Warship Discussion Thread - For all boats, ships, and subs of your flavor

[WelperHelper99]

Warships. The ability to project power beyond your borders, protect trade, and get a killer game made from it *cough*World of Warships *Cough*

A warship I recently learned of was the USS Marblehead, of the Omaha class

Omaha class stats:

As you can see, quite the ship type, lots of guns, though by WW2 it was outdated yet still held its ground.

The point of this thread is to post your favorite ships, discuss, sperg a little, and talk history. Have fun!

 

[Involuntary Celebrity]

 

[WelperHelper99]

View attachment 4965926

The Enterprise and the rest of the Operation Sea Orbit gang mobilizes to put the little water Turtle down. Fun fact, that was 3 nuclear powered ships in formation to flex to the Soviets about American power

 

[Cultured Xeno]

Here are some various videos and photos I have saved and a description to go with them.

Video taken from the Prinz Eugen of Bismarck firing on Hood and Prince of Wales during the Battle of the Denmark Strait. One of the columns of smoke at the end of the video is possibly coming from Hood as she sank. The original footage did not have sound, but this version has sound effects added in. I don't care for the sound effects, but I don't have a soundless copy on-hand and I usually just mute it.

Video of the kamikaze attack on SS John Burke and subsequent detonation of her cargo of dry munitions. Liberty ships like John Burke could carry 10,000 long tones of cargo, but during the war they were often overloaded past this.

Photo taken from near or at the top of the pagoda tower looking over the top of the funnel and down towards the stern of either Yamato or Musashi.

 

[WelperHelper99]

Here are some various videos and photos I have saved and a description to go with them.

Video taken from the Prinz Eugen of Bismarck firing on Hood and Prince of Wales during the Battle of the Denmark Strait. One of the columns of smoke at the end of the video is possibly coming from Hood as she sank. The original footage did not have sound, but this version has sound effects added in. I don't care for the sound effects, but I don't have a soundless copy on-hand and I usually just mute it.
View attachment 4966052

Video of the kamikaze attack on SS John Burke and subsequent detonation of her cargo of dry munitions. Liberty ships like John Burke could carry 10,000 long tones of cargo, but during the war they were often overloaded past this.
View attachment 4966116

Photo taken from near or at the top of the pagoda tower looking over the top of the funnel and down towards the stern of either Yamato or Musashi.
View attachment 4966220

Liberty Ships were plucky little ships, feats of engineering. Constructed so fast, using welding and existing technology like triple expansion steam engines, and fairly well armed, they were slow yet steady transport ships. You can call them boring, but not unimportant. They were the backbone of WW2. Even got a U-boat kill!

A more modern ship I love is the Ticonderoga Class Cruisers.
122 missile MK 41 VLS cells of doom. Two 5 inch guns, and 2 phalanx guns to BRRR missiles out of the sky. They've been in various wars, done tons of shit, appeared in Top Gun Maverick, and yet I never hear them talked about.

 

[Cultured Xeno]

Liberty Ships were plucky little ships, feats of engineering. Constructed so fast, using welding and existing technology like triple expansion steam engines, and fairly well armed, they were slow yet steady transport ships. You can call them boring, but not unimportant. They were the backbone of WW2. Even got a U-boat kill!

What still amazes me is how fast these ships could be turned out. Initially it took about 230 days to complete one, but then you get to a median production time of 39 days from an empty dry-dock to a finished ship. There even was a publicity stunt where the SS Robert E. Peary went from keel to delivery in 7 days, 14 hours and 32 minutes. All of this was possible due to advances in prefabrication, welding (as you mentioned), and use of older, but cheaper and more robust technologies (using the triple expansion engines instead of steam turbines resulted in easier maintenance and operations).

Even complex weapons such as the 40mm Bofors Anti-Air gun had their production plans streamlined for easy and quick assembly and there was always people looking for new ways to reduce the man hours needed to produce a weapon. Here is a video detailing the production process.

I could not see this being done today due to lack of infrastructure and the workforce needed to keep production up and still have good quality control. I ordered a F-150 back in December because I wanted a 1/2 ton truck with an extended cab and 8ft bed. Every 45 days I get an email from Ford saying "yes we have your order, but we still have not started work on assembling your truck due to supply chain issues". I would be mad, but I did not have to put any money down on the order, so I am just seeing how long it will take them to make it.

