Raising the Guns on Navy Battleship
When the ship was operational, plenty of hydraulic and electric power was available to train the guns. How do you raise a 238,000 pound barrel manually? With a big wrench! See how they did it.
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🎧 Video Transcription:
00:03
When the ship was taken out of commission the hydraulic fluid was replaced with a different type of fluid.
00:09
Not only did we not have enough electricity to run the electric motor, we also didn't have the proper fluids and lubricants to run it under power.
00:20
The last time I was up here we spent about 6 days just going through operators manuals and technical manuals and mechanically going through the chores and trying to figure out what the possibilities were to raise a two hundred thirty eight thousand pound gun barrel without electric power and without hydraulic power.
00:32
We went to the left gun down into the gun pit which is a space that's underneath the gun inside the gun room that's where the bien response is located for the elevating gear.
00:44
We took a three foot long wrench, put a three-foot cheater bar on there
00:48
One person acted as a break in the other person acted as a drive unit rotated the chef that gave us the elevation
Dan Pavalski took the first run on it and he probably wrenched on that pipe for the better part of five to ten minutes.
01:03
He passed it on to me I hid it for about another five minutes and then I had to pass it on to somebody else. It was a lot
of work and by about ten o'clock in the morning we were able to get that gun two or three up in the air.
01:14
Work didn't end there we went up to turret one, we moved the sheet metal off of there and what I would think would be record time.
01:23
And after that I had a couple of volunteers still waiting to do some more work and we went up to turret two - I started removing the sheet metal off of there so probably tomorrow
01:31
we got another five or six hours with
01:33
the work sheet metal will be off and probably in the next day or two we'll be looking at six to nine guns up in the air
01:39
About two months ago I saw the Iowa and I knew the whole history behind it and that was the last one and that there might be a possibility of it being scrapped.
01:50
And then when I found out that a group picked it up that's where this all started I saw that they had some pieces missing I didn't know what they were called as it turns out they're called bloomers and they go on the the back part of the 16-inch guns where it goes into the casement and they didn't have them
02:05
We manufacture awnings and canopies we're a custom fabric company.
02:09
I was on line and I just put a couple sentences out there that I'd be more than willing to give them a hand and if they'd let me do it I'd do it at no cost just donate it.
02:19
Ed from Evanston Awnings sent us the first test buckler the originals were very very heavy rubber three or four ply extremely stiff just so they could withstand the overpressure from the blast and a recoil of the gun, so they had to be very flexible.
02:33
And what I'm sitting underneath here is actually the upper hoop supports the buckler and maintains its shape as the gun elevates so that they don't get caught inside and become misshapen.
02:43
All the hoops were taken off so they could install some sheet metal covering for dehumidification purposes and then when they did that they actually cut off all the pad eyes that tell them, so just welding these back on to the ring here which is where you clamps are the butler
03:00
When they get it back it'll have a band that goes all around here they shove it into these openings It'll just wrap around and there's another band that goes around that and attaches it there everybody seems to think that the ones are on here they're either on the New Jersey or the Missouri
03:16
A lot of parts were borrowed back and forth goodyear says that they still have the blueprints micro copied somewhere but they don't know where nobody's working there that worked there when these were made.
03:30
So now it's just a matter of just looking at pictures and trying to copy it as best we can
Пікірлер: 321
God bless anyone who’s worked on or with this ship. You all are heroes keeping these alive and I deeply thank you for that.
Nice to see that some people care enough about history that they're willing to donate their time money talent labor blood sweet and tears into a piece of history as big as Iowa
@nicj.tessier1689
6 жыл бұрын
ussjohnston1 I am a us military buff and us navy nut so when I find people who have made such videos I appreciate them cause it's helps learn more and new stuff especially for the younger generation
@AlexReiter1988
5 жыл бұрын
ussjohnston1 It is amazing to see,
@isaaclim6181
3 жыл бұрын
Nice to see that some people care enough about history that they're willing to donate their time money talent labor blood sweet and tears into a piece of history as big as Iowa
"How to raise a 16 inch gun barrel without electricity" Me: have you tried cranking it
@jmorginski
2 жыл бұрын
@jerbear they did,infact they consulted sub-par rapper "Soulja boy" to seek advice on how to crank that.
