Landracing Forum
Misc Forums => NON LSR Posting => Topic started by: wobblywalrus on March 03, 2015, 12:21:18 AM
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More to come...
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WW;
This is how the microwave oven was discovered-- really!
Regards, Neil Tucson, AZ
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WW;
This is how the microwave oven was discovered-- really!
Regards, Neil Tucson, AZ
Yep. One of the engineers working on early radar had a chocolate bar melt in his shirt pocket while unwittingly exposed to the "cone".
Unsure if he was wearing a "pocket protector" . . . . . .
:cheers:
Fordboy
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There is all sorts of radar of many different types on the ship. The closest I got to that one was to read the plaque and to take the photo. After that I stayed far away. The communications guys say the radar and radio men have girl children and seldom boys.
The trip started out well. My youngest boy Werner, Rose, and me are sipping lattes while overlooking the Honolulu zoo from our lofty hotel room. A few hours later and I am in this. The "Chosin Hill" Marine berthing room on the USS Comstock. It all happened so fast...
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A guy says "See that light with nuttin on top of it. You will need somewhere to dry your clothes and towels. Put something there now. Always keep clothes on it so no one claims it." I did and that was where I dried the bath towel and washrag every night. Most of the overhead pipes are used for similar purposes by the others.
This is my rack. Werner's is above it. There is a sheet metal box with a gas mask in it on the ceiling at at one end. I slept with my head under it and woke up in the middle of the night to pee. I forgot it was there and cracked my head hard on it. That was when I learned to sleep with my feet at the gas mask end. I also did the same on Werner's drawer. He leaves it open. The rack is small and I can barely turn over. It is hot and uncomfortable in it. These are some of the larger racks. Many are tighter. Six racks open onto this little aisle between them. The pix shows it in a rare moment when it is clean and clear. It is pretty busy when six guys are getting dressed in a hurry.
Right now lack of sleep, etc, is helping me to develop an attitude. This is a trait that will help during the remainder of the eight day voyage.
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WW;
That reminds me of the troop ship I sailed on to Germany. One tip-- don't get the bottom rack! When there are three or four seasick guys lying in their bunks over you...... :-(
Regards, Neil Tucson, AZ
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Double the room we had on the Blatford for 30 days going west to Vietnam.
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Thankfully you made the trip back east Stan.... :cheers:
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The Comstock is one ship in a three vessel Amphibious Battle Group. The largest ship, the Makin Island, is sort of like an an aircraft carrier. It accompanied us on this trip. The newest ship, the San Diego, stayed in Hawaii for a day or two longer. It caught up with us by the time we reached California. The ships are docked in Pearl Harbor before we leave in the first photo.
The fuel for the US Pacific Fleet was in a big tank farm near the naval base. The tanks were close together, and if one burned, it is likely the other ones would catch fire, too. The Japanese were so intent on destroying ships and planes that they did not bomb the tank farm. That, and the US carriers being out to sea, was gook luck for us. The war would have been vastly different if we would have lost the fuel, the carriers, or both, I am told.
The Navy learned from this. The closest we are to the Makin Island for most of the trip is shown in the second picture. Note the little ship far away on the horizon. That is the carrier. An officer said that keeping the ships apart, and that most of the fleet is all over the Pacific and not in port, makes it harder for us to have a big loss in a surprise attack.
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Thanks for posting the pics and comments, all bringing back a lot of memories. With time the good have made the not so good worthwhile.
Ed
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It is nice that it brings back memories. This is the second Comstock. The first one was in the Vietnam conflict. One of my friends was on it.
The flight deck is on the aft. Pilots train at taking off and landing. This first heliocopter looks a bit like a Huey. The second one is an Apache. The Taliban know the sound of these bigger ones and they scatter when they hear one coming in, I am told.
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A bigger 'copter. The source of these flying things is the Makin Island, as seen in the blurry photo. There are Harrier jets on it, too. Ospreys are seen when we are offshore from California. I an not sure if they are from land or the Makin Island. The only good thing I hear about them is it will be a nice day when they are phased out. None of the Marines I talk to like them. They prefer the other helicopters.
A lot of these photos seem to be slightly tilted. This is a ship and it is bobbing around and never level.
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This is a ship and it is bobbing around and never level.