They've been in various wars, done tons of shit, appeared in Top Gun Maverick, and yet I never hear them talked about.

I think the reason no one really talks about modern ships is for two reasons. The first one is that the exact capabilities of the ship and the weapons are classified to the public and there hasn't been a WWII like peer-to-peer naval war to see how they perform. Maybe if a naval war kicks off between China and the US over Taiwan will you see more discussion on modern ships and there performance.

 

[HarblMcDavid]

For me, 2 of my favs are the WW2 era Laffeys, named for Bartlett Laffey.

Both more than lived up to their namesake.

I already posted this one in QnA, but Laffey (DD-724):

To quote wiki in short (it goes into more detail on the page):

Kamikaze assault
Laffey survived despite being badly damaged by four bombs, six kamikaze crashes, and strafing fire that killed 32 and wounded 71. Assistant communications officer Lieutenant Frank Manson asked Captain Becton if he thought they'd have to abandon ship, to which he snapped, "No! I'll never abandon ship as long as a single gun will fire." Becton did not hear a nearby lookout softly say, "And if I can find one man to fire it."

You can still go see her to this day as she served into 'Nam and is currently a museum ship, which is on my bucket list.

But one of my other favorites is her direct predecessor, Laffey (DD-459):

Once again, from wiki:

After the battle, Laffey met with a group escorting transports from Nouméa on 11 November, and sailed to Lunga Point, arriving the next day. The disembarking operations were interrupted by a heavy air attack. On 13 November, Laffey was placed in the van of a column of eight destroyers and five cruisers under Admiral Daniel J. Callaghan. Early in the midwatch, the radar operator reported contact with the enemy. The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal was just about to begin when the Japanese force, a group of two battleships, one light cruiser, and 14 destroyers, under Vice Admiral Hiroaki Abe, appeared on the horizon. Laffey lashed out at the enemy with gunfire and torpedoes. At the height of the violent battle, the battleship Hiei came through the darkness and both ships headed at full speed for the same spot.[2] They missed colliding by 20 feet (10 m).[3][4][5] Laffey unleashed her torpedoes and, using all her firepower, raked the battleship's bridge,[2] wounding Admiral Abe, and killing his chief of staff.[3][6] Admiral Abe was thereafter limited in his ability to direct his ships for the rest of the battle.[7] With a battleship on her stern, a second on her port beam, and two destroyers on her port bow, Laffey fought the Japanese ships with the three remaining main battery guns in a no-quarter duel at point-blank range. She was hit by a 14-inch shell from Hiei. Then, a torpedo in her fantail put Laffey out of action. As the order to abandon ship was passed, a violent explosion ripped the destroyer apart and she sank immediately with heavy loss of life.[2] This action earned her the Presidential Unit Citation.[2]

Not the luckiest ship, but one of the most ornery.

 

[WelperHelper99]

What still amazes me is how fast these ships could be turned out. Initially it took about 230 days to complete one, but then you get to a median production time of 39 days from an empty dry-dock to a finished ship. There even was a publicity stunt where the SS Robert E. Peary went from keel to delivery in 7 days, 14 hours and 32 minutes. All of this was possible due to advances in prefabrication, welding (as you mentioned), and use of older, but cheaper and more robust technologies (using the triple expansion engines instead of steam turbines resulted in easier maintenance and operations

They were a product of the time, with American industrial might at its peak. We just don't have the same facilities or steel production we had back then. Not to mention modern armaments would probably include more complex things like missiles and Phalanx guns if we were to do a modern update of the Liberty design, further adding to cost and time.

I think the reason no one really talks about modern ships is for two reasons. The first one is that the exact capabilities of the ship and the weapons are classified to the public and there hasn't been a WWII like peer-to-peer naval war to see how they perform. Maybe if a naval war kicks off between China and the US over Taiwan will you see more discussion on modern ships and there performance.

It makes me sad really. They'll be forgotten despite seeing actual action. They're actually being retired as we speak, despite being some of the heaviest hitters the US has in the surface fleet.

 

[Cultured Xeno]

You can still go see her to this day as she served into 'Nam and is currently a museum ship, which is on my bucket list.

I like that my work takes me all over the country. If I am close to a museum ship, I will make some time to go see it.

I have visited the Laffey a few times over the years. If you do visit her and USS Yorktown, be there at opening time. You will not have many people there and you can get a good parking spot before the lot fills up.

