Warspite was the 'Forest gump' of the RN in the world wars, EXCEPT for the destruction of the Bismark, if there was a significant event HMS Warspite was there.
Of all the Royal Navy ships to scrap! It still irks me they didn't preserve one of the "fightingest" battleships in WWII. My dad has a small piece of her; the end of one of her 6" shell casings, in honour of my grandfather, David Andrews, Royal Navy (ret.) having served aboard her. Very proud indeed!
@skycaprob - Yes, the Warspite and her 4 sisterships all saw heavy action at Jutland. First they engaged Hipper's battlecruisers, doing significant damage to several of them. Then they engaged the main German battlefleet. The Warspite was the most heavily engaged of all, because her rudder jammed and she had to run a couple of circles with a very large part of the German fleet firing on her. Warspite took numerous hits from heavy shells at Jutland, but survived the battle quite well.
after the warspite was hit by the glider bombs,my grandads ship(hms delhi) anAA cruiser with the magnetic shells escorted this beast of a boat on 16th september 1943.his brother harry was killed on the warspite
@suitsconverse I know of HMS Delhi she was a WW1 light cruiser fitted in WW2 with USN 5"38 cal DP guns the old lady could have had no better AA escort.This vid could not possibly do the ship or crew of hero,s justice.
@elswick1542 To many idiots to battle them all, back to subject greatest BB ever thats easy the Fing USS New Jersey named after the greatest state Fing New Jersey
HMS Warspite should be moored down the Thames either alongside or instead of HMS Belfast.Warspite I was told saw more action than any other British battleship,should have saved her rather than broken her up.
@Jimbopetrucci unfortuantely the old man doesn't want to talk about his days in the Navy. If you have any specific questions i can try to get them answered, if you send me a personal email address I can send you the photo I'm describing, I have it on my computer here.
@Jimbopetrucci unfortuantely the old man doesn't want to talk about his days in the Navy. If you have any specific questions I can try to get them answered, if you send me a personal email address I can send you the photo I'm describing, I have it on my computer here.
@Jimbopetrucci unfortuantely the old man doesn't want to talk about his days in the Navy. If you have any specific questions I can try to get them answered, if you send me a personal email address I can send you the photo I'm describing, I have it on my computer here. BTW he live in the Washington DC area of USA.
My father, who is still with us at 96, served as ships purser, CPO (Writer) Beattie. Once the ship reached Bremerton, the crew was disbanded. He eneded up in DC running the accounting office that oversaw money and material transfers between DC and London during the Leand - Lease program instituted by FDR to help keep the UK afloat before the US entered the war. I have an AP photo of him handing out paypackets on deck at Bremerton but can't seem to post stills on this site.
ill be diving the remains this year 2011. not much left but i would like to pay my respects to this ship. seems im the only diver that wants to go there to see what is about a car size lump left. oh there is a hotel in cornwall near its grounding that now has the bar floor decked out using the deck planks from warspite
ill be diving the remains this year 2011. not much left but i would like to pay my respects to this ship. seems im the only diver that wants to go there to see what is about a car size lump left.
Actually that "fast" in Battleship is only viable for the First World War. In the Second their speed of 23-24 knots was not fast anymore. Normal Battleships in Second World War topped that easily.
@elswick1542 well "fast" in battleship terminology refers to any ship capable of doing more than the 21 knots demanded of the battleline, so in that definition the QEs where fast battleships. However you have to remember that they where a good 25 years older than the Iowa.
Apropos speed, I have read in several books that Warspite did 25 knots on her way back from jutland (she was unescorted and they feared uboats), considering her damaged conditon and flooding you have to wonder about top speed
@higfny Its dificult to judge the speed in service of BB,s I have seen claims of between 31.5k and 38k for Iowas.Differences in the way trials are run weights in service etc,weight gain from extra equipment all play a part.Warspite could in WW1 probably hit 25k it attempted to ram a U-Boat on the way back from Jutland and just missed.
@elswick1542 Yeah, I dont think she could make 25kn in WWII. I've actually got a few books about the Warspite, and as far as I can remember she could make about 24kn after her rebuild. Judging from Calabria it must have been much faster than the (unrebuilt) Malaya
My point was that most speed estimates for the QE class is about 23-24 kn, and several books about her claimes that she sustained 25kn for hours, despite flooding and battle damage leaving Jutland
@higfny After the rebuild and extra armour most of the books I have claim 24k but after further AA guns etc were fitted looks like she could only hit about 23.5k.Malaya was probably only capable of 21k by WW2.as you know it also out ranged Malaya at Calabria not just the elevation of the guns but the AFCT was far superior at aiming them.The rebuilds seem to have been very good value pity all the old ships didn't get similar rebuilds.
@elswick1542 Yes warspite received new mounting for her guns as far as I can remember?
21kn for Malaya seems like a reasonable estimate.
Warspite's rebuild seems to have been excellent value for money. But I don't think it would have been possible to give the Renown class a rebuild, however the rest of the QE-class, plus Repulse, and not to mention Hood should have had it.
Btw, nice to discuss with someone who is knowledgeable and dont behave like an idiot (rare on the internet)
@higfny Got to say that although they gave good service the R class were a bit of a mistake QE MK2 or an even larger ship with 10x15" guns would have been a better idea.
The old lady had incredible teeth! a similar type of AFCT computer is preserved on Belfast but Warspite had one almost twice the size,amazing 30,s technology.
@elswick1542 checked my books a bit, and this is what I found: the chief medical officer on board writes that he learned from the chief eng.of. that Warspites tested top speed was 24,6 knots. But on trying to catch up with Beatty at Jutland c.eng. claims he pushed engines so warspite "did a bit over 26 kn".
Other sources; On her way back from Jutland she did 24-25 kn despite zigzaging and drawing 5 feet more water than max load. After rebuild top speed is stated as tested to 23,7 kn
@elswick1542 Fastest speed for Iowa I could find 32.5 by the Iowa off Korea, they also have New Jersey doing 35.2 in 1968 not believable. Lot of myths concerning top speed for ships such as nuclear power carrier doing 40 knots maybe because speed is classified but after newest Enterprise recent refit it was leaked that she did 33.6 to kill rumors she was worn out. Nimitz is 31.5 they may have nuclear reactors but still have turbines same as Kitty Hawk class . Liner United States about 36 knots
The best WW1 & WW2 British warship if not of all time. She was one of most damaged warship of WW2 that managed to carry on sailing without sinking. My Great-grandfather, Harlod Croft, served on her ~1939-1943 (i may be wrong)
Beautiful ship, but should of had triple guns in each turret, like the U.S. New Mexico and Tennessee classes (both 14"). Did the Warspite have 14" or 15" main batteries?
@JBC814 15" x42 calibre guns they were the first RN ships to have them,the guns were ordered straight from the drawing board at a time when 13'5" guns on other RN ships were still amongst the biggest out there,it was this far sighted decision along with the decision to go with oil over coal propulsion which saw the Queen Elizabeth class have such long and useful lives .
I thought a good part, if not the majority, of the damage done to the Allied fleet during the first battle of Guadalcanal was caused by torpedo attack, rather than gunnery. In any case, the great disadvantage of not having radar targeting capability was seen to full effect at the Battle of Leyte Gulf and the accomplishments of Oldendorf's squadron at great range.
The names of many ships passed down through the ages as they were the names of historical things, people or places. They sometimes re-named one class after an older class, there were two King George class, some ships were named after officers and men fallen in battle or named after the battle, 'USS The Sullivans" , an Arliegh Burke class vessel named after the 5 Sullivan brothers lost in one ship, the class named after Admiral Arleigh Burke, another famous sailor.
I think it is good theory unless they armed a ship with 8" guns instead of 12's and wondered what went wrong, they had to be big, but easily could be too big, then the rate of fire dropped, but GO THE 18 inch!!!!!!!
I remember reading a book on the History of the name Warspite, and its transfer to various ships through the ages. As part of the text were observations of the crew during the World Wars, and it mentioned watching the sinking of HMS Greyhound off the coast of Crete, my Dad was on Greyhound at the the time, thanks for the post, Warspite always reminds me of my Dad even though he never served on her, God bless him.
