar combined with the SO-13 was able to fire her first salvo at almost 13 miles from her target, the Japanese battleship Yamashiro, scoring a direct hit with at least one round. It is reputed to be the longest hit by one ship against another in the dark during the entire war.The other two slightly longer range hits during the war both happned in daylight.
That was sweet revenge for Pearl Harbor.
@@SamsonCheung Yes, all the Pearl Harbor battleships with the exception of Mississippi got a chance to get their licks in that day. She had the oldest fire control radar of the group and was unable to come up with a firing solution until seconds after Adm Olendorf ordered a ceasefire. Even though her single 12 gun salvo didn't hit anything, it was the last salvo ever fired at another battleship. Seems somehow fitting that this was the last battleship versus battleship fight in history.
My grandfather was on the team that installed the new electronics and radar. When he went to enlist after his cousin died in Guada Canal the war department tried to convince him that he was more valuable to the war effort not enlisting.
She actually outshot the Iowas by some margin.
That is an impressive tale. But she hit the Yamashiro (from 13 miles, at night) with her *first* salvo! Hell yah!
West Virginia: "Hey Japan, remember when you sank me?...Well I"m baack!"
Honnny imm baaaackkk
West Virginia: HELLO BOYS IM BACCCKKKK
west Virginia : my death was... greatly exaggerated
japan meanwhile : ofc not this again
West Virginia was like the killer in a slasher film; it just won’t stay down.
If there is a club for US Battleships that have run aground in friendly waters, I’d like to think HMS Warspite was given an honorary membership. I mean, we liked Churchill so much we made him an honorary US citizen, so it would make a lot of sense.
His mother hailed from Brooklyn... Making him immediately eligible for citizenship.
So tired of this wankers constant subtle jibes at the US.
Ender He makes constant subtle jibes at EVERYONE, his own country included. It’s called a “dry sense of humor”. You’re taking offense to non-existent insults.
Also named a DDG after him, USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG-81).
US Navy ship naming controversies:
news.usni.org/2013/04/23/twenty-six-us-navy-ship-naming-controversies
My favorite U.S. Battleships based on appearance alone. Those clipper bows looked amazing.
It's too bad they weren't a hundred feet longer and 6 knots faster.
27kn. turboelectric with clipper bow. Me likey.
I have to be honest I prefer the look of the Iowas, but the look of the rebuilt WV is just fantastic in my opinion. It looks like the Navy took a page out of the Brit's book on modernizing and stripped her of all the needless stuff - making her look solid and ready to lay down with the best of them.
@@HaddaClu It was basically the South Dakota's superstructure and funnel. They wanted clear arcs of fire for all the new dakka-dakka.
@@marckyle5895 yup. I just meant that effectively all we did was hack off everything off of the hull minus the turrets and then just build new; which is what the Brits did with all of their major modernizations until they ran out of funds like that one QE - the name escapes me right now, but it basically still had it's WW1 superstructure due to lack of funding and was the least overhauled.
Wonder what went through the Japanese heads, besides 16 inch shells, when they saw a large number of the USN ships sunk at Pearl, back in action.
It was momentary!
Probably didn't know exactly what was shooting at them. All they knew is that it was a hell of a lot of big guns.
@@spikespa5208 Yeah, it was like, "Today's vocabulary word is 'disparity'."
@@spikespa5208they were probably saying "Who is shooting at us? We don't see any ships!"
Japan: I sunk your battleship!!!!
America:......I revive her and build 20 carriers!!!!
Japan:....Wait...T.. that's not how the game work, you can't do that!!!
America: no YOU can't do that, I can do whatever the hell I want.
Big deal Japan you sunk and destroyed three battleships. But remember we sunk and destroyed your entire fleet. And laughed while we did so
Japan: You can't!
America: I just did!
Yamamoto knew very well that could happen. Their only chance was what Americans call "shock and awe". They achieved the shock, but anger rather than awe.
@@christosvoskresye true, Yamamoto was looking for a decisive victory, he need to destroy the carriers if he had beaten the carriers they could have lasted another year on rampage to bring in the oil and resources from Indonesia to build a fleet capable of going toe to toe. When he died, the old guard took back control and went back to the battleship mindset.
