Comments by "John Fisher" (@johnfisher9692) on "Drachinifel" channel.

  1. The Wisconsin certainly seemed to love running aground. Maybe the ship just wanted to visit the State she's named after? Hope the US preserved that drone due to it's historic achievement of having troops surrender to it. Maybe it can run for President next election? Couldn't do much worse than Trump and it wouldn't be tweeting all day. lol
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  2. Thanks for the video pf these ships. I've often considered them one of the most underrated ships constructed under the Washington Treaty. People rave over the Japanese cruisers but very conveniently ignore the blatant cheating and treaty violations of the Japanese. None of the cruisers built under the Treaty was anywhere near their announced displacement and most exceeded the 10,000 ton limit. The much praised Mogami's being the worst offenders. Despite their "luxury liner" look, the county's were powerful ships with the ability to keep the sea's under the worst of conditions. If a ship lacks sufficient freeboard and seakeeping it might as well stay in harbour, swinging at the dock, for all the good it does.
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  3. Looks like someone failed history class when they decided to put Canadian Naval aviation under the control of the AirForce
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  4. Always great to see another episode of the Drydock. I was going to comment on the mistake about Montana'a speed but I can see that's already been brought upand answered, so no point to that :) Q&A: You've previously mentioned how if the G3 and N3's had been built, the N3 design would have been less useful in WW2 because of their speed. I would ask how much could that have been raised if they had a rebuild in the mid 30's along the lines of the QE? Since their armour was already very heavy as were the guns all the weight saved by more modern machinery could have been used to boost both the AA suite and higher speed like the Italian WW1 BB rebuilds. Could they have gotten up to a useful WW2 fleet speed of say 28 knots or more?
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  5. Nice I can se the design teams had lots and lots of fun churning out different designs for the Montana class. Maybe there should be another design where every space inch of deck space is covered by AA guns. I can almost see the ultimate design, deleting all main armament guns for a solid wall of 40 and 20mm AA weapons lol.
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  6.  @mbryson2899  I remember "robo voice" as I found this great channel when the sip guides and dry docks were in single digits :) I'm sure Mrs Drach is grateful they found the cure for that condition 😅
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  7. I always learn something new with your video's Drach. I admit I haven't researched South American Navy's in great detail so this was welcome information. Victory was guaranteed once Peru entered WW2 with these experienced veterans :)
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  8. Thanks for another great video It seems this Emden was an unlucky ship whereas the WW1 Emden used all the luck that was available to that name.
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  9. A we;; presented account of a very one sided battle Many pro German supporters only yell about how badly Von Spee was outgunned vy the BC's at the Falklands battle but completely ignore that Craddock was even more outgunned by the German ships at Coronel. And that most of the British sailors were reservists while the German crews of the CA's were highly experienced and crack gunnery crews.
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  10. Awesome video as always Drach Thanks for answering my question about the construction of the Dantons, Building ship designs which were obsolescent (or even obsolete) struck me as strange but your answers made sence. Especially for a country like France which cannot seem to NOT meddle with a design even after it's supposed to be settled.
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  11. Thanks Drach. As always an excellent video on a heroic ship and it's epic voyage. I have read accounts of people criticizing and mocking British efforts to find Emden but these 'people' obviously have forgotten this was in the days before Satellites, radar, long range aircraft. Even many older merchant ships did not carry radio and the only way to know a raider was operating was when ships failed to arrive. In those bygone days fining a single small ship in the vastness of the Pacific was a daunting task.
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  12. As always Drach, a great informative video. I've read comments on how people rave over the "invincible" H-44 design but few of them will admit that these design were (as you pointed out) fantasy paper ships produced by people trying to avoid the Eastern front. It would seem the Germans had learnt little from the war with these ships as they carried far too few AA weapons and those were too light by later war standards. A point about the massive 8 inch armoured deck. was it a proper high mounted deck or still the close range brawler design which left the power and communication lines vulnerable as previous ships? Submerged torpedo tubes are another weakness in hull strength as proven in WW1, it seems they were added as "Why not". THe H-41 to H-44 ships also pay little attention to the blast effect those massive 19 or 20 inch guns would have on the AAA crews. Hitler wanted them invulnerable to BB's but it looks like they could be sunk bu massed carrier strikes as were the two Yamato's
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  13. Any idea why the gunnery director was so massive given that Hermes carried so few guns?
