Armed Polite Society
Main Forums => The Roundtable => Topic started by: K Frame on August 06, 2022, 07:28:34 AM
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The closest ones to me are either in New York or South Carolina, Intrepid and Yorktown, respectively.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/your-guide-to-the-5-aircraft-carrier-museums-in-the-usa/ar-AA10mdUL?ocid=winp1taskbar&cvid=79f8dbfd121c4ff7815245e9b84635ad
One of these days I want to get down to see the Yorktown.
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Some years back I was on a business trip to San Diego and I spent a couple of hours touring the USS Midway - it was one of those walking tours where they give you a headset and player and you follow the recorded narration. Very interesting.
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Yorktown was great but I am going on the wayback machine, my mom took me when I was like 13 or something. Bush Sr. was president. Another option is to keep an eye out for when active ships do open houses. Or find someone you know serving and talk them into a family day cruise. I kind of regret that when I was tied to a pier I never went to other ships. Foreign ships all the time in Norfolk. Had a SSBN next to me giving tours and passed it up.
Right in your central PA area is the Mid Atlantic Air Museum, no carrier but carrier planes for sure. Get way up close and personal with the planes and the knowledge level is excellent since the staff is all volunteer that work on or fly the planes.
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Yorktown also has the destroyer Laffey, a ship that survived four bombs and six kamikazes in one battle off of Okinawa. They have a Baleo class submarine, the Clagamore, but it’s going to be scrapped due to the poor shape she is in.
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I've not been back to Central Pennsylvania since 2018. Probably go next year, though, for my 40th class reunion.
Never did get to the MAAM, unfortunately.
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If you ever get to Chicago and have some free time, you can tour the U-505, a German sub that was captured during WWII. It's a fairly easy tour, since they cut holes in the sides for access. It's at the Museum of Science and Industry. https://www.msichicago.org/explore/whats-here/exhibits/u-505-submarine/ (https://www.msichicago.org/explore/whats-here/exhibits/u-505-submarine/)
Back in the early '70s when I was in high school, a group of us were roaming along the Chicago lakefront and went by Navy Pier - there was a US sub tied up there, the USS Runner. We were standing there looking at it, when a young guy popped out of one of the hatches, saw us looking at it, and invited us aboard for a tour. (I think he was a sea cadet, and the sub was now in "service" as a portside trainer.) I remember him patting a torpedo and telling us it "cost as much as two Cadillacs." The interior of the sub was substantially as when it was in service, so we got to do fun stuff like climbing ladders and crawling through hatches. I vaguely recall reading that the Runner was scrapped not long after.
It's been a long time since I've seen either sub so I don't remember all the details but I remember being more impressed with the design and layout of the U-505 than I was with the Runner.
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When I was an "Anchor Clanker" in the late Sixties, I was in a couple of ASW helicopter squadrons (HS-9 and HS-11). Those squadrons deployed on the Essex, Wasp, Lexington, and the Forestall. In all those tours, I never took the time to tour the entire ships. I think the next time I'm near one, I'll do the tour.
I toured the USS Massachusetts and the sub tied up next to it in Fall River, MA, back in the eighties. That was impressive. I also took the time to tour the Constitution when it was tied up in Boston, and I toured a 3/4 scale whaler in the Whaling Museum in New Bedford, MA.
If you ever get the chance, do it!
Woody
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I lived on one for 3 years. The USS Forrestal was my home from 72 to 75. I visited the Midway a few years ago, that is very good museum ship experience. We did ditch the headphones for the self guided tour and I was our tour guide. As an aside I made the last trap and cat shot off of the Midway as a crewman in a C2 (COD) when it came back to the US for decommissioning. We were the last COD to service the boat the day before it arrived at San Diego.
bob
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A friend serving on a carrier when we were both in the Navy took me on a quick tour of the USS Independence. As someone who only served on a little ASR, THIS THING WAS HUGE!!! OMG, looking down off the flight deck gave me vertigo!
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We got a ride from Pearl to San Diego on the U.S.S. Carl Vinson about 4 years ago when our daughter was in the Navy. Was an awesome week and it solidified my decision on enlisting in the Air Force and not the Navy!