Thank you for taking care of my ship. Rest easy Big Stick, you earned it.
@zachboyd4749
6 жыл бұрын
David Smith I've been aboard her, I can say it was a memory I wish to keep for a long time. Thank you for your service. She's a beautiful ship.
@cutter043
6 жыл бұрын
Theokolese The Shadow Of Death God bless you .. she is an awesome ship to behold...
@jamestiscareno4387
5 жыл бұрын
The company I work for completely sandblasted and painted the Iowa in 2012 in the San Francisco Bay Area just before it was moved to where it is now in Los Angeles. What a magnificent ship it is. Thank you to all those who serve the cause of freedom.
It's amazing how much love there is for these old battleships.
Sometimes, You just need a really big wrench.
@ColKorn1965
6 жыл бұрын
With a big ass wrench you can do anything
@Iridium_yt
5 жыл бұрын
"To fix a big ship, you need a big wrench!" Just for you to know, that's a reference to an old italian tv advert that said "To paint a big wall, you need a big brush!" Well, in Italian works better 'cause there's only one word to say both "big" and "great"
@gribblesnap1422
5 жыл бұрын
Yes
@mameshiba691
5 жыл бұрын
Captain:”Abandon ship!” All the crew man threw their wrench to the enemy ship.
Hats off to all of you dedicated guys that do this work. Here I am stuck here in New Zealand, and I will probably never see a battleship!
@thawk1435
6 жыл бұрын
Digmen1 Hawaii isn't that far of a swim...
@cutter043
6 жыл бұрын
DigNap15 sir I would love if you could st least come to Hawaii and go see the USS MISSOURI BB63 shes named after my home state. And every day I proudly wear her red ball cap... if you would be kind enough to send me your address I'll have my father inlaw get you a USS MISSOURI BB63 HAT and mail it to you... please send address to cutter03@yahoo.com.. God bless you.
@Bartonovich52
6 жыл бұрын
I managed to make it to Hawaii to see Mighty Mo from Canada. Also there is Mikasa in Japan... veteran of the Battle of Tsushima.
@scottorgan6919
5 жыл бұрын
I remember driving that ship, I was there.
@mikecorleone6797
5 жыл бұрын
Iowa is in Long Beach California. I have 3 boats docked in a marina just around the corner from her. She’s gorgeous to look at as we motor in and out of the channel every few days or so.
I love these ships!!!! I would've liked to see at least one of the Montana Class Battleships built.....
@RG-fc7ht
5 жыл бұрын
Yakumo Ran who knows maybe modern navies will make more gun balanced Ships battleships will make a return.
@LordInquisitor701
5 жыл бұрын
Railguns and nuclear power lasers
@Polak-dd7ds
5 жыл бұрын
Okay, did you read my mind?
@suhandatanker
5 жыл бұрын
i love to see the yamato or the destroyer uss clemson or the uss langley and ijn kaga
@certifiedbruh2180
5 жыл бұрын
@@RG-fc7ht Agreed. Nowadays not even the Cruiser is in service. Also, I think the Yamato could sink a modern destroyer with ease
Looks like Goodyear could have assigned someone to find the blueprints. The canvas cover looks good though. Nice to see people preserve such an iconic ship.
Cool my dad was on this ship in something called fire control in the 50s. He has a cool book called naval ordinance Manuel, I used to look at all the cut away drawings of big guns when I was kid. He was in Korea on a destroyer when a shell hit killed everyone in the compartment but him. He lost part of a leg, he recovered and stayed in another 20 years. He's still alive at 88, I visit him every weekend. As a kid I remember all we did was clean the house a lot, l wasn't allowed to leave my bedroom on Saturday morning till it passed inspection, I always failed and had to redo it. At 18 he told me to join the navy. I told him I've had 18 years of the navy I've had enough and went to oil fields. I've worked and rode with some tough guys, but not one could hold a candle to that old chief.
The Iowa's Bloomers are currently aboard Battleship Massachusetts. They were transferred while she was laid up in at Naval Station Newport in the 90's.
@thomasshannon2741
6 жыл бұрын
Timothy Barreras will they be returned?
