Ryan, I was stationed on the USS Midway CV-41 in the 1980's and, on one occasion we went into drydock to repair a propeller shaft. I examined the propellers closely, since they were removed and on the dock next to the ship and stamped into them was the following: For Use on BB 61 thru 64 & CV 41 thru CV 43. I was wondering if you knew about that and wanted to know if you find it stamped into the USS New Jersey's propellers. Let us know during the drydock period. Thanks for the great videos.
Engine parts, boiler parts, and numerous other parts were used on a host of ships. The same bearings for a IOWA-class battleship could’ve been used on several types of ships that used that size propeller... Some Fletcher-class destroyer parts were interchangeable with IOWA-class parts: gauges, flanges, 5” barbette bearings, hand turn spigots, etc...And if the part wasn’t in stock, our machine shop would make several to factory specs...Also, Mike....Thank you for your service!
Pur display prop at Cod(which was never installed) had quote the wide range of submarine hull numbers it could be fitted too going all the way back to USS Barracuda and up through the Tench class.
When that video was made, a bunch of us yardbirds were on pier 6 working on the USS Missouri. At the time we didn't know that she'd be leaving in less than three months to support Desert Shield.
The same size keel blocks are used for pretty much all large classes of ships. Putting wood on top is actually necessary, because it crushes and conforms to the shape of the hull, thus cushioning the ship and distributing the force of the keel block evenly.
Back in 1964 through 1968, right out of high school, I served my apprenticeship to become a journeyman Shipwright at theS.F.Bay Naval Shipyard at Hunters Point in San Francisco. The last part of the apprenticeship was with the Dock Shipwrights working in the dry docks. Part of this was cutting the cap blocks to the shape of the hull. I was working under a Dockwright who was about to retire. He was an old Italian fellow and quite a character. I remember we were down in the dry dock nailing down the cap blocks and some of them weren’t quite correct, but not far off. I mentioned this to Tony and he looked at me and said with his heavy Italian accent, “Not to worry. The ship she come, she push.” I have never forgotten that. Kind of a life lesson. Unfortunately, after I finished my apprenticeship, my draft deferment expired and was drafted into the army. There I learned electronics and never got back to being a Shipwright. Which was okay, the yard was closed down a few years later.
The only real way to preserve this ship is to build its own dry Dock. It's already heavily pitted through corrosion and many of the keel area plates will likely be half the thickness of new. Throwing huge amounts of money at NJ only to put it back in corrosive salt water is futile..
@@Draxindustries1 it's extremely rare for salt water to intrude up the Delaware up to Camden, N.J.. As in, I think it might've happened once in my over six decades of life. Usually, the worst it gets is up to the Commodore Barry bridge, some 20 miles downriver.
@spvillano Thanks for that info, I didn't know, I'm from the UK. It's just a shame it has to go back into the water at all though. A pity there isn't enough money to restore the NJ in its entirety, its a major part of the USA's history..
Texas also had a lot more extensive repairs needed due to mistakes made when she was originally deactivated and set as a museum ship and again in her drydocking i want to say in the 80s. IIRC, all the drydocking since Texas as made a museum, has been to correct mistakes made when she was originally turned into a museum.
Seems to me seeing what Ryan has shown about New Jersey, and his visits with other ships, has enabled friendly competition between ships and curators by sharing of information and experience. Keep up the good work.
What an absolutely outstanding update. I was one of the many who had the question and never thought to ask it out loud and I love learning about this from you. ☺️👍
One can only learn by actually asking. It's kind of like in an emergency, you don't rely upon others to call 911, you designate someone to call 911 and tell them to. Otherwise, everyone assumes someone has called, or in this case, has asked and was ignored or privately declined.
I think this was an extremely important video, even for the people not deliberately asking for it. In my head, I had basically assumed all of the information that you just put out about it. But, watching the video, I realized that I hadn't really based it on anything more than having seen ships in drydock. In my head, of course you just carve toppers from scrap wood, its cheap, easy, and all you need is to make sure its level on the bottom. But people may have never SEEN that before and wonder how wood could hold battleship
With enough wood, one can hold up pretty much anything. Having room to move around and also not screwing anything up, that's where all the planning comes into play.
Brings back memories. I spent about a year in that very same dry dock when USS Independence CV-62 went through SLEP there in 85-86? when Philly was still a Navy Base. CV-62 is now razor blades. Glad BB-62 is getting some dry time.
I only saw one size of keel blocks at LBNSY, and they were used for all classes of ships. The wood forms that set on top of the keel blocks were different sizes and shapes. Keel blocks were stored, usually two high in the storage yard East of building 303. I wouldn't be surprised if all the keel blocks were lowered into the bottom of the dry docks to help fill them in after the shipyard closed.
My dad worked as a shipwright at the Philadelphia Navy Yard in 80’s until its close. He worked primarily on the block setups and the transit work to make sure the ship sat properly on the blocks in the dewatering process. It’s such fascinating work, I could listen to him talk about it for hours.
30 years ago I was at Little Creek VA for training. We got in a warehouse full of screws in white shrink wrap. They had to be 8 feet tall and who knows how wide. One was stenciled Missouri. Outside were a mountain of blocks with brass handles all the way around. Numbered and covered in rotten tarps.