Spoiler: Some pictures of USS Laffey DD-724

They were a product of the time, with American industrial might at its peak. We just don't have the same facilities or steel production we had back then. Not to mention modern armaments would probably include more complex things like missiles and Phalanx guns if we were to do a modern update of the Liberty design, further adding to cost and time.

I do understand that the production time of the Liberty Ships were the exception, not the norm. Modern ships have a lot more electronics, sensors, and are in general more complex than ships built in the 1930's to 1940's. Hell back then Air Conditioning for the crew was just starting to be introduced in ships and I bet that the Liberty Ships did not have AC for the crew. Can't build a ship without AC nowadays.

It makes me sad really. They'll be forgotten despite seeing actual action. They're actually being retired as we speak, despite being some of the heaviest hitters the US has in the surface fleet.

It is kind of sad that the "meta" now for surface navies is to have big carriers and lots of small missile destroyers with no ships in-between those sizes. It will probably stay that way until another dreadnought moment happens that makes either reduces carrier effectiveness or makes BBs and Heavy Cruisers viable again (possibly viable rail-guns for main guns and point defense lasers for anti-missile and anti-torpedo defense).

 

[WelperHelper99]

I do understand that the production time of the Liberty Ships were the exception, not the norm. Modern ships have a lot more electronics, sensors, and are in general more complex than ships built in the 1930's to 1940's. Hell back then Air Conditioning for the crew was just starting to be introduced in ships and I bet that the Liberty Ships did not have AC for the crew. Can't build a ship without AC nowadays.

That's the thing, no one is going on a new warship, even something as simple as a cargo hauler, without AC, radar, computers, basic missile defense systems, and at this point, stealthily shaped hulls to reduce detection. Removing even one of these makes it a big target compared to the rest of the fleet.

It is kind of sad that the "meta" now for surface navies is to have big carriers and lots of small missile destroyers with no ships in-between those sizes. It will probably stay that way until another dreadnought moment happens that makes either reduces carrier effectiveness or makes BBs and Heavy Cruisers viable again (possibly viable rail-guns for main guns and point defense lasers for anti-missile and anti-torpedo defense).

Frigates are still a thing, the US is getting some with the Constitution Class, but they weigh nearly as much as modern destroyers anymore with half the weapon load. I think older classes have merit, but you'd need a major war to create demand.

 

[WelperHelper99]

Going old-school, pre WW1, a ship that interests me is the Mikasa


A monster of its time and one of the few survivors of the Russo-Japanese war, and the last pre dreadnought battleship in the world. Tons of smaller guns to augment the two dual 12 inch turrets. My first exposure, and my intro to my love of ships, was World of Warships, which this thing is a beast at tier 1. It still exists today as a museum ship, so you can go visit it if you so choose.

 

[Coccxys]

HMS Anson leaving Barrow shipyard to go for sea trials last month.


Anson is boat 5 of 7 of the Astute class SSN submarines. Their replacement us already in development for delivery in the 40s under AUKUS.

 

[WelperHelper99]

HMS Anson leaving Barrow shipyard to go for sea trials last month.
View attachment 4976546

Anson is boat 5 of 7 of the Astute class SSN submarines. Their replacement us already in development for delivery in the 40s under AUKUS.

View attachment 4976554

The Astute has one hell of a armament. It's going to be sad seeing them retired so soon, especially seeing how specialized they are for the English channel

Compared to the Virginia, it's a lot stubbier, like a cigar, better for turning, where the Virginia's are built for cruising the waves.

 

[Mister Qwerty]

USS Merrimack /CSS Virginia & USS Monitor

 

[WelperHelper99]

USS Merrimack /CSS Virginia & USS Monitor

View attachment 4977404
View attachment 4977416
View attachment 4977420
View attachment 4977424
View attachment 4977432
View attachment 4977436

The Monitors were such cool ships, truly underloved by the wider ship community because while other nations used them after, they were a very American invention. Slow but with big guns, and able to traverse rivers, some modern examples still exist today, such as in Brazil and a few Baltic states.

Another ship class that doesn't get enough love is Coast Guard Cutters, and with my example, the Hamilton class

The armament listed was just the final. Originally it had a 5 inch gun, hedgehog launchers, and torpedoes, set up for anti sub duties in the event of WW3 in the Cold War, looking like this:

These things were absolute terrors in Vietnam, giving gunfire support not just with the 5 inch but the 81mm mortars as well. They even got tested to see if Harpoon missiles would fit, which they did. Today they've been sold off, basically being converted into gunboats.