@gk10002000
6 жыл бұрын
really? As a kid and later as an engineer from Rhode Island we used to love to go the Massachusetts.
@rouge-eastskier202
5 жыл бұрын
Iv have been on the battle ship Massachusetts I spent 3 days on that beautiful ship and the 406mm mark 6 cannons/guns were a wonderful sight to wake up to. I wish she could still run or at least be able to sail on the ocean again.
@wetlettuce4768
5 жыл бұрын
@@rouge-eastskier202 It would be great but sad thing is I believe all the Iowa class ships would need new boilers due to how long they've been sat around unused, of course we could cheat and just throw in some large diesel engines but it's still a huge job to get the old boilers out.
@rouge-eastskier202
5 жыл бұрын
Wet Lettuce yup
I was aboard the USS Wisconsin BB-64 in 1991. You can feel the power of these ships just by standing on deck. Magnificent ships.
That is great that this man did this for no charge ! Thank you ! Thank you for caring about America and the ships that made it great , among with the people like you !
Excellent! Thank you to all of the volunteers who did and are doing the restoration work on all four of the IOWA class battleships! As a long-time lover of the Navy (my father was in the Navy while I was growing up, and I served in 1970-1971), I dearly love the United States Navy. Keep up the great work. The historical value of the IOWA class battleships is such that we must preserve these ships for as long as there is a United States of America. Superb work you folks on doing on USS IOWA! Mahalo.
This makes me so happy.. i know its a few years old but I had to run away from it when they mentioned scrapping it. Childhood hero, right there.
Wonderful to see that these ships have such great and devoted volunteers!
1987 motorcycle trip to the 4 corners of the country , I was riding across Alabama and saw a billboard for the USS Alabama. Wheeled in and took the tour! Amazing machine!!😎😎🍺
Amazing care going into such an important part of military history. Thank you for all that you do to preserve the Iowa.
Great video. Thank you to all those who donate their time to her.
Thanks for uploading this video! I would have never guessed you could raise a huge 16-inch gun by twisting the B-end response shaft!
@ByyakoKitsune69
5 жыл бұрын
They were designed and built with a crazy amount of redundancy. They were built to take punishment and still give it back out in spades.
Kudos to all the volunteers... Very cool of the tarp shop owner to do this!!!👍👍
Amazing work, it's an honour to see this
Super Job! Thanks for saving her!
I am amazed that they still exist , not many countries that have had the these old battleships in the past would have one today , Britain the manufacturer of the Dreadnought would not have anything from the past like this .
@KB9813
6 жыл бұрын
Bruce Burns actually all the Iowa classes still exist, along with examples of the previous two classes before the Iowa's (South Dakota and North Carolina respectively). Also there is USS Texas a New York class Battleship from 1912. It is in a very sorry state. In fact they recently had flooding that nearly sunk the ship...
@anonymusum
6 жыл бұрын
Sorry to read that as I really love the Texas. I´m from Germany and once visited her - what a thrill it was. I hope they´ll find a solution to preserve her. She is just the last of her kind.
@KB9813
6 жыл бұрын
anonymusum what she needs is dry dock to repair all the corrosion damage from being in the water for over a hundred years. Personally I've never seen her in person I'm Canadian so...
@anonymusum
6 жыл бұрын
Yeah - but she already was three times in a dry dock for extensive overhaul and the last time they said that this would preserve her for many years.
@bvanderhaar1
6 жыл бұрын
anonymusum has
I love these old ships. They've put many tonnes of shells down range. Covered thousands of miles of ocean. Survived all kinds of engagements from fellow man to nature herself. Would be epic if they could still be takin out for a spin and some target practice :)
I watched them work 33 years ago off Sardinia. 15 mile shots, on a rock, mostly hits.
What an awesome project to get involved with.👍👍
Great job guys, I salute you, the world will never again see such weapons of war as these, thanks goodness. But when we needed them I am so grateful that we had them and the sailors to man them.
@zachboyd4749
6 жыл бұрын
Science-is-god They haven't seen the end of their days yet, Iowa and her three sisters can be reactivated and be ready for battle whenever their country needs them.
That a SERIOUS labor of love!