In Baton Rouge, we have the USS Kidd destroyer. It’s permanently moored along the banks of the Mississippi. During the winter, the Mississippi is at low tide. During this period, you can literally walk underneath the keel. It is pretty cool, but also really unnerving, because you realize that 2000 tones is right above your head…
I was with the Saratoga (CV-60) in 1973 when she went into drydock for a long overdue yard period. When I went down to the dry dock floor, I saw pits in the bottom plating you could put your fist into, the anodes having deteriorated so badly.
When I was an 19 year old Engine room cadet at SUNY Maritime College in NYC a fellow student had worked one summer at Todd Shipyards in Staten Island. The following winter (01 Feb 1980) I visited that shipyard with my friend and another cadet. There was a ship there called the Range Sentinel that had fallen off the keel blocks and crushed the sonar dome. I took a lot of good pictures that day.
Thank you so very much for answering a question I have pondered for decades. I love how you are so easy to understand with your presentations. I've learned to have a great appreciation for the hard work it must have been to keep our country free! And thank you for keeping the history alive for the future generations.
I was working in the oldest drydock on the West Coast at Mare Island a couple years ago. The blocks all had the dates cast in them when they were made. The oldest date I found was 1941. I do propeller repair so have spent a fair amount of time up and down the West Coast in drydocks.
LBNSY had 2 sets of IOWA-class blocks, due to differences in Missouri’s & New Jersey’s Hull openings...stenciled in black paint were the location, port-starboard side, and of course, a “62” or “63”.... I remember hearing of a barge taking New Jersey’s blocks to Bremerton, and so I assumed Missouri’s were transported to Pearl. Or quite possibly, I’d assume they had or made their own? That seems expensive for what they were, but the Navy were great about wasting $ on the damndest things....😆😆
Having work on AFDM7 AND 10 keel blocks were pretty much concrete, then Oak timbers and the a pine cap to allow the wood to crush, also AFDM10 only docked 637 and 688 boats and that was usually 2 or 3 of each class in a row
Funny watching your camerawoman bounce back and forth in the reflection. She gives a hell of a tour though!!! Very informative vid about the drydocking plans, thanks all!
During WWII, when capital ships like NJ were dry docked in forward areas using floating dry docks, where keel blocks used then too? Did the floating dry docks carry blocks with them to accommodate a variety of ships like destroyers, cruisers, carriers etc?
Short answer yes. Fun fact, in late 1944 the Iowa suffered a shaft bearing failure which necessitated dry-docking in a forward area. When the Iowa came in she came into the dry-dock quite fast, and then went into full reverse to stop the ship right in the center of the dry-dock. Good positioning, but the high speed entry and full reverse messed up the block pattern. They had to back the Iowa out, empty the dock and reset the block pattern. Don’t know how much extra time it took but people were not happy.
Ive drydocked probably 30 ships over my govt vessel career. Never saw fleeting due to cost / schedule. Mostly it was we will dock it in the next position next time in either 2.5 years or 5 years.
In Gloucester in the UK near where I live,, there are a couple of small dry docks in which I have seen boats sitting on blocks, or waiting for the dock to be flooded to allow a boat to enter. This explains very well what I have frequently wondered. I was aware that every boat should have a "Blocking Plan". I had always assumed that the blocks would be moved one at a time, but of course that would be very time consuming and expensive. Thanks for such an informative video and indeed all the others that I have watched.
What’s the tolerance for block positioning (fraction of an inch, +/- several inches, or a foot or so)? And what method is used to position the blocks where they should be (steel tape, surveying transit, laser rangefinder, etc.)?
They really dont have to be that accurate tho the RN tended to survey them . Being out by 6 inches on a 4 foot block would not really be a problem. You have to remember that the ship is floated into position thats hard to get inch perfect
The blocks are positioned from a reference point on the drydock wall. Then all other blocks are positioned by tape measurement from these key blocks. The ship is positioned over the blocks by transit aligning the key block to a known mark on the ship.
I would love to walk around a dry dock under a huge ship. That must be a pretty amazing feeling. It's hard to imagine the size when you've never been around ships
They're huge when I first started working at the shipyards I just was blown away everything is huge they make wrenches for nuts the the nuts will be so big on something that they have to make a wrench for it everything is gigantic I've worked on cruise ships at the Port of Portland and when they're in Dry Dock going up on the stacks is like 25 stories I mean you're way up in the air and the walk from one end of the ship to the other is the long distance they're huge some of those propellers are gigantic
When I was stationed on USS SHANGRI LA CV38, we broke a driveshaft on Yankee Station. We had to use the dry dock at Yokosuka, Japan. They were doing extensive work on the hull and I drew fire watch for a welder. I had to stand near this guy with a fire extinguisher. All the while we are under the ship about midships.
That was fascinating. I knew about blocking, but had not considered the practical issues of it - however I have always been curious about how the hull was painted under the blocks - and now I know! My thanks.
Darn shame the Navy lost the drydocks at Mare Island when the base closed. I've also been under a few drydocked SSBN's on the floating dock Los Alamos.
August 24, 1990 -- I was actively working Desert Shield as a lowly GS-5 civilian, Analyst/Terminal Operator, supporting the Joint Chiefs of Staff, J4 Logistics Readiness Center, inside the National Military Command Center in the Pentagon. I was 24 years old. I had long loved battleships in general and the Iowa series in particular, but I wasn't aware that the New Jersey was in dry dock at that time. Man, I wish I could have seen her then.