Brings up another fun memory - learning to time the dipstick to the roll of the ship to get an accurate sump reading on the mains and generators. :cheers:
Ed
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There not phasing out Ospreys, they just bought a crap load of them and my son will be flying one. The early problems were with the computer programming that controls the takeoffs and landings. Its so complex that no pilot can handle it manually. Wish him luck guys, it wasn't his first choice but you get what they need
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Hopefully the problem is figured out. I hope your son is safe.
The ship does not have windows except in the bridge. This lady is in charge up there. She is not the captain but she is the officer in charge. At night the room is dark and the only things visible are lights on displays and control panels. No running lights are used when cruising in the open ocean.
This picture is of the ship. It is from the boat deck and the bridge is six stories up from there. The decks and ladders, etc are not lit at night. It is a spooky journey up to the bridge and back on the outside decks in the dark, believe me. I did it one time and that was enough.
One leaves the interior decks by opening a hatch, entering a pitch black compartment, closing the hatch, walking to the other end of the compartment, opening a hatch, stepping outside, and closing the hatch. This is done night or day. The compartment is a light lock so there are no signs of illumination for the enemy to see.
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The interior of most of the ship is illuminated by red light after bed time. Some rooms like the head (shitter) and mess (dining room) have normal lighting. The boat deck an open deck is where the life boats are stored and it is about six feet lower and ahead of the flight deck. The well deck is under the flight deck and the boat deck. The landing craft are there. This picture shows the well deck from up on the boat deck. It is lit with normal lights 'cause folks are down there working on the equipment. Normally is is lit at night by dim blue lights. A fellow told me the low intensity blue lights are very hard to see from an airplane overhead.
The well deck is where people exercise at night. To get there from the boat deck, you walk down a long ramp to a turntable and walk down a second ramp onto the well deck. Lots of chains are hanging from the walls and they clank against them as the ship rocks to and fro. Then, you walk through very narrow gaps between the little amphibious vehicles to get to a big gap between the equipment where lots of people are working out. There is an oval track around the larger landing craft and folks are jogging. All of this is under a dim bluish glow. I was down there every night too. Stretching and calestenics are needed to loosen me up prior to a night in the rack.
At night this ship is in stealth mode.
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These ships are armed for defense. Escort vessels provide offensive capabilities. The first line of defense is information provided by the department of defense through satellite, long distance radar, sonic detection buoys, intelligence, etc. The ship's radar can detect threats from a few hundred miles away. The RAM missiles are deployed first from the box like turret. They can shoot down cruise missiles, planes, etc. The missiles spin in the air like a rifle bullet and this gives them stability. They cost 2.3 million dollars each and they did not fire them for test. They said they are reliable. A Harrier jet flew past and the missile launcher moved to track it. The rockets are self-guiding so they will seek the target on their own after it is identified and they are launched.
The 25mm machine guns are the next biggest armament. They are a close-in weapons system for defense against small ships and nearby targets. They are effective up to 2000 yards. They are remote controlled fro inside the ship or shot manually by crew members on deck. Some members of the ship crew were learning how to shoot these. They were having a lot of fun. It is the single barrel large machine gun in the pix.
The 20 mm phalanx machine gun is the last line of defense. It can track targets on its own. Humans are too slow to react and to do it effectively. It can shoot down missiles and planes. The fire rate is incredible since five barrels are being loaded and shot.
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A lot of progress from the single 5" that was on our bow! During a land target night shoot the first rounds pretty much had to start a fire to enable the FT's to get coordinates to calculate any following rounds with accuracy.
Back in reply #8 first picture looks like "The Mighty Mo", did you get a chance to tour her while you were in Pearl? She's seen a lot of history over her last 70+ years [keel laid in '43, commissioned in '44] , good to see they are keeping her around to tell us about it as well as to stand a respectful watch over the Arizona.
Ed
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Can't do it, Ed. I get all choked up and emotional. The same with the atom bomb stuff at the Wendover airport. Cannot go there either.
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We can go almost anywhere on the ship except for the main rooms. This is where the generators, propulsion equipment, desalinization units, etc are. They give us a guided tour. There are little control rooms in various locations. They are soundproof so folks can talk and work. It is loud in the rooms. Double hearing protection is mandatory, such a foamie ear plugs with ear muffs. This picture is in a control room. The lady in blue is in charge.
