Comments by "" (@craigkdillon) on "Drachinifel" channel.

  1. When Americans are incompetent, we are incompetent at a gloriously extreme level.
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  2. When you said, "The Congress was ineffective", for a moment I thought you were making commentary on our government. I soon realized you were talking about a ship.
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  3. Actually, we may have to build ships in the US Navy with rams. This is because in challenging China in the South China Sea, the Chinese often try to ram our ships. We don't want to respond with weaponry, because that could lead to a real war. By ramming them, we can always say, "Oops, you zigged, while I zagged, so sorry."
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  4.  @chaosXP3RT  But, when we are competent, we are amazingly competent. 1. The Marshall Plan elevated Europe out of poverty and disaster, after WW2. 2. America reorganized Japan, gave them a Constitution, enabled their industry with our market, and Japan is now a key ally. 3. NATO is a critical organization in defining the modern world. 4. The UN is critical to world peace, and to peaceful maritime trade the world over. UNCLOS has eliminated many maritime territorial disputes. 5. We make the best guns, too. We may be incompetent from time to time, and Americans are the own best critics, but we take umbrage to others criticizing us.. Thank you.
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  5.  @Cpt_Boony_Hat  WOW!!! I never knew that our Republic, our Democracy, our home of the free, and the land of the brave, ever had a ship called "Dictator". If we ever have a USS Trump, we may as well call that Dictator, too.
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  6. How about a Greek Trireme from the Battle of Salamis against the Civil War Monitor in the North Sea. That should be interesting. I think that the ships being compared be contemporary should be a requirement.
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  7. It never occurred to me that adding armor to the hull helped to lower the center of buoyancy, making the ship more seaworthy. I only thought of the belt armor as just helping to protect the ship. Now I realize, that if a ship had more armor, it could also mount larger heavier guns. Nice.
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  8. Glad you mentioned the Somersett case. Alfred & Ruth Blumrosen, in their book "Slave Nation", contend that the Somersett case was the prime cause for the American Revolution. The plantation owners saw that slavery would likely end if they stayed under English law. So, they wanted independence. This explained the Boston-Virginia alliance in the Revolutionary War. Boston was heart of the trade - not New York or Philadelphia. This also explained the extreme non-compromising stance of the Continental Congress, and their refusal of King George's overtures for compromise and settling the issue. Remember, these "idealists" sailed the world making all kinds of deals. Deal-making is what they did. Yet, they could not come to some kind of compromise with King George, even though he begging for relief. (See the book Rebels & Redcoats.) If this is correct, then our Revolutionary War was a war to MAINTAIN slavery, more than it was to give us Freedom. For me, I have come to accept this view, at least to the extent that it was a significant factor, though not the only factor. However, it finally explained to me why the southern colonies would be concerned with a disturbance in Boston that killed a few people.
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  9. The Spirit of Salamis lives. Or is it Lepanto? There must be an unwritten Law of Mediterranean Naval Combat, which states All Naval Combat MUST Use Ramming as its Primary Weapon. It's been going on for 4,000 years. Why change it??
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  10. I love how the umpires keep changing the rules. After their naval careers, I am sure some of them went on to become NBA refs. Or, the fathers of some of them.
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  11. This destroys any credit or honors that the Japanese have had for the victory at Tsushima. Destroying this fleet was a mercy killing, not a naval battle. I cannot imagine a more ridiculous military operation ever happening,
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  12. Forget the battle, or details of the ships --- I want to here about the insane engineer. What happened to him?? Did he survive? Was he disciplined or given a medal?? Why couldn't he be relieved and replaced? Or, were British capital ships manned with only one person who could handle the engines???
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  13. Those Spanish were SOoooo lucky. If the Revenge did not have 90 sick men and 40 more enfeebled, the Spanish fleet would not have stood a chance. Like I said, SOoooo lucky.
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  14.  @robjohnson8522  Government does help. But, Americans can be incompetent all on their own.