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  14. I think you should continue with the way ou currently discuss gun and turrets. We who understand naval matters can work it out very easily and I agree you don't want to confuse newcomers. Otherwise you're going to have to take a long winded approach by saying "A ship with three turrets each carrying three guns of 15 inch (381mm). My personal opinion is the Town class has a big advantage over the Takao class in ruggedness of construction. In order to fit all those engines, weapons and armour the Japanese ships were lightly constructed and lacked freeboard. The thickness of armour counts less if what it's attached to is flimsy. The RN cruisers proved their strength in the cauldron of the Med. Despite ll the fans raving, an analysis of WW2 large German ships showed they were not good value for money. Most lacked sea worthiness and freeboard, their machinery was not considered reliable. the DD's were overgunned while the Scharnhorst's were undergunned they were the best of the large ships. The best designs were easily the U-boats and S-boats, both superb craft. As more the overpraised, overhyped Bismarck, I think my opinion matches yours about this design, adequate but lacking in many fundamental areas.
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  15.  @bkjeong4302  And the British BC's were shot at by the entire German battle line earlier that day, when visibility was far better. Not exactly fair to the British is it? Put it this way. Thinner British armour Vs efficient German AP shells while Thicker German armour Vs poor quality British AP shells. Seems to me the German ships had the better deal. But the point I'm making is that the British BC's were NOT the tin cans waiting to explode as many pro German fanatics crow about. They were tough ships able to take and dish out punishment. Take volatile cordite and dangerous handling procedures out of the equation and the British BC's stood up to the test of battle. As Drach said in the video, Tiger and Lion suffered almost as many HITS! as Seydlitz and Lutzow. And while the shells were smaller those hits were from shells which functioned as they were supposed to, while the British mostly exploded on contact. The next morning the British BC's were looking for a rematch while the German BC's were toothless wrecks running for home.
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  16.  @bkjeong4302  It doesn't truly matter WHERE the damage came from. My point is that Tiger and Lion took only a couple of actual HITS less than the much praised Seydlitz and Lutzow but at the end of the battle were still combat capable and looking for a fight while both Seydlitz and Lutzow were hors de combat and had no choice but to run for home. Both ships actually sank but Seydlitz grounded in shallow water and was able to be salvaged. Think about it this way: Larger but poor quality British shells which mostly exploded on contact Vs thicker German armour Smaller but fully effective German shells Vs thinner British armour Seems to me the British ships held up as well as their German counterparts to the pounding they took once you take the whole cordite and it's handling out of the equation. Seydlitz almost exploded at Dogger Bank when her after turrets were hit but was saved the same way Lion was at Jutland. The skill, courage and sacrifice of her crew who flooded the magazine in the nick of time. So I guess any ships can blow it Lady Luck says your time is up.
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  17. As always an educational experience Drach. I wish I had been this attentive in school. My former teachers wish that too I bet. Nice PPE Drach but doesn't that make it difficult to use hand sanitizer or even drive to the market to get those field rations?
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  18. What if all four of the Admiral class had been completed before and retained after the Washington Treaty. What ships would the RN have scrapped to keep the peace with teh US and what would have been their likely refits? How much of an impact during WW2 would four refitted Admiral class fast battleships have made.
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  19. Thanks Drach The County's get a lot of stick for being poorly armoured but they were far better protected than most others and after the Treaty's became invalid they were probably amongst the best protected cruisers and did it without massive violations of the Treaty's like certain other Country's did. And unlike those sleek Japanese cruisers, the County's were excellent seaboats.
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  20. So does this mean Kamchatka holds the record for spotting enemy ships at the greatest distance?
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  21. What do you think you happen if during the Washington conference, the British and Japanese stood by each other and refused to end their Treaty just because the US whined about it? If they bluntly told the US "Who do you think you are telling us who we can and can not ally with" And got the French and Italians on their side by telling them that the US will probably try to restrict their rights to self determination by telling THEM who they can ally with. And rounded it off by asking "Wasn't the US supposedly founded on the rights of self determination?
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  22. Good looking ships at the start but that pagoda mast always made the ships look top heavy and liable to capsize at any strong wind, at least to me it does. Did that massive tall structure cause the ships any problems in rough weather?
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  23. Regarding the bit on Battleship guns, it would be interesting to have a Wednesday video on their construction and just how difficult it is to cut rifling into such massive weapons Perhaps describe just what rifling means beyond the bland "making the shell spin" and how the driving bands of a heavy naval shell engage the rifling.
