Comments by "Sar Jim" (@sarjim4381) on "The Drydock - Episode 079" video.

Probably the smallest vessels with dedicated admiral quarters were the 327 foot, 2000 ton Erie class gunboats. Not only did they have admiral quarters, which were quite sumptuous for a ship this size, there were two additional cabins for the admiral's staff or other guests. The Erie class were spoken of as floating embassies due to the number of times US ambassadors to Central American countries were carried on various inspection visits of the host countries. Ambassadors from the host countries were also frequently carried, and the afterdeck was specially set up to serve as a very large dining room for state dinners. Given the lack of air conditioning in the 1930's and the tropical areas the Erie's patrolled, an open air dining room under canvas was considered very comfortable. Diaries from sailors that served on the vessels before the war spoke of how much they liked their ships since they were among the first to have bunks for each crew member, and the crew mess and heads were much larger than average. Petty officers had their own three person cabins, and each CPO had a private cabin. Very pleasant vessels to serve on.
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OMG! Four hours and eighteen minutes and it just turned 0300 here. Holy cow! I'm doomed, but I'll stay on deck until I fall overboard!
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Interesting read, thanks for the effort that went into it. It's just difficult for me to see a hypothetical short of some sort of British version of Pearl Harbor that the American public would have supported a war against Britain. There are just too many people of British descent in the US and no racial or political animus against Britain. As you say, there may have been a heightened naval tension between the two countries, but look at all the tensions the US resisted from about 1938 to 1941 before the US has no other real choice but to enter the war.
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@andresmartinezramos7513 LOL. My only hope is more coffee!
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It was indeed. Sydney closed to within 4,300 feet, possibly as close as 4,000 feet. This was well within the killing range of not only the four 5.9"guns in Kormoran's broadside but also within range of her 37mm and 20mm guns. The secondary guins were able to rake the decks of Sydney and cut down men trying to get to her secondaries. Her twin 4" guns and machine guns could have done much more damage to Kormoran had her guns been fully manned.
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The Steamship Historical Society of America is well worth supporting. It is dedicated to the preservation of the history of all non-warship engine powered vessels. It has a special concentration on passenger liners. The website is https://www.sshsa.org/, and they have thousands of ship's pictures there. They have several classes of membership, but all include a subscription to Powerships magazine, the society's publication.
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