The narrator misspoke about the guns but may not have understood why. The guns were 5 inch 38 s. That is the barrel length of this gun on this ship. The older style 5-inch gun was a 5-inch 54. It had a longer range but the same size shell. 2 5 inch 54 s we're taking off my father's ship to be used as Island defense for the Battle of Midway. The 5 inch 54 s were called long Tom's. The 38th had a 3 1/2 to 4 MI range while the long times had a 7 mi range. The Japanese were not aware of the two different kinds and parked their ships off of Midway at approximately 5 miles. The two guns taken off of my father's ship were placed on premade concrete pads and manned by some really sharp marines. They waited until many landing craft from the Japanese ships were in the water and the ships we're securely anchored then the Marines started pounding the shit out of them and sunk at least two and heavily damaged four other ships and a fair number of landing craft. That is first-hand information from someone who was there.
@sarcastic: You sir are ohh so wrong. The 5"/54s replaced the 5"/38s. 5"54s are automatic feed/load while 5"/38s are semi auto. They require a gun mount crew starting with the upper handling room to the mount itself. I just so happened to work all three stations (magazine) and up, hot case man in the turret, hoist projectile loader in the upper handling room.
@sarcastic: 5"/54 replaced the 5"/38. Both had a range of 9 miles. Do some Wikipedia homework. Obviously, if your father told you that tale, he was selling a sea story. The 3"/50 replaced the 5"/38 for better AA work, but they came into service late in the war. 5"/38s were great for SHOBOM/NGFS work. I was on a Gearing class DD, Fram Mk1B from 64-66 and we did a lot of both while in the Tonkin. The "story" your father told you happened on Wake Island and the guns were 5"/51s. Maybe your father wasn't even in the Navy or forgot which movie he watched?
@skipperclinton1087 was a pearl harbor survivor and spent the entire war in the south pacific. And, shocker, a few details faded over 40 years, he wasn't a computer with perfect data recall. I just came from Oahu where his ashes were interred at the Utah. 21 gun salute and full honor guard. Where did you serve? Be careful who you disparage, someone more temperamental in your area may take great offense to your casual dismissal of their imperfect recall of traumatic events.
As a Navy veteran the fact that she WASN'T made a museum ship, honoring her crew, her war record, in the city that bears her name is a disgrace!! It's one thing to have monuments and, her crew- those that may still be alive- to tell of her impeccable record, it's something else, entirely to board the ship, itself; to see her Battle Stars, the guns that saved innumerable lives, that warded off so many enemy aircraft, to see her berthing spaces, etc., brings home the humanity of it!! It bothers me THAT MUCH!!! Just like the valiant, ultimately, failed efforts to make the Big E a museum ship, too, drives this point home!!! It's pathetic and, a damned disgrace to my fellow shipmates who fought so damn fuc**** hard to win back freedom and, keep us free!!!! I don't give af, one bit, who gets offended by this!!! Y'all need to realize just how damn, freaking good YOU REALLY have it, here!!! Ships, like the San Diego, would've been excellent reminders of 'freedom's "high price"!!!'
@@brianhomka290yeah she was taken off the register during the Eisenhower administration…how that relates to todays political climate in California is a complete and utter disconnect..
@@davidk2906 Please tell me how many wars they fought and won. They have an entirely unproven Military. Training is far removed from real combat. They have no actual Veterans.
Retired Admiral William F. Halsey himself took part in a television campaign to save the "old" BIG E from the scrapyard in special announcements on the then MID-50's television show NAVY LOG. The Admiral was in obvious discomfort in that he was suffering with cancer at the time; a fact rather obvious to anyone watching the compelling campaign to save the Enterprise. Alas, much like the campaign to save the record-smashing ocean liner United States; the CV-6 Enterprise effort ended without sucess. This is a loss much like the U.S.S. Saratoga (sunk during the Crossroads Atomic Testing) which the people of the United States will bear forever.
Aside from the IOWA class Battleships, The ATLANTA Class light cruisers are Sleek,Elegant, and loaded with an Abundance of guns!!! A little boys Dream ship!!!!
What a fantastic story. It's a shame that this ship wasn't saved, to be put on display in San Diego. Being a Navy vet myself, and having sailed out of 32nd Street many times, this story gave me goose pimples.
I'm A USAF Vet And A Former Resident Of The Republic Of Panama.. In One Of The Videos Was Mentioned The Ships Going Through The Canal, And It Completely Surprised Me That Those Ships WOULD Fit Through The Locks Because I've Seen Ships Making That Trip And It's A "Tight Squeeze" ~~ Some Of The Ship Being Taken Through The Canal, Will Be ONLY Inches From The Walls ~~ PS: When Traversing The Canal, The Ships And Not Taken Through By The Ships Personnel, They're Guided Through By Specially Trained Ship Pilots ~~ It "AIN'T" No Easy Task.~~
@frozencanary: They were called "VT frag". They were useful on troops in the open also. The problem being is that the preceeding blast wave would set them off at too high an altitude so they were pretty much useless in that use so we had to switch back to AA Common w/fuze settings.
