Comments by "Gregory Wright" (@gregorywright4918) on "USS Washington - Guide 225" video.

  1.  @wwb520  Radar and fire control may have altered that assumed conclusion - you can't hit what you can't see and target...
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  2. Another theory was heart attack on deck, possibly preceded by a disorienting stroke...
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  3. In the rebuilding the side belts were buttressed with diagonal bulkheads but not substantially thickened. Deck armor was increased from 2" to 6", and turrets were increased from 9" to 10". The IJN called them "fast battleships", and they were fast enough to accompany the Kido Butai (which had the Kaga slowing it down), but both Kirishima and Hiei showed that the second part was a slight exaggeration.
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  4. She was named for the state, not the district.
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  5. During WW2 our night air operations were practically nil. Any task force had to be prepared for a night confrontation. During the Battle of Philippine Sea Lee was asked if he thought a night action was advisable and he turned it down due to lack of night training. Battleships were needed to accompany the fast carrier forces, the fact that they spent most of the time as AA escorts does not mean they were unneeded. Yes, Washington had a more exciting engagement with another battleship, but NC had more battle stars than WA, and a more committed state behind her preservation. Same with AL and MA. The Iowas were preserved because they were the fastest, served in Korea, Vietnam, and Gulf War as well.
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  6. The North Carolinas had two vertical strakes below the stern, mounting two of the four propellers. The theory is that this set up some harmonic resonances between them that synced with something about the hull structure. Rather than rebuilding them, they tried various combinations of 4 and 5 bladed propellers to minimize the vibrations. The ships were put into reserve after the war and never reactivated.
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  7.  @kemarisite  Does 4v4 count if two are BCs Kongo and Haruna?
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  8.  @kms_scharnhorst  The Iowas were not considered obsolete before 42. Their planning was 38-40, and they were looked at as the only thing that was adequately armored with a speed over 30kts. They were considered essential until around 43, when work was suspended on the Illinois and Kentucky and later cancelled. At that point Essexes were being cancelled too, as they realized they had a much bigger fleet than they needed.
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  9.  Edgar Miller  The skegs had something to do with it too.
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  10. Should we give them the Olympia?
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  11. Then it would not be a "five-minute guide"....
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  12. Are you asking about the 1930's Kirovs, or the 1980's Kirovs? The CGN Long Beach was 1960s-1990s, while the BCN Kirov was 1980-2000s, so they barely overlap.
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  13. Wa-Xing-Tuh
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  14. Musashi was sunk by air attack the day before; if TF34 had stayed, the lineup would have been Yamato, Nagato, Kongo, and Haruna versus Iowa, New Jersey, South Dakota, Alabama, Massachusetts, and Washington. That is assuming Halsey would permit the stripping of all his battleships from the carriers (and note that Halsey himself was aboard New Jersey). After TF34 was turned south to help Taffy 3, the Iowa and the New Jersey were formed into a high-speed detachment (+3CA+8DD) and sent on ahead, but missed Kurita by a couple hours.
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  15. Lee was aboard one of the slower of the fast battleships. The two Iowas were detached with some cruisers and destroyers and sent ahead, but still failed to intercept Kurita before he entered the straits.
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  16. Not "very inexperienced" - he had been serving since 1905 on everything from gunboats to battleships, served during the Veracruz Incident and WW1, with multiple at-sea commands.
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  17.  @johnshepherd8687  Even in daylight radar fire control could get hits first, knocking out Yamato's fire control. Then it's just like the Bismarck...
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  18. Who says ramming is not still a valid tactic? Problem is it is usually used against your own...
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  19. They were messing around with modifications to reduce the vibrations, and the Brits needed reinforcement in the North Atlantic.
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  20. Could have been carried away... or jumped over...
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  21. Admiral, not Captain...
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  22. Heavy seas, Admiral wandering quarterdeck, no aide, questionable mental or health state...
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