There are four diesel engines, 45 degree opposed, 16 cylinders each, in pairs. One pair drives the right prop and the other powers the left. They are rated at 7755 kW at 520 rpm. This is 10,400 horsepower per engine. They are Colt-Pielstick PC2.5V www.fairbanksmorse.com/colt-pielstick-pc25-stc/ (http://www.fairbanksmorse.com/colt-pielstick-pc25-stc/)
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The engines are closely watched. There are monitors in the bridge and in the main room. This screen is in the bridge and it shows a lot of detail about the cylinders on one of the four engines. This second pix is on a main room monitor. Note these big motors run with a vacuum in the crankcases. The third pix shows a happy cylinder. Note how most everything is painted grey. The navy does not have a lot of imagination when it concerns colors.
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Great stuff! Keep posting any more you have, I'm enjoying learning about how much progress has been made over the years. Remote 'tronic monitoring and data logging, I noticed a "trends" button on the status board, even an indicator to note when the jacking device is engaged. No more need to move about the eng room trying to log everything on a big sheet of paper on a clipboard while dripping sweat all over it and trying to keep it clean for keeping in the log office.
We had 4 early generation FM 10cyl OP Model 38 8 1/8 's similar to the latest versions shown in your link, Roots blown instead of turbo's, 40's vintage. 2 in each eng room, could be engaged singly or in pairs on each of the ships 2 shafts.
Ed
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The engine room was well lit, clean, and at a comfortable temperature. Everything was tidy and it was much neater than anywhere I have worked.
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Wobbly, in regards to the pics of the two helicopters the first one pictured is a Huey, a UH-1 and the second is a Huey Cobra, not an Apache. The Taliban is very familiar with the sound of the Cobra as the Marines and Navy use them just as the Army uses the Apache 8-)
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Thanks, Frankie. My civilian experience does not help me with reporting this.
These screen shots explains what will be seen in the next post. The first is the reduction gear for the port (left) side propeller. The engines rotate counter clockwise and this rotates the prop in a clockwise direction by way of the reduction gear. One engine is disengaged and idle. The ship typically cruises with three motors working. The props have adjustments for variable pitch so the one engine working hard on the dead engine side can equal the output of the other two that are loafing along. This method gives the best fuel economy.
The next screen shot shows the starboard drive. Both engines are working. These two rotate clockwise and this drives the prop in a counter-clockwise direction.
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The big box in the middle of the photos is the reduction gear. It is extremely valuable and it is not property of the ship. It belongs to Naval Central Command. A person lists all tools and parts they take into the box when they go in to fix something. Then, they check everything they have on them when they exit. This is to make sure nothing is left behind that can damage the gears. The gear setup is made by Philadelphia and the prop variable speed adjustment system is made by Rolls Royce.
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Answered [mechanical drive through reduction gears] my question [mechanical or electric drive] before I had a chance to type it! To back down they shut the engines down and restart them in reverse, correct?
You brought back another memory - wiring wrenches [they were specific use with holes drilled in them for the wire] to the wrist when inspecting the reduction gears. Standing orders for the Ship's Engineering Officer to be present for oversight whenever the reduction gears were opened up.
Keep 'em coming, warm thoughts for a New England winter that doesn't seem to want to give up!
Ed
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They do not change the engine's direction of rotation. They reverse the pitch direction on the props to go backwards.
The sailors are constantly repainting the ship. The metal is cleaned of corrosion first. Then, this primer is applied. It is green. Next, the grey topcoat is applied. Brush application for both coats. My plan is to find some of this paint and to use it on the bike and trailer.
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WW;
I used a 2-part zinc chromate epoxy primer on my chassis that is almost the same as the one in your photo. I bought the kit from Aircraft Spruce. It is really good stuff.
Regards, Neil Tucson, AZ
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Thanks, Neil. I will try that as a source.
Flying fish.
The sailors are called up onto the flight deck to stand in formation. Most of them, anyhow. Some stay behind to run the ship. Citations and awards are given out. This was a peacetime cruise so no combat ribbons, etc. A handful of awards are given for saving the Navy money by developing innovative procedures or shortcuts to the system. The amounts of savings are substantial. There is a lot of incentive in an organization like this to simply do what one is told. These folks show a lot of initiative to be doing what they did. There is some subdued snickering among the marines during all of this. None from this old guy. I think "we sure could use him/her in the highway department." We need those skills and motivation.