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  15. Never knew of the British name for this battle between the Serapis and the Bon Homme Richard (which is a French name, and pronounced "bawn ohm ri-SHARD). Nice little character assassination of a great American hero. Was he a jerk?? Yes, probably..... BUT, that was the style of captaincy and leadership practiced then. Remember Captain Bligh??? British captains were notoriously mean and cruel. As I recall, it was not until the nineteenth century that Britain reformed its philosophy of motivating and punishing crews.
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  16. True. But, mahogany is so much prettier than Oak.
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  17. This was Halsey's most incompetent hour. IMO, this destroys his reputation and so-called legacy. How he could retain a battle command after this is amazing to me.
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  18. You mispronounce Tecumseh's name. The last syllable is pronounced -- suh, like in cup. William Tecumseh Sherman was named after this Shawnee war chief.
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  19. By the way, Jones famous quote is "I have not yet begun to fight". Did you purposely screw that up? It's pretty famous. Every child learns it in school. Didn't you??? Oh, that't right. You're British.
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  20. Drach, just to let you know that your videos are deeply satisfying my inner nerd.
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  21. Drach is great at explaining crazy complex situations, usually exhibiting underlying stupidity. With that in mind, I would love to hear his analysis of Trump, American politics, and recent events. I don't think you can get any crazier or more stupid than what our "leaders" are doing now. It's important to keep in mind that the country that gave the world Abraham Lincoln and John F Kennedy also gave the world The Three Stooges.
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  22. Very reassuring to know that if anyone attacks our continent, it will fight back.
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  23. I like your research, but most of all, I like your attitude. I wish you could expand beyond naval assets, and review other weapon systems of the Nazis. I would love to hear your approach to describing the history and usage of Tiger I&2, ME 109 (Bf 109?), Stuka, and some others. I know you can't. You only have so much time & energy, and it isn't your area of focus.
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  24. Why hasn't this been made into a "heroic" movie???? This is just too hilarious.
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  25. My impression is that the US Navy considered the primary aerial threat to be from torpedoes, not bombs. Therefore, armoring the deck would not be seen as important as an armored belt to absorb torpedo hits. Is that right??
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  26. Many changes during construction....always a recipe for disaster.
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  27. Also, many changes during construction....recipe for huge cost overruns.
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  28. It seems that Americans can be a sneaky bunch.
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  29. What is that ship at 7:57??? That is the strangest fantastical looking ship I have ever seen. It looks like something out of a child's fantasy. It does not look real.
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  30. Yep. Pretty much as I expected. North Sea & Mediterranean operations dictated greater combat survive-ability. While, Pacific operations allowed for less focus on carrier armor and armament. Another factor, IMO, is USN doctrine of using task forces; carriers were accompanies by several types of fighting ships that further increased defense.
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  31. Ahhh...Now you are learning. Texans are not the brightest bulb in the lamp -- not the sharpest knives in the drawer. They love their guns. Texas is the state that killed JFK. So, that Texas is stupid enough to let their namesake battleship rot should not surprise.
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  32. Ahhh, you have discovered the infallible way to assess a person's intelligence. I have used for years, and it has never failed me. Rule of Intelligence: If a person agrees with me - he/she is a genius. If he/she disagrees with me - he/she is an idiot. It never fails. I see you use the same method. we geniuses must stick together, to resist the hordes of idiots that populate this planet. Note: Beware the presence of stealthy snarky sarcasm.
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  33. I understand that the German "pocket" battleship was a fast battleship, allowing it to avoid a fight, if it so chose. So, is the USN North Carolina similar to the German pocket battleship concept?? If not, why not? Was the North Carolina superior to the Bismarck? or, inferior?
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  34. Being torpedoed is good for your health??? I will NOT be going to the Drachnifel Health Camp.
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  35. post attempt test.