It nearlly had to have the same guns as when she was built ? They were the 15" twin turrets probaly the best, I read where Rodneys 16" had so many safety devices they were hard to fire, The 14" off KGV were so new and complicated they held up launching of the class by months, and 4 barrells in the one turret would get crowded. There is not a lot more damage from a bigger shell than from a smaller one, ie, 10" or 12" compared to 16" and the smaller ones fire more often etc.
@kennnmoran same type of gun 15" 42cal MK1 in gun house MK1,this weapon probably fired more shells in WW1/2 than all the heavy guns of all battleship owning nations combined,the Warspite,s barrels were replaced so the liners could be factory replaced 3 time,s they lasted about 350 shots each time,Warspite fired her guns more than any other battleship of the Dreadnought era!
@elswick1542 german radar FuMo23 had no blind fire capability, wave lenth of 82cm the worse in WW2 and could only find ship as big as BB or large CV out to about 27.000 yards . Not sure of italian or frog radar.
@jers59 Italy were radar pioneers but the sets were stored in a shed after trials for fear of counter detection they were fitted to the Littorios to late, pictures taken after the surrender of the ships layed up in the Great Bitter Lakes show the Ariel I suspect it was quite good.French battleship Richelieu was I think fitted with Brit mid war radars in the US for Fire control IIR a US search radar was fitted think its roughly equivalent to HMS Duke of York at the North Cape battle.
@elswick1542 No clue about french or italian radars seems to be little published about it. Frog BB,s were equipted with british radar you can compare them on BB comparissions
@kennnmoran : You are probably right about differences in damages, but the larger the shell the greater the range. So the Yamato could blow our ships out of the water before we could begin firing. Our New Mexico and Tennessee class battleships had (12) 14" main batteries. Quite an awesome broadside, and the same layout was slated for the Montana class (16"), but were never built.
@JBC814 No very well known but Japanese Battleships had poor fire-control and no effective Gunnery radar,in daylight the Yamato was formidable but up against an Iowa or even Vanguard at night my money is on the Allied ships.
@elswick1542 : You are right, the Japs did lack radar. But I thought there was no expense too great for the Yamato class, and they would have copied as much technology as possible from the Brits and Germans anyway. They did try to make the last one an aircraft carrier, but it was too late in the war. The Yamato class should have been three carriers (the biggest at that time), but their heads were in the sand when they made their plans. They already had enough BB's.
@JBC814 Its possible that had WW1 continued for say another 2 years the Battleship would have been proved obsolete even then,5 or 6 smaller ships with 15" or 16" guns were probably a better use of resources that the Yamato class,carriers better again.Lucky thing they chose two super ships.
@elswick1542 I have finally solved the question what BB has the record for hitting target from longest distance? 1991 persian gulf war. USS Wisconsin BB64 hits target 800 miles away with tomahawk cruise missile. Anybody with differing opinion?
@jers59 Differing opinion not me,but, well it is me so a but is guaranteed,longest range hit by a Battleship on a Battleship with a gun=Warspite.Equalled by Sharnhorst on an aircraft carrier.Longest range hit by a BB=Wisconsin.
@elswick1542 : Why would the Japs build the world's biggest BB's when they already knew the value of carriers over BB's? They already had enough modernized BB's from the 20's, and about 3 times as many carriers as we had at the start of the war. All they needed was more carriers and plenty of light cruisers (8" mains) to escort them. But, then again, they would have had to pass on the Pearl Harbor attack in order to keep them.
@elswick1542 japs had pooor fire control? first battle of Guadalcanal when they ambushed and sank 4 heavy cruisers, quincy, Vincennes,Asoria, Canberra at night. Yamato mah have the record for hitting ship from longest distance hitting Gambier Bay at Samar 1944. I really do not think the japs would want to copy german naval technology I believe its the other way.
@jers59 The IJN had superb night optics, long base coincidence rangefinders and good training in night fighting but they didn't have search/firecontrol radar,RPC,stable verticals,flash-less propellant,long range star shells,integrated directors or a good ballistic computer.Only German tech as far as I know were radars just about good enough for station keeping.
More guns doesnt always mean more effective killing machine. KGV class had 10 14 inch guns and POW got very shot up by Bismarck in her battle. Okay the size of shell counts but only if it hits and in the right place. Only one ship i think that would get close to Yamato without getting shot up would be the KGV class. They were small. Good belt armour. upper structure armour was thin but shells would pass right through and POW had a hell of war before being sunk by a lot of torpedoes.
Every time I doubt that ships have spirits... I remember Warspite... and I am convinced again. Along with the US carrier Enterprise-these were two lucky bad ass ships that should have been saved.
If there ever where machines with souls, they would be the Big E and the grand old lady. It actually makes me both sad, angry and disgusted when I'm reminded that they where broken up for scrap.
Had ships like Warspite been around when I joined the forces, I would have joined the Navy instead of the Army. She was 30-odd thousand tons of floating Bad-ass!!
In a practice shoot in the Med about 1938 Hood and Warspite fired against 2 targets towed at 20k by cruisers,Warspite hit second salvo,destroyed the first and hit with every subsequent salvo,the ship and crew were absolutely amazing.
Yes, I did forget to mention that the crew were excellent, using the exact same main guns that she was supplied with when built.
When you think of all the more modern battleships that were built after her with all their mod-cons, better range finders, and bigger guns - It just shows you biggest isn't always best.
Wonderful old ship. Why start comparing with famous U.S. ships. They were all legends. Besides you cannot equate Brit awards with U.S. different system entirely. Remember reading somewhere that although the U.S. 16" was about the best (had more development so why not) the venerable Brit 15" could group more accurately than any other large calibre weapon. But like all things, the men who served & crewed always made the difference.
Surigao was swan song for BB,s Mississippi only fired one salvo during that battle and it has credit for firing last BB salvo against another ship. Weevee, calif and Tenn had most success
@jers59 : Yes, the old Tenn class was the first modern BB's the U.S. made (no casement guns). The New Mexico class was the first with the clipper-bow, and it continued on through the Colorado class. Some of the best-looking BB's ever built, especially the Tenn class with (12) 14" guns on four turrets. Shame none were kept as museums. They could have been converted into missile cruisers with the removal of the rear turrets. We will never see armored ships again due to the cost of steel today.
@JBC814 Actually you only have to take out BB radar and gun directors and its mission killed Im sure 1 Mark 48 torpedo will sink BB, Super Carriers can take lot more damage then BB and are 500X more useful then ship obsolete since 1941max range on BB main battery maybe 23 miles carriers aircraft hundreds of miles and thousands with aerial refuelling
@jers59 : The same is true for any of the new ships if their radar was taken out. The BB's might be limited without electronics, but they could fall back on their pre-radar technology and keep on firing. Besides, the escorts could "fill-in" with their high-tech electronics anyway.
museum warship Uss Laffey the ship that would not die hit by 5 kamikazes and 3 500LBs bombs has been saved again is now drydock for major hull repairs the entire bottom from stem to stern has to be replaced and foundation under machinery needs replacing 9.2 million dollars the museum was going take the ship out and sink it but it was too expensive to clean up for reeefing cheaper to repair. BB Missouri is now dry dock for repairs, North Carolina is next
@jers59 : Shame that the BB museums are not given dry docks. Letting them rust away in the harbors is a crime. They have no respect for the last of their breed. Name a ship today that can keep fighting after several hits. And it was a gross waste of taxpayer's money to scrap all those BB's and cruisers from WW II. They should have been converted into missile cruisers by removing the rear turrets for silos. Reagan knew their value when he ordered the Iowa's upgraded.
@JBC814 The recommissioning of the Iowas in 1980,s were complete waste of $billions, first they carried limited amount of cruise and harpoon missile Ticonderoga class cruiser can carry over 100 the engineering plant was obsolete little money was spent modernizing the main battery, Iowa was rushed into service resulting in main batttery leaking gallons of hydrolic fluid when she was in service. Money would have been better spent, modernizing carrier Oriskany and Bon Homme Richard
@jers59 : Yes, you're right, they do cost a lot to repair and upgrade, but if they had done the job in the 50's and 60's, there wouldn't be so much repair work needed today. There are little to no parts available today because Congress scrapped all the BB's and cruisers of WW II, like money grows on trees. It's doubtful that a torpedo can sink a BB, it didn't happen with the Bismarck. Carriers have no underwater protection, only the bare hull, and would suffer a lot more damage than a BB.