I had thought that the USS San Diego (CL-53 an Atlanta class light cruiser) was going to be the WWII cruiser credited with first use of the proximity fuse. Records show that it was the USS Helena (CL-50, St Louis class light cruiser) that was credited with first use in a successful combat engagement off of Guadalcanal on Jan 5 1943.
16 5" 38 caliber dual purpose guns? Sounds more like an over-sized destroyer. Bad-ass anti-air platform for sure! With a plus for being able to do shore bombardment.
At the beginning of WW2 most destroyers were armed with 3-inch dual purpose and 4 inch single mount main batteries. A light cruiser CL or later a CLAA like the San Diego would be a destroyer leader with "flag quarters" for a commodore or Rear admiral (lower half). Heavy cruisers were armed almost like battleships and lightly armored so that they could keep up with the aircraft carriers.
@mikeking7470 Ummm, no. To work backwards: battleships were armed with main guns between 14 and 16 inches. Heavy cruisers were armed with 8 inch rifles, the only exception being the Alaska class with 12 inch guns.
@@mikeking7470 Ummm, no. To work backwards: battleships were armed with main guns between 14 and 16 inches (356mm and 406mm). Heavy cruisers were armed with 8 inch (203mm) rifles, the only exception being the Alaska class with 12 inch (305mm) guns. Light cruisers were armed with 6 inch (157mm) guns. The only exception to this were the Atlanta class AA light cruisers / destroyer flotilla leaders which were armed with the 5 inch 38 cal (127mm) dual purpose guns which served as secondary guns on most other cruisers, battleships, and aircraft carriers. Destroyers, starting with the Farragut class were also armed with the 5 inch 38 guns (127mm). The 5 inch 51 cal (127mm) were secondary guns on battle ships and were only mounted on one class of DD, the Clemson class. The repurposed for shore defense guns came from old decommissioned battleships or battleships that had their secondary armament upgraded to the new standard 5 in 38 cal (127mm) dual purpose weapon. The Long Tom was a 6 in (155mm) field artillery peice used by the Army.
@@mikeking7470most destroyers mounted 4.7-5inch guns. 3 inch guns are what are found on sloops and poorly armed corvettes or destroyers escorts. Most U.S. destroyers entering the war were using 4-5 5”/38 guns. Basically all British used the 4.7 inch gun. Most other nations also had the around 5 inch caliber of gun. Light cruisers almost exclusively were armed with 6inch guns. CLAA had guns mounted on destroyers but with just more of them. No heavy cruiser class aside from the Alaska class large cruiser with its 12 inch guns was even remotely armed like a battleship which typically had 14-18 inch cannons.
As a Filipino, it is my contention that the USS San Diego, an esteemed warship of the United States Navy, warrants preservation within a museum setting. Such an establishment would serve as a testament to the ship's valiant contributions and sacrifices made during its operational tenure, particularly in the context of World War I and World War II. This vessel symbolizes the courage, resilience, and unwavering patriotism demonstrated by its crew, who faced significant challenges while dutifully serving their nation. The historical significance of the USS San Diego transcends mere naval achievements; it embodies the spirit of heroism that has consistently characterized the American ethos. By honoring this ship's legacy through preservation in a museum, future generations would be reminded of the extraordinary acts of valor exhibited by those who served onboard, as well as the broader implications of national loyalty and defense. Such a tribute could inspire individuals to engage in their own acts of heroism, reinforcing the importance of contributing to the national patrimony and, by extension, the ideals of freedom and justice that the United States stands for.
@aus993, thank you for your support and such kind words. I am a retired US Navy submarine veteran and I wholeheartedly agree with everything you said in your comment.
This group of four cruisers was completed before the new 40mm twin and quad mounts were available, so they were fitted with a suite of four 1.1" quad mounts. Two members of the class, Atlanta and Juneau, were both sunk at the First Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, and afterward the two survivors San Diego and San Juan, had their 1.1" mounts replaced with four 40mm twin mounts and their 20mm suite increased.
At 6:36 there is a reference to escorting the torpedo damaged Lexington in December 42. Could that have been the Saratoga? Lex was sunk at Coral Sea in May 42.
This was my favorite ship on my mobile online game. It has complete package from torpedo to barrage guns and anti aircraft. Both great in game and in reality. Nice,👍
I've lived in San Diego my entire life. It was so great to see this monument placed for this incredible ship and crew! It's located next to the USS Midway.Thank you, Dark Seas, for this tribute. You would enjoy the USS Midway tour and the Maritime Museum which also features the Star of India. One of the oldest ironclad sailing ships in our country.
The San Diego Maritime Museum has the original CV-41, the USS Midway on display. If the boat is in port, the USS Nimitz can be seen across the bay moored at North Island in San Diego whilst standing on the deck of the old Midway. We lived in San Diego as well, but only for a few years. 🎉
In artillery, particularly naval artillery, a gun's barrel length is expressed as a multiple of the bore diameter (caliber). So, "5 inch/38 caliber" means the gun has a 5-inch bore and a barrel length thirty-eight times the bore diameter (so 5 inches times 38 = 190 inches, or just under 16 feet). As you can see in the picture, the barrels were a little less than three humans in length, including the part that's inside the turret. By comparison, the big guns on the Iowa-class battleships were 16 inch/50 caliber guns, meaning the barrel length was 50 times 16 inches, or 800 inches, almost 67 feet.
