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I visited the USS Wisconsin a couple of hours ago. I took 59 pictures total. All sorts of angles and shots if there are any further requests. I tried to find the same spot on the deck as the 1945 photo. I believe the "vent that is seen in the photo, is now capped off. Its currently listed as an exhaust vent for the rear compartment areas. The entire ship is sealed and has humidifiers throughout to control rusting. I also thought the head on shot was interesting. Those 16" shells are about 5'4" tall. It take six powder charge's to propel them and they can be seen beside the shell. The bags weigh 150lbs a piece. The ship sits only 2-4feet above the bottom of the berth, depending on tides. It was specially dreged for its storage. The ship is listed as "reserve" and can be brought back to active duty when required. It still has its Tomahawk Missle mounts, which I also got pictures of. While walking around the ship, ( I was in uniform) a class of 8-9 year olds came up to me and asked for my autograph. Part of their class project was to get signatures of veterns and current service members. I was a little embarrassed at the attention because they literally ran at me as I was standing on the bow. I even have a picture of them running at me. Quite a day. The Canadian ship, HMS Halifax was in berth next to the battleship. Looked like a destroyer, I snapped a few pics of it as well. Hope you all enyoy!

Excellent photos! Thank you, sir! I especially liked the current pics of the "Wisconsin Band Shell"!

(By the way, the HMCS Halifax (FFH 330) is a Canadian Patrol Frigate, but at 4,750 tonnes is actually larger than some destroyers.)

Did you get a chance to photograph the WWII Fleet submarine that is also there?

Isn't she gorgeous? I have always had a fascination for battleships in addition to tanks, but the Iowas are an all-time favorite. After many years, I finally got to visit USS Missouri, BB63, at Pearl Harbor in the spring of 2004.

Nice photos, I'm glad that these ships are being preserved and opened to the public.

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I thought I posted this earlier with the other pictures. A picture of the fantail, where many special events were held on the ship. It was odd and special at the same time to walk on the same deck/area where so many sailor/soldiers had been with so much history. I am so glad I was able to get these pictures and save them for future viewing. The "armor content" is outrageous, when you consider she weighed 45,000tons, was 887.3 ft in length, 108.2 feet wide, had a 28'11" draft, and carried 1,921 sailors and was able to move at 33+ knots, thats awesome. Her current armament is 9-16" guns, 12-5" guns, 4-Phalanx CIWS, 8 