@JBC814 then why is bismarck a rusting wreck 1 torpedo stopped it and it was sunk, carrier USS Hornet took 17 torpedos before sinking and super carriers are armored with modern armor kevlar and other material that put BB armor to shame . 1Ticonderoga class Aegis cruiser is more powerful then 4 Iowa class BB,s and can sink 4 Iowas with no problem
@jers59 there was a lot more than a single torpedo that stopped the bismark ... it only jammed her rudder. What brought her down was the night afterwards being harrassed by Royan Navy destroyers and then the following day spending 2 hours being shelled by several battleships and cruisers in which she was struck some 400 times by various shell calibres ... infact some argue in the end the actual sinking was caused by scuttling charges
@jers59 : Yes, it was a marginal upgrade at most, and done only to appease Reagan, I suppose. Few parts available - stripped museums. Blame Congress for scrapping all the WWII ships, especially the cruiser Alaska (9) 12", which was brand new. No parts manufactured again. Incompetence at the highest level. Nevertheless, the Iowa's could have been converted into missile cruisers with the right R&D and nuclear power, which would free up lots of room for munitions, etc. All it takes is belief.
@JBC814 Putting nuclear reactor in Iowa class BB is like putting corvettes 2010 V8 into Model T just does not make sense, No ship that I know of has ever had her engineering plant replaced by nuclear reactor first you throw the ships balence out of balance, second the cost is prohibitive, Alaskas and other ships scrapped in early 1960,s to free up money for guided missiles and super carriers and nuclear reactors and weapons
@jers59 : I know, there would be quite a few engineering problems. It's only a pipe dream anyway, but until a Naval engineer explains the downside to conversion, I'll go on believing it. I'm not sure about your statistics for survivability, they could add kevlar to the Iowa's also, and missiles would be part of the upgrade anyway. And don't forget sub-munitions for the 16" guns, which would open many new variables. Iowa's could do 33 knots, so adding nuclear would only increase it to 38 tops.
@JBC814 Explain how would you get the old engineering plant out of Iowa the Iowas were built around the engineering plant, its impossible Its like leaving the exterior skeleton of the empire building standing why you rip the inside floors out not happening
@jers59 : Where do you get your info about museum ships, are you with USNI? The same thing happened to the Alabama a few years ago. It makes no sense to keep the Laffey if it's only to watch her rust away. The Brits use dry docks for their museums, why don't we. The cost of repairing museums every ten or twenty years is much more than providing dry docks for them. Once they're dry docked, there will be no need for repairs. A no-brainer. What's the point of not doing it?
@JBC814 The only british museum ship in drydock is Victorious and WW2 destroyer cavalier can you name another one? keeping ship in permanent drydock can warp the hull and US has 3 subs that are landlocked
@jers59 : I don't think Britain has any BB museums, they scrapped them all. Warped hulls could probably be overcome with the use of more supports evenly spaced and hydraulically adjustable. An increase in cost, but a permanent solution to the rusting problem. If you want a museum, then you should do the job right. Have you ever heard of a museum that exposes its artifacts to deterioration? That is a contradiction in terms, and an insult to the U.S. Navy.
@jers59 Victory not Victorious. Victorious was a WW2 carrier scrapped 30+ years ago. When I went around Victory 30 years ago they said only about 30% of the ship was original . The masts went through the bottom of the hull and are supported on the dock bottom.
There is the liner Great Britain circa 1850 in dry dock at Bristol but a lot of her has been rebuilt.
@freebeerfordworkers I stand corrected stupid mistake on my part 30% is better then Constitution which is only 10% original mostly the keel and some ribs but then the Constitution is in water more rot, Why will they not repair Victory and let it float, shame they sank Implacable 60 years ago
@jers59 I saw Implacable ceremonially sunk on newsreels as a child & wondered what the hell was going on! We are lucky to have Victory, in 1920 when she was first dry-docked some wanted her dismantled on “moral pacifist grounds”. She is still not in the best condition & they have used a lot of African hardwood for repairs.
She is still a commissioned flagship of the RN but they want to contract her management out to private company. The B******* would sell anything not nailed down.
@freebeerfordworkers Why not repair Victory and place her in water where she belongs US is finishing up repair to Constitution that makes her more original as in 1800,s sails will soon be put back on her, and some ribs that have been removed over the years replaced
@jers59 Absolutely no chance of that in these PC times. 25 years ago the guides told of her part in a great naval victory now I am told they concentrate on the poor living conditions of the sailors and the brutal disciplinary regime.
She is still a serving ship of the RN which is why they want to "contract her out" to save money from the defence budget. This will be a disaster and cost more as the incompetence of government departments setting up these contracts is legendary.
@jers59 BTW my father-in–law went round Victory in the 1960’s and he said some (many?) of her cannon were wood replicas. He was a skilled foundry man and it amused him to identify which were wood & which iron.
According to an American author called Norman Friedman the Brit 15" 42 cal gun fired more shots in WW2 than every other heavy cal BB gun combined,it scored the longest shot BB V BB and the first shot on Dday,just as incredible it was designed in 1912!
Could be true there were 14 ships built with that caliber of guns. What BB fired the most rounds? I know HC St Paul has fired the most rounds of any ship in history
The old pearl harbor and other older BB,s did the heavy lifting. They suffered from kamikazes and were used for shore bombardment. Arkansas, New york, Texas, Nevada bombarded normandy and southern france, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. while the Iowas were used to escort the fast Essex class carriers. Shame Arkansas and others were kept in atlantic where they were not needed and missed surigao
Ships used for shore bombardment must be the highest so RN USN are the only likely candidates from BB,S Warspite had 3 sets of barrels about 900 shots per gun so for the RN that's the highest number I don't have the data for the USN.
For US I have no Idea but I know New Jersey fired more 16 inch shells in one deployment in vietnam then she did in WW2 Mostly because she was used to escort fast carriers and older BB,s were used in WW2 for shore bombardment
Remember Rick Rescola from Cornwell joined paras at 16 to fight commies in Cyprus and Rhodsia then joined U.S. army 7th calvery to fight commies in Vietnam took part in battle of Iadrang valley in 1965 was greatly outnumbered by NVA regiment who defeated the french at diembienphu and Rescola led his men in singing cornish war songs and repulsing the commie attacks. Latter joined morgan stanley in charge of security and predicted WTC attack of 93 and 2001 went down with tower#2
Samar was bad day for Yamato chased off by destroyers and escort carriers Kongo did better Yamato was known as Hotel Yamato never left port guns rarely fired because liners had to be replaced after 100 rounds
Same with the Littorios 100 rounds,Bismarcks guns 200,Brit 15" 300,KGV class 400,USN 16/50 mk7 350/over 500 post war, a very important aspect mostly ignored.
Littorios were good looking ships italian admirals were political appointments bad leadership. After New Jersey vietnam deployment here gun liners were worn out and they mothballed her even though they had entire field of gun liners in california was political decision
I think in the 80,s the Iowa ammunition was modified by coating the charges with a polymer and modified the driving bands on the shell an additive was added to the propellent this IIR increased the barrel life to over 800 shots full charge.
congress will not allow navy to delete iowa or wisconsin they have to maintain them keep supply of projectiles and gun liners and plans to reactivate them could cost 1.5 billion a ship will never happen steam plant obsolete.