No wish to detract from the skill of the San Diego's gunners, but in 1944 the proximity fuze was introduced to the fleet. It used a mini-doppler radar set to the projectile off within a few feet of the target. Thus even a near miss became lethal. It was estimated that when it was used against V1 rockets in Britain, the hit rate increased by 7 times. It was a highly classified item during the war, but today it is standard for AA missiles and larger AA gun rounds. It is also widely used in the field artillery to create air bursts, increasing the lethal radius of the shell.
What I find interesting is the Atlanta-class cruisers, including the San Diego, were originally designed as “destroyer leaders”, to lead a squadron of smaller destroyers against enemy surface ships. As it happened their large quantity of dual purpose 5’ guns made them excellent antiaircraft ships, but really they didn’t reach their potential in that department until they got radar fire control, and that wasn’t their primary role when designed. When they did though, a single Atlanta-class cruiser could put up almost as much heavy AA fire as a South Dakota-class battleship, and the cruiser had an easier time keeping up with the Essex-class carriers.
eight Atlanta class light cruisers were built, all of them held such hell bent fire power, hopefully we get to hear about the other ones, the lead class Atlanta herself was sunk during the battle of Gua.
When I read the title and saw the thumbnail my mind instantly knew it was an Atlanta one of my favorite ships in war thunder for its ability to drown ships in lead and bully ships above its weight class
USS CANBERRA NO, HMAS CANBERRA YES. Come on, just a little bit of research you would have found this is Australia's capitol and the Royal Australian Navy played a critical role alongside the U.S. in the Pacific war.
USS Canberra YES. Baltimore Class heavy cruiser commissioned 14 Oct 1943. Originally to be USS Pittsburgh, renamed to honour HMAS Canberra sunk during the Battle of Savo Island.
@flingmonkey: Or the fact that it was mostly US Hellcats & F4U Corsairs that brought down the majority of the Japanese planes at the battle of the Philippine Sea. The story made it sound like the San Diego did it all alone. Actually, the ships shot down the ones that made it through (AKA) "The Great Marianas Turkey shoot"!
@@skipperclinton1087 I'll give you that, but I thing the VT fused shells get next to no mention when a video talks about ships shooting at incoming kamikaze planes, no credit goes to the fuse that allowed more frequent hits.
Only 14 guns could be used per broadside the other 2 were on the opposite side, the boat sure is fun in ‘World of Warships’ game. Along with my favorite ship, the Atlanta.
Why couldn’t they make some 5 inch guns with special barrels that could say go farther because they have special barrels and use a 16 charge for a 5 inch shell
You gotta know that I watch all of your video presentations and for the most part, I enjoy them. I like the concise manner in which you provide factual information weaved into a compelling story. That said, I have one major criticism. You really need to learn the correct pronunciations of the islands, atolls, countries that you provide your informative presentations about. Dude, every time I hear you mangle the pronunciation of these integral, important places; it makes me want to put my head in a blast furnace! Please, I implore you; take the time and make the effort to learn how to say the names of these places properly. It will enhance our enjoyment by simply removing your very potent cringe factor. Thank you in advance. I don't expect you will reply to my posting, but if you do, please understand that I'm not trying to offend or insult you in any way. It's just been an ongoing problem for so many years and I wouldn't be true to myself and many other American military veterans if I did not speak out now. Hope you get that! Thank you again for your Dark Seas stories.
What kind of ship is the current USS San Diego? That’s a goofy looking ship. It looks like it has cranes instead of guns. Is it a recovery ship? Living in San Diego most of my life, I wish the city had bought the WWII ship as a museum ship. It could now proudly sit in SD Bay next to the museum ship the aircraft carrier USS Midway!
What you may think is "goofy looking" is the result of design to function. The mission of the "new" ship San Diego changed completely from the WWII combat vessel to a personel carrying assault landing ship with a lot of people on board. The ship looks so strange because the Marines stationed on these new ships actually carry their assault landing machinery down below which exits the ship via a gigantic ramp at the stern. Two of our grandkids served on these assault landing ships which are usually paired with an assault aircraft carrier to make up an expeditionary unit of 2,500 Marines or so. 🎉
@ Thanks so much for your reply! I will never call her goofy looking again!😀😀😀. I thank your grandkids for serving. I live next to Camp Pendleton and we love and appreciate our Marines! Semper Fi
This class was by far the worst ships in the U.S. Navy during the war. Built as anti aircraft cruisers they were forced into anti ship roles which they were out classed. Easily damaged or destroyed death traps when employed incorrectly.
Houston was a heavier cruiser with much less in the way of AA guns. Her Captain got a Medal of Honor and her Chaplain the Navy Cross for giving his life jacket to a fellow sailor.
The Navy commissioned a light cruiser USS Houston CL-81 to replace the lost USS Houston. There was a famous speech given at CL-81's commissioning stating we will keep replacing lost versions of the USS Houston as long as necessary in order to achieve victory. US national resolve. Never doubt it. Never.