Even their biggest carrier, was re purposed as a support carrier, to carry planes to other carriers.
Japan just, didnt have the time or the industrial capacity to rage a war against the US. Pearl harbor should have been called off when the carriers were not sighted, and waited 3 more days for their return from midway, dropping off planes. They also should have hit the dry docks and fuel, would have had a long lasting effect, as the only ship not salvaged from pearl harbor was the arizona and the Monahan, i think
@@Robert53area Arizona, Utah, and Oklahoma were the only ones we truly lost. The rest returned to action..... Eventually.
"West Virginia was sold into scarp" -- how about following up with the story of how the scrap yards dealt with the retired warships of all countries and the work involved with this ?
The poster child for "you can cut me up for biscuit tins but I'll make you WORK for it" is HMS Warspite, who, contrary to the last, jammed herself up off the Cornish coast and made the breakers come to her! :D
Then of course there was (what was left of) USS Oklahoma, who broke her tow and foundered in the middle of the Pacific, like 'I"m FREE! I'M FREE!!! Haha! Bye, suckers!"
USS Brooklyn ( O'Higgins ) sank herself while being towed to India. I like to think ships would rather sink than endure that degrading slide up onto the scrapping beach. Not all of them go quietly!
You aren't dead!! glad you are okay.
Barnacles scraped
Tho she did witness her battle ship Allied U.S.S Arizona get killed right in front of her .. r.i.p Arizona 😞
Šx_Rāžør ! She stayed in the fight aboard Nevada so
Love the WeeVee Capt. Bennion from pearl harbor was buried near my home in Salt Lake City after receiving the Medal of Honor posthumously for his actions at Pearl Harbor. I try and visit him on December 7th and got to this year.
Love this episode. the West Virginia is one of the ships I absolutely think should have been saved as a war memorial. Sank at Pearl Harbor, resurrected into a bigger, meaner, tougher ship and had a vital role in the last battleship on battleship fight in history.
@Old Iron Nice. One thing about making it a museum ship is by the time it was removed from the list by the navy there were not a lot that could be done to take it on a trip all the way around south america to the east coast. This assuredly doomed any attempt to do so.
@Old Iron true I think Annapolis is the closest spot. Still makes me sad. But then I think most notable ships should be preserved. Of course looking at how USS Texas is rusting away that really isn't always feasible
all i could think about while visiting is those poor people who got trapped in airtight bubbles inside the ship
Justin Archibald: You are a good person for that.
@@justinarchibald3857 Portland, OR. would have been a good spot; after giving BB3, the USS Oregon (museum ship) back to the USN, who stripped her down to a floating hulk as an ammunition barge, stationed her in Guam for the duration of the Pacific war, then scrapped her remains... to Japan.
Those clipper bows on the later standards that got refit definitely looked elegant
Post refit standard battleships with the dual 5inch 38s are the most beautiful things my eyes have ever seen.
Thank you for this video. I had an Uncle (Mother side) on the Wee Vee at Pearl Harbor. He lived. After she was put back in service, my Uncle (Father side) was aboard her at the Battle of Surigao Strait. So this ship has a place in the hearts of my family. Again, Thanks.
My father served on the West Virginia from the summer of 1941 until December7th 1941. Dad told me lots of stories about the attack. None very pleasent. He, also, had stories of pre-attack history. After the attack dad was stationed on the USS Salt Lake City.
My wife's grandfather served aboard Arizona in the late 20s/early 30s. Right after Pearl Harbor he went and re-enlisted, and spent the entire war aboard New Mexico.
Her rebuild made her a beautiful ship! She had some fine lines to her!
I know which song will be stuck in my head today...
Good you are back!
WVU has the WV’s mast on campus
Yes, nice memorial, been there
That's pretty damn cool. I love smaller memorial things like that since their like an Easter egg hunt
It not just the mast the entire ship is below it buried under Oglebay Hall
@@Cpt_Boony_Hat lol
Captain Boony Hat Thats the story that parents are told on WVU orientation tours. Some people actually believe it. The bell from the first USS West Virginia (ACR-5) is also non the WVU campus. When the battleship was built the cruiser was renamed USS Huntington.