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  36. Considering what Rommel was able to achieve with modest resources, I think Germany would have succeeded, if it attacked the Middle East and Africa instead of Russia. 1. Taking Egypt would have closed the Mediterranean to the British. 2. The oil of Kuwait would have been seized, thus giving Hitler all the oil he needed. 3. Just as the Ottoman Empire allied with Germany in WW1, I presume Turkey would have allied with Germany to assist in oil transport, and in the future attack on Russia. 4. The added resources would have made Nazi Germany a tougher nut to crack, lengthening the war by a 2 to 3 years. 5. Japan still would have attacked Pearl Harbor, and America would still have entered the War. 6. The US still would have out produced Germany, and defeated it. 7. The US still would have developed the atom bomb. But, now Germany may have been the victim of it, and not Japan, since Germany would still be fighting in August 1945. 8. The closing of the Suez canal would have hurt Britain, but the US would have supplied all it needed after it entered the war in December 1941. 9. Operation Torch would still have happened. But, the fighting would start in Morocco, since no landings would have been in Algeria, with the loss of Gibraltar.
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  37. War is usually presented in terms grand strategy and heroism, and accompanied with triumphal music. You present war as disorganized, led by incompetent deeply flawed, possibly psychotic men, and if music were to be present, it would be the silly music of a Benny Hill show. I think your presentation is closer to the truth. War is a tragic farce. It would be very funny, if it wasn't for all that suffering and dying.
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  38. Could you imagine how difficult, or impossible, the invasion would have been if the Germans had the radar and satellite reconnaissance that we have today?? So, I think it is silly for so many to suppose that China could invade Taiwan with only a few hundred ships, 50 troops transports, and having to traverse the 100 mile wide stormy Taiwan Strait.
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  39. Was the captain of the USS Porter named McHale, by any chance????
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  40. The Bureau of Ordance should have been taken out in its entirety -- lined up against a wall --- and every last member shot by a machine gun -- thus executed - their bodies dumped into the ocean as chum for sharks.
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  41. Seems to me, the Spanish fleet would have much better served if they had just held back and let the Revenge sail home.
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  42. For once, I have to disagree with your logic. 1. We know now that there was no invasion threat to the US. BUT, back then, right after Pearl, there was hysteria, and many expected an invasion. 2. Japan was very capable of invading Hawaii in very early stage, IMO. I have wondered why Japan did not do that, in fact. I believe the reason is that Pearl was a Navy assignment, while the Army took the Philippines. IF Japan had ignored the Philippines at first, and combined their efforts at occupying Hawaii, I don't see why it would not have succeeded, and put the US Navy all the way back to San Diego. 3. You must know that the US was stunned by Pearl, not just because it was a surprise, BUT, because it was done by an "inferior" nation, an inferior military, and an "inferior" people. This cognitive dissonance created not only panic, but then a reverse idea that the Japanese were now super men, who could anything --- even invade the US. I think you have made the common mistake, in this case, of interpreting history from what we now know, and not from what people knew, felt, and believed at the time.
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  43.  Patrick Ancona  Not a millennial.
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  44.  @kennichols3992  We Americans are very capable at doing both, thank you.
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  45.  @marxel4444  What was the Florida Torpedo. I never heard of it.
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  46.  @tomkelley9847  It was the military that gave us words like "SNAFU", clusterf**k, FUBAR, and so many more. American troops are very familiar with our ability to f*** things up.
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  47. OK, how did a strait get named "Roads"??? Roads is a land term, not a sea term. Why not "Hampton Strait"? or "Hampton Narrows"? There has to be a story there, somewhere.
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  48. Ok...I am having difficulty. Is this video tongue-in-cheek? OR, is it absolute documentary??? From living in UK for 3 years, and discovering that Monty Python was NOT comedy, but actual documentary of British life, I am inclined to believe every single word as literal truth to the events discussed. So, which is it?? Truth or comedy?? Or, both???
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  49. So, it was really a novel form of pub crawl. And, a naval tradition is created. Amazing.
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  50. I wonder if the captains of any of those ships got to command of ships again??? I hope not.
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