Have to disagree, warspite at jutland was hit and damage I could be wrong but she did not score any hits the steering damage was never fully repaired WW2 warspite took part in 6 battles was retired before war was over that makes 7 battlestars. USS Enterprise won 20 battlestars in WW2 from midway to okinawa including Leyte Gulf the greatest naval battle in history. Enterprise is only foreign warship to be awarded british naval flag. Tallyho
A would agree entirely that Enterprise was the greatest of history's aircraft carriers,the above post should read"greatest battleship". At Jutland W scored hits on Von der Tann,Moltke and Grosser Kurfurst,it recived 20 heavy hits and 9 of light or indeterminate size so can claim to be the 3rd heaviest hit ship to survive. If battle stars are the same as battle honours then W was awarded 11 Jutland Narvic Calabria Matapan Crete Libya North Africa Sicily Salerno Normandy Walcheren
Enterprise was awarded British Admiralty flaf also carrier Essex was giving award by Essex Regiment in 1943.Also last british BB afloat is Texas was giving to RN in WW1but soon it will not be afloat is scheduled to be dry docked permantly
No ship can be considered greatest Nimitz class carrier would easily destroy Enterprise or any BB you can say greatest of its era.Right now BB Wisconsin is greatest BB its the only one left that can easily be reactivated also you can not beat the price to visit it ,its free but lower decks are off limits
during WW2 warspite fought at calabria, matapan, defended the illustrious during the illustrious blitz, was at the battle of crete and ws badly damaged.
she then escorted the fleet carriers during their abortive attempts to engage the japanese inthe indian ocean.
she covered landings in sicily and salerno before being badly damaged again.
she then covered the D-Day and walcheren landings being damaged yet again.
Warspite received nothing for the Indian ocean(campaign honor)and nothing for the bombardment of Cherbourg,IIR even Victory with 60 years of service is not even close.
I have seen these its possible they are legitimate as most of the scrap yards sold garden furniture and souvenirs made from the deck timber,the local yard scraped Hms Thunderer and Hms Lion in the 20,s and advertised products made from the wood,I have a piece of oak 12" long marked the last of Hms Britannia they scraped that ship in 1912 so old its black.
Most seem to be from iron duke but have seen warspite and valiant. I thought someone was producing them in his basement just seems to be alot from a ship scrapped in 1940,s. I have planking from carrier Yorktown, Franklin, Randolph, Wasp, Oriskany and BB Wisconsin
Have seen barrels and napkin holders from Warspite on EBAY probably genuine as the company that scraped the ship had its name on a metal plate,but some are almost sure to fake.
She might not of been the biggest ship in history with the biggest guns and strongest armour but in 1913 She would of been one of the most feared ships in the world and that reputation never left the Warspite, She made it through Two World Wars and was involved in many Battles.
I'm biased, But the Warspite for me is the Greatest Warship of the 20th Century.
and took aprt inmany actions she took part in including the Battle of Jutland,he served as a stoker,but had to leave her after being wouned and too ill to carry on his serviice with the Royal Navy,he is no Longer with us now but i would go as far as to say he would have been pround to have watched this fine Tribute to a wonderfull ship..thanks to all that contributed to this video
Its a shame they didn't preserve her like battleships here in the US
biloxipilot 4 weeks ago
Warspite was the 'Forest gump' of the RN in the world wars, EXCEPT for the destruction of the Bismark, if there was a significant event HMS Warspite was there.
GravesRWFiA 1 month ago
You said that the last traces of her were still around for an extra 10 years? What was left for that long and why?
BlueonGoldZ 2 months ago
@BlueonGoldZ Ship was broken up slowly at her final resting place without heavy equipment.
elswick1542 2 months ago
Of all the Royal Navy ships to scrap! It still irks me they didn't preserve one of the "fightingest" battleships in WWII. My dad has a small piece of her; the end of one of her 6" shell casings, in honour of my grandfather, David Andrews, Royal Navy (ret.) having served aboard her. Very proud indeed!
ancilodon 2 months ago
At 4.20, it that Warspite?
It looks more like the Renown / Revenge battlecruisers?
Nice video however, such a shame that all these beautifull WW2 warriors are scrapped.
marcontainer65 3 months ago
@marcontainer65 No its the opposition at the battle of Cape Matapan the Italian BB Vittorio Veneto
elswick1542 3 months ago
@elswick1542 Thanks, I wasn't sharp. I could have seen at at the double funnels.
marcontainer65 3 months ago
@marcontainer65 Renown class BC's had 3 double turrets. The Revenge class BB's had 4 doubles but were smaller than the Queen Elzabeths.
GravesRWFiA 1 month ago
Thanks!
Morgteck 3 months ago
The song is great! Which song is it, and who recorded it? I'm a folksinger, and I'd like to learn this one.
Morgteck 3 months ago
@Morgteck Scottish folk group called Wolfstone.Track is called brave foot soldiers.
elswick1542 3 months ago
wait?????the warspite was at jutland???
skycaprob 4 months ago
@skycaprob Yes part of the 5th BB squadron with 3 of her 4 sisters,she looked very different after rebuilding.
elswick1542 4 months ago
@skycaprob - Yes, the Warspite and her 4 sisterships all saw heavy action at Jutland. First they engaged Hipper's battlecruisers, doing significant damage to several of them. Then they engaged the main German battlefleet. The Warspite was the most heavily engaged of all, because her rudder jammed and she had to run a couple of circles with a very large part of the German fleet firing on her. Warspite took numerous hits from heavy shells at Jutland, but survived the battle quite well.
Morgteck 3 months ago
after the warspite was hit by the glider bombs,my grandads ship(hms delhi) anAA cruiser with the magnetic shells escorted this beast of a boat on 16th september 1943.his brother harry was killed on the warspite
suitsconverse 4 months ago
@suitsconverse I know of HMS Delhi she was a WW1 light cruiser fitted in WW2 with USN 5"38 cal DP guns the old lady could have had no better AA escort.This vid could not possibly do the ship or crew of hero,s justice.
elswick1542 4 months ago
@elswick1542 I see you have new friend
jers59 5 months ago
@jers59 Charming this one, I could reply but was brought up not to mock the afflicted.
elswick1542 4 months ago
@elswick1542 To many idiots to battle them all, back to subject greatest BB ever thats easy the Fing USS New Jersey named after the greatest state Fing New Jersey
jers59 4 months ago
@jimbopetrucci : this song is by wolfstone, an excellent Scottish folk rock band.
Nickthebassist01 6 months ago
@grandeurfrancaise no they weren't, they were damaged and made unseaworthy. Both ships lived to fight another day
higfny 8 months ago
THE HMS QEEN ELIZABET AND HMS VALIANT WERE SUNKED BY 6 ITALIAN FROG MEN OF THE "DECIMA MAS" IN THE 19 DECEMBER 1941, RAID ON ALEXANDRIA HARBOR.
GrandeurFrancaise 8 months ago
@GrandeurFrancaise dude even wikipedia could have told you otherwise...unlike most of your sorry arsed BB fleet ...
PhilosopherGaming 8 months ago
My grandfather Herbert Packer served as a gunner on the ship in WW1 and was captain during WWII. Nic clip
macvidler 8 months ago
cool vid terrible song lol
Jimbopetrucci 8 months ago
@Jimbopetrucci Not the original it was removed for copyright unfortunatly.
elswick1542 8 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@Jimbopetrucci "terrible song lol"
The song's brilliant; it's Wolfstone. It suits the video perfectly.
What a tragedy that this great warrior wasn't preserved as a museum ship.
MrHistorian123 2 months ago
My email is jaywer2000@yahoo.co.uk
Jimbopetrucci 1 year ago
HMS Warspite should be moored down the Thames either alongside or instead of HMS Belfast.Warspite I was told saw more action than any other British battleship,should have saved her rather than broken her up.