A good example of the gunboats conversion is the Del Pilar class in the Phillipines


Ripped off the Phalanx, added lots of 25mm, and some 20mm single guns depending on the ships, along with chaff launchers. They may just be patrol ships, but their hulls are notably strong with a V shape to deflect blasts, I could see them surviving a fight with a Chinese missile boat, at least at close range where it could fire its 76mm

 

[Day Drinking]

I've got one that's pretty unique. The British M-Class was a submarine with a battleship cannon strapped to it created for WW1. There were only 3 built and the M1 was the only sub to enter service before the end of the war, but never saw combat. Probably a good thing, because they were exposed for well over a minute to fire off a single shot, and also required the sub to surface and take another 3 minutes to reload. I remember the YouTube guy Cone of Arc did a video on them. He's fairly tolerable and does a pretty decent job going over weird/obscure/failed tank designs.

https://youtu.be/sckTeOcZcC0

 

[make_it_so]

The USS Texas is the last surviving example of the "Dreadnought"-era of battleships, and has been in dry dock for several months now as part of a long-term overhaul and refurbishment project. When the work is completed, she'll be moved to a new permanent drydock exhibition that will ensure long-term preservation.

 

[WelperHelper99]

I've got one that's pretty unique. The British M-Class was a submarine with a battleship cannon strapped to it created for WW1. There were only 3 built and the M1 was the only sub to enter service before the end of the war, but never saw combat. Probably a good thing, because they were exposed for well over a minute to fire off a single shot, and also required the sub to surface and take another 3 minutes to reload. I remember the YouTube guy Cone of Arc did a video on them. He's fairly tolerable and does a pretty decent job going over weird/obscure/failed tank designs.

https://youtu.be/sckTeOcZcC0

I'm glad you bring up Cone of Arc, he makes good shit, example:

But yes the M class was kick ass but obsolete the moment they were Designed.


Steam power didn't help, and the advancement in torpedoes made those big 12-inch guns moot. Still, they were kick ass, and I'm glad people are starting to remember them again.

The USS Texas is the last surviving example of the "Dreadnought"-era of battleships, and has been in dry dock for several months now as part of a long-term overhaul and refurbishment project. When the work is completed, she'll be moved to a new permanent drydock exhibition that will ensure long-term preservation.
View attachment 5008264View attachment 5008258

Ah the Texas. Finally they're getting her out of the rust . A ship so badass that they flooded compartments just to get a good firing angle. I hope she survives the next 100 years, and that I get to go and see her. The Texas was the definition of upgraded, with them slapping SO MUCH AA onto her, she was practically a new ship by the end.

One ship I wish was a museum was the Nelson Class:

16 inch guns on a treaty battleship. Fuck. She helped sink the Bismark with those guns. Playing her in World of Warships was quite a experience, thin armor due to weight restrictions but big ass guns. I love her man.

 

[Phalanges Mycologist]

The Wickes / Town class Destroyers -

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wickes-class_destroyer

In particular DD163 Walker, IRL it sank on the way to Pearl Harbour after being turned into a Damage Control Hulk, but it's fictional namesake made me fall in love with them.

Also fun fact the US had so many of them in stores that they where able to lose a WHOLE DESTROYER SQUADRON and just REACTIVATE THE ONES FROM STORES, in the Honda Point indecent.

 

[WelperHelper99]

The Wickes / Town class Destroyers -

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wickes-class_destroyer

View attachment 5010361

In particular DD163 Walker, IRL it sank on the way to Pearl Harbour after being turned into a Damage Control Hulk, but it's fictional namesake made me fall in love with them.

Also fun fact the US had so many of them in stores that they where able to lose a WHOLE DESTROYER SQUADRON and just REACTIVATE THE ONES FROM STORES, in the Honda Point indecent.

We built so many ships back in the day lol. So many they converted them into things, like the Walker. Now it feels every ship is purpose built unless your country is poor and converts a oil tanker into something like Iran. That and there used to be more guns on ships, the Wicks class had multiple 4-inch guns. Why can't modern destroyers have multiple 5-inchers? I know a lot if for VLS space but come on