About Those Unused Battleship 16-Inch Cannons-- Part 3

**  Another USS Missouri barrel went by rail to the Arizona Capitol Museum to become part of its World War II Memorial.  It joined a 14-inch barrel from the USS Arizona.

**  A USS New Jersey barrel went by rail to the Hartshorne  Woods Park in Monmouth County Parks in New Jersey (location of the former Battery Lewis at the Navesink Highlands Military Reservation), to be placed in the battery's casemate.

**  Another New Jersey barrel went to the Philadelphia Navy Yard in Pennsylvania for display on its parade ground.

**  Yet another USS New Jersey barrel went to the Battleship New Jersey  Memorial in Camden, New Jersey, to be on display next to the ship.

**  Another New Jersey barrel went to the Mahan Collection Foundation in New Jersey where it will be displayed with a transportation truck and trailer that was used during World War II to move barrels to coast defense batteries.

--GreGen

Five Best Battleships of WW II

From the December 5, 2022, 19fortyfive by Peter Suciu.

More than sixty battleships, including 23 from the United States took part in World War II.

These were the five best of the lot.

This did not include these battleships since they were sunk:  Yamato, Musashi, Bismarck, Tirpitz or Prince of Wales.

I am just listing them.  Go to the site to find out the reasoning for their inclusion.

1.  USS Texas  (BB-35)

2.  USS Alabama (BB-60)

3.  USS Iowa  (BB-61)

4.  USS New Jersey  (BB-62)

5.  USS Missouri  (BB-63)

What!   No USS North Carolina?

--GreGen

Where the Remaining Battleships Are Located

From the Complete Pilgrim.

USS TEXAS  (BB-35)  Houston, Texas  (New York-Class launched 1912)

USS NORTH CAROLINA  (BB-55)  Wilmington, North Carolina.  (North Carolina-Class launched 1940)

USS ALABAMA  (BB-60)   Mobile, Alabama    (South Dakota-Class launched 1942)

USS MASSACHUSETTS  (BB-59)  Fall River, Massachusetts  (South Dakota-Class launched 1941)

USS IOWA  (BB-61)  Los Angeles, California  (Iowa-Class launched 1942)

USS NEW JERSEY (BB-62)   Camden, New Jersey  (Iowa-Class launched 1942)  Launched December 7, 1942, on the one year anniversary of Pearl Harbor.

USS WISCONSIN  (BB-64)  Norfolk, Virginia  (Iowa-Class launched December 7, 1943, the second anniversary of Peral Harbor).

USS MISSOURI  (BB-63)   Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.  (Iowa-Class launched in 1943)  Located by the wreck of the USS Arizona.

--GreGen

USS Iowa-Class Battleships-- Part 3: Saving One of Those Big Guns

There is yet another reasoon why we won't be seeing these warships returning to active duty again and that is a serious lack of spare parts.  Warships require specialized parts and to maintain the USS New Jersey museum, workers have to travel over to the nearby inactive fleet in Philadelphia Navy Yard to scavenge what they can find.

And, there us also the fact that the Navy continues its policy of getting rid of  equipment it doesn't need.

OVER A BARREL

Storing and maintaining equipment from  retired warships can be  costly, but recently it was reported that a nonprofit group managed to save several battleship barrels (cannons) produced for the U.S. Navy during World War II.  One that had been destined for a scrapyard will now get a new lease on life in Virginia Beach.

The Coast Defense  Study Group was able to acquire a 120-ton barrel, one of nine that had been stored in Chesapeake.  These were capable of firing a  projectile weighing between 1,900 pounds and 2,700 pounds for up to 24 miles.

It was manufactured during the war for the Iowa-class battleships.

--GreGen

Will the USS Iowa-Class Battleships Ever Come Back?-- Part 1

From the July 12, 2022 1945 site "U.S. Navy Iowa-Class battleships broke all the rules (But stop asking for a comeback)" by Peter  Sucio.

The Iowa-class battleships were the best warships of the battleship era.  They were the largest ever built in the United States.  That would be the USS Iowa, Wisconsin, New Jersey and Missouri.

There are still some who call for their return.  And for some, including me,  there is just something too much about seeing one or more of our big gun fast battleships in service again.  And, they have all been preserved intact so it is possible for them to return to duty.

But is that possible?

Not likely.  Smaller and more mobile guided-missile destroyers are today able to do shore bombardment better.  These ships would require massive crews and would simply be too inviting of a target  in this era of hypersonic missiles and stealth aircraft.

And, then there would be the huge costs of modernizing them and operating them.

But Still Wishful Thinking.   Those Were Beautiful Warships.  --GreGen

Death of Pearl Harbor Survivor John Schleicher

From the December 8, 2014 Herald Tribune (Florida) "Pearl Harbor survivor dies at age 93."

John Schleicher, 93, died Saturday night.  he waited 73 years to tell his family about his experiences that day.  he was being interviewed for an oral history and suffered a stroke while doing it last Wednesday.  he was sharing his story for the first time.

He was on the USS Pennsylvania which suffered 15 dead, 38 wounded and 14 missing.  He was a storekeeper First Class and later served on the battleship USS New Jersey and participated in many big actions in the Pacific including the Battle of Leyte Gulf.

--GreGen