How about a description of the sound and presence you feel when standing underneath the ship in drydock? When I stood under my ship (somewhat smaller than this) there was this calm quietness that fell into place, along with the feeling of a massive presence sitting directly above you. It was almost spooky. I am wondering if you feel the same thing when standing underneath the New Jersey.
In 1970 we decommissioned the USS Repose, AH-16, a hospital ship, at Long Beach. We were in dry dock along with another ship (USS Jouett?). We did the bump process to get all spots painted. Went down in the dock, ship looks absolutely huge from down under!
Thanks for answering this question, I had thought in my head that the bumping the ship method might have been the way, but I dismissed it at the time because I thought there were only one pattern that the blocks go into. I suppose I never paid too close attention to when the ships in Yokosuka were in drydock to notice.
Love your channel, thanks a lot for sharing these images with the public ... I will certainly use the knowledge on my next model ship base ... cheers and greetings from Chile. :)
Are the blocks ( that appear to be concrete ) anchored / keyed into the floor of the dry dock so they don't slip out of place? Specifically, the ones on the left / right curved portion of the hull. Also, how is the exact position of the hull to block managed while the dock it pumped out?
Are you planning on getting a " new weight reading" on this dry dock visit? If so please explain how that's done. We know you take the weight of the water it " displaces" to come up with that figure right? A detailed explanation wood be really cool. Thanks
You’ve mentioned in a past video the weak point in the bow where the steel gets very thin. During the dry dock are there any plans to reinforce or add plating to that area? Seems like a great chance to address a weak point.
how is the floor made. i mean the thickness of the concreate and how do they prep the earth so it doesnt settle. theres a lot of weight on the floor. i couldn't find anything on the internet about it thanks
I assume in case of extensive battle damage some of those block positions are not usable. Is there anything in the plans on how many can be missing to repair damage like that in the dry dock? Or is that going to be something engineers would have calculated based on the actual unusable positions as needed?
I got to stand under CVN72 when we were in drydock. It was weird to go find all the inlets and outlets to the equipment in 2MMR from the outside. One of the only cool things about the yard.
I was in the RN and I never knew how this was done Does NJ use deck level bracing as well, we used a series 1 foot or bigger timbers bracing on the dock wall
Is there some way to get an accurate weight of the ship when she’s in dry dock, like the dock has some equipment to give that value by the amount of air needed to be pumped in/water out to refloat the dock once she’s on it?
It is based on the observed waterline, which provides both displacement and distribution ... all part of the extensive naval architecture to which the ship is designed, and which is precisely known prior to drydocking the ship and monitored during the drydocking procedure.
I never thought much or read much on this subject, but while watching this video I wondered this: when the blocks are positioned, and the drydock is flooded, what keeps the wooden blocks from floating?
Is there a video, or any information, on the dents visible in the bulbous bow at 6:04? Looks like possibly enough stories for a whole video, if you could find enough information about them!
Kinda figured itd be a refloat-relocate. You folks were discussing pulling the props - was that decided or not yet? Also, that model you have us bloody gorgeous! Dont suppose theres a vid on the model? Closest ill get is a 1:350 to go with my fleet.
@kman-mi7su i can see pulling the props off to repack the seals, but yes they do need to go back on so they don't lose them , ie like other museum ships.
@@MoparNewport Yes, they are very much a part of the artifact known as the USS New Jersey. It would be like cutting off the legs of King Tut's mummy. Destruction of a piece of history IMO.
Thanks, Ryan, very interesting & a great bit of film. I expect you’ve said this before, so apologies for my question. “Is the time constraint of 60 days, due to the time the dockyard can let you have, or is it for funding (or lack thereof) reasons?
I was in the video standing with M Division under shaft #4 I think at this point 1/2 of M division had either gotten out or was transferred to different ships. I think 3 weeks after the video was shot, I was transferred to 1200 PSI Main Steam School in San Diego, CA
The ship has very little lead paint. We aren't super worried about it, but if we find it the yard that is doing the work is used to it and has procedures in place.
Ryan, so first I get that the Navy has a lot of other priorities but how come they don't allow you to use a Navy dock for the drydocking? Wouldn't the Navy have a vested interest in this process since it "COULD" be reactivated. Also, would they, the Navy, be interested in making sure their personnel learn skills they might not otherwise due to the age and construction methods used. I get that there is likely a good reason for this that I can't think of but I am tired and this made me curious. Thanks for the time.
Am I recalling right that AFDM7 was even capable of drydocking itself as it had removable end sections that could separate and lift the main center portion?
Do you have to ballast the ship for docking? I think in one of your other videos you talked about having a trim on the ship that was higher than it would be in service. Not sure what Iowa class maximum allowable docking trim is or how robust the knuckle docking block is going to be.
So when you flood the dock, and move the ship forward, how do you move the blocks that are under water? Is there another set of blocks that are lower then the first set?