The next pix will be of the Marines. Their's are interesting lives.
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The Marines from Camp Pendleton conduct joint exercises with allies all around the Pacific. Werner was in training with soldiers from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Malaysia, and the French Foreign Legion in Djibouti during this cruise. His company has four platoons with three made up of riflemen and one weapons platoon. He is in the weapons platoon as a heavy machine gunner like his brother Johann. His other brother, Josef, is a heavy machine gunner who rides in the armored support vehicles. Josef says "Why walk when you can ride?" Smart kid, he is.
The armed forces are slowly modernizing when they get the money. These 60mm mortars are relatively new. They are effective when the enemy is behind things and out of the reach of normal rifles, etc. The mortar rounds go high up in the air and come down at almost a vertical angle. The newer weapons are lighter than the old ones. This is good. These soldiers carry a lot of stuff and any weight savings makes their life easier. Werner is showing me how to fire one of them in the photo.
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It is Marine Day on the ship. All of the weapons are brought out and there are demonstrations. We civilians did not shoot anything. Rose was more lucky. She shot a 50 cal machine gun a few years ago.
The light machine gun shoots standard 7.65 caliber NATO ammo. It is for close in support. It and the gunners present a low profile to the enemy and they are easier to hide and harder for them to hit.
The heavy machine gun is a 50 caliber model. It is practically unchanged since WWII. It is a good design that does the job. No need to replace it. The marines have a lot of good things to say about it.
Some of you might remember a little kid who set a record in the MPS175P class back when production engines were allowed in modified partial streamliners. That is Werner and he is showing me the weapons. Right after he set the record I took the engine apart and did all sorts of work on it like a big bore kit, hot cam, etc. The kid grew about a foot during the months when I was doing this and he no longer fit the bike. Then he figured out how to ride girls and lost interest in land speed. Now he is maturing and diversifying his interests. Now he is into hot rods, girls, and bikes. It makes a father proud.
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WW;
That BMG (Browning Machine Gun) M2 ("Ma Deuce") is a classic design. Accurate, long range, and hard- hitting. It will be around long after we are all gone.
Regards, Neil Tucson, AZ
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That Browning M2 is mostly unchanged since I believe, 1921, first year of manufacturing.
It has already outlived numerous competitive designs.
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If you want, I can post some more photos of the other weapons they use. I do not know what they are.
One night, after about a week on the tub, we report to formation and are told to load all of our gear except what we sleep in onto the passage to the well deck. It is in the photo. The turntable is in the background and there is another passage down to the well deck. We are also told to police up our quarters and to report for muster early and to get through the mess early, too. This means only one thing. Time to disembark.
We are busy and we clean up the rathole where we live. Gear is moved down to the passage. A restless night. Up at 5, we head to the chow hall and scarf down some unidentified substance along with pancakes and eggs. It is time to head down to the deck. Right when I come out of the light lock into the day, someone yells "The boobs! Its Pendleton!" That crass anatomical reference is to the cooling towers at the San Onofre nuke plant. Camp Pendleton and Oceanside are on the horizon. The ship cannot dock there. We depart in an amphibious landing. There is a legion of well equipped wives, hookers, and girlfriends across the water. We are prepared to invade and engage.
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The ship has a tailgate on it like a pickup truck. It is lowered so the landing craft can exit and enter. The problem is the gate is above the water when it is open and the well deck where the landing craft are is dry. There are ballast tanks on the aft end of the ship. They are normally filled with air. They are flooded with water, the ship loses buoyancy in the aft, and the back end settles down into the water. The well deck floods and the landing craft float out.
The landing craft require several feet of water depth to float and leave. The little amphibious assault vehicles require very little water depth to depart. They are stowed toward the front of the well deck because of this. The front does not submerge as deep as the rear.
A water barrier is erected to keep the front half of the well deck dry while the landing craft are being floated. This is a big operation and I could not be on both sides at the same time. The lower pictures are from the night before we depart and the upper pictures are from the day we leave.
First, panels on the sides of the well deck are lifted to a horizontal position. Second, a line is attached to the barrier. Next the barrier is pulled up.