I think this class, though not the biggest, are among the best looking battleships built. They combine the elegance and power of a battleship while being pleasing on the eye. Even the late cage mast look good to me. When she got the 5" turrets and the new superstructure, that was the selling point. An early treaty battleship that outgunned a Bismarck, had better accuracy then a Nagato and was more stately in appearance then a Vanguard. While, late war, having a better AA battery then all of them. The simple step behind the Tennessee class of adding the 16" guns was beautiful. It added to the symmetry and the clipper bow was something that was dated, but very elegant. HMS Hood would be my other pick for the best looking ship.
The Wee Vee !!!!!! One of the most beloved battleships ever in the US Navy. Love your videos, keep it up. Glad you are on the mend.
Sees the title:
*COUNTY ROADS... TAKE ME HOME...*
That song will now forever remind my of the failure than is fallout 76
This song was ruined by Fallout 76
@@ironstarofmordian7098 What is fallout 76?
I can see a tsunami coming =))
@@huynhxuanviet9818 RT choose the best song to use
4:02
One of my favorite battleship photos EVER.
Sees the title:
*A tornado has touched down in the area, take shelter immediately if any is available!*
No! Not the poop volcano!
WE DONT EVEN HAVE TORNADOS. ALSO WHO SPPROVED THIS STUPID INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT
**USS West Virginia appears atop a mighty poop tsunami and starts firing 16-inch meteors**
I hate that video so much.
A man of culture
My Uncle, Matt Matherly was part of the crew of the West Virgirna including the wrestling team. He was know as Wee Vee becuase of his size. Uncle Matt was the 1937 "All Service" Wrestling Champion (118 Class). I have his championship trophy and many of his Navy items, ribbons, ID cards, boards, hat band with emblem. Some of his items are very interesting, especally the Japanesse script that looks like American money used in places like the Phillipians (It's clear marked as Japanesse). Uncle Matt rose from Seaman to Warrant Office 2nd. Uncle Matt had been transfered from the West Virigina just prior to her being moved to Pearl Harbor. He was in the South Pacific when the war broke out and was later sent home to make ready the USS Iowa for commissioning.
Thank you for the insight into this ship. Great listening that was when ships looked so mind blowing.
The best uss with "take me home" volleys that blasted the enemies' ears clean off
Excellent! Even more pleased that you're back in business again.
Please don't exhaust yourself; we'll still be around even if you take a couple of weeks on your back.
American Battleships that ran aground in there own waters club. Not as exclusive as I would have initially hoped.
At least she was out of sight of flag officers quarters, or worse yet, the ARMY, when she did it. Unlike some OTHER BBs I could name (*cough*cough*) :D
Lynnhaven shoals is a tricky area, you don’t have to be a BB to get into trouble there, I was riding a DLG in the 70s that managed to grab some sand and nearly get into some serious trouble there. It seemed as if that was about the location that we secured the sea and anchor detail and during the turnover to the standard watch, minor items would be missed, normally harmless but if conditions were just right (or wrong) you could hear the “AwShit” launched on the bridge all the way into CIC! Id think it was not common, but certainly not rare!
The mast of the ship is now on display on the campus of WVU, and the ship's bell is in a museum in the state capital.
One of her Bofors is in Parkersburg.
Amazing video of an beautiful vessel . My grandfather served aboard her as an officer from mid till end of the war and while he had passed away before I was born, my family still keeps his personal memoirs of the time. He was close by when the Kamikaze attack hit the ship and we even have a small shard of metal from that very aircraft which he had kept as a reminder.
My Dad served on the WeeVee as well. He was transferred to her as soon as she was fit for battle in '44. He was in the Main Battery Plot, serving on her until the day before the Japanese surrender. I have his firing logs from the Battle of Leyte Gulf. Your Grandfather, my Dad, and all those who served on BB48 deserve our respect.
I think it’s very inspirational that the “Wee Vee” was refloated, repaired, and made a substantial contribution to the war effort. I am particularly inspired by the bravery of the me doing fire control and counter-flooding which, although the ship was to sink, positioned her to be raised to fight again.