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We got a ride from Pearl to San Diego on the U.S.S. Carl Vinson about 4 years ago when our daughter was in the Navy. Was an awesome week and it solidified my decision on enlisting in the Air Force and not the Navy!
:rofl: Landlubber...
(https://armedpolitesociety.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fherohog.com%2Fimages%2Fmisc%2FUSS_Tringa_Rough_Seas.jpg&hash=b424ef2ea76c2ea6fccc50ed56e0ecb42e2baa1c)
(https://armedpolitesociety.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fherohog.com%2Fimages%2Fmisc%2FUSS_Tringa_Rough_Seas2.jpg&hash=1719000210d32d77378e6ec60539ad8ba81c33da)
The bow of my ship in rough water as seen from the conn.
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Seen worse but love the photography
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuIO4Cyni-w
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Seen worse but love the photography
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuIO4Cyni-w
But, have you ridden it out? On several cruises the order to STAY INSIDE and OFF THE OUTSIDE DECKS was passed. For GOOD reason!
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On one of my deployments on the Wasp in the North Atlantic, 40 foot seas, I saw green water come over the flight deck. It was awesome. The escorts, tin cans , etc., were riding it out much nicer. For them it was not much more than a roller coaster ride. The Wasp, being much longer, would get "out of sync" and the bow would come down just as the next swell was going up. I saw green water come in through the anchor chain portals in the fo'c'sle that day as well.
Woody
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Yorktown also has the destroyer Laffey, a ship that survived four bombs and six kamikazes in one battle off of Okinawa. They have a Baleo class submarine, the Clagamore, but it’s going to be scrapped due to the poor shape she is in.
I visited both of those too when I was there long ago. The Clagamore and whatever sub is in Baltimore convinced me to stay above water. The navy hounded me to go nuke based on ASVAB score. I finally took their screening test, crushed it, they hounded me more. I realize I could have been rich and also probably been on a carrier and not underwater but no thanks. Even the carrier nukes are sad creatures that know of the sun only from oral history passed down through generations.
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Saw Yorktown a few years ago at Patriots Point, that was absolutely worth the time and money. Highly recommend.
To all of you squids/bubbleheads and your boats comparing horrible seas, you can keep that *expletive deleted*it. I was lucky enough to avoid MEUs, we flew into country on a nice commercial charter. Damned near the lap of luxury. No damned boats.
I love the maritime history of the Corps, but we've just been stormtroopers post Inchon.
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Ah, then there is my last ship, a helicopter carrier. With a welldeck. Closest I came to the submarine service because there were a few times they sunk that thing to flood the welldeck that it had a little trouble coming back up. Nopenopenope.
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Back in my Army days, I spent a bit of time on a project studying the Army's ability to conduct an amphibious landing, and spent time on an amphibious assault ship, the USS Nassau, which is one of the cool "mini" carriers with the well deck to load/unload landing craft like French G served on.
Twice I've been privileged to tour the USS Missouri in Pearl Harbor. Impressive size, and the history of standing on the spot where the Japanese surrendered to end WWII is awesome.
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Rough seas in what is basically an ocean going tug with a canoe hull is no fun! 0/10, would NOT recommend!
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:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
You want fun? try rough seas on a round hull submarine on the surface.
Worst I went through was in October 1991. We were scheduled for NATO op and were transiting to our op area SE of Halifax. Captain decided we need to go to periscope depth to copy the broadcast so he could get the football scores or some lame *expletive deleted*it like that.
AT 400' keel depth we were taking 10-15° rolls. Once we got to PD we ended up broaching as it's damn hard to keep a boat at PD in those kinds of seas, we were within a few degrees of tumbling our gyro compasses a couple of times. A couple of minor injuries but the highlight was the roll that cleared to ward room table that was set up for the evening meal.
Straight of Juan De Fuca in the Spring can be fun as well the North Sea in May.
Took a tour of the USS Lexington, CV-16, in 1981 while it was still as NAS Pensacola. 3 of us had come over from Cory Station where we were attending EW "A" school for the tour.