Not moving any blocks, just float the ship for clearance, move 4' drain the water and poof! The blocks aren't in the same place on the hull, once it's settled again
Is it possible to buy a ticket to ride New Jersey into or out of drydock or possibly part of the transfer? I am willing to bet that such an experience could raise quite a but of revenue and what military buff wouldn't jump at the opportunity to ride on a real battleship even if it being towed at half the speed of smell? lol
Just the liability insurance alone would be prohibitive, and then the USN red tape, as well as the C.G.’s extreme safety requirements would make it an impossibility.....File this under “Great Idea, that’s why we can’t”.....🤬🤬🤬🤬
Guessing here. About 30% bigger. I have been on CVN-71 when it was parked next to one of the battle ships. CVN-71 is same length as a Ford class carrier. Checking this. I found battle ships are 877 feet long. Carriers are 1,092 feet long. So less than 30% in length.
In the video that you showed on 1/3/2024 on New Jersey in dry dock, she looks like she had some damage to the hail wear the in shaft is be it comes out.
Probably obvious, but you asked for questions. What is a block made of? How’s it constructed? What does a typical block, itself, weigh? What plans/procedures are there for the failure of a block? How are the blocks positioned precisely in the (presumably) flooded dock? How is a battleship (any ship) positioned precisely with respect to the submerged blocks?
I know it usually takes a couple of weeks for dock preps , a fair bit of skill needed for any blocks under curved surfaces . I don't see any shores from the dock wall so I'm thinking the ships bottom must be pretty flat or the area wide enough not to need them . Fleeting once seems sensible given the budget .
When positioning the blocks and subsequently the ship over them, what is the datum used to baseline the measurements? Essentially, what part(s) of the ship is aligned with what part(s) of the dock so that when the water is pumped out the ship settles on the blocks correctly?
Will there be visitors observation area when New Jersey is in dry dock? I am sure the question has been asked and answered before, so apologies for not digging enough to find it.
I had to laugh - I was wondering how you were going to paint under the blocks so I searched the internet and found that you'd already done a video on it! 😂
Are you confirming the use of less keel blocks with the core of engineers or with a engineer to confirm that the reduced keel blocks in the specified arrangement is proportional to the weight distribution as per how the New Jersey was built??
What are the dents in the bow from? Cant imagine that a ship of her strength got those simply bumping a pier or dolphin in docking. Is there an interseting history related to them?
I suspect those are from striking submerged or semi-submerged objects while the ship is underway. There is a lot of crap floating around in coastal waters and as Ryan has pointed out , the steel shell plating around the bow isn't really thick. A sister of my first ship nearly lost her bow sonar dome (a "rubberized" bulb filled with water) when she "found" what was later thought to be a timber or some such drifting around several feet underwater.
Ryan, I was stationed on the USS Midway CV-41 in the 1980's and, on one occasion we went into drydock to repair a propeller shaft. I examined the propellers closely, since they were removed and on the dock next to the ship and stamped into them was the following: For Use on BB 61 thru 64 & CV 41 thru CV 43. I was wondering if you knew about that and wanted to know if you find it stamped into the USS New Jersey's propellers. Let us know during the drydock period. Thanks for the great videos.
80-83
Engine parts, boiler parts, and numerous other parts were used on a host of ships. The same bearings for a IOWA-class battleship could’ve been used on several types of ships that used that size propeller... Some Fletcher-class destroyer parts were interchangeable with IOWA-class parts: gauges, flanges, 5” barbette bearings, hand turn spigots, etc...And if the part wasn’t in stock, our machine shop would make several to factory specs...Also, Mike....Thank you for your service!
Thank you for your service!
Thank you for your service!
Pur display prop at Cod(which was never installed) had quote the wide range of submarine hull numbers it could be fitted too going all the way back to USS Barracuda and up through the Tench class.
I was forty when the dry dock footage of 1990 was filmed. I am now 73. Memories.
I was about 40 days old.. time flies when you're having fun
I would be 10 in three weeks. 5th grade, 1990-91. What a great time to be alive. Thank you, God!!!
@@SLOCLMBRsame actually
As someone who's about to turn 40... and was alive in 1990... I just had a very mid-life crisis moment when I read this.
When that video was made, a bunch of us yardbirds were on pier 6 working on the USS Missouri. At the time we didn't know that she'd be leaving in less than three months to support Desert Shield.
The same size keel blocks are used for pretty much all large classes of ships. Putting wood on top is actually necessary, because it crushes and conforms to the shape of the hull, thus cushioning the ship and distributing the force of the keel block evenly.
Back in 1964 through 1968, right out of high school, I served my apprenticeship to become a journeyman Shipwright at theS.F.Bay Naval Shipyard at Hunters Point in San Francisco. The last part of the apprenticeship was with the Dock Shipwrights working in the dry docks. Part of this was cutting the cap blocks to the shape of the hull. I was working under a Dockwright who was about to retire. He was an old Italian fellow and quite a character. I remember we were down in the dry dock nailing down the cap blocks and some of them weren’t quite correct, but not far off. I mentioned this to Tony and he looked at me and said with his heavy Italian accent, “Not to worry. The ship she come, she push.” I have never forgotten that. Kind of a life lesson.
Unfortunately, after I finished my apprenticeship, my draft deferment expired and was drafted into the army. There I learned electronics and never got back to being a Shipwright. Which was okay, the yard was closed down a few years later.
The only real way to preserve this ship is to build its own dry Dock.
It's already heavily pitted through corrosion and many of the keel area plates will likely be half the thickness of new.