They were really tough looking ships; purpose built killing machines. A handsome class of battleship.
Served. Killed in action, while in Port. Rezzed by ship healers, themselves fueled by fanatic outrage, she re-entered the fight and carried it right to the enemy's shores. If a ship could talk, what would she say?
"I'm still alive and kicking Japanese butt bitches!"
Should have checked for a pulse, dumb**s!
"Hello Boys! IM BAAAACK!"
I’m back to chew gum and kick more ass...and what do you know, I’m all out of gum....
Outstanding.
I’m from Morgantown WV. The bell and Mast of the WeVi is in my hometown to this day.
Many things came out of the fleet problem exercise.... like no team killing your cv.
I like the lines of that ship. It’s very sharp looking.
This only reminds me of WG selling an early and late war refit seperately...
*I AM THE SALT*
They are virtually different ships.
If that annoys wait til you see them now...
Nice to have you back sir!!! 😎
My great-grandpa was a coxswain on her at Pearl.
Glad to see you're back
Need my fix of Drachinfel
Was getting withdraw symptoms
:)
Where is the blast of country roads i expected ?
Nice-looking ship.
Especially after rebuilding.
Run aground, join the club, great stuff!
What a great start to the day! I get a Kraken in my first game of the day and then I notice that you have uploaded a new video. Splendid.
I love the old battle ships they are so beautiful
Glad to see you’re back, but don’t rush yourself! If you need more time, take it.
MOUNTAIN MOMMA!!!!!
Kaga ́s Playground RIP Merlin
The people of West Virginia, apparently feeling the expression "Mountain Momma" to be a bit ignominious, changed the words to "How I love you".
@@MendTheWorld thank you for the info cuz i didnt know that
Also the home of spooky mothman
Imagine if they did commission a ship to serve alongside it named USS Mountain Momma
The job to get her hull repaired was huge . It’s amazing that they were able to do it at all .
Thank you for this story. I've been asking for a long time, but had not realized that you had made this episode way back in 2018. I also liked your trilogy on the salvage operations at Pearl Harbor.
Well done, you are honoring so many ships and crew with your videos.
A piece of her is on display at West Virginia University in Morgantown, WV.
I love your videos. Always informative especially when you use your voice rather than the computer voice. One thing that did get me about this video was the reference to the 5 in 38 twin mounts is being turrets. In the usn unarmored or very lightly armored gun enclosure is referred to as a mount. As in Mount 5-2 mount 5-6 mount 40-2. The first number would refer to its size the second it's location, fore to aft, port side even numbers. This enabled people to very quickly identify the caliber, location, and number of the mount. Any aircraft guns usually had one phone talker / gun tub, which in a tub with 4 20 mm he would do all the communications for those guns.
Good morning form Detroit. Always have loved the Wee Vees
Anthony White p
Hope your feeling better, hospitals are so depressing! The food gives a whole new meaning to mystery meat! Always thought it would make a great horror Story!
I came across a color video that was shot in early 1942, primarily covering the raising of WeeVee. Lots of detailed closeups, but oddly edited out of sequence, the first part is moving her into drydock, while raising her is late in the video. Many other ships are shown, including tug Hoga, now a museum ship, as well as street scenes.
One thing noticeable in the video was sealing all the portholes in the hull to facilitate pumping her out. It looks like after refit, they progressively eliminated the portholes. In April 1943, the lower row was gone, in July 1944, they were all gone.
Later US ships were notable by their lack of hull portholes, probably a factor in better US damage control.
An aside, I've been to West Virginia many times, you get sick of that song 24/7 in the touristy areas.
Search for "Pearl Harbor spring 1942".
Taffy 3? Isn’t that the fleet where the USS Johnston yeeted 2 cruisers out of existence after charging the Japanese?
This might sound silly, but i would have mothballed the new ships and sailed the older ones for a while, saving my newest ships for as long as I could. And scraping the Big E, was just wrong.
That does indeed sound very silly.