Its lovely that someone is taking care of these old giants. However, I would prefer having them restored, refurbished, modernized and reinstated as flagships! They are absolutely magnificent!
"Cries" its beautiful!!! The Iowa class kicked Japan's ass in ww2, the Missouri kicked alien ass in the Battleship movie, the Iowa sailed under the golden gate bridge, its so beautiful.
@kman-mi7su
5 жыл бұрын
And the New Jersey kicked ass in multiple conflicts for decades.
Awesome work! Great to see the care of a great ship!
Outstanding! GUNS UP!!!!!
I’m just really sad we will never see one sail under its own power again. Even though they all should still be capable of it.
This is beautiful
Thank You!
Beautiful work
We did the same thing in Pearl Harbor, USS MISSOURI BB63. No elec, hyd fluid or nitrogen. We only used one pipe wrench because as a GUNNERS MATE I knew a "worm gear" can not be driven back down/through with out actually turning the shaft. It took 32 active duty men and women from The USS O'KANE DDG 77. We were requested to figure out how to raise the barrels and the raise them and install the bloomers for the movie Pearl Harbor. I was told by Louisville that it could not be done manually and a person got hurt when a gun came out of battery due to no counter re-coil nitrogen. I called the USS CAROLINA BB 55 and talked to a gentleman and asked him if by turning the "elevation response shaft" would the balanced gun raise. The answer was yes and to make sure to lock the "yoke locking devise" so the gun would not fall out of battery. We actually partially broke the welds on the weather encasements as we raised the guns. I was then asked to send written and illustrated instructions to Norfolk......... I miss my active duty days.
Iowa is my fravourite ship to play in world of warships. Very good looking ship
Thanks everyone for taking care of bb61! Wish I was closer to help. I donated some money at least to it.
Very lucky to visit the USS Iowa when she was in Portsmouth Dockyard UK the shear size was amazing l managed to get a tour in no 1 turret I still have my BB 61 cap
I would love to sea any on the iowa class battleships move under their own power
@mikecorleone6797
5 жыл бұрын
Daniel Heywood closest you’ll get is the end fight scene on the movie Battleship
@coderbert3996
5 жыл бұрын
Daniel Heywood ya do realize that according to the people on the ship, if it gets fueled, untethered and proper checks are done, it’s fully functional?
@coderbert3996
5 жыл бұрын
Mike CorLeoné it is fully functional( without the guns)but A ton of maintenance is needed.
@mikecorleone6797
5 жыл бұрын
CoderBert 39 actually no they aren’t... the turrets are filled with cement at some point to keep them from moving, many areas of the ship are welded closed and the steam turbines are either removed completely or permanently disabled... they are basically floating barges now.. my cousin works on the iowa as a volunteer and has taken me down below decks.. the boilers are stripped on the ship and the guns have concrete plugs in them
@mikecorleone6797
5 жыл бұрын
CoderBert 39 not to mention the holes that are cut into the fuel tanks for maintenance access
Nice job guys!
It's about damn time they made it a museum. When I heard that 61 had joined the mothball fleet I was sure she was bound for the breakers.
must have been eerie as hell when they had to do that to turret 2...
@broccodoggo8363
6 жыл бұрын
How so?
@ryanstuckey8677
6 жыл бұрын
i bet it was
@broccodoggo8363
6 жыл бұрын
ryan stuckey Please how was it eerie? Was it decommissioned during a battle?
@broccodoggo8363
6 жыл бұрын
ryan stuckey has h god I just found it out
@Rob_Moilanen
6 жыл бұрын
Turret two for those that don't know! kzread.info/dash/bejne/d4B2x9uxedS4ctI.html
Excellent
Aw. you can hear the pride and sadness in his voice at the state the ship was in :(
01:58 that has to be the first time I've ever heard blast bags referred to as aunties bloomers.
I was there on pier 22, Norfolk when the Iowa was. I was aboard the USS Dahlgren DDG 43. We were headed to England and right across from the Iowa. What a beautiful sight she was. I was mesmerized. Anyway, two weeks later she blew up. We were at sea, March. Our 1st class gunners mate served on the Iowa. He said the gun that blew had a crack in the breech that you could put your pinky in.
