Comments by "Gregory Wright" (@gregorywright4918) on "USS Colorado - Guide 242" video.

  1.  @STRYKER_b14  Quick rule of thumb: every 1" is about 25mm. So 100mm roughly equals 4", 200mm is near 8" (it's actually 203mm), and 400mm is roughly 16".
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  2. Diversity due to hardship - The WV was sunk and completely rebuilt, the MA was nicked but got decent yard time, the CO was not there so had to "cover the line" while her sisters were getting their knickers fixed - and AA added.
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  3. Although Colorado was ordered in 1916, the Nagato was laid down in 1917 (CO in 1919), launched in 1919 (CO in 1921), and commissioned in 1920 (CO in 1923). The US, UK, and IJ were all working up to 16" guns, but the UK was trying to outlaw them via treaty so stuck with 14" for KGV.
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  4.  @RangaTurk  My understanding was that the three New Mexicos were all on the East coast with the Neutrality Patrol, while the Colorado was in major refit in Puget Sound. All four joined Task Force One out of San Francisco to "protect the West coast".
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  5.  @toddwebb7521  Might have been all they had in the west coast shipyard 12/41, the new builds were getting loaded on the east coast.
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  6. The USS Utah (BB-31, Florida-class) was there, but as a training ship without main guns. They Wyoming and Arkansas were also not there, one as an East coast training ship and the other escorting Atlantic convoys.
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  7. HMS Hood?
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  8. Did the 5"/25 have a SAP or AP shell?
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  9.  @154Kilroy  It was called a "clipper bow".
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  10. The WV was "sunk" at Pearl Harbor and rebuilt above the main deck; the CO was in refit in WA that day so she missed the fun and got incremental upgrades.
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  11.  @cadengrace5466  I think he meant Germany and Japan would "win" if the US and UK ever went at it...
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  12.  @cadengrace5466  Interesting thought. I'd say it's both, exhaustion and critical victories. It is actually surprising how far Germany and Japan got considering the limitations of their economic and cultural resources. Obsession and dedication, even when devoted to brutal, godless ends, can go a long way. The "modern" historical revisionism is depressingly devoted to undermining everything it can dig up.
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  13.  @billboth4814  They had plenty of fuel in LA, just not enough fast tankers to replenish the fleet at sea.
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  14. She was moved up to the Fiji area in November 42, but due to lack of fuel was mostly in harbor or patrolling at cruise speed. She would have dragged down the speed of any task force in the Slot.
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  15. Well, that shot was taken in 1932, while her European cruise was in the early 20s...
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  16.  @77thTrombone  Oops, sorry... my bad...
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  17. Yes, float planes did cause some problems in a few surface actions in the Solomons, both to the USN and to the IJN, although the latter used them more effectively. Their presence on the battleships was due to the discovery in the '20s that airborne spotting of the fall of shot was more effective than that in shipborne rangefinders, leading to greater effectiveness at longer range fire. It was expected that carrier aircraft would not be available, since the carriers were detached from the battle line and would be fighting their own battles for air supremacy. Scouting was a secondary mission, one which the IJN emphasized more than the USN with cruisers such as the Tone class since carriers did not carry scouting aircraft (at least at first). The other use of float planes was in searching for submarines and ditched friendly aircrew, where they could land and pick them up if the sea was not too rough. A good small book on them is "Fantail Fighters" by Jerry Scutts.
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  18. The point of higher speed was the possessor could control the battle range, keeping the initiative over the slower ship and seeking a "crossing of the T". The Bismark could keep out of her range if desired, or dash in and out. The QE's speed differential was only 1-2kts in reality.
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  19. The Standards were designed in the early 1910s and built in the late 1910s, when a 20kt line was respectable. Only later did higher speed (which has a penalty in armor) come to be appreciated. The ships after her were mid-20s, while the "new" battleships of the late 30s were high-20s in speed. Compare that to just about every merchant ship except cruise liners, though - they were usually around 10kts. As far as "outdated", they were getting planned upgrades in the late 30s that increased armor and anti-torpedo protection, added AA and improved fire control. They did a good job as precision shore bombardment ships in WW2, and held the line at Surigao Strait. "WHERE RPT WHERE IS TASK FORCE 34"
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  20.  @kemarisite  What was he talking about " we incorporated water into the armour pattern which negates that advantage"?
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  21.  @johnsobaszko1700  Building a capital ship takes a long time. Building escorts takes a lot less. US used that strategy before WW1...
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  22.  Chris Webb  Go ahead and look up HMS Loki...
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  23. Well, there's the Colorado River, maybe she could have sailed up... oh, yeah, Hoover Dam, nevermind.
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  24. Ships in the Solomons were often at high speed, and the Standards were oil hogs at anything over 15kts. Plus the tanker situation was tight.
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  25.  @atpyro7920  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuz8mgNv_4E
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  26.  @bullettube9863  I generally agree with you, and note that the Bismarck did slip away from the PoW once Hood was out of the way. The weather may have had more of an effect on speed choice than we know, but it definitely had an effect on accuracy. In a strategic sense I would imagine Bismarck would realize that duking it out with a Colorado would defeat the purpose of raiding, so like the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau when confronted with a real battleship would have used its speed to turn away. Whether the 15" could cause serious damage is besides the point if you are taking hits in return that cancel your strategic mission. The point of speed on the Allies side is that you can hunt down the raiders and not let them slip away. In a sense Hood fulfilled her purpose in forcing the Bismarck to a fight, as she took enough damage to cancel her mission, and that was due to Hood's superior speed.
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  27. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rlLlsYQ6lQ
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  28.  @matthewrobinson4323  Might be the closest you get, considering he won't touch anything built after 1950ish.
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