Throwing huge amounts of money at NJ only to put it back in corrosive salt water is futile..
@@Draxindustries1 it's extremely rare for salt water to intrude up the Delaware up to Camden, N.J.. As in, I think it might've happened once in my over six decades of life. Usually, the worst it gets is up to the Commodore Barry bridge, some 20 miles downriver.
@spvillano
Thanks for that info, I didn't know, I'm from the UK.
It's just a shame it has to go back into the water at all though. A pity there isn't enough money to restore the NJ in its entirety, its a major part of the USA's history..
Texas also had a lot more extensive repairs needed due to mistakes made when she was originally deactivated and set as a museum ship and again in her drydocking i want to say in the 80s. IIRC, all the drydocking since Texas as made a museum, has been to correct mistakes made when she was originally turned into a museum.
Seems to me seeing what Ryan has shown about New Jersey, and his visits with other ships, has enabled friendly competition between ships and curators by sharing of information and experience. Keep up the good work.
What an absolutely outstanding update. I was one of the many who had the question and never thought to ask it out loud and I love learning about this from you. ☺️👍
Imagine seeing you here!
Devcon 2024, "How to steal a battleship"
@@zunumren4954 👋😊 hiya! i snuck in
One can only learn by actually asking. It's kind of like in an emergency, you don't rely upon others to call 911, you designate someone to call 911 and tell them to. Otherwise, everyone assumes someone has called, or in this case, has asked and was ignored or privately declined.
I’m so happy that you guys have clip on microphones now. It makes the video’s quality just that much better.
I think this was an extremely important video, even for the people not deliberately asking for it. In my head, I had basically assumed all of the information that you just put out about it. But, watching the video, I realized that I hadn't really based it on anything more than having seen ships in drydock. In my head, of course you just carve toppers from scrap wood, its cheap, easy, and all you need is to make sure its level on the bottom. But people may have never SEEN that before and wonder how wood could hold battleship
By😮😮
With enough wood, one can hold up pretty much anything. Having room to move around and also not screwing anything up, that's where all the planning comes into play.
Brings back memories. I spent about a year in that very same dry dock when USS Independence CV-62 went through SLEP there in 85-86? when Philly was still a Navy Base. CV-62 is now razor blades. Glad BB-62 is getting some dry time.
I only saw one size of keel blocks at LBNSY, and they were used for all classes of ships. The wood forms that set on top of the keel blocks were different sizes and shapes. Keel blocks were stored, usually two high in the storage yard East of building 303. I wouldn't be surprised if all the keel blocks were lowered into the bottom of the dry docks to help fill them in after the shipyard closed.
Nice to finally see the ghost of the camera operator for a chance. Always the under appreciated member of the video.
My dad worked as a shipwright at the Philadelphia Navy Yard in 80’s until its close. He worked primarily on the block setups and the transit work to make sure the ship sat properly on the blocks in the dewatering process. It’s such fascinating work, I could listen to him talk about it for hours.
30 years ago I was at Little Creek VA for training. We got in a warehouse full of screws in white shrink wrap. They had to be 8 feet tall and who knows how wide. One was stenciled Missouri. Outside were a mountain of blocks with brass handles all the way around. Numbered and covered in rotten tarps.
In Baton Rouge, we have the USS Kidd destroyer. It’s permanently moored along the banks of the Mississippi. During the winter, the Mississippi is at low tide. During this period, you can literally walk underneath the keel. It is pretty cool, but also really unnerving, because you realize that 2000 tones is right above your head…
Funny that uss kidd is a Fletcher class.. but the kidd class weigh 8k tons
I was with the Saratoga (CV-60) in 1973 when she went into drydock for a long overdue yard period. When I went down to the dry dock floor, I saw pits in the bottom plating you could put your fist into, the anodes having deteriorated so badly.
When I was an 19 year old Engine room cadet at SUNY Maritime College in NYC a fellow student had worked one summer at Todd Shipyards in Staten Island. The following winter (01 Feb 1980) I visited that shipyard with my friend and another cadet. There was a ship there called the Range Sentinel that had fallen off the keel blocks and crushed the sonar dome. I took a lot of good pictures that day.
Thank you so very much for answering a question I have pondered for decades.
I love how you are so easy to understand with your presentations. I've learned to have a great appreciation for the hard work it must have been to keep our country free!
And thank you for keeping the history alive for the future generations.
Thanks for keeping us in the know!
I was working in the oldest drydock on the West Coast at Mare Island a couple years ago. The blocks all had the dates cast in them when they were made. The oldest date I found was 1941. I do propeller repair so have spent a fair amount of time up and down the West Coast in drydocks.
LBNSY had 2 sets of IOWA-class blocks, due to differences in Missouri’s & New Jersey’s Hull openings...stenciled in black paint were the location, port-starboard side, and of course, a “62” or “63”.... I remember hearing of a barge taking New Jersey’s blocks to Bremerton, and so I assumed Missouri’s were transported to Pearl. Or quite possibly, I’d assume they had or made their own? That seems expensive for what they were, but the Navy were great about wasting $ on the damndest things....😆😆
Having work on AFDM7 AND 10 keel blocks were pretty much concrete, then Oak timbers and the a pine cap to allow the wood to crush, also AFDM10 only docked 637 and 688 boats and that was usually 2 or 3 of each class in a row
Funny watching your camerawoman bounce back and forth in the reflection. She gives a hell of a tour though!!! Very informative vid about the drydocking plans, thanks all!