I too love the clipper bows of the these ships and in particular, the rebuild of Tennessee, California, and West Virginia made them look similar to the South Dakota class above deck level. Fitting that these ships were part of the battle line at Surigao Strait.
Thank You again Sir-CM3 Ray,CEC, USNR,Atlantic Fleet.
Oh..thats Retirred..erra..erra..lol
Great Video again. Thank you Drachinfel.
According to his action report regarding 12/7/41, the first officer on the WV (Roscoe H. Hillenkoetter) spent the time of the attack leading firefighting efforts aft, and did not abandon ship until after the order was given. Whether or not that was his place during an attack and not on the bridge beside his captain while he was fighting his ship, I was not in the Navy and could not say.
USS West Virginia had two famous names from the Pearl Harbor Attack - the ship's captain, Mervyn Bennion, and one of its stewards, Doris "Dorie" Miller. Captain Bennion was mortally wounded during the attack, but refused to leave his post where he succumbed to his wounds and would earn the Medal of Honor. Doris Miller would become the first black American to win the Navy Cross when he manned an anti-aircraft gun.
Im proud to have this old girl bearing the name of my beloved home state.
A fellow mountaineer?
@@JacobA6464 Aye, Lets Go!
Almost heaven...
Need to do a video on the USS Proteus (AS-19) sun tender. Represented SUBPAC 7 during Japan surrender. Keel laid in I believe 1944. Very interesting history.
welcome back. glad to see you are better
I know this is years ago, but feel better, Drach!
Another riveting episode.
Sounds like you are still mending.
Happy New Year!
I hope this video means you're better.
Years ago, a fellow told me his dad was on the WV. I said, “didn’t it sink at Pearl Harbor?” He said his dad was just sitting down to breakfast when the attack began.
From the main mast forward it has a surprisingly modern look for it's time.
My favourite US battlewagon!
Any chance for one of her sister ship Maryland?
A Brilliant Career!!!
Love these guides!!!!!!
Tosa and Amagi are next.
I'm excited!
I'm glad you're feeling better. And, great video, as always.
I just found this channel and now I have some binge watching to do. Have you done an episode on the Chitose float tender?
just found this one, thanks - but my request still stands that I asked yesterday, just pick one of the surviving Peral Harbor BB's.
When can running your ship aground NOT cause you to be relieved from Command? When the way to communicate with your engine room and steering room both break down at the same time causing a virtually complete loss of any control of your ship.
Good to have you back!
She is fighter and a relentless battleship. Bless all who perched on her and the uss Arizona.😔👍🚢
Excellent video! How about the Dixie class destroyer tenders? Specifically, the USS Yosemite, partially because she served through the Gulf War and was decommissioned only after fifty years of service.
She has one of the best Naval war stories ever survived the sneak attack and then went back to get revenge.
This video is *Almost Heaven*
May I suggest HMS Duke of York and HIS Victorious. The former for sinking the Scharnhorst and the first ceremonial sunset in Tokyo bay after the Japanese surrender, the latter for a distinguished career in both the Royal and United States Navies. BZ.
The mast and bell from the USS West Virginia can still be seen to this day in front of West Virginia University's Woodburn Hall
Thank you I enjoy your site more than any
My grandfather was on the USS West Virginia after it was rebuilt. After Pearl Harbor. I still have a black and white picture of the West Virginia and her crew.
My father also served on The Wee Vee after it was returned to service in 1944 as Fireman 1st Class.
I know you have a long list, but can you add the USS Tisdale and the USS Caribou IX114? My two grandfathers served on those two ships in WWII.
Holy crap , that story about the trapped men in the store room is utterly terrifying, especially when you consider it must have been pitch black unless they had cigarette lighters or something similar whose fuel would be rather limited in any event. As terrible as the fate of those men trapped in Oklahoma was, there is some sort of existential dread about this situation that crawls up my back.
Nice to see or... I guess hear... you're back on your feet.
I love this ship
Thanks for the Video, just in time for Dinner Drach :D
As a follow up, great video, thanks a bunch.
WeeVee and her Tennessee class half-sisters got almost the same sort of superstructure as the South Dakota class, sort of "South Dakota Junior" :D
Dam fine ship...especially for its time