Kwajalein Atoll

[Notebook]

With the current interest in the Falcon launch, I was looking at the attoll in Google Eart, and was surprised to find this.
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/3080328

I knew they used obsolete ships during some A-bomb tests, but I assumed they's all be US or Japanese. Wonder why they sailed this ship all the way from Europe?

N.

 

[pattersoncr]

For those of you not up on your WWII history, Prinz Eugen was the German cruiser that accompanied the Bismark on her ill fated maiden voyage.

 

[Urwumpe]

For those of you not up on your WWII history, Prinz Eugen was the German cruiser that accompanied the Bismark on her ill fated maiden voyage.

Yes, but aside of this, the ship did not see much action. If it wouldn't have had a small chance of being responsible for sinking the Hood (The UK should have been lucky, that Germany pointed them at the design weaknesses of their WW1 warships again), it would be just another German warship.

The Tirpitz, the sister ship of the Bismark, had a far more interesting history, without even firing a single shot.

 

[Notebook]

Tirpitz certainly gave the British Admiralty a lot of concern, they spent a lot of time and effort trying to sink it. The only use of Barnes Wallis Tallboy bombs on ships I think?

It seems the Prinz Eugen was part of America's war gains, so no surprise it ended up in the Pacific. I wonder how many other ships from the A-bomb tests are scattered round the area.

If you want to see the Prinz Eugen in Google Earth, its at
8.75273611111 N, 167.6831 E


N.

 

[Andy44]

I guess you only get a chance to nuke a battleship once every blue moon, so when you find yourself with a few on hand and permission to use nukes, you jump at the chance. I hate to see historical ships destroyed, but even in the relatively wealthy nations like the USA we have problems finding funding to maintain artifacts as expensive as battleships and other historical vessels, such as the liner S.S. United States (which was the subject of a failed commercial venture to place her back in service a few years ago), and of course the remaining Saturn V vehicles. Had Prinz Eugen not been nuked, she likely would have been cut up for scrap after rusting away for several years.

 

[pattersoncr]

...I hate to see historical ships destroyed, but even in the relatively wealthy nations like the USA we have problems finding funding to maintain artifacts as expensive as battleships and other historical vessels, such as the liner S.S. United States (which was the subject of a failed commercial venture to place her back in service a few years ago)...

My grandparents once sailed on SS United States she still holds the "Blue Riband" (the record for fastest Atlantic crossing) she now sits rusting in the Delaware River in Philadelphia.

 

[VF2_Rolf]

The X-Boat attacks on the Tirpitz were right out of James Bond 007...failed though.

 

[pattersoncr]

The X-Boat attacks on the Tirpitz were right out of James Bond 007...failed though.

Two 12,000 lb Tallboys did the trick

 

[MajorTom]

Here's where my favorite WWII ship sank:

13 7'0.19"N 122 32'0.45"E

Didn't require a nuke, but took lots of bombs and torpedoes...

 

[tblaxland]

Didn't require a nuke, but took lots of bombs and torpedoes...

No kidding. According to Wikipedia, "17 bomb and 20 torpedo hits on her, and 18 near misses" :blink: I can't imagine that would have been much fun.

BTW, I went and saw the Oberon class submarine HMAS Onslow yesterday. Very enjoyable.

 

[Andy44]

Here's where my favorite WWII ship sank:

13 7'0.19"N 122 32'0.45"E

Didn't require a nuke, but took lots of bombs and torpedoes...

Well, you gonna tell us what it is or is this thread a treasure hunt?

 

[Notebook]

I'm guessing its the last mission of the Kagashima? IJN largest battleship, and I think the largest ever built?

Here's another old ship doing a last tour(of the UK) before it heads off to another Gulf...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7651948.stm

Edit:- just found the ship I was thinking of, was the Yamato. Could still be wrong though.

N.

 

[tblaxland]

Well, you gonna tell us what it is or is this thread a treasure hunt?

Edit:- just found the ship I was thinking of, was the Yamato. Could still be wrong though.

Wikimapia is great for treasure hunts . It was the Musashi, the second and final in the Yamato class. On largest, it depends how you measure it. From what I can find, Iowa class are some 20' longer overall but Yamato class had a displacement of 72,800 tons vs Iowa's 58,000. The Yamato's also had bigger guns - 460mm vs 406mm.

 

[simonpro]

My grandparents once sailed on SS United States she still holds the "Blue Riband" (the record for fastest Atlantic crossing) she now sits rusting in the Delaware River in Philadelphia.

I thouight the Danish Cat Link-V had the record crossing time?

 

[Notebook]

Probably fastest in its class, big ship, steam turbines, paying passengers, misses icebergs?

N.

 

[Andy44]

Well, we all know that Yamato will one day be raised and converted into a space battlecruiser with a wave motion gun some day, after the Gamelons drop radiation bombs on us and dry up that part of the ocean!


-----Posted Added-----


Well, the United States hs her own restoration website: http://www.ss-united-states.com/

From wikipedia:

The SS United States (also known as "The Big U") is an ocean liner built in 1952 for the United States Lines. At 53,329 gross tons, she is the largest ocean liner to date built entirely in the United States and still holds the record for the fastest westbound transatlantic crossing. In 1952, on her maiden voyage as the new flagship of the United States Lines, the United States captured the Blue Riband with the fastest eastbound and westbound transatlantic crossings on record. The entry of the United States marked the first time a U.S.-flagged ship held the Blue Riband, surpassing European speed records which had stood for decades. The United States lost the eastbound record in 1990, but still holds the westbound record. The United States plied the transatlantic with passenger service until 1969, and she outlasted the demise of her original owners. The ship is currently docked in Philadelphia until a decision is made about her fate.

 

[pattersoncr]

I thouight the Danish Cat Link-V had the record crossing time?

The Cat holds the fasters Eastbound crossing but United States still has the Westbound record

(or maybe that's the other way around...)


-----Posted Added-----


oops, Andy covered that.

 

[VF2_Rolf]

Wikimapia is great for treasure hunts . It was the Musashi, the second and final in the Yamato class. On largest, it depends how you measure it. From what I can find, Iowa class are some 20' longer overall but Yamato class had a displacement of 72,800 tons vs Iowa's 58,000. The Yamato's also had bigger guns - 460mm vs 406mm.

There was a third hull as well that was converted to an aircraft carrier (with a steel/cement deck) called the Shinano. Sunk right after leaving port.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_aircraft_carrier_Shinano

 

[Urwumpe]

No kidding. According to Wikipedia, "17 bomb and 20 torpedo hits on her, and 18 near misses" :blink: I can't imagine that would have been much fun.

I just heard the eye witness report of the last battle of the Bismark, that was hell on Earth. 400 hits on the ship, 80 hits alone by the large projectiles of the battle ships. And some torpedo hits.

 

[Notebook]

Perhaps the Royal Navy would never have left the Bismark on the surface, after what it did to HMS Hood?

N.