During WWII, when capital ships like NJ were dry docked in forward areas using floating dry docks, where keel blocks used then too? Did the floating dry docks carry blocks with them to accommodate a variety of ships like destroyers, cruisers, carriers etc?
Short answer yes. Fun fact, in late 1944 the Iowa suffered a shaft bearing failure which necessitated dry-docking in a forward area. When the Iowa came in she came into the dry-dock quite fast, and then went into full reverse to stop the ship right in the center of the dry-dock. Good positioning, but the high speed entry and full reverse messed up the block pattern. They had to back the Iowa out, empty the dock and reset the block pattern. Don’t know how much extra time it took but people were not happy.
Never thought about the major engineering that goes into "just" drydocking a ship!!
Ive drydocked probably 30 ships over my govt vessel career. Never saw fleeting due to cost / schedule. Mostly it was we will dock it in the next position next time in either 2.5 years or 5 years.
I've always wondered how this was done and it really is just that simple.
In Gloucester in the UK near where I live,, there are a couple of small dry docks in which I have seen boats sitting on blocks, or waiting for the dock to be flooded to allow a boat to enter. This explains very well what I have frequently wondered. I was aware that every boat should have a "Blocking Plan". I had always assumed that the blocks would be moved one at a time, but of course that would be very time consuming and expensive. Thanks for such an informative video and indeed all the others that I have watched.
Ryan, brilliant video. I have always wondered how this was done. Keep them coming. Trevor Piper. Winchester UK
What’s the tolerance for block positioning (fraction of an inch, +/- several inches, or a foot or so)? And what method is used to position the blocks where they should be (steel tape, surveying transit, laser rangefinder, etc.)?
Yeah what does this shipyard use?
They really dont have to be that accurate tho the RN tended to survey them . Being out by 6 inches on a 4 foot block would not really be a problem. You have to remember that the ship is floated into position thats hard to get inch perfect
The blocks are positioned from a reference point on the drydock wall. Then all other blocks are positioned by tape measurement from these key blocks. The ship is positioned over the blocks by transit aligning the key block to a known mark on the ship.
And yes the position is important…and once lifted off the blocks the ship cannot be set down again until the blocks are re-checked.
Thank you for answering an OCD question I have always had on this.
Question: Do you paint the rubber water line based on her 'in service' water line or her current 'stern low' configuration?
Id assume in service to show historical operational accuracy
This is the best ever! Ryan is the greatest showman ever. He could do anything and it would be great. He'd make a good presidential candidate.
I would love to walk around a dry dock under a huge ship. That must be a pretty amazing feeling. It's hard to imagine the size when you've never been around ships
They're huge when I first started working at the shipyards I just was blown away everything is huge they make wrenches for nuts the the nuts will be so big on something that they have to make a wrench for it everything is gigantic I've worked on cruise ships at the Port of Portland and when they're in Dry Dock going up on the stacks is like 25 stories I mean you're way up in the air and the walk from one end of the ship to the other is the long distance they're huge some of those propellers are gigantic
@@tonyjones6904 i would love to do that
When I was stationed on USS SHANGRI LA CV38, we broke a driveshaft on Yankee Station. We had to use the dry dock at Yokosuka, Japan. They were doing extensive work on the hull and I drew fire watch for a welder. I had to stand near this guy with a fire extinguisher. All the while we are under the ship about midships.
Must be DD #6.
That was fascinating. I knew about blocking, but had not considered the practical issues of it - however I have always been curious about how the hull was painted under the blocks - and now I know! My thanks.
Darn shame the Navy lost the drydocks at Mare Island when the base closed. I've also been under a few drydocked SSBN's on the floating dock Los Alamos.
August 24, 1990 -- I was actively working Desert Shield as a lowly GS-5 civilian, Analyst/Terminal Operator, supporting the Joint Chiefs of Staff, J4 Logistics Readiness Center, inside the National Military Command Center in the Pentagon. I was 24 years old.
I had long loved battleships in general and the Iowa series in particular, but I wasn't aware that the New Jersey was in dry dock at that time. Man, I wish I could have seen her then.
How about a description of the sound and presence you feel when standing underneath the ship in drydock?
When I stood under my ship (somewhat smaller than this) there was this calm quietness that fell into place, along with the feeling of a massive presence sitting directly above you. It was almost spooky. I am wondering if you feel the same thing when standing underneath the New Jersey.
In 1970 we decommissioned the USS Repose, AH-16, a hospital ship, at Long Beach. We were in dry dock along with another ship (USS Jouett?). We did the bump process to get all spots painted. Went down in the dock, ship looks absolutely huge from down under!
Thanks for answering this question, I had thought in my head that the bumping the ship method might have been the way, but I dismissed it at the time because I thought there were only one pattern that the blocks go into. I suppose I never paid too close attention to when the ships in Yokosuka were in drydock to notice.
Love your channel, thanks a lot for sharing these images with the public ... I will certainly use the knowledge on my next model ship base ... cheers and greetings from Chile. :)
Are the blocks ( that appear to be concrete ) anchored / keyed into the floor of the dry dock so they don't slip out of place? Specifically, the ones on the left / right curved portion of the hull. Also, how is the exact position of the hull to block managed while the dock it pumped out?