How come you don't mention that electrical problems they had and brother they repaired those problems or corrected them they almost got sunk in Guadalcanal because of those electrical problems and a mediocre captain
USS San Diego. Sing Ho! for brave and gallant ship and fair and halving breeze. A bully crew and captain too! To carry me over the seas! I'm taking a trip on a government ship 10,000 miles away!
At 0.53 - "Moments later USS Canberra was struck by a torpedo" . ???? HMAS Canberra was an AUSTRALIAN heavy cruiser. The simplest research should have made this obvious.
Come on. Before you embarrass yourself bragging about the simplest research, you should try doing some. I'm not even going to explain your error, since you can find out for yourself with less than a minute on Google.
@@glenndaley141 hey he’s enjoying some internet warrior outrage. Who are you to use facts and reality to take away this one simple joy from what must otherwise be a life of embarrassment and disappointment?
No Mr. Genius Historian, HMAS Canberra was sunk ta the Battle of Savo Island in 1942 during the Guadalcanal Campaign. In honor of the sacrifice of her crew and the RAN, the USN named a new cruiser USS Canberra
@mikeking7470: In your wildest dreams, Mike. Obviously, you never were in a 5"/38 gun mount. 8-12 (usually 10) RPM max for a good experienced gun crew. That's about tops for the speed the upper handling room can load the hoists. BTW, I have, all three stations. Magazine to the mount.
Those were the days! No political correctness for those men and their ships. Just discipline, dedication and fight. Carry on shipmates, from a USN sailor (1977-2000).
This story sent chills down my spine, the USS San Diego isn't talked about nearly enough.
The narrator misspoke about the guns but may not have understood why. The guns were 5 inch 38 s. That is the barrel length of this gun on this ship. The older style 5-inch gun was a 5-inch 54. It had a longer range but the same size shell. 2 5 inch 54 s we're taking off my father's ship to be used as Island defense for the Battle of Midway. The 5 inch 54 s were called long Tom's. The 38th had a 3 1/2 to 4 MI range while the long times had a 7 mi range. The Japanese were not aware of the two different kinds and parked their ships off of Midway at approximately 5 miles. The two guns taken off of my father's ship were placed on premade concrete pads and manned by some really sharp marines. They waited until many landing craft from the Japanese ships were in the water and the ships we're securely anchored then the Marines started pounding the shit out of them and sunk at least two and heavily damaged four other ships and a fair number of landing craft. That is first-hand information from someone who was there.
@sarcastic: You sir are ohh so wrong. The 5"/54s replaced the 5"/38s. 5"54s are automatic feed/load while 5"/38s are semi auto. They require a gun mount crew starting with the upper handling room to the mount itself.
I just so happened to work all three stations (magazine) and up, hot case man in the turret, hoist projectile loader in the upper handling room.
@sarcastic: 5"/54 replaced the 5"/38. Both had a range of 9 miles. Do some Wikipedia homework. Obviously, if your father told you that tale, he was selling a sea story.
The 3"/50 replaced the 5"/38 for better AA work, but they came into service late in the war. 5"/38s were great for SHOBOM/NGFS work. I was on a Gearing class DD, Fram Mk1B from 64-66 and we did a lot of both while in the Tonkin.
The "story" your father told you happened on Wake Island and the guns were 5"/51s. Maybe your father wasn't even in the Navy or forgot which movie he watched?
@skipperclinton1087 was a pearl harbor survivor and spent the entire war in the south pacific. And, shocker, a few details faded over 40 years, he wasn't a computer with perfect data recall. I just came from Oahu where his ashes were interred at the Utah. 21 gun salute and full honor guard. Where did you serve? Be careful who you disparage, someone more temperamental in your area may take great offense to your casual dismissal of their imperfect recall of traumatic events.
If you're listening to this channel, you better get used to misspeaking. Let it Go.
@@skipperclinton1087 so, you did do something useful.....good for you. You get an extra cookie.
As a Navy veteran the fact that she WASN'T made a museum ship, honoring her crew, her war record, in the city that bears her name is a disgrace!! It's one thing to have monuments and, her crew- those that may still be alive- to tell of her impeccable record, it's something else, entirely to board the ship, itself; to see her Battle Stars, the guns that saved innumerable lives, that warded off so many enemy aircraft, to see her berthing spaces, etc., brings home the humanity of it!! It bothers me THAT MUCH!!! Just like the valiant, ultimately, failed efforts to make the Big E a museum ship, too, drives this point home!!! It's pathetic and, a damned disgrace to my fellow shipmates who fought so damn fuc**** hard to win back freedom and, keep us free!!!!
I don't give af, one bit, who gets offended by this!!! Y'all need to realize just how damn, freaking good YOU REALLY have it, here!!! Ships, like the San Diego, would've been excellent reminders of 'freedom's "high price"!!!'
So true!! She would have been a great addition to the battleship Iowa!! A disabled US Army Veteran 😃
Just look at the political outlook in CA...and you'll know why! Disgusting!
Thank you for serving.
@@brianhomka290yeah she was taken off the register during the Eisenhower administration…how that relates to todays political climate in California is a complete and utter disconnect..
🫡
@@daverobinson6110 Try decaf...