@EugeneKingify
6 жыл бұрын
Benny Skyn I was on the USS SanJacinto. CG-56 when it happened. We went full power for I'm pretty sure over a day and a half and helped put out the fires. (GSE1SW)
God, please bless everybody that had/has a hand in serving/saving this icon of American honor
Thumbs up for a great job. !!!
Well Done thx furr sharing a new fan..
Even though I am Canadian, I still love to work on this ship...
@dapsapsrp
5 жыл бұрын
You would be more than welcome to.
It´s good to see americans are proud about the Old Lady, i wish we could have our Bismarck back =/ great job and great effords. Hats of U.S for taking care of this Legend. o7 from Germany
Imagine trying to manually elevate those massive sixteen inchers during battle.
I live in Iowa that’s why this is my favorite battleship
@brucehumphrey4004
3 жыл бұрын
Go Hawks
Preserving history, while the millennials try to hide it. An interesting clash of ideologies, but I think in the end even these people will grow up. The greatest generation has so much to offer. A lesson in reality.
a friend: What do you own? these guys: Oh just a battleship, we have a manual too.
Cool !
I went on board iowa when she came to portsmouth naval base in the uk.
The Iowa class Battleships were the Only class of ships where the complete class was spared from being scrapped. At least to my knowledge.
YESSS Last time I was here, the gun turrets were in a lowered position. Really confused me, since her younger sisters all had their gun barrels raised.
_spots mark on barrel_ "Oh my god, who touched Sasha?" *"WHO TOUCHED MY GUN!"*
@finmueller7827
5 жыл бұрын
**SCREAMING** DON’T HURT ME
@scowell
2 жыл бұрын
TF2? ElToro64Rus?
I know I'm late to the show here but I would love to see something one day and I feel like I never will. You know how certain places like old civil war museums and air shows and war tank shows sometimes have live firing demonstrations but with blanks. I would love to go out on one of those old ww2 battleships in open water and be on board when those big guns go off. I'd definitely pay for that. Have all the guns go off simultaneously and not all at once just to feel the constant booming and shaking of the ship. That would be an experience like no other
*Raise the Guns!!*
And a case of W-40 to the shopping list too.
Cool
Super gun👍👍👍
Thankyou. I Would like to see that ship it's beautiful
💡 LOVE the Homeland 🇺🇸💡
My amazing trip to uss new Jersey , thanks to my wife. It's like stepping onto Godzilla's back. You can feel the power, the history, and the fear she sent to the enemy shore's. Got to hug a 16" bullet. An unforgettable experience.
Nice
She came home on my birthday!
beautiful. tho i think i still wanted the montana class
You just gotta love duck tape.
Good work guys . We try to take care of the showboat. The uss North Carolina. The most decorated battleship of ww2.
Thank God it didn't get scrapped
The Alabama still has hers intact.
@GodOfWar109
5 жыл бұрын
The Alabama isn't a Iowa class either
@tdmidget
4 жыл бұрын
@@GodOfWar109 The main guns are identical.
@bf9142ftw
4 жыл бұрын
@@tdmidget Not quite. The South Dakota class had 16"/45 Caliber rifles, while the Iowas had 16"/50 Caliber rifles.
Just need some old gunners who used to live in them and im sure it would be a lesson learned
I went on a tour of the Wisconsin and the guide told us that the original gun canopies were elephant hides
I think that Battleships should be the last line of defense with the 16 inch guns and some modifications for deck anti air and other big machine guns.
@canamfordever
5 жыл бұрын
I agree too. Modify some deck guns as well, converting to missle systems and guided rounds. They were solid ships, USS Iowa got hit by kamikaze and only required paint as repair! Only thing is a full armed destroyer class could outmaneuver the battleship and lead to win against it. So lots of missles on the battleship would turn tides maybe.
@ronaldrobertson2332
5 жыл бұрын
Reid Hill They DID have missiles on board during the last refit in the late eighties; Iowa and her three sister's were outfitted with cruise missile launchers and. two CIWS radar aimed gatling guns; not to mention the modernized electronic gizmos to bring the battleships up to date to take on the Soviet Kirov class battle wagons.
@Bartonovich52
5 жыл бұрын
It would be useless. Either taken out by aircraft or missiles before it even fired a shot... or simply bypassed by small craft it couldn’t possibly track and hit.