Marlever357 1 year ago
Paintmodel !! My grand was on the ship he was a pompom gunner . I realy want t meet people who was on hms warspite . Get in touch pls
Jimbopetrucci 1 year ago
@Jimbopetrucci unfortuantely the old man doesn't want to talk about his days in the Navy. If you have any specific questions i can try to get them answered, if you send me a personal email address I can send you the photo I'm describing, I have it on my computer here.
paintmodel 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@Jimbopetrucci unfortuantely the old man doesn't want to talk about his days in the Navy. If you have any specific questions I can try to get them answered, if you send me a personal email address I can send you the photo I'm describing, I have it on my computer here.
paintmodel 1 year ago
@Jimbopetrucci unfortuantely the old man doesn't want to talk about his days in the Navy. If you have any specific questions I can try to get them answered, if you send me a personal email address I can send you the photo I'm describing, I have it on my computer here. BTW he live in the Washington DC area of USA.
paintmodel 1 year ago
Fascinating video clip! Thumbs up!
creamofcardstv 1 year ago
My father, who is still with us at 96, served as ships purser, CPO (Writer) Beattie. Once the ship reached Bremerton, the crew was disbanded. He eneded up in DC running the accounting office that oversaw money and material transfers between DC and London during the Leand - Lease program instituted by FDR to help keep the UK afloat before the US entered the war. I have an AP photo of him handing out paypackets on deck at Bremerton but can't seem to post stills on this site.
paintmodel 1 year ago
ill be diving the remains this year 2011. not much left but i would like to pay my respects to this ship. seems im the only diver that wants to go there to see what is about a car size lump left. oh there is a hotel in cornwall near its grounding that now has the bar floor decked out using the deck planks from warspite
k956upg 1 year ago
ill be diving the remains this year 2011. not much left but i would like to pay my respects to this ship. seems im the only diver that wants to go there to see what is about a car size lump left.
k956upg 1 year ago
@k956upg Take some pictures if you can even just of the lump,wish I could dive!
elswick1542 1 year ago
@k956upg I agree with elswick, take some pictures, and upload them here.
I would be very interested in seeing what remains of her
higfny 11 months ago
Actually that "fast" in Battleship is only viable for the First World War. In the Second their speed of 23-24 knots was not fast anymore. Normal Battleships in Second World War topped that easily.
Bismarck - 30 knots
KGV - 28 knots
North Carolina - 28 knots
lucius1976 1 year ago
@lucius1976 fully agree.All the completed WW2 ships were fast Iowa could hit 34k.
elswick1542 1 year ago
@elswick1542 well "fast" in battleship terminology refers to any ship capable of doing more than the 21 knots demanded of the battleline, so in that definition the QEs where fast battleships. However you have to remember that they where a good 25 years older than the Iowa.
Apropos speed, I have read in several books that Warspite did 25 knots on her way back from jutland (she was unescorted and they feared uboats), considering her damaged conditon and flooding you have to wonder about top speed
higfny 5 months ago
@higfny Its dificult to judge the speed in service of BB,s I have seen claims of between 31.5k and 38k for Iowas.Differences in the way trials are run weights in service etc,weight gain from extra equipment all play a part.Warspite could in WW1 probably hit 25k it attempted to ram a U-Boat on the way back from Jutland and just missed.
elswick1542 5 months ago
@elswick1542 Yeah, I dont think she could make 25kn in WWII. I've actually got a few books about the Warspite, and as far as I can remember she could make about 24kn after her rebuild. Judging from Calabria it must have been much faster than the (unrebuilt) Malaya
My point was that most speed estimates for the QE class is about 23-24 kn, and several books about her claimes that she sustained 25kn for hours, despite flooding and battle damage leaving Jutland
However, I agree, she was not fast.
higfny 5 months ago
@higfny After the rebuild and extra armour most of the books I have claim 24k but after further AA guns etc were fitted looks like she could only hit about 23.5k.Malaya was probably only capable of 21k by WW2.as you know it also out ranged Malaya at Calabria not just the elevation of the guns but the AFCT was far superior at aiming them.The rebuilds seem to have been very good value pity all the old ships didn't get similar rebuilds.
elswick1542 5 months ago
@elswick1542 Yes warspite received new mounting for her guns as far as I can remember?
21kn for Malaya seems like a reasonable estimate.
Warspite's rebuild seems to have been excellent value for money. But I don't think it would have been possible to give the Renown class a rebuild, however the rest of the QE-class, plus Repulse, and not to mention Hood should have had it.
Btw, nice to discuss with someone who is knowledgeable and dont behave like an idiot (rare on the internet)
higfny 5 months ago
@higfny Got to say that although they gave good service the R class were a bit of a mistake QE MK2 or an even larger ship with 10x15" guns would have been a better idea.
The old lady had incredible teeth! a similar type of AFCT computer is preserved on Belfast but Warspite had one almost twice the size,amazing 30,s technology.
elswick1542 5 months ago
@elswick1542 checked my books a bit, and this is what I found: the chief medical officer on board writes that he learned from the chief eng.of. that Warspites tested top speed was 24,6 knots. But on trying to catch up with Beatty at Jutland c.eng. claims he pushed engines so warspite "did a bit over 26 kn".
Other sources; On her way back from Jutland she did 24-25 kn despite zigzaging and drawing 5 feet more water than max load. After rebuild top speed is stated as tested to 23,7 kn
higfny 5 months ago
@elswick1542 Fastest speed for Iowa I could find 32.5 by the Iowa off Korea, they also have New Jersey doing 35.2 in 1968 not believable. Lot of myths concerning top speed for ships such as nuclear power carrier doing 40 knots maybe because speed is classified but after newest Enterprise recent refit it was leaked that she did 33.6 to kill rumors she was worn out. Nimitz is 31.5 they may have nuclear reactors but still have turbines same as Kitty Hawk class . Liner United States about 36 knots
jers59 5 months ago
How can people dislike??? Shw was an absolute legend, read many stories about her in battle, especially against the Italian "Navy". Great ship!
craigbeaumont414 1 year ago
The best WW1 & WW2 British warship if not of all time. She was one of most damaged warship of WW2 that managed to carry on sailing without sinking. My Great-grandfather, Harlod Croft, served on her ~1939-1943 (i may be wrong)
03germas 1 year ago
The old lady ;*( why so great ships end their lives in the junkyard,I never understand this.
predi888 1 year ago
RIP Uncle Len Saunders missing in action, i wish id known you lorraine xxx
lorrainesaunders1 1 year ago 4
Comment removed
TWILIGHTMAD1995 1 year ago
@lorrainesaunders1 Warspites crew,s=HEROES!
elswick1542 1 year ago 2
@elswick1542 check out the book battleship sailors, a whole book of tales from the crew of the Warspite.
Btw, thanks for these great videoes Elswick, brilliant job!
higfny 2 months ago
Beautiful ship, but should of had triple guns in each turret, like the U.S. New Mexico and Tennessee classes (both 14"). Did the Warspite have 14" or 15" main batteries?
JBC814 1 year ago
@JBC814 15" x42 calibre guns they were the first RN ships to have them,the guns were ordered straight from the drawing board at a time when 13'5" guns on other RN ships were still amongst the biggest out there,it was this far sighted decision along with the decision to go with oil over coal propulsion which saw the Queen Elizabeth class have such long and useful lives .
iroscoe 1 year ago
I thought a good part, if not the majority, of the damage done to the Allied fleet during the first battle of Guadalcanal was caused by torpedo attack, rather than gunnery. In any case, the great disadvantage of not having radar targeting capability was seen to full effect at the Battle of Leyte Gulf and the accomplishments of Oldendorf's squadron at great range.
65Dart 1 year ago
The names of many ships passed down through the ages as they were the names of historical things, people or places. They sometimes re-named one class after an older class, there were two King George class, some ships were named after officers and men fallen in battle or named after the battle, 'USS The Sullivans" , an Arliegh Burke class vessel named after the 5 Sullivan brothers lost in one ship, the class named after Admiral Arleigh Burke, another famous sailor.
kennnmoran 1 year ago
I think it is good theory unless they armed a ship with 8" guns instead of 12's and wondered what went wrong, they had to be big, but easily could be too big, then the rate of fire dropped, but GO THE 18 inch!!!!!!!
kennnmoran 1 year ago
Too bad there no old battleship in royal navy today.
canadahistory 1 year ago
I remember reading a book on the History of the name Warspite, and its transfer to various ships through the ages. As part of the text were observations of the crew during the World Wars, and it mentioned watching the sinking of HMS Greyhound off the coast of Crete, my Dad was on Greyhound at the the time, thanks for the post, Warspite always reminds me of my Dad even though he never served on her, God bless him.
jedwinpenn 1 year ago 2
@jedwinpenn God bless them all!
elswick1542 1 year ago
@elswick1542 Absolutely ..
jedwinpenn 1 year ago
It nearlly had to have the same guns as when she was built ? They were the 15" twin turrets probaly the best, I read where Rodneys 16" had so many safety devices they were hard to fire, The 14" off KGV were so new and complicated they held up launching of the class by months, and 4 barrells in the one turret would get crowded. There is not a lot more damage from a bigger shell than from a smaller one, ie, 10" or 12" compared to 16" and the smaller ones fire more often etc.