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The barrier is up. The operation is done by these two big cranes. This is very time consuming. These ships are like horses or cows giving birth. They are still and vulnerable when they drop their loads. The beachhead needs to be secure before the ships unload. There is air cover, anti submarine measures in place, and the surrounding area is pulverized so there is no enemy alive to shoot at the ships.
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WW;
"...and the surrounding area is pulverized so there is no enemy alive to shoot at the ships."
Theoretically, at least. That's what they thought before landing on Iwo Jima. Dug in troops are hard to dislodge by artillery or air strikes. As soon as the artillery lets up to allow the beach landing the enemy pop out of their holes like prairie dogs.
Regards, Neil Tucson, AZ
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Neil, I wonder why they got rid of the battleships. Those guys are perfect for providing covering fire for landings.
The first wave to hit the beach are the vehicles. There are all sorts ranging from funky dozers to beauties like Chiquita. This line of trucks is ready to go. The green ones are transplants from the European theatre and the sand colored ones are from the dez wars. The most common vehicles are Humvees. A standard one is in the background. They are adapted to warfare and most have turrets with cannons and machine guns. These things are so Mickey Mouse it is scary. There are all sorts of open gaps around the turret. My sons say they are a bad deal in cities where they take fire from all directions. Hopefully they will be replaced with something better soon.
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The landing craft are loaded and ready to go. It is noisy and smoky. All sorts of yelling, engines running, chains clanking against metal, etc. The stern is lowered into the water. The water comes up and it splashes onto the barrier. The craft float out of the ship. The marines are happy to go. The navy is happy to see them go. A festive atmosphere for all.
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All of this makes sense when you consider that this nation fights its wars everywhere besides its own territory. That is unusual.
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Let's hope it stays that way, WW.
That must have been a really interesting experience to be part of that operation.
Regards, Neil Tucson, AZ
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We go up topside. The San Diego is with us now. It has been behind us the entire trip and out of sight. It left Hawaii a day or two after we did. It is a much more modern ship and it is the third ship in the three ship amphibious assault group.
The navy seals are on another ship and they pass by close to us when they head for the beach.
One of the other ships has this hovercraft.
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The stern is raised and the barrier is lowered. It is time for the amphibious assault vehicles to leave. They carry the marines to the beach when the first wave leaves in an assault. Lots of soldiers fit inside. This picture shoes the top with an open hatch. There is a turret on the vehicle with a machine gun or cannon. This next picture shows the side. I am standing near it to give an idea of its size. They are lined up on the well deck and ready to go.
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Off they go. The things almost go entirely underwater when they drop off the back of the ship. My son says it is really scary. They bob up and head towards shore. All of them are out and it is our time to go. Walking down the same gang plank I walked up was how I figured I would leave the ship when this trip started. What is happening now is not anticipated.
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What an adventure Bo, thanks for sharing
Tiny
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Not as much an adventure for me as it was for the others. They were in Singapore, Djibouti, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Malaysia, and all sorts of other places, training with the local armies, and doing all sorts of interesting things. Fortunately no one was shooting at them.
We make a big circular line and load the landing craft. This harbor seal watches the whole thing. The marines have main packs and these contain everything they take with them except for their combat packs and personal weapons. They weigh over 100 pounds and I can not carry one. Combat packs were what I loaded on the boat and they were plenty heavy. Soldiering is for young folk, not old guys. After the third trip to the boat they tell us to stay in it. Werner and I are up near the front.
I thought we did a good job of packing everything nice and tight. Not good enough, it seems. One sergeant is not satisfied and he screams at the guys in the back. The other sergeants hear this and they swarm over, yelling and foaming at the mouths, cuss words and spittle flying out. Sergeant fission. One sets off the others. Marines with packs and weapons crawl over us as they move toward the front of the ship and we are covered by people and gear. It is a big panic to load the boat in a hurry. Then we wait a long time. Finally we slide out from the dark and into the light. We are going home.
That's all.
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Thanks for the coverage Bo.
My own son doesn't talk much about his deployment to Afghanistan. Probably for the best, as it was not an "easy tour".
:cheers:
Fordboy
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It is nice that he made it back OK. It is an awful place to be an allied soldier. I agree with you. There are some things my middle boy told me that I wish I never heard.