@GodOfWar109
5 жыл бұрын
@@Bartonovich52 yup. There is a reason every major county in the world went to aircraft carriers
The USS Iowa is an awesome battleship, it even took (FDR) the president of the United States, Franklin D Roosevelt to Iran to hold a meeting with the Stalin and Churchill. On one of the trips during a practice run, the USS William D. Porter(Destroyer) accidentally fired a torpedo at the uss Iowa that was carrying the president of the United States. The president wanted to see the torpedo and from what i read a Secret service agent aimed his pistol at the torpedo. Luckily the torpedo missed hitting the ship, but it cause alot of suspicion of the crew of the USS William D Porter. All the ships aimed it's guns at the USS William D Porter and all the crew members of the USS William D Porter was arrested. But that's a story for another day. The funny story about the Uss W.D Porter is when she rejoined a fleet she had told the rest of the convoy "Don't shoot, we're Republicans."
Wish they could light those monsters off...just one more time.
I personally think that they should remake the Iowa Class Battleship
I'm so happy you dudes are looking after this old girl, it's such a shame to see something so epic rott.
you can make adapter or something to a Little two stroke engine to do it
I spent the night on the ship with my Boyscout troop and that ship is haunted beyond belief.
@mariekatherine5238
4 жыл бұрын
Average lad Who and what did you encounter? Bring some blessed religious items, Holy Water, Crucifix, St. Benedict medal, St. Peter medal, Our Lady, Star of the Sea. I very much doubt any spirits aboard her wish Americans harm.
I hope the reborn of this ship :)
Thank you for that reminder concerning the USS New Jersey BB 62. It was the only Iowa Class battleship to see service in Vietnam. The New Jersey was decommissioned for the last time in 1991 (after serving a total of 21 years in the active fleet), Such a short lifespan for another grand ship! I find these discussions difficult. I have trouble coming to grips with the fact that these great ships are nothing more than museum pieces now, and will never again raise their guns in defense of our great country
Yankee ingenuity
So why are the guns of Turret 1 now down?
I'd love to do some work on any battleship let alone one of these babies.
It took you 6 days to come up with a wrench on the input shaft?
I love how they put duck tape on the end of the barrel because it's gunna stop a 1300 pound shell
They could do *everything* manually on those ships. They were designed to take knockout punches and keep fighting.
@lingcod91
5 жыл бұрын
HEAR-HEAR . . . . Exactly, a moderate Solar storm and equipment shuts down.
1:44 did he just say CNN that Iowa was the last one as in last iowa class or last battleship because both of those statements are wrong. It is lovely to see him helping these people preserve history.
@Cirux321
4 жыл бұрын
Iowa was the last one to be towed out of the mothball fleet and donated as a museum ship. Her three sisters were already museums at the time. Probably what he meant.
Dude had his pipe wrench on backwards. Surprised it even worked.
@Bartonovich52
6 жыл бұрын
*_WHO CARES!?_*
Our Nation needs to reactivate these Battle Ships !!!!
@GodOfWar109
5 жыл бұрын
Nope. They are useless in modern warfare.
Guy with a Alaska hat on: I know everything about the Iowa, and then I found out they were going to scrap it. It's the last one and then I found out a group saved it. USS New Jersey, Missouri, and Wisconsin: Are we nothing to you? USS Missouri: The end of WW2 happened on my decks and I've been stationed at Pearl Harbor since 1999 USS New Jersey: I was recalled after the end of the second great war to help fight during the Vietnam war, then after that I was added to the 600 Navy ship program. I also fight during the Korean War and during conflicts in Lebanon and the Persian Gulf region. I also hold the most awards ever given to a single battleship in US History. USS Wisconsin: Well after WW2 ended I fought in two more wars, one was the Korean was and the other was Operation Desert Storm. USS New Jersey, Missouri, and Wisconsin: Are we nothing to you?
@helltbrother2
4 жыл бұрын
But seriously, that guy seems to completely ignore the existence of the other three still existing Iowa class. He's not very knowledgeable but claims to be. *face palms*
Well Is the turret in the front in good condition so still has exploded marks