USS Missouri Ammo Onload

[GunnerAE]

I was a gunners mate during that unrep. GMG Miller probable shot the line to you.

[Contrajoe]

A look at any Iowa Class battleship on Google maps reveals that the deck is festooned with gray circles. What are they and what do they do?

[billgx]

@Contrajoe "Festooned" LOL- nice word! I believe what you may be looking at are ventilation ducts providing fresh air below decks. Other circular objects on a ship's deck would include bitts (for fastening mooring lines) and a capstan (for winching up mooring lines). Find a pic of the 'Mo firing the 16"s taken from the forecastle looking back towards the superstructure. You should see them sticking up from the deck.

All of this nautical-speak is making this Kansas boy nostalgic for the sea.

[Contrajoe]

@billgx Dear sir,

Do you know if the arrangement of all those circular things varied between ships of the class, or was it standardized. One other question, did the UNREP rig on the starboard side of the aft main battery tower rotate?

[ebertf]

@Contrajoe I don't understand the question (Circular things)????

[Contrajoe]

@ebertf Capstans, bitts, ventilation ducts, etc.

[cajunbone]

@billgx Think what you are refering to were the tiedowns that were located aft of the superstructure. These were used to tie down different types of objects...Utility boat trailers, any kind of gear that needed to be tied down and of course when the helos were on board for a length of time and had to be cleared off the flight deck...thjey were tied down using these

[billgx]

@cajunbone could be you are correct. It's been a long time for me now. Thanks!

[joneslc42]

I see you had to use a CDR, I guess a transfer head was never in the plans

[cptcrzy238]

i was on the seattle anybody got videos of Aoe3

[battleship62]

I love it. that was ammo for the 16 inch guns

[socalelectric]

That is me holding the line and sliding on the deck. That is 3rd div. deck.

[ghostcbr]

I was on the Missouri in desert storm i was on the fueling rig crew

[SCHRUBBE1966]

I'm actually in this video. I was stationed on the Missouri but for the day of this onload I went on to the Saremento and helped send the pallets over. You can see us in the backround chaining them up be be sent over.

[ebertf]

Bill I served with you an the USS Cochrane. I also was on the USS Sacramento I think She is the ship you are unreping with. I it is I would have been operating the winches during this evolution

BM# Tom Eberhard

[billgx]

Hey Tom,

I remember you. Those ammo onloads were a lot of work on the battleship.

It's good to hear from you.

[Bullettube]

Those were the 2,000lb shells? Two shells=4,000lbs plus the weight of the basket, say 5,000lbs?  Just what is the load capacity of those cables? Can they replen Harpoons?

[1coupe1]

i was onboard in this video in s-3div(SH3)miss this ship very much, the best years, learned alot and miss the crew we were family whats up to all the last battleship sailors. doing it with 16 inches forever!!!!!!!!

[5687678]

How do they get the line across?

[billgx]

They use a rifle with a shot line to shoot it across to the other ship. Search for "shotline" there are videos showing this.

[Morris1962]

Boy with rounds like that who needs cruise missiles. Well for short range anyway.

[phantomcruiser]

Hey... I was here for that!  I was in the PRV det for the 91 Gulf tour. This unrep took the better part of 3 days.

[billgx]

Cool... I was there too. Those were some long days, I recall.

[DocterJones]

Jeeez those are HUGE rounds! And to think that the guns were bigger on the Yamato...!

[nailers99]

Dr Jones- The yamoto had 18" guns to the Missouri's 16" guns.

[irishmanO1]

the Musashi also had 18'' guns