Ships!

[bob48]

Yes, stagger, you're right - I have watched a couple of his.

The thought of coal-fired paddle-wheel aircraft carriers made me immediately think of the 'Philip José Farmer' Riverworld books :-)

[bayonetbrant]

https://twitter.com/WorldWarIII1987/status/1701976443838742873

[Sir Slash]

Nice! 

[besilarius]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=h7RF261_Y_I

HMS Rodney.  Don't recall ever hearing about the sheep.
During her refit in Boston navy yard, her captain invited any American sailor to visit and tour.  His pink gin was much appreciated in the Atlantic fleet.

[besilarius]

For many centuries it was common to designate cannon caliber by the weight of the projectile.  So we hear of a "12-pounder" or a "32-pounder," which tells us that the gun fired a round of approximately the indicated weight.  Now that sounds reasonable, until one recalls that it was rare for the word "pound" to mean the same thing in two different countries.

Comparative Weight of the Pound
Country   English Ounces
Austria   15.9
Bavaria   19.75
Denmark   17.64
France   17.33
Greece   16.96
Hanover   16.50
Hansa Towns   17.09
Hesse   17.12
Naples   12.00
Netherlands   17.44
Papal States   11.96
Piedmont   11.70
Portugal   16.19
Russia   14.56
Saxony   16.49
Sicily   11.20
Spain   16.20
Sweden   15.00
Venice   16.80
To give some idea of the differences, consider the comparative weight in English measure of the 24 pounder cannon ball of each of the principal naval powers in the period 1790-1815:

Denmark   26   pounds   7.75   ounces
France   25       14.50   
Netherlands   26       2.25   
Russia   21       10.50   
Spain   24       5.50   
Sweden   22       7.75   
Surprisingly, it's a rare historian who takes into account the differences in weight between the apparently identical gun poundage of opposing forces, which could reach significant proportions when dealing which major warships such as frigates (carrying anywhere from 28 to 44 guns) or ships-of-the-line (with 64 to 120 guns).  In fact, for the age of sail, only William M. James (1780-1827), author of the six volume A Naval History of Great Britain: During the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, Vol. 1: 1793-1796 addressed the question directly.  When preparing accounts of engagements, James carefully converted gun weights into English measure to more accurately reflect  comparative firepower.

[bayonetbrant]

https://twitter.com/WarshipCam/status/1719451752104087750




https://twitter.com/WarshipCam/status/1719489699851493639

[bayonetbrant]

https://twitter.com/WarshipCam/status/1719342597678764228

[Sir Slash]

 

[Staggerwing]

Looks like the Theodore Roosevelt back there behind the Spruance.

[besilarius]

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/why-does-russias-only-aircraft-carrier-pump-out-so-much-black-smoke-207452?dicbo=v2-IqG9Al3&

Bunker C?  If you want to learn more check out The Sand Pebbles or The Left Handed Monkey Wrench by chief McKenna.

[besilarius]

https://www.forces.net/services/navy/carriers-crew-work-their-way-through-half-mountains-worth-sausages?

All that toilet paper, how many trees?

[bayonetbrant]

https://twitter.com/BobKoonce/status/1760788070213812731

[bayonetbrant]

https://twitter.com/johnkonrad/status/1764339583297155317

[besilarius]

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-66543643?

Back to the future?

[besilarius]

During the battle of Leyte Gulf, the confusion between Third Fleet under admiral Halsey and Seventh Fleet under admiral Kincaid was the cause of much anguish.  Much of the problem was that under MacArthur is communication plan, the two fleet commanders did not have direct contact.  Kincaid's urgent request for air strikes and fast battleships had to go through a relay station on Manus island.  There it was placed in a queue to be resent in the order it was teceived.
One of Kincaid's despatches  indicated a very heavy expenditure of ammunition against the southern Japanese force at Surigao strait.
This was not true.  Exhaustive postwar study by the Naval War College established that Oldendorf's battleships expended 282 14 and 16 inch shells in the battle.  After the battle these ships still had about 300 16 inch and not quite 1,100 14 inch armor peircing rounds.
Also an approximate 1,800 rounds of HE shells.
A point Kincaid did not make was that the old battleships were at the opposite end of Leyte gulf, about five hours steaming away from Kurita's Center Force.