kennnmoran 1 year ago
@kennnmoran same type of gun 15" 42cal MK1 in gun house MK1,this weapon probably fired more shells in WW1/2 than all the heavy guns of all battleship owning nations combined,the Warspite,s barrels were replaced so the liners could be factory replaced 3 time,s they lasted about 350 shots each time,Warspite fired her guns more than any other battleship of the Dreadnought era!
elswick1542 1 year ago
@elswick1542 german radar FuMo23 had no blind fire capability, wave lenth of 82cm the worse in WW2 and could only find ship as big as BB or large CV out to about 27.000 yards . Not sure of italian or frog radar.
jers59 1 year ago
@jers59 Italy were radar pioneers but the sets were stored in a shed after trials for fear of counter detection they were fitted to the Littorios to late, pictures taken after the surrender of the ships layed up in the Great Bitter Lakes show the Ariel I suspect it was quite good.French battleship Richelieu was I think fitted with Brit mid war radars in the US for Fire control IIR a US search radar was fitted think its roughly equivalent to HMS Duke of York at the North Cape battle.
elswick1542 1 year ago
@elswick1542 No clue about french or italian radars seems to be little published about it. Frog BB,s were equipted with british radar you can compare them on BB comparissions
jers59 1 year ago
@kennnmoran : You are probably right about differences in damages, but the larger the shell the greater the range. So the Yamato could blow our ships out of the water before we could begin firing. Our New Mexico and Tennessee class battleships had (12) 14" main batteries. Quite an awesome broadside, and the same layout was slated for the Montana class (16"), but were never built.
JBC814 1 year ago
@JBC814 No very well known but Japanese Battleships had poor fire-control and no effective Gunnery radar,in daylight the Yamato was formidable but up against an Iowa or even Vanguard at night my money is on the Allied ships.
elswick1542 1 year ago
@elswick1542 : You are right, the Japs did lack radar. But I thought there was no expense too great for the Yamato class, and they would have copied as much technology as possible from the Brits and Germans anyway. They did try to make the last one an aircraft carrier, but it was too late in the war. The Yamato class should have been three carriers (the biggest at that time), but their heads were in the sand when they made their plans. They already had enough BB's.
JBC814 1 year ago
@JBC814 Its possible that had WW1 continued for say another 2 years the Battleship would have been proved obsolete even then,5 or 6 smaller ships with 15" or 16" guns were probably a better use of resources that the Yamato class,carriers better again.Lucky thing they chose two super ships.
elswick1542 1 year ago
@elswick1542 I have finally solved the question what BB has the record for hitting target from longest distance? 1991 persian gulf war. USS Wisconsin BB64 hits target 800 miles away with tomahawk cruise missile. Anybody with differing opinion?
jers59 1 year ago
@jers59 Differing opinion not me,but, well it is me so a but is guaranteed,longest range hit by a Battleship on a Battleship with a gun=Warspite.Equalled by Sharnhorst on an aircraft carrier.Longest range hit by a BB=Wisconsin.
elswick1542 1 year ago
@elswick1542 Yamato may have hit the carrier Gambier Bay from the longest distance by main battery at samar no proof however
jers59 1 year ago
@jers59 Have ome across the story but the other 3 are well documented.
elswick1542 1 year ago
@elswick1542 : Why would the Japs build the world's biggest BB's when they already knew the value of carriers over BB's? They already had enough modernized BB's from the 20's, and about 3 times as many carriers as we had at the start of the war. All they needed was more carriers and plenty of light cruisers (8" mains) to escort them. But, then again, they would have had to pass on the Pearl Harbor attack in order to keep them.
JBC814 1 year ago
@elswick1542 japs had pooor fire control? first battle of Guadalcanal when they ambushed and sank 4 heavy cruisers, quincy, Vincennes,Asoria, Canberra at night. Yamato mah have the record for hitting ship from longest distance hitting Gambier Bay at Samar 1944. I really do not think the japs would want to copy german naval technology I believe its the other way.
jers59 1 year ago
@jers59 The IJN had superb night optics, long base coincidence rangefinders and good training in night fighting but they didn't have search/firecontrol radar,RPC,stable verticals,flash-less propellant,long range star shells,integrated directors or a good ballistic computer.Only German tech as far as I know were radars just about good enough for station keeping.
elswick1542 1 year ago
@jers59
jers59 1 year ago
@JBC814
More guns doesnt always mean more effective killing machine. KGV class had 10 14 inch guns and POW got very shot up by Bismarck in her battle. Okay the size of shell counts but only if it hits and in the right place. Only one ship i think that would get close to Yamato without getting shot up would be the KGV class. They were small. Good belt armour. upper structure armour was thin but shells would pass right through and POW had a hell of war before being sunk by a lot of torpedoes.
G777GUN 1 year ago
H.M.S. Warspite is beyond reproach. Simple as that.
Spider4642 1 year ago 4
My grandad served on the warspite during ww2 . I have alot of pics of him and the ship. Nice to know people still remember her
Jimbopetrucci 1 year ago 3
My grandad served on the warspite during ww2 . I have alot of pics of him and the ship. Nice to know people still remember her
Jimbopetrucci 1 year ago 2
Every time I doubt that ships have spirits... I remember Warspite... and I am convinced again. Along with the US carrier Enterprise-these were two lucky bad ass ships that should have been saved.
cirvine11 2 years ago 6
A man after my own heart,Warspite on the way to scrap yard thought stuff this,that beech is looking at me in a funny way,attack attack attack!
elswick1542 2 years ago
@elswick1542 @cirvine11
I agree with both of you.
If there ever where machines with souls, they would be the Big E and the grand old lady. It actually makes me both sad, angry and disgusted when I'm reminded that they where broken up for scrap.
higfny 1 year ago 3
Warspite - the greatest ship the RN has ever had. Great visual tribute, added to by superb music by Wolfstone.
tonythekingfisher 2 years ago 18
. HMS Warspite + Wolfstone = Awesome. Makes me proud.
Nickthebassist01 2 years ago 7
Had ships like Warspite been around when I joined the forces, I would have joined the Navy instead of the Army. She was 30-odd thousand tons of floating Bad-ass!!
GazC 2 years ago 6
At the battle of Calabria, 9 july 1940 she hit the Italian flagship Guilio Cesare, at a range of 21.5 km.
A record not matched on a moving target to this day.
Quite amazing considering she was built in 1913.
TheNazgarth 2 years ago 7
In a practice shoot in the Med about 1938 Hood and Warspite fired against 2 targets towed at 20k by cruisers,Warspite hit second salvo,destroyed the first and hit with every subsequent salvo,the ship and crew were absolutely amazing.
elswick1542 2 years ago
Yes, I did forget to mention that the crew were excellent, using the exact same main guns that she was supplied with when built.
When you think of all the more modern battleships that were built after her with all their mod-cons, better range finders, and bigger guns - It just shows you biggest isn't always best.
TheNazgarth 2 years ago 4
Warspite has an incredible war record that range from battle of Jutlan of wwi, to Normandy. It is a shame that she was not preserved....
64LI0479 2 years ago 8
Yep, definately. They should have preserved her and placed her alongside the Victory for all to see.
elanxx 2 years ago 6
My Dad was Signalman on HMS Valiant during 1942/3. Thanks for putting this together.
RAinteractive 2 years ago 8
Thanks for the great comment,will get around to the mighty Valiant soon and the rest of the Queen Elizabeth class the greatest of all battleships.
elswick1542 2 years ago
A fine lady of the sea God Bless Her,
71barratts 2 years ago 10
One of the most awesome BB's in history and especially her conduct during the battle of Jutland deserves the outmost respect !
yamato1001 2 years ago 8
my grandfather served on Warspite during WW1
farmerdan1 2 years ago 15
@farmerdan1 So did mine! - as a doctor /surgeon
Jacobbmarley 1 year ago
@farmerdan1
My great-grandfather served on her ~1939-43 (i may be innacuret), i wish i had the chance to meet him but he passed away before i was born.