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  24. In a few guides you've said a ship was too far along in the design process to stop and the result was a ship technology had overtaken like the Dantons. If a ship design is obsolete before construction has even begun, why proceed? Wouldn't it have been better to absorb the lost time and money, thrown away the plans for outdated ships and then take the time to design something better. And put the assembled material into storage to use for the better ships. Instead of six Dantons they French could have used the 12inch turrets for three proper Dreadnoughts rather than build an obsolete design which cannot stand in the battle line.
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  25. Thanks Deach I have to admit the idea that the US blew up Maine as an excuse to declare war isn't helped by the speed the usually underfunded US Navy swung into action and how their ships were so well positioned to take advantage of that declaration.
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  26. Thanks Drach, 99 and not out. Just take a deep breath and wait for the right ball to hit that magic ton. Regarding ships cats getting lost on something the size of a US supercarrier, maybe look into putting the equivalent of a GPS tacking chip into the naval moggie. If I remember my history correctly the British 15/42 gun and it's twin turret was one of those rare combinations of gun and mounting being a very successful marriage. Hope your new PC world well for you, just remember "Trust the computer, the computer is your friend"
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  27. Would love to see your list of the world's worst warships and I can make a guess at one of your picks. Considering the rant on the five minute guide I'd say you nominate SMS Nassau. One mistake I noticed is that discussing the Goeben scenario you gave Breslau's armament as 12-5.9inch guns but she was armed with 12-4.1inchers like all early German CL's. The Imperial German navy preferred the rapid fire of the smaller gun over the heaver 6inch favoured by the British. History shows which was the better weapon. Another reason for the success of the British 15/42 gun was the twin turret. It was a superb design that had an enviable reputation for it's ruggedness, roominess and reliability. It fast to get on target while having the right amount of 'creep' for minor corrections.
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  28. These ships attract a lot of negative comments and distasteful jokes because of their losses at Jutland, but when they were used for the roles they were designed for they proved to be highly effective ships. the losses at Jutland were more due to poor ammo handling plus both skilled and lucky German gunnery. The German BC's were more fast BB's than cruiser killers/scouts, which is the role the Invincible class was built for. The German ships had many flaws as well, but too many believe they were perfect in every way, which they most certainly were not.
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  29. Thanks Drach You're right, in the praise of operation Overlord too many forget the complex planning involved in getting those troops to the right area at the right time.
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  30. You have pointed out that warship building is a huge investment and once run down is very hard to get going again. What if, instead of scrapping ships and stopping all construction the Washington treaty allowed for replacement of ships on a 2 tons for 1 ratio in existing ships. This would shrink the size of navy's but maintain employment and retain vital knowledge and skills. What do you think the various Navy's would have built in the 1920's while sticking to the 35,000 ton limits.
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  31. These ships look like the Germans tried to do too much on small hull because they thought bigger was better.
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  32. Thanks for another great video I think these magnificent ships are all too often overlooked despite the sterling service they gave. Many people focus on the Japanese ships but don't do the research to find out just how blatantly the Japanese lied and broke the treaty's (during peacetime) with their ships being both well over the announced displacement as well as the 10,000 ton limit. The Mogami's announced at 8,500 tons were actually over 12,500 when finally fit for service and that was before any war. Despite all that, Japanese, German and Italian ships were lightly built to fit more guns, speed and armour but were to withstand either rough sea's or battle damage. Thick armour is great but ineffective if what it's attached to is weak and fragile. The Town's were tough and solidly constructed ships that were well able to handle rough weather and stood up to enemy action.
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  33. Thanks Drach for all your efforts Why can I see Drach with his own Holman projector at a medieval festival and trying to "explain" it's just another type of Trebuchet with a slighter faster rate of fire..Honest!😁
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  34. As awesome as awlays Another problem I see with the German squadron dashing to the Med is fuel. IF they pulled it off, well Italy was very short of oil fuel for its own capital ships and adding the three German ships would only cause more problems. The French predreadnoughts were a weird collection of samples. Is it true that one of the most important positions of a French capital ship was the sommelier :)
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  35. Thanks Drach A ships engines are often overlooked as all the attention is usually focused on guns and armour. After propellers maybe you could look into a ships fuel and the back breaking labour involved in coaling a large ship and how coal was stored and used in order to maintain the ships balance. Perhaps an explanation of drawing the boilers fires in order to clean the residue left as this was (as you said) "Bad" for the boiler.