Are you planning on getting a " new weight reading" on this dry dock visit? If so please explain how that's done. We know you take the weight of the water it " displaces" to come up with that figure right? A detailed explanation wood be really cool. Thanks
Thanks!
All that tonnage resting on an area roughly the same size as a suburban house... amazing . Can’t wait to watch the dry dock series.
You’ve mentioned in a past video the weak point in the bow where the steel gets very thin. During the dry dock are there any plans to reinforce or add plating to that area? Seems like a great chance to address a weak point.
Another excellent informative video. Thank you…
how is the floor made. i mean the thickness of the concreate and how do they prep the earth so it doesnt settle. theres a lot of weight on the floor. i couldn't find anything on the internet about it thanks
Fascinating ... but what is a through-hull opening?
I assume in case of extensive battle damage some of those block positions are not usable. Is there anything in the plans on how many can be missing to repair damage like that in the dry dock? Or is that going to be something engineers would have calculated based on the actual unusable positions as needed?
it would be re calculated
Thanks as always for the video!
We need need more info on this Lego model, Ryan
Great vid, could you do a video on how they control the boat in dry dock? Seems difficult to move it 4 feet.
I got to stand under CVN72 when we were in drydock. It was weird to go find all the inlets and outlets to the equipment in 2MMR from the outside. One of the only cool things about the yard.
Are you doing any pier side work while NJ is away? Any dredging requires where she normally sits?
I was in the RN and I never knew how this was done
Does NJ use deck level bracing as well, we used a series 1 foot or bigger timbers bracing on the dock wall
Is there some way to get an accurate weight of the ship when she’s in dry dock, like the dock has some equipment to give that value by the amount of air needed to be pumped in/water out to refloat the dock once she’s on it?
It is based on the observed waterline, which provides both displacement and distribution ... all part of the extensive naval architecture to which the ship is designed, and which is precisely known prior to drydocking the ship and monitored during the drydocking procedure.
I would love to know the combat load weight vs its current museum state to see what all has been removed from her.
I never thought much or read much on this subject, but while watching this video I wondered this: when the blocks are positioned, and the drydock is flooded, what keeps the wooden blocks from floating?
A few clips in the video appear to show the wood timbers being held tight against the concrete blocks with loops of steel straps.
Can you explain why the inboard screws are five bladed while the outboard screws are four bladed?
Interesting. I had exactly that same question. I’m glad you answered it. 😊
Question for Ryan: Is there any place in particular on the hull you're interested in seeing while New Jersey is in drydock?
Is there a video, or any information, on the dents visible in the bulbous bow at 6:04? Looks like possibly enough stories for a whole video, if you could find enough information about them!
I love how this channel occasionally comes into my life
Always wondered about that.. Thanks for posting.
Kinda figured itd be a refloat-relocate. You folks were discussing pulling the props - was that decided or not yet?
Also, that model you have us bloody gorgeous! Dont suppose theres a vid on the model? Closest ill get is a 1:350 to go with my fleet.
I hope they keep her props on her where they belong. Especially for historical purposes.
they will decide on the props once she's out of the water and they can fully evaluate the situation
@kman-mi7su i can see pulling the props off to repack the seals, but yes they do need to go back on so they don't lose them , ie like other museum ships.
@@MoparNewport Yes, they are very much a part of the artifact known as the USS New Jersey. It would be like cutting off the legs of King Tut's mummy. Destruction of a piece of history IMO.
Thanks, Ryan, very interesting & a great bit of film.
I expect you’ve said this before, so apologies for my question. “Is the time constraint of 60 days, due to the time the dockyard can let you have, or is it for funding (or lack thereof) reasons?
I was in the video standing with M Division under shaft #4 I think at this point 1/2 of M division had either gotten out or was transferred to different ships. I think 3 weeks after the video was shot, I was transferred to 1200 PSI Main Steam School in San Diego, CA
A number of mighty propellers there, how soon till we get to see then again.
Does the ship have lead paint that will be blasted off and if so, how many estimated tons and what is the budget for disposal?
The ship has very little lead paint. We aren't super worried about it, but if we find it the yard that is doing the work is used to it and has procedures in place.
Would you please consider making a video when a leaky blank (main condensor sea chest?) is repaired?
Great idea, Mark! Because at least one will fail...I’d wager at least several are ! 😆😆
Ryan, so first I get that the Navy has a lot of other priorities but how come they don't allow you to use a Navy dock for the drydocking? Wouldn't the Navy have a vested interest in this process since it "COULD" be reactivated. Also, would they, the Navy, be interested in making sure their personnel learn skills they might not otherwise due to the age and construction methods used. I get that there is likely a good reason for this that I can't think of but I am tired and this made me curious. Thanks for the time.
My understanding is that the Navy has a shortage of available drydock space and there is a backlog of maintenance on active ships.
02:38 is that a dent? What is the story about that? Who did she ram?
AFDM7 we would dock Adams Class DDG, Spruance Class DD and FFG ships, basin was setup to and had a sonar pit and rudder pit installed
Am I recalling right that AFDM7 was even capable of drydocking itself as it had removable end sections that could separate and lift the main center portion?