When we tried to leave with the rest of the tour group the Chief at the brow wouldn't let us leave because we didn't have our "civilian clothes chit" and accused us of having scraped the command sticker off of our ID cards. Took damn near an hour to convince them that we were not ships company.
Never had the chance to go aboard a modern carrier but we did tie up across the pier from one of the Nimitz class carriers when I was in Norfolk. Can't remember for sure which one it was but I'm thinking It was the Carl Vinson CVN-70 There were a couple of other carriers at Norfolk when I was there but we normally tied up a ways op the river at the D&S piers and didn't mingle with the big boys.
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:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
You want fun? try rough seas on a round hull submarine on the surface.
Full stop. Go no farther. We felt SO bad for the submariners when they had to surface in rough seas!
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A friend serving on a carrier when we were both in the Navy took me on a quick tour of the USS Independence. As someone who only served on a little ASR, THIS THING WAS HUGE!!! OMG, looking down off the flight deck gave me vertigo!
For a short while I worked in the Norfolk Naval Shipyard and have seen the height only from pier level. One cold day the Sailors on deck were dropping snowballs on us. We realized how tall they were when we found you can't throw a snowball that high.
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One of my favorite photos from the war
Yes she was a light carrier (CVL) but that had to be fun watching the sea rise up to meet you like that.
In June 1945, Sailors hang on as the aircraft carrier USS Langley rolls sharply to port during Typhoon Connie, a second major Pacific storm that wracked the ships of the U.S. Navy’s Third Fleet during World War II.
https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/two-typhoons-crippled-bull-halseys-task-force-38/
(https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/USS_Langley_CVL-27_in_typhoon_June_1945.jpg)
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Back in my Army days, I spent a bit of time on a project studying the Army's ability to conduct an amphibious landing, and spent time on an amphibious assault ship, the USS Nassau, which is one of the cool "mini" carriers with the well deck to load/unload landing craft like French G served on.
Twice I've been privileged to tour the USS Missouri in Pearl Harbor. Impressive size, and the history of standing on the spot where the Japanese surrendered to end WWII is awesome.
Yeah, that was my ship, LHA-4. The big Nasty. They keep trying to make the army a sea service. Better at landing craft than the navy for sure and more boats too. I know they tried to operate Apaches off of CVN-71 when I was there.
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One of my favorite photos from the war
Yes she was a light carrier (CVL) but that had to be fun watching the sea rise up to meet you like that.
https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/two-typhoons-crippled-bull-halseys-task-force-38/
(https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/USS_Langley_CVL-27_in_typhoon_June_1945.jpg)
On the canoe I sailed on, they would have Swim Call at sea, throw a cargo net over the side, and everybody that wants to swim, over the side! Gettin back on the boat, wait till she rolled towards you, grab the net, as the ship rolled back, you were yanked 12 or more feet out of the water and could easily hop over the side onto the deck as she rolled back down as you were suddenly "lighter"!
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One of my favorite photos from the war
Yes she was a light carrier (CVL) but that had to be fun watching the sea rise up to meet you like that.
https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/two-typhoons-crippled-bull-halseys-task-force-38/
(https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/USS_Langley_CVL-27_in_typhoon_June_1945.jpg)
Must have been fun up in the conning tower - quite an arc during the rolls.
My Dad told me a little about riding out a typhoon in some kind of troopship heading overseas during WWII. No full mess (of course) but you could get a sandwich - somehow my Dad encountered the ship captain who had a few choice words for him because he was chowing down on a salami sandwich with no problem (Navy had comparatively good chow back then) while half the sailors were seasick. Army Air Corps guys weren't supposed to have better sea legs and a stronger stomach than sailors! :rofl:
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HIGH SPEED MANEUVERS! US Nimitz-class SUPERCARRIER in a series of EXTREME RUDDER TESTS!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TN7BjeRad2I
SUPERCARRIER Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72)
The USS Enterprise (CV-6) under attack during the Battle of Santa Cruz in World W...HD Stock Footage
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8n3wTIrx4Q
In the 2nd half of the video, you can see the ship is maneuvering under attack. The angle of the deck with the ocean is a bit high.