03germas 1 year ago
Wonderful old ship. Why start comparing with famous U.S. ships. They were all legends. Besides you cannot equate Brit awards with U.S. different system entirely. Remember reading somewhere that although the U.S. 16" was about the best (had more development so why not) the venerable Brit 15" could group more accurately than any other large calibre weapon. But like all things, the men who served & crewed always made the difference.
Sid447 2 years ago 2
Old West Virginia hit jap BB Yamasiro with her first salvo at night from 22.800 yards
jers59 2 years ago
Old ship but MK13 millimetric radar,without doubt the best shooting of the battleship era.
elswick1542 2 years ago
Surigao was swan song for BB,s Mississippi only fired one salvo during that battle and it has credit for firing last BB salvo against another ship. Weevee, calif and Tenn had most success
jers59 2 years ago
@jers59 : Yes, the old Tenn class was the first modern BB's the U.S. made (no casement guns). The New Mexico class was the first with the clipper-bow, and it continued on through the Colorado class. Some of the best-looking BB's ever built, especially the Tenn class with (12) 14" guns on four turrets. Shame none were kept as museums. They could have been converted into missile cruisers with the removal of the rear turrets. We will never see armored ships again due to the cost of steel today.
JBC814 1 year ago
@JBC814 Actually you only have to take out BB radar and gun directors and its mission killed Im sure 1 Mark 48 torpedo will sink BB, Super Carriers can take lot more damage then BB and are 500X more useful then ship obsolete since 1941max range on BB main battery maybe 23 miles carriers aircraft hundreds of miles and thousands with aerial refuelling
jers59 1 year ago
@jers59 : The same is true for any of the new ships if their radar was taken out. The BB's might be limited without electronics, but they could fall back on their pre-radar technology and keep on firing. Besides, the escorts could "fill-in" with their high-tech electronics anyway.
JBC814 1 year ago
museum warship Uss Laffey the ship that would not die hit by 5 kamikazes and 3 500LBs bombs has been saved again is now drydock for major hull repairs the entire bottom from stem to stern has to be replaced and foundation under machinery needs replacing 9.2 million dollars the museum was going take the ship out and sink it but it was too expensive to clean up for reeefing cheaper to repair. BB Missouri is now dry dock for repairs, North Carolina is next
jers59 2 years ago
@jers59 : Shame that the BB museums are not given dry docks. Letting them rust away in the harbors is a crime. They have no respect for the last of their breed. Name a ship today that can keep fighting after several hits. And it was a gross waste of taxpayer's money to scrap all those BB's and cruisers from WW II. They should have been converted into missile cruisers by removing the rear turrets for silos. Reagan knew their value when he ordered the Iowa's upgraded.
JBC814 1 year ago
@JBC814 The recommissioning of the Iowas in 1980,s were complete waste of $billions, first they carried limited amount of cruise and harpoon missile Ticonderoga class cruiser can carry over 100 the engineering plant was obsolete little money was spent modernizing the main battery, Iowa was rushed into service resulting in main batttery leaking gallons of hydrolic fluid when she was in service. Money would have been better spent, modernizing carrier Oriskany and Bon Homme Richard
jers59 1 year ago
@jers59 : Yes, you're right, they do cost a lot to repair and upgrade, but if they had done the job in the 50's and 60's, there wouldn't be so much repair work needed today. There are little to no parts available today because Congress scrapped all the BB's and cruisers of WW II, like money grows on trees. It's doubtful that a torpedo can sink a BB, it didn't happen with the Bismarck. Carriers have no underwater protection, only the bare hull, and would suffer a lot more damage than a BB.
JBC814 1 year ago
@JBC814 then why is bismarck a rusting wreck 1 torpedo stopped it and it was sunk, carrier USS Hornet took 17 torpedos before sinking and super carriers are armored with modern armor kevlar and other material that put BB armor to shame . 1Ticonderoga class Aegis cruiser is more powerful then 4 Iowa class BB,s and can sink 4 Iowas with no problem
jers59 1 year ago
@jers59 there was a lot more than a single torpedo that stopped the bismark ... it only jammed her rudder. What brought her down was the night afterwards being harrassed by Royan Navy destroyers and then the following day spending 2 hours being shelled by several battleships and cruisers in which she was struck some 400 times by various shell calibres ... infact some argue in the end the actual sinking was caused by scuttling charges
GamingLeeLee 1 year ago
@jers59 : Yes, it was a marginal upgrade at most, and done only to appease Reagan, I suppose. Few parts available - stripped museums. Blame Congress for scrapping all the WWII ships, especially the cruiser Alaska (9) 12", which was brand new. No parts manufactured again. Incompetence at the highest level. Nevertheless, the Iowa's could have been converted into missile cruisers with the right R&D and nuclear power, which would free up lots of room for munitions, etc. All it takes is belief.
JBC814 1 year ago
@JBC814 Putting nuclear reactor in Iowa class BB is like putting corvettes 2010 V8 into Model T just does not make sense, No ship that I know of has ever had her engineering plant replaced by nuclear reactor first you throw the ships balence out of balance, second the cost is prohibitive, Alaskas and other ships scrapped in early 1960,s to free up money for guided missiles and super carriers and nuclear reactors and weapons
jers59 1 year ago
@jers59 : I know, there would be quite a few engineering problems. It's only a pipe dream anyway, but until a Naval engineer explains the downside to conversion, I'll go on believing it. I'm not sure about your statistics for survivability, they could add kevlar to the Iowa's also, and missiles would be part of the upgrade anyway. And don't forget sub-munitions for the 16" guns, which would open many new variables. Iowa's could do 33 knots, so adding nuclear would only increase it to 38 tops.
JBC814 1 year ago
@JBC814 Explain how would you get the old engineering plant out of Iowa the Iowas were built around the engineering plant, its impossible Its like leaving the exterior skeleton of the empire building standing why you rip the inside floors out not happening
jers59 1 year ago
@jers59 : Where do you get your info about museum ships, are you with USNI? The same thing happened to the Alabama a few years ago. It makes no sense to keep the Laffey if it's only to watch her rust away. The Brits use dry docks for their museums, why don't we. The cost of repairing museums every ten or twenty years is much more than providing dry docks for them. Once they're dry docked, there will be no need for repairs. A no-brainer. What's the point of not doing it?
JBC814 1 year ago
@JBC814 The only british museum ship in drydock is Victorious and WW2 destroyer cavalier can you name another one? keeping ship in permanent drydock can warp the hull and US has 3 subs that are landlocked
jers59 1 year ago
@jers59 : I don't think Britain has any BB museums, they scrapped them all. Warped hulls could probably be overcome with the use of more supports evenly spaced and hydraulically adjustable. An increase in cost, but a permanent solution to the rusting problem. If you want a museum, then you should do the job right. Have you ever heard of a museum that exposes its artifacts to deterioration? That is a contradiction in terms, and an insult to the U.S. Navy.
JBC814 1 year ago
@jers59 Victory not Victorious. Victorious was a WW2 carrier scrapped 30+ years ago. When I went around Victory 30 years ago they said only about 30% of the ship was original . The masts went through the bottom of the hull and are supported on the dock bottom.
There is the liner Great Britain circa 1850 in dry dock at Bristol but a lot of her has been rebuilt.
freebeerfordworkers 1 year ago
@freebeerfordworkers I stand corrected stupid mistake on my part 30% is better then Constitution which is only 10% original mostly the keel and some ribs but then the Constitution is in water more rot, Why will they not repair Victory and let it float, shame they sank Implacable 60 years ago
jers59 1 year ago
@freebeerfordworkers The old Implacable would have made excellant museum next to Victory instead it was blown up in 1949 after french declined it.
jers59 1 year ago
@jers59 I saw Implacable ceremonially sunk on newsreels as a child & wondered what the hell was going on! We are lucky to have Victory, in 1920 when she was first dry-docked some wanted her dismantled on “moral pacifist grounds”. She is still not in the best condition & they have used a lot of African hardwood for repairs.
