Comments by "Sar Jim" (@sarjim4381) on "USS New Orleans - Guide 049 (Human Voice)" video.

  1. Three guides in one day and it's not even my birthday! I've never found an answer to this one. Was there a weakness in the forward scantlings in this class? It seems like almost any torpedo hit from the bridge forward caused the bow to be blown off.
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  2.  @AdamMGTF  LOL. I've seen the "front fell off" sketch. It doesn't translate to American humor very well, but I liked it. Of course, I also liked Monty Python and Fawlty Towers, so that should tell you something. :-) It wasn't just the older cruisers with weak bows, and it wasn't just from torpedoes. USS Pittsburgh, a Baltimore class heavy, lost its bow in a typhoon in June, 1945, although the still floating bow was rounded up by a Navy tug and towed to Guam. I've never read a complete report on the all too frequent bow failures, but it seems the extensive use of the still not well understood challenges of naval welding contributed to it. There were also problems with the speed of the work and inspections not always carried out. The same kinds of issues plagued Liberty ships, made even worse by the intramural competition for bonuses based on how fast a ship was built.
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  3.  @steveb6103  Certainly is was the power of the Long Lance that played its part but, as I just pointed out, a typhoon caused the same thing.
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