Comments by "Gregory Wright" (@gregorywright4918) on "USS Olympia - From Cali to Philly via Manila" video.

  1.  @brendonbewersdorf986  The whole point of the Washington Naval Treaty was to STOP the building, thereby supposedly stopping the arms race and preserving "peace in our time". Japan's budget was very tight, she was struggling to build the Nagato's, a big part of the reason she went along with the treaty was that in addition to saving herself the expense of building more, she knew the treaty would cut back the US and UK fleets which she was struggling to match. All that noted, the Amagis were also much bigger and much more modern ships than the Kongos. They would not be one-for-one replacements, more like 1.5-for-1. The other powers would never permit that, they would build to match them, thus destroying the Treaty.
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  2. Yeah, don't force the arrow manually...
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  3. That's the Moshulu, which has been converted into a floating restaurant.
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  4.  @Wolf-Rayet_Arthur  I think he is a two-man show, with the cameraman doubling as editor. I think some backups would help, like a separate audio recorder, but he is learning as he goes. The problem with remote volunteer assistance is it is rarely available when needed on a time-critical basis. But acting as a consultant to suggest methods of improvement might work.
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  5.  @KarlfMjolnir  They had not begun yet. I walked past there on my way to the ship that day.
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  6. That would make a good Drach Challenge - he describes something odd he sees in a ships tour (must be on the normal-people section, not the special-visitors part), and challenges us to find it and post a picture.
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  7. That was the color scheme of her second commissioning, may have shown less smoke stains than all -white...
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  8. She was decommissioned and laid up in Philly, and no other organization has been willing to take on the cost of maintaining her. Moving her to WA is questionable at this point. She needs a $20 million dry-docking with serious hull refurbishment.
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  9. If only they had not removed the 8" turrets...
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  10. Never got back to the West Coast after 1899; hull corrosion has meant she cannot leave the Delaware River without serious patching or drydock work.
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  11.  @Drachinifel  Might include the weight of the block housing, which is added to the gun tube.
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  12. But then you run into UHF interference. Shielded wire beats all.
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  13. The flag of US Asiatic Fleet in 1939 was USS Augusta, relieved by the USS Houston in 1940. The Olympia never had 10 inch guns.
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  14.  @shalaconballard9912  Sorry. The Olympia was never in western Pacific waters in 1930s. Check some real sources.
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  15. That's about 40 miles southwest.
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  16. So that's why the water glows at night...
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  17. The USS Orleck came to Jacksonville in early 2022. And there is a Victory ship in Tampa somewhere. Have not been to either yet.
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  18. If they were real...
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  19. Yes - currently a floating restaurant.
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  20. Fifty years is a long time in metallurgy...
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  21. Those are fake gun tubes, made as replicas (of 8 inchers) in 1957.
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  22. If they have the time before combat the paneling and wardroom furniture is packed below.
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  23. Too late for that trip, but think about backups. Carry an audio recorder as a backup to the primary mike. If needed, you can splice it in during editing. It won't sound as good, but it will be better than nothing or audio dubbing. Double the number of batteries you keep in your bag. Add a secondary wireless system that works on a different frequency than your primary. When you start the day, do a test run of recording, then take the time to do a quick review of it to verify everything is working right. If you have time, shoot a scene twice - you will often find it flows better the second time. Secondary issue: Your cameraman sometimes seems like he does not know whether to pan as you gesture or keep the camera on you. Talk through the scene before the shot, agree on what you will gesture at and whether he should pan away or not. Decide what elements you want to focus on and have him check the light levels and zoom. Your camera does nice auto-adjusting, but there were a few minor spots where it took time to catch up.
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  24. It's very narrow and not well lighted; getting a good shot is a struggle.
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  25.  @alessandrorizzuti7857  The 19th century steam-engine ships used scoop intakes but had no fans to increase speed. 20th century intakes had electrical forced-air assistance. Drach commented on the switch from skylights and port-holes to electric lights.
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  26.  @larrymcgraw8469  I believe the tug boat is shut down.
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  27. No, but she did convey the Unknown Soldier back from France in 1921.
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  28. @CK George1989 Drach hit the NC later in April; his video on that should be coming out before Christmas.
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  29.  @vikkimcdonough6153  I'm curious why you say "it's been known for centuries that the earth's magnetic field varies dramatically from place to place". Yes, we have known of small differences in direction and the fact that the magnetic poles are different than the geographic poles, but we have not been able to measure intensity on a practical scale until the late 19th century, and I wonder if the different navies were aware of the variations observed scientifically. I gather that serious scientific-military exchanges are only acknowledged in the 19th century, particularly around gun technology such as metallurgy and chemical formulas for gun powder. Could you cite some examples of pre-19th century explorations of the earth's local magnetic intensity?
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  30.  @factsmachine9905  I believe Drach was there around the 19th of April. He is just now publishing his tours from the Philly area, so it may be a few more weeks till he gets to that.
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  31. They would have to buy an old drydock...
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  32. She was back in the US in 1899, decommissioned till 1902, recommissioned as a training ship and then a patrol ship in WW1, brought the Unknown Soldier back in 1921, then decommissioned in 1922 in Philadelphia. The flagship of the Asiatic Fleet was the cruiser Augusta in the early 1930s, followed by the Houston until WW2.
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