That impressive record of the USS San Diego is a testament to her captain and men. Thank you for sharing this information about this amazing ship!
The best navy then and now nobody else is even close
China is getting very close unfortunately .
@@davidk2906
Please tell me how many wars they fought and won. They have an entirely unproven Military. Training is far removed from real combat. They have no actual Veterans.
@@lordterra1377 Never underestimate your enemy like America was doing shortly before Dec. 7th/41.
I'm from San Diego,I take pride in that and I've never heard of this ship and that should be a crime
👍🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
My dad served in the Navy during the war of 401 to 45 and I'm still mad that didn't make the USS Enterprise of Museum
Of all the US WW2 ships saved into museum ships the Big E deserved it the most. She had many battle stars
Ditto!
WOW
401 is the Dark Ages
Glad he survived the Plague.
I'd like to live 1600 years.
What was his secret?
Retired Admiral William F. Halsey himself took part in a television campaign to save the "old" BIG E from the scrapyard in special announcements on the then MID-50's television show NAVY LOG. The Admiral was in obvious discomfort in that he was suffering with cancer at the time; a fact rather obvious to anyone watching the compelling campaign to save the Enterprise. Alas, much like the campaign to save the record-smashing ocean liner United States; the CV-6 Enterprise effort ended without sucess. This is a loss much like the U.S.S. Saratoga (sunk during the Crossroads Atomic Testing) which the people of the United States will bear forever.
Aside from the IOWA class Battleships, The ATLANTA Class light cruisers are Sleek,Elegant, and loaded with an Abundance of guns!!! A little boys Dream ship!!!!
What a fantastic story. It's a shame that this ship wasn't saved, to be put on display in San Diego. Being a Navy vet myself, and having sailed out of 32nd Street many times, this story gave me goose pimples.
Yes! They could save a piece of junk like the USS Missouri, but REAL ships with REAL histories were cut up for scrap!
Great video! A part of history that I hadn’t heard much about. Great details and a well crafted storyline.
I can only but imagine the skill of the designers, engineers and other trades.
I cannot imagine the sheer hell and noise of the desperate battles.
I'm A USAF Vet And A Former Resident Of The Republic Of Panama.. In One Of The Videos Was Mentioned The Ships
Going Through The Canal, And It Completely Surprised Me That Those Ships WOULD Fit Through The Locks Because I've Seen Ships Making That Trip And It's A "Tight Squeeze" ~~ Some Of The Ship Being Taken Through The Canal, Will Be ONLY Inches From The Walls ~~ PS: When Traversing The Canal, The Ships And Not Taken Through By The Ships Personnel, They're Guided Through By Specially Trained Ship Pilots ~~ It "AIN'T" No Easy Task.~~
The US made sure its ships would fit thru the Panama Canal-however slim the margin.
The locks are 110 ft. wide. Even the newest super carriers are 108 ft wide at the waterline and 1092 ft. Long so they will fit through the locks.
USS San Diego owes a lot like many ships to the proximity fuse.
@frozencanary: They were called "VT frag". They were useful on troops in the open also. The problem being is that the preceeding blast wave would set them off at too high an altitude so they were pretty much useless in that use so we had to switch back to AA Common w/fuze settings.
@@skipperclinton1087
Nonsense, the proximity fuse was so devastating in land warfare that it forced a change in land warfare tactics.
I had thought that the USS San Diego (CL-53 an Atlanta class light cruiser) was going to be the WWII cruiser credited with first use of the proximity fuse. Records show that it was the USS Helena (CL-50, St Louis class light cruiser) that was credited with first use in a successful combat engagement off of Guadalcanal on Jan 5 1943.
Very nice episode! Top notch!
😊😊😊
16 5" 38 caliber dual purpose guns? Sounds more like an over-sized destroyer. Bad-ass anti-air platform for sure! With a plus for being able to do shore bombardment.
At the beginning of WW2 most destroyers were armed with 3-inch dual purpose and 4 inch single mount main batteries. A light cruiser CL or later a CLAA like the San Diego would be a destroyer leader with "flag quarters" for a commodore or Rear admiral (lower half). Heavy cruisers were armed almost like battleships and lightly armored so that they could keep up with the aircraft carriers.
@mikeking7470
Ummm, no. To work backwards: battleships were armed with main guns between 14 and 16 inches. Heavy cruisers were armed with 8 inch rifles, the only exception being the Alaska class with 12 inch guns.
@@mikeking7470
Ummm, no. To work backwards: battleships were armed with main guns between 14 and 16 inches (356mm and 406mm). Heavy cruisers were armed with 8 inch (203mm) rifles, the only exception being the Alaska class with 12 inch (305mm) guns. Light cruisers were armed with 6 inch (157mm) guns. The only exception to this were the Atlanta class AA light cruisers / destroyer flotilla leaders which were armed with the 5 inch 38 cal (127mm) dual purpose guns which served as secondary guns on most other cruisers, battleships, and aircraft carriers. Destroyers, starting with the Farragut class were also armed with the 5 inch 38 guns (127mm). The 5 inch 51 cal (127mm) were secondary guns on battle ships and were only mounted on one class of DD, the Clemson class. The repurposed for shore defense guns came from old decommissioned battleships or battleships that had their secondary armament upgraded to the new standard 5 in 38 cal (127mm) dual purpose weapon. The Long Tom was a 6 in (155mm) field artillery peice used by the Army.