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  36. Thanks Drach Always a highlight of my day to see another Drydock
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  37. Thanks for an early Christmas present with this video. Hope you get better soon and get lots of nice presents. Though I don't unerstand what's up with this cold weather comments?? It's predicted to be 29C on Christmas day. Oh right! I'm in Australia Oops :) Regarding crew comfort on ships. This was one reason why German ships were harder to sink, especially in WW1. They were designed for short duration voyages and were more closely sub divided as the crew left the ship while in port and lived in barracks ashore. Most navies had the crew living in their ship and HAD to have more creature comforts and space available to the crew. On ship nicknames I've read that First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill wanted two of the QE's to have the names Oliver Cromwell and William Pitt. King George V refused both names as 1. He refused to have a ship named for someone who killed a King. 2. Being a former naval officer himself he knew what nick name a RN crew would give a ship called Pitt and thought that unfitting for a ship of His Majesty's Navy. He was no fool.
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  38.  @1Korlash  It's something I readmany years ago and, of course, now i go looking I can't find it :( One excellent book I have is "Conway's All the world's Battleships 1906 to present. Edited by Ian Sturton. This states the Blast effects from Yamato's main guns was so severe that all light AA had to be shielded and the ships boats stored below deck. Another lesser evidence is one of the reasons the British did not go for superfiring turrets in their first dreadnoughts was the guns would concuss the crew of the lower turret due to the sighting hoods when fired on certain bearings. The turrets were later redesigned to correct this. Considering these were 12inch guns, the effect of the Yamato's 18.1 inch guns on unprotected crew would be devastating, perhaps even fatal. And the Germans were thinking of 20inch for their fantasy H-44 class.
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  39. He also persistently tried to get a ship named after the former Prime Minister William Pitt but King George V refused as he was a former Naval Officer and knew just what nickname sailors would give a ship with that name.
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  40. Thanks Drach If the Japanese had completed the 8-8 program, what would the US have built in reply to it once they learned the details of the Japanese designs. Let's hope some sanity prevails and they don't compete the 'tin shed' Lexingtons. If the British I class ships 6inch armour was useless against 12inch fire, the Lexington 7inch would have been even worse against 16inch shells.
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  41. Very interesting video about a little appreciated aspect of war, logistics, I remember reading a saying that "Anyone can raise an army but without proper planning you run into problems at dinner time" And ships get as hungry as anyone else.
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  42. It still boggles the mind to see just how deep the oceans are adn I can only imagine thee pressure that deep. The oceans of the world remain an unknown and mysterious environment.
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  43. Thanks Drach While the RN no longer issues a rum ration We are glad you continue this fine tradition
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  44. In many video's ou have mentioned how difficult is was to keep a large coal powered ship at full speed for any great length of time. Just how hot did it get in the boiler rooms of a coal powered ship and what (if any) efforts were made to keep the stokers on their feet? Did they have different teams of stokers and use them in a tag team? One team resting while another shoveled coal?
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  45. Why did Scheer pursue Beatty at all? Even without the Pre-Dn's hindering his speed he could nver have caught the BCF and the 5th BS. The only ships that could, 1st SG had shown they didn't have a chance against 5th BS. And why did neither Scheer nor Hipper wonder why Beatty was heading north and not northwest towards Scapa? Did it never occur to them Beatty was skillfuly leading them into the guns of an already at sea Grand Fleet? The German Fleet certainly seems to have gotten the major share of the luck pie that day
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  46. For a ship with a fearsome reputation from the age of sail I remember the video about HMS Indefagitable which captured so many ships the French may have been building ships for the British RN.
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  47. That's .....some impressive lateral thinking, I guess it never hurts to be a little mad when you need to think outside the box, but I guess the inventors of this don't even know a box exists. You have to give them top marks for originality. I can see it now: "Captain, there's a German surface raider dead ahead" Captain: "Ramming speed!!"
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  48. I learned lots here. Coastal defence is far more complicated than I ever imagined. By the way, have you ever Google'd the word 'Brief'? :) "That word you use, I do not think it means what you think it does" lol
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  49. A battle between a Caracciolo and Hood would be interesting. I can imagine the Italians both pouting and grinding their teeth at Hood being several knots faster though.
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  50.  @themightynanto3158  You could also ask: What if Seydlitz's' magazines had not flooded in timer at Dogger Bank and she blew up with the Germans therefore remaining ignorant of their unsafe powder handling procedures and the consequences of the later Battle of Jutland.
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