Officers' wardroom.
Enlisted crew got their food here.
Navy ship vets should recognize this. They let emergency power cables pass through bulkheads it the main power is out. They're everywhere.
Armored door to fighting bridge. That's some heavy steel there. Designed to protect the helmsman and other crew essential to conning the ship in combat.
Normally, the ship was conned from this bridge.
A trunk with ladders going somewhere interesting. But alas...
Ladders that we could and did use. Sadly, lotsa fat tourists seemed unclear on the concept of going UP ladders on one side of the ship and DOWN ladders on the other.
And the radio space...for Dr. Jim.
The machine shop. A ship like this had to make any new parts or other gear that it needed at sea.
Armored deck.
Marine area rifle racks. Alas, no rifles.
This ship was home to several notables.
And Bob Feller, baseball great.
No access to boilers or machinery spaces below. That was a bit of a let down. I'm sure that those spaces are epic.
But you do get considerable access to the superstructure, especially if ladders are your thing.
More later...I sense French Quarter damsels pondering my whereabouts.
Very nice pics. We'll have to add her to the list of must sees when I visit next.
ReplyDeleteThat's WWII vintage radio gear. The Iowa's had that removed during their 1980's retrofits.
ReplyDeleteAnd yep, the "Firerooms" are epic. The boilers are like four decks tall!
I've got some cellphone pix from the last crew tour I had of the engine room. If I can get them transferred to this PC I'll post them.
Hey Murphy;
ReplyDeleteSeveral years ago I and the kid went there to the U.S.S. Alabama museum and I took a pic of Harry with a guy that had survived the Bataan death March, I told Harry(my son) later, We were in the company of Heroes. I was in awe, he had written a book about his trials and tribulations and forgiviness and was selling it there. The trip was great!, I would like to see the ship again. She is in awesome shape and I wonder if she could be recommissioned again for duty since her actual hours on the hull are less than modern ships.
It'd take some work. The spaces I poked my head into that weren't open to the tour groups looked pretty rough. I shudder to think what her boilers and machinery look like.
DeleteI did get some underway time on the Wisconsin when Philly Shipyard did part of the reactivation, sadly no main gun shooting.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, thank you!
Thanks for the pictures! :o)
ReplyDeleteI've been on the U.S.S. Hornet out here in Cali. She's an interesting piece of living history. Don't have too much fun with your French Quarter ladies. ;o)
Haven't seen Hornet yet. If I go out there, you wanna see it again?
DeleteStarboard is forward and up, port is aft and down... sigh
ReplyDelete"Tweet, tweeeeeet. Sweepers, sweepers man your brooms, give the ship a clean sweep down fore and aft. Now sweepers man your brooms. The port quarter is open."
ReplyDelete32 years later and I still hear the 1MC calls in my head. Seeing these pictures is a stark reminder of sea duty that I am NOT nostalgic over.
Thank-you for sharing this great pictures.
ReplyDeleteIn 77 or 78 there were still rifles in those racks.
ReplyDeleteIn 97 you could still get to the engine room.
Damn. That would have been great on both counts.
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