@@mikeking7470: Mike what you speak of was because of the Washington Naval treaty limits on ship weights.
@@mikeking7470most destroyers mounted 4.7-5inch guns. 3 inch guns are what are found on sloops and poorly armed corvettes or destroyers escorts. Most U.S. destroyers entering the war were using 4-5 5”/38 guns. Basically all British used the 4.7 inch gun. Most other nations also had the around 5 inch caliber of gun. Light cruisers almost exclusively were armed with 6inch guns. CLAA had guns mounted on destroyers but with just more of them. No heavy cruiser class aside from the Alaska class large cruiser with its 12 inch guns was even remotely armed like a battleship which typically had 14-18 inch cannons.
As a Filipino, it is my contention that the USS San Diego, an esteemed warship of the United States Navy, warrants preservation within a museum setting. Such an establishment would serve as a testament to the ship's valiant contributions and sacrifices made during its operational tenure, particularly in the context of World War I and World War II. This vessel symbolizes the courage, resilience, and unwavering patriotism demonstrated by its crew, who faced significant challenges while dutifully serving their nation.
The historical significance of the USS San Diego transcends mere naval achievements; it embodies the spirit of heroism that has consistently characterized the American ethos. By honoring this ship's legacy through preservation in a museum, future generations would be reminded of the extraordinary acts of valor exhibited by those who served onboard, as well as the broader implications of national loyalty and defense. Such a tribute could inspire individuals to engage in their own acts of heroism, reinforcing the importance of contributing to the national patrimony and, by extension, the ideals of freedom and justice that the United States stands for.
@aus993, thank you for your support and such kind words. I am a retired US Navy submarine veteran and I wholeheartedly agree with everything you said in your comment.
Thank you! I love the narrator.
The action against Formosa get little coverage by modern historians. Thanks for this.
Wow. What a legacy! Thank you. ❤❤❤
No, this overstates the importance of these two surface ships out of the massive strike force.
By God she and her crew were one tough bunch of bad ass nuts to crack , utter respect here from the UK
New drinking game- take a drink every time he says San Diego.
..or every time he said the guns fired continuously. 😁
you paying to get my stomach pumped?😂
Sounded like a challenge, currently in ICU, if anyone has a liver they would like to donate plz send ASAP
Im really glad youve slowed down how quickly you speak during these vids.
You should also have mentioned the significance of the proximity fuse on AA weapons.
Floating machine gun. There’s a memorial to her at Tuna Harbor downtown. Right by the outstanding Taffy3 memorial.
This group of four cruisers was completed before the new 40mm twin and quad mounts were available, so they were fitted with a suite of four 1.1" quad mounts.
Two members of the class, Atlanta and Juneau, were both sunk at the First Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, and afterward the two survivors San Diego and San Juan, had their 1.1" mounts replaced with four 40mm twin mounts and their 20mm suite increased.
Now I know why all the old veterans at the VA who were in the Navy during WWII always went "What did you say" every time I tried to talk to them!
At 6:36 there is a reference to escorting the torpedo damaged Lexington in December 42. Could that have been the Saratoga? Lex was sunk at Coral Sea in May 42.
Cv-2 Lexington was sunk in the bake for the coral sea... However, this may be talking about CV -16 Lexington.
This was my favorite ship on my mobile online game. It has complete package from torpedo to barrage guns and anti aircraft. Both great in game and in reality. Nice,👍
Wow, what a grand bit of history.
At least her bell is still being honored.
I've lived in San Diego my entire life. It was so great to see this monument placed for this incredible ship and crew! It's located next to the USS Midway.Thank you, Dark Seas, for this tribute. You would enjoy the USS Midway tour and the Maritime Museum which also features the Star of India. One of the oldest ironclad sailing ships in our country.
The San Diego Maritime Museum has the original CV-41, the USS Midway on display. If the boat is in port, the USS Nimitz can be seen across the bay moored at North Island in San Diego whilst standing on the deck of the old Midway. We lived in San Diego as well, but only for a few years. 🎉
Excellent Video.👍🇺🇸
In artillery, particularly naval artillery, a gun's barrel length is expressed as a multiple of the bore diameter (caliber). So, "5 inch/38 caliber" means the gun has a 5-inch bore and a barrel length thirty-eight times the bore diameter (so 5 inches times 38 = 190 inches, or just under 16 feet). As you can see in the picture, the barrels were a little less than three humans in length, including the part that's inside the turret.
By comparison, the big guns on the Iowa-class battleships were 16 inch/50 caliber guns, meaning the barrel length was 50 times 16 inches, or 800 inches, almost 67 feet.
No wish to detract from the skill of the San Diego's gunners, but in 1944 the proximity fuze was introduced to the fleet. It used a mini-doppler radar set to the projectile off within a few feet of the target. Thus even a near miss became lethal. It was estimated that when it was used against V1 rockets in Britain, the hit rate increased by 7 times. It was a highly classified item during the war, but today it is standard for AA missiles and larger AA gun rounds. It is also widely used in the field artillery to create air bursts, increasing the lethal radius of the shell.