@speleotrog you are correct, there was a picture of Sustain inside the Titan drydock in Norfolk
will we be able to tour around the bottom of the ship while the ship is in dry dock like Texas has done?
www.battleshipnewjersey.org/drydock/
Do you have to ballast the ship for docking? I think in one of your other videos you talked about having a trim on the ship that was higher than it would be in service. Not sure what Iowa class maximum allowable docking trim is or how robust the knuckle docking block is going to be.
So when you flood the dock, and move the ship forward, how do you move the blocks that are under water? Is there another set of blocks that are lower then the first set?
Not moving any blocks, just float the ship for clearance, move 4' drain the water and poof! The blocks aren't in the same place on the hull, once it's settled again
You dont
Ryan, What HUGE ship is leaving this huge drydock that can hold New Jersey? A tanker, a container ship, what eles is that BIG ?
How are the dry dock blocks held in place before ship placement while the dry dock is flooded?
Ryan, do you know why the TEXAS's propeller shafts were cut off?
Most museum ships have their screws removed, its dissimilar metal which causes corrosion. NJ having them is far more unusual.
Always wondered, as I move the stands and blocking on my small boat and think the bigs must have a slicker way
Is it possible to buy a ticket to ride New Jersey into or out of drydock or possibly part of the transfer? I am willing to bet that such an experience could raise quite a but of revenue and what military buff wouldn't jump at the opportunity to ride on a real battleship even if it being towed at half the speed of smell? lol
Oh man, that's a cool idea.. how long will it take? I'm game
I think the Coast Guard would be unhappy. While I'd love to tell the Coast Guard to pound sand it's just not that easy.
@@joshuahudson2170 eh, life jackets and a fire extinguisher..
He has said before that only the absolute necessary amount of people will be on it so not even much of the staff
Just the liability insurance alone would be prohibitive, and then the USN red tape, as well as the C.G.’s extreme safety requirements would make it an impossibility.....File this under “Great Idea, that’s why we can’t”.....🤬🤬🤬🤬
2:24. Ryan when New Jersey is finally on the blocks!
All this makes me wonder what the enormity of dry docking a Ford Class carrier would be like
Guessing here. About 30% bigger. I have been on CVN-71 when it was parked next to one of the battle ships. CVN-71 is same length as a Ford class carrier. Checking this. I found battle ships are 877 feet long. Carriers are 1,092 feet long. So less than 30% in length.
Based on what I say with U.S.S. Ranger Cv 61 . At least 2-3 Years
2:23 - that's going to be Ryan's reaction when the dry dock gets emptied.
In the video that you showed on 1/3/2024 on New Jersey in dry dock, she looks like she had some damage to the hail wear the in shaft is be it comes out.
Probably obvious, but you asked for questions. What is a block made of? How’s it constructed? What does a typical block, itself, weigh? What plans/procedures are there for the failure of a block? How are the blocks positioned precisely in the (presumably) flooded dock? How is a battleship (any ship) positioned precisely with respect to the submerged blocks?
first 3 listen it was all explained. They are placed in a DRY dock it is then flooded the ship is positioned using divers and ropes
I know it usually takes a couple of weeks for dock preps , a fair bit of skill needed for any blocks under curved surfaces . I don't see any shores from the dock wall so I'm thinking the ships bottom must be pretty flat or the area wide enough not to need them . Fleeting once seems sensible given the budget .
---- Are you guys going to "lighten ship" before she sails for the drydock?
How is USS New Jersey affected by snowfall accumulation on its topside?
A ship can be rolled over by snow if its bad it has to be removed especially frozen ice high up
When positioning the blocks and subsequently the ship over them, what is the datum used to baseline the measurements? Essentially, what part(s) of the ship is aligned with what part(s) of the dock so that when the water is pumped out the ship settles on the blocks correctly?
Divers are used and ropes and winches
Enjoy your videos Ryan.. Was wondering if the ship will be painted anti-fouling red on lower hull or completely black from boot line down..Thanks
That was covert last week
Will there be visitors observation area when New Jersey is in dry dock?
I am sure the question has been asked and answered before, so apologies for not digging enough to find it.
Are the Seabees involved with some of the work done at the dry dock?
I had to laugh - I was wondering how you were going to paint under the blocks so I searched the internet and found that you'd already done a video on it! 😂
I had this very question rolling around in my head. To my surprise here's the answer.
THat was really interesting. Thanks Ryan.
Will there be any dry dock tours available?
We block them with 12"x12"x4' oak wood blocks and then has to be at least 2"-6" of pine (soft wood) up against the hull.
Are you confirming the use of less keel blocks with the core of engineers or with a engineer to confirm that the reduced keel blocks in the specified arrangement is proportional to the weight distribution as per how the New Jersey was built??
What are the dents in the bow from? Cant imagine that a ship of her strength got those simply bumping a pier or dolphin in docking. Is there an interseting history related to them?
I suspect those are from striking submerged or semi-submerged objects while the ship is underway. There is a lot of crap floating around in coastal waters and as Ryan has pointed out , the steel shell plating around the bow isn't really thick. A sister of my first ship nearly lost her bow sonar dome (a "rubberized" bulb filled with water) when she "found" what was later thought to be a timber or some such drifting around several feet underwater.
I have to know where all this knowledge came from. Did you know this prior to this job or during? Prior service?