She is still a commissioned flagship of the RN but they want to contract her management out to private company. The B******* would sell anything not nailed down.
freebeerfordworkers 1 year ago
@freebeerfordworkers Why not repair Victory and place her in water where she belongs US is finishing up repair to Constitution that makes her more original as in 1800,s sails will soon be put back on her, and some ribs that have been removed over the years replaced
jers59 1 year ago
@jers59 Absolutely no chance of that in these PC times. 25 years ago the guides told of her part in a great naval victory now I am told they concentrate on the poor living conditions of the sailors and the brutal disciplinary regime.
She is still a serving ship of the RN which is why they want to "contract her out" to save money from the defence budget. This will be a disaster and cost more as the incompetence of government departments setting up these contracts is legendary.
freebeerfordworkers 1 year ago
@jers59 BTW my father-in–law went round Victory in the 1960’s and he said some (many?) of her cannon were wood replicas. He was a skilled foundry man and it amused him to identify which were wood & which iron.
freebeerfordworkers 1 year ago
According to an American author called Norman Friedman the Brit 15" 42 cal gun fired more shots in WW2 than every other heavy cal BB gun combined,it scored the longest shot BB V BB and the first shot on Dday,just as incredible it was designed in 1912!
elswick1542 2 years ago
Could be true there were 14 ships built with that caliber of guns. What BB fired the most rounds? I know HC St Paul has fired the most rounds of any ship in history
jers59 2 years ago
The old pearl harbor and other older BB,s did the heavy lifting. They suffered from kamikazes and were used for shore bombardment. Arkansas, New york, Texas, Nevada bombarded normandy and southern france, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. while the Iowas were used to escort the fast Essex class carriers. Shame Arkansas and others were kept in atlantic where they were not needed and missed surigao
jers59 2 years ago
Ships used for shore bombardment must be the highest so RN USN are the only likely candidates from BB,S Warspite had 3 sets of barrels about 900 shots per gun so for the RN that's the highest number I don't have the data for the USN.
elswick1542 2 years ago
For US I have no Idea but I know New Jersey fired more 16 inch shells in one deployment in vietnam then she did in WW2 Mostly because she was used to escort fast carriers and older BB,s were used in WW2 for shore bombardment
jers59 2 years ago
Remember Rick Rescola from Cornwell joined paras at 16 to fight commies in Cyprus and Rhodsia then joined U.S. army 7th calvery to fight commies in Vietnam took part in battle of Iadrang valley in 1965 was greatly outnumbered by NVA regiment who defeated the french at diembienphu and Rescola led his men in singing cornish war songs and repulsing the commie attacks. Latter joined morgan stanley in charge of security and predicted WTC attack of 93 and 2001 went down with tower#2
jers59 2 years ago
Samar was bad day for Yamato chased off by destroyers and escort carriers Kongo did better Yamato was known as Hotel Yamato never left port guns rarely fired because liners had to be replaced after 100 rounds
jers59 2 years ago
Same with the Littorios 100 rounds,Bismarcks guns 200,Brit 15" 300,KGV class 400,USN 16/50 mk7 350/over 500 post war, a very important aspect mostly ignored.
elswick1542 2 years ago
Littorios were good looking ships italian admirals were political appointments bad leadership. After New Jersey vietnam deployment here gun liners were worn out and they mothballed her even though they had entire field of gun liners in california was political decision
jers59 2 years ago
I think in the 80,s the Iowa ammunition was modified by coating the charges with a polymer and modified the driving bands on the shell an additive was added to the propellent this IIR increased the barrel life to over 800 shots full charge.
elswick1542 2 years ago
congress will not allow navy to delete iowa or wisconsin they have to maintain them keep supply of projectiles and gun liners and plans to reactivate them could cost 1.5 billion a ship will never happen steam plant obsolete.
jers59 2 years ago
The most sucsessful battleship in history, she saw operations in all theatres in not one but two world wars, a LEGEND!
TheCharlie359 2 years ago 5
Greatest ship of the 20th century possibly ever,I would give an arm and a leg to see her today.
elswick1542 2 years ago
Have to disagree, warspite at jutland was hit and damage I could be wrong but she did not score any hits the steering damage was never fully repaired WW2 warspite took part in 6 battles was retired before war was over that makes 7 battlestars. USS Enterprise won 20 battlestars in WW2 from midway to okinawa including Leyte Gulf the greatest naval battle in history. Enterprise is only foreign warship to be awarded british naval flag. Tallyho
jers59 2 years ago
elswick1542 2 years ago
Continued
Warspite was also awarded 6 campaign honours.
Atlantic
Channel
North sea
Biscay
Med
Malta
I don't know if the USN awarded these? or had an equivalent.
elswick1542 2 years ago
Enterprise was awarded British Admiralty flaf also carrier Essex was giving award by Essex Regiment in 1943.Also last british BB afloat is Texas was giving to RN in WW1but soon it will not be afloat is scheduled to be dry docked permantly
jers59 2 years ago
No ship can be considered greatest Nimitz class carrier would easily destroy Enterprise or any BB you can say greatest of its era.Right now BB Wisconsin is greatest BB its the only one left that can easily be reactivated also you can not beat the price to visit it ,its free but lower decks are off limits
jers59 2 years ago
Agree,Yamato could have taken out Warspite in no time but Yamato was a waste of welding rods,I class great ships by actions not size or time.
elswick1542 2 years ago
during WW2 warspite fought at calabria, matapan, defended the illustrious during the illustrious blitz, was at the battle of crete and ws badly damaged.
she then escorted the fleet carriers during their abortive attempts to engage the japanese inthe indian ocean.
she covered landings in sicily and salerno before being badly damaged again.
she then covered the D-Day and walcheren landings being damaged yet again.
thats just her WW2 record.
shathriel 2 years ago 2
i missed out the norwegian campaign and narvik.
shathriel 2 years ago 2
been reading about battle honours.
you have to remember that a british ship can be involved in a hard fought action and recieve no battle honour.
the prince of wales in her last action for instance.
warspite saw more action than even her impressive battle honours list shows.
shathriel 2 years ago 2
Warspite received nothing for the Indian ocean(campaign honor)and nothing for the bombardment of Cherbourg,IIR even Victory with 60 years of service is not even close.
elswick1542 2 years ago
you know if those letter holders and barrels made from teak of Iron Duke often listed on Ebay are legitimate or fakes?
jers59 2 years ago
I have seen these its possible they are legitimate as most of the scrap yards sold garden furniture and souvenirs made from the deck timber,the local yard scraped Hms Thunderer and Hms Lion in the 20,s and advertised products made from the wood,I have a piece of oak 12" long marked the last of Hms Britannia they scraped that ship in 1912 so old its black.
elswick1542 2 years ago
Most seem to be from iron duke but have seen warspite and valiant. I thought someone was producing them in his basement just seems to be alot from a ship scrapped in 1940,s. I have planking from carrier Yorktown, Franklin, Randolph, Wasp, Oriskany and BB Wisconsin
jers59 2 years ago
Have seen barrels and napkin holders from Warspite on EBAY probably genuine as the company that scraped the ship had its name on a metal plate,but some are almost sure to fake.
elswick1542 2 years ago
one of the most famous battleships in history
the ship that would not die, took years to cut her up, even now traces of her can be found in the sand
bjwigglworth 2 years ago
It's such an awful pity she was cut up. Alas, the broken finances of Britain at the end of the war cost many ships.
Still, she will forever live on in our hearts as the "Grand Old Lady" just as William Gladstone was the "Grand Old Man".
theredraven 2 years ago
She might not of been the biggest ship in history with the biggest guns and strongest armour but in 1913 She would of been one of the most feared ships in the world and that reputation never left the Warspite, She made it through Two World Wars and was involved in many Battles.
I'm biased, But the Warspite for me is the Greatest Warship of the 20th Century.
jimladx23 2 years ago 5
This Ship...is my favourite..and i wont forget..
bokya103 2 years ago 3
My Grandfather served on her in WW1
and took aprt inmany actions she took part in including the Battle of Jutland,he served as a stoker,but had to leave her after being wouned and too ill to carry on his serviice with the Royal Navy,he is no Longer with us now but i would go as far as to say he would have been pround to have watched this fine Tribute to a wonderfull ship..thanks to all that contributed to this video
conning1 2 years ago 3
To me Warspite was the greatest ship that ever sailed,your Grandfather and all the crew were heroes.
elswick1542 2 years ago