Never lost a man 🫡
What I find interesting is the Atlanta-class cruisers, including the San Diego, were originally designed as “destroyer leaders”, to lead a squadron of smaller destroyers against enemy surface ships. As it happened their large quantity of dual purpose 5’ guns made them excellent antiaircraft ships, but really they didn’t reach their potential in that department until they got radar fire control, and that wasn’t their primary role when designed. When they did though, a single Atlanta-class cruiser could put up almost as much heavy AA fire as a South Dakota-class battleship, and the cruiser had an easier time keeping up with the Essex-class carriers.
eight Atlanta class light cruisers were built, all of them held such hell bent fire power, hopefully we get to hear about the other ones, the lead class Atlanta herself was sunk during the battle of Gua.
Your videos R the BEST❤
It's wild how long the 5 inch 54 has been around on navy ships!!!
The 5"54 was introduced in 1971.
San Diego, pray for us!
What a carrier wow!
Career
Does anyone know of a book about the San Diego? I can't find one and that doesn't make sense considering her contribution to the war.
When I read the title and saw the thumbnail my mind instantly knew it was an Atlanta one of my favorite ships in war thunder for its ability to drown ships in lead and bully ships above its weight class
USS CANBERRA NO, HMAS CANBERRA YES. Come on, just a little bit of research you would have found this is Australia's capitol and the Royal Australian Navy played a critical role alongside the U.S. in the Pacific war.
USS Canberra YES. Baltimore Class heavy cruiser commissioned 14 Oct 1943.
Originally to be USS Pittsburgh, renamed to honour HMAS Canberra sunk during the Battle of Savo Island.
Google is your friend, one quick thirty second search could have saved you from a lifetime of internet embarrassment.
Oops
Canberra is Australia's capital rather than capitol city.
They were fighting for their homeland. It was a huge responsibility.
With the discussion of the USS San Diego shooting at attacking Japanese planes, there was no mention on if VT fused shells were used. Were they?
@flingmonkey: Or the fact that it was mostly US Hellcats & F4U Corsairs that brought down the majority of the Japanese planes at the battle of the Philippine Sea.
The story made it sound like the San Diego did it all alone. Actually, the ships shot down the ones that made it through (AKA) "The Great Marianas Turkey shoot"!
@@skipperclinton1087 I'll give you that, but I thing the VT fused shells get next to no mention when a video talks about ships shooting at incoming kamikaze planes, no credit goes to the fuse that allowed more frequent hits.
Involved in just about every battle and never lost a man. That's a `lucky' ship...
Only 14 guns could be used per broadside the other 2 were on the opposite side, the boat sure is fun in ‘World of Warships’ game. Along with my favorite ship, the Atlanta.
"The fate of the Pacific rests on her guns"...
Toss off mate. You don't need to over-dramatize this event. The war was dramatic enough thanks.
New iformation for me . I had thought there was only the Atlanta and Juneo(?) of this class of light cruiser/destroyer leader .
@klymar8401: Eight Atlanta clasd cruisers in all. The ship that the Sullivan Brothers went down on was one if them.
Juneau
THANK YOU
We did not have angle deck carriers in World War II you should recheck your footage LOL
The ship is an anti aircraft cruiser!
Started as an escort cruiser CL and rearmed late 1943 with more AA and redesignated a CLAA.
A larger destroyer with out the torpedos?
They were over sized destroyers. They had sonar, depth charges, and torpedoes. No other cruisers were so equipt.
Cool video, Not technical but historical! Pops was there, putting them on the beach!
Excellent!!!
The USS San Diego fought almost the entire Pacific War and came through it almost without a scratch.
You lost me at "The fate of the Pacific Campaign rests on her (San Diego's) guns."
A ship that was never damaged in battle was sold for scrap…..
Sad
Why couldn’t they make some 5 inch guns with special barrels that could say go farther because they have special barrels and use a 16 charge for a 5 inch shell
I don’t think the Camberra was United States Navy.I believe that it was the Australian Navy
There were NO San Diegos PLURAL. The was ONE, as in singular. The ship was ONE of the Atlanta-class light cruisers.
"The fate of the Pacific campaign". Really dude? Could you be any more dramatic?
You gotta know that I watch all of your video presentations and for the most part, I enjoy them. I like the concise manner in which you provide factual information weaved into a compelling story. That said, I have one major criticism. You really need to learn the correct pronunciations of the islands, atolls, countries that you provide your informative presentations about. Dude, every time I hear you mangle the pronunciation of these integral, important places; it makes me want to put my head in a blast furnace! Please, I implore you; take the time and make the effort to learn how to say the names of these places properly. It will enhance our enjoyment by simply removing your very potent cringe factor. Thank you in advance. I don't expect you will reply to my posting, but if you do, please understand that I'm not trying to offend or insult you in any way. It's just been an ongoing problem for so many years and I wouldn't be true to myself and many other American military veterans if I did not speak out now. Hope you get that! Thank you again for your Dark Seas stories.
RESPECT
The USN/RAN came very close to losing 2 Houstons and 2 Canberras in the same war.
How tf you going to put the name on a transport when it was once a cruiser? A destroyer or sub would make sense in the modern Navy but wtf
What a shame to scrap such an incredible ship...shoulda been used as a floating museum and memorial the her record of never losing a man.
Is there somewhere we could hear this guy talk regular?
Peter Coyote
It's Baptism Of Fire not baptism by fire!!!
Buh bye
Talk about a lucky ship. She may have been able to find off aircraft, but she wasn't torpedo proof.
More commercials than cable TV
I am wondering the working condition of these people
What kind of ship is the current USS San Diego? That’s a goofy looking ship. It looks like it has cranes instead of guns. Is it a recovery ship? Living in San Diego most of my life, I wish the city had bought the WWII ship as a museum ship. It could now proudly sit in SD Bay next to the museum ship the aircraft carrier USS Midway!
The video says the current USS San Diego is an amphibious transport dock.
What you may think is "goofy looking" is the result of design to function. The mission of the "new" ship San Diego changed completely from the WWII combat vessel to a personel carrying assault landing ship with a lot of people on board. The ship looks so strange because the Marines stationed on these new ships actually carry their assault landing machinery down below which exits the ship via a gigantic ramp at the stern. Two of our grandkids served on these assault landing ships which are usually paired with an assault aircraft carrier to make up an expeditionary unit of 2,500 Marines or so. 🎉
@ Thanks so much for your reply! I will never call her goofy looking again!😀😀😀. I thank your grandkids for serving. I live next to Camp Pendleton and we love and appreciate our Marines! Semper Fi
This class was by far the worst ships in the U.S. Navy during the war. Built as anti aircraft cruisers they were forced into anti ship roles which they were out classed. Easily damaged or destroyed death traps when employed incorrectly.
if it was so good then how it let other ship which you called houston get damaged?
Houston was a heavier cruiser with much less in the way of AA guns. Her Captain got a Medal of Honor and her Chaplain the Navy Cross for giving his life jacket to a fellow sailor.
The Navy commissioned a light cruiser USS Houston CL-81 to replace the lost USS Houston.
There was a famous speech given at CL-81's commissioning stating we will keep replacing lost versions of the USS Houston as long as necessary in order to achieve victory. US national resolve. Never doubt it. Never.
How come you don't mention that electrical problems they had and brother they repaired those problems or corrected them they almost got sunk in Guadalcanal because of those electrical problems and a mediocre captain
USS San Diego. Sing Ho! for brave and gallant ship and fair and halving breeze. A bully crew and captain too! To carry me over the seas! I'm taking a trip on a government ship 10,000 miles away!
the hell happend to the ai voice its so bassey
I was wondering the same thing.
She was stricken, not struck, in 1959. Love your channel!
San Diego - Stampeders
It's the West Philippine Sea, not the South China Sea.
This is my favourite ship in WOW. o7
WOW
Thank you for your good work.
It’s pronounced Yo-kos-ka, the u is silent.
Im here because of Azur Lanes San Diego-Chan and Lil Sandy
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The narrative is AI!
No human being could sound that breathless and dramatic for an entire video. It’s kinda hyperbolic.
Armor, blah, blah, blah. Guns, blah, blah, blah. All i wanna know is whether the chow was good or not?
At 0.53 - "Moments later USS Canberra was struck by a torpedo" . ???? HMAS Canberra was an AUSTRALIAN heavy cruiser. The simplest research should have made this obvious.
Come on. Before you embarrass yourself bragging about the simplest research, you should try doing some. I'm not even going to explain your error, since you can find out for yourself with less than a minute on Google.
@@glenndaley141 hey he’s enjoying some internet warrior outrage. Who are you to use facts and reality to take away this one simple joy from what must otherwise be a life of embarrassment and disappointment?
Boom
Canberra was Hmas Canberra
No Mr. Genius Historian, HMAS Canberra was sunk ta the Battle of Savo Island in 1942 during the Guadalcanal Campaign. In honor of the sacrifice of her crew and the RAN, the USN named a new cruiser USS Canberra
Wow. Three people posting the same correction - and totally wrong.
Maybe if you want people to watch your vids, don't put a thumbnail of a ship armed with 5"/38s and call them sixteen inch.
16 5-inch 38's, 8 pairs, 15 rounds per minute per gun.
Thumbnail "16 gun jackhammer...... ", not 16 inch. Slow down while reading so you can comprehend what is typed.
@@keith2762 "A man's GOT to know his limitations"....thanks for helping him out.
@mikeking7470: In your wildest dreams, Mike. Obviously, you never were in a 5"/38 gun mount. 8-12 (usually 10) RPM max for a good experienced gun crew. That's about tops for the speed the upper handling room can load the hoists. BTW, I have, all three stations. Magazine to the mount.
it's NOT an inTEGral part, but an INtegral part.
Those were the days! No political correctness for those men and their ships. Just discipline, dedication and fight. Carry on shipmates, from a USN sailor (1977-2000).
Sure, as long as you were white.
First comment, aussie aussie aussie
oy oy oy
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