Last use for SL SD captured

Lord Skimper wrote:What refits?

The refit necessary to enable any ship not already mounting any version of Keyhole to use it. Key hole requires a dedicated high speed data link, that is not present on any ship built by the SL. Adding that data link and the ship side computing power to use any RMN Missile properly will require modifications to the SLN ships that will come close to a refit, and will require facilities that the RMN does not currently have.

Castenea wrote:

Lord Skimper wrote:What refits?

The refit necessary to enable any ship not already mounting any version of Keyhole to use it. Key hole requires a dedicated high speed data link, that is not present on any ship built by the SL. Adding that data link and the ship side computing power to use any RMN Missile properly will require modifications to the SLN ships that will come close to a refit, and will require facilities that the RMN does not currently have.

It took IIRC months in the yards to adapt to Andermandi SD(P)s for Keyhole. And actually the decision was made to go straight to the much more capable Keyhole II because (with the ability to add the extra shipboard hardware an an armored plug at the forward end of the pod bay) the relatively small extra time necessary for II, over I, was considered well worth it -- despite how strapped the allies were for modern hulls immediately after Thunderbolt.

Jonathan_S wrote:

Castenea wrote:The refit necessary to enable any ship not already mounting any version of Keyhole to use it. Key hole requires a dedicated high speed data link, that is not present on any ship built by the SL. Adding that data link and the ship side computing power to use any RMN Missile properly will require modifications to the SLN ships that will come close to a refit, and will require facilities that the RMN does not currently have.

It took IIRC months in the yards to adapt to Andermandi SD(P)s for Keyhole. And actually the decision was made to go straight to the much more capable Keyhole II because (with the ability to add the extra shipboard hardware an an armored plug at the forward end of the pod bay) the relatively small extra time necessary for II, over I, was considered well worth it -- despite how strapped the allies were for modern hulls immediately after Thunderbolt.

Right, the first flight of Adlers were only given mods to fire RMN capacitor MDMs using RMN pods. Only the ships still under construction got the keyhole upgrade, due to the difficulty to install even the KH 1 upgrade.

saber964 wrote:the last 14 inch battleship was the Mississippi class.

Not the "Mississippi" Class, that was a class of Pre-Dreadnoughts (BB-23 & 24) we sold to Greece, the 14" armed Dreadnoughts were the "New Mexico" class, lead ship USS New Mexico BB-40 (Mississippi was BB-41)

saber964 wrote:5 CV
8 BB
1 CA
1 CLG
1 ACR
2 SSN
20 SS
20-30 DD/G

ACR? What Armored Cruiser? We have 1 Protected Cruiser (PC) C-6 U.S.S. Olympia but she was not designated an ACR "Armored Cruiser".

you left off:
1 three-masted heavy frigate
1 Sloop-of-War
1 Ironclad
1 Helicopter carrier (very small)
5 Destroyer Escorts/Frigate
1 Treasury Cutter
1 Medium Coast Guard Cutter
5 Fast Patrol Craft/Boats
10 PT boats
1 Gun Boat (Wooden)
4 LST
2 LCI(L)
1 LCS(L) (we have landing capability)
4 Liberty/Victory ships

robert132 wrote:Unfortunately none of these museum ships will ever move under her own power again and their weapons have been made incapable of firing with the exception of weapons designated for firing salutes (blank charges only) despite the horseapples seen in the movie "Battleship."

Not so, all of the Iowa's were preserved and maintained with specifications that they could be brought back in service. even the Texas can be brought back (though not easily and there are no replacements for her main guns or ammo).

MAD-4A wrote:

saber964 wrote:the last 14 inch battleship was the Mississippi class.

Not the "Mississippi" Class, that was a class of Pre-Dreadnoughts (BB-23 & 24) we sold to Greece, the 14" armed Dreadnoughts were the "New Mexico" class, lead ship USS New Mexico BB-40 (Mississippi was BB-41)

saber964 wrote:5 CV
8 BB
1 CA
1 CLG
1 ACR
2 SSN
20 SS
20-30 DD/G

ACR? What Armored Cruiser? We have 1 Protected Cruiser (PC) C-6 U.S.S. Olympia but she was not designated an ACR "Armored Cruiser".

you left off:
1 three-masted heavy frigate
1 Sloop-of-War
1 Ironclad
1 Helicopter carrier (very small)
5 Destroyer Escorts/Frigate
1 Treasury Cutter
1 Medium Coast Guard Cutter
5 Fast Patrol Craft/Boats
10 PT boats
1 Gun Boat (Wooden)
4 LST
2 LCI(L)
1 LCS(L) (we have landing capability)
4 Liberty/Victory ships

robert132 wrote:Unfortunately none of these museum ships will ever move under her own power again and their weapons have been made incapable of firing with the exception of weapons designated for firing salutes (blank charges only) despite the horseapples seen in the movie "Battleship."

Not so, all of the Iowa's were preserved and maintained with specifications that they could be brought back in service. even the Texas can be brought back (though not easily and there are no replacements for her main guns or ammo).

I was going by memory when I made my list. Also what LPH?

MAD-4A wrote:
you left off:
1 three-masted heavy frigate
1 Sloop-of-War
1 Ironclad
1 Helicopter carrier (very small)
5 Destroyer Escorts/Frigate
1 Treasury Cutter
1 Medium Coast Guard Cutter
5 Fast Patrol Craft/Boats
10 PT boats
1 Gun Boat (Wooden)
4 LST
2 LCI(L)
1 LCS(L) (we have landing capability)
4 Liberty/Victory ships

robert132 wrote:Unfortunately none of these museum ships will ever move under her own power again

Not so, all of the Iowa's were preserved and maintained with specifications that they could be brought back in service. even the Texas can be brought back (though not easily and there are no replacements for her main guns or ammo).

I thought the Navy finally removed the last Iowas from the Naval register around '06 and designated them permanent museum ships around '09-'10. Wouldn't that preempt the old law requiring them to be preserved in a manner compatible with reactivation?

By the way of your additional museum ships I know the Liberty Ship SS Jeremiah O'Brien (in San Francisco) and the PT-305 in New Orleans still take people out under their own power. (As, arguably, does USS Constitution, on admittedly rare occasions). So saber964 might have been correct about the ships he listed not being capable of sailing, but that's not true of all US Navy museum ships.

USS Iowa is in Long Beach docked in the harbor and they run tours. I have no idea what it's actually condition is, but the cruise missile launcher boxes are still there.

Jonathan_S wrote:I thought the Navy finally removed the last Iowas from the Naval register around '06 and designated them permanent museum ships around '09-'10. Wouldn't that preempt the old law requiring them to be preserved in a manner compatible with reactivation?

By the way of your additional museum ships I know the Liberty Ship SS Jeremiah O'Brien (in San Francisco) and the PT-305 in New Orleans still take people out under their own power. (As, arguably, does USS Constitution, on admittedly rare occasions). So saber964 might have been correct about the ships he listed not being capable of sailing, but that's not true of all US Navy museum ships.

All four Iowa class battleships were removed from the Naval Register as reactivation assets, BB-61 and BB-64 were fully stricken 3 or 4 years ago which is why you can now tour the interior of the ships.

If you get the chance, I heartily recommend a tour. You will be amazed at just how cramped huge ships like these are, especially the 5" and 16" turret gunhouses. And the steel armor protecting the turret faces and the pilothouse is thicker than any vault this side of Fort Knox.

Wisconsin still carries the 8 armored box launchers for Tomahawk that were installed in the '80s as well as four 4 tube racks for Harpoon and four 20mm Vulcan Phalanx gun mounts (empty electronics housings and "safed" guns) and I assume the other three ships do as well.

I'm not certain but I THINK all four screws (propellers) are still in place with the propeller shafts locked to prevent damage when or if the ship has to be moved for some reason.

About reactivating them, even after they moved Wisconsin to her permanent moorings at Nauticus in Norfolk VA she was officially still in reserve, the museum (Nauticus) was forbidden to open the interior for visitors.

Even after 10 or more years in mothballs the official Navy line was "6 months from the order to reactivate this ship WILL be ready to toss lines and deploy." After that much time even a ship that hadn't moved would need considerably more than "6 months" worth of round the clock work both above and below the waterline. 18 to 24 months, minimum now.

Reactivating Battleship Texas? Forget it. Much of her hull plating and interior hull framing is very badly corroded. She's over 100 years old and salt water is very corrosive and very unforgiving. Even after a drydocking a few years back where some hull work was done on the most badly corroded sections she's still in danger of sinking at her moorings.

saber964 wrote:
I was going by memory when I made my list. Also what LPH?

I think he means LPH-7 Tripoli which isn't a museum but was moved to the reserve fleet moored downriver of Beaumont Texas. In a Google Earth photo taken in January 2017 she can be seen nested (moored) with my old girlfriend LHA-4 Nassau. The next move for both is probably an overnight tow down the coast to the breakers yards in Brownsville.

MAD-4 - What Ironclad? Are you talking about the turret, engine and other bits and pieces recovered from the Monitor?

If you guys are interested those artifacts from Monitor are at the Mariners Museum in Newport News VA. The turret and her Dahlgren guns are still soaking in their preservation baths but are visible (usually) from inside the museum. There's also a lifesize mockup of the ship and turret in a cradle outside the museum and full size cutaway mockups inside as well as a partial full size mockup of CSS Virginia's bow and interior.

saber964 wrote:I was going by memory when I made my list. Also what LPH?

I didn't say LPH, I said:

MAD-4A wrote:1 Helicopter carrier (very small)

USS Baylander (IX-514) A small carrier used for training (still counts)

robert132 wrote:I think he means LPH-7 Tripoli which isn't a museum but was moved to the reserve fleet moored downriver of Beaumont Texas.

No, nobody wants to keep an ugly old whale like here, I was on her for a little time though ,
she's scheduled for 'disposal.'

BTW You do realize that these ships (and even the newest "America" class) aren't any (or significantly) faster than even the Texas, the old Dreadnaughts (which were said to be "too slow") were plenty fast enough to keep up with an amphibious force and provide them with protection and fire support, so no, they weren't really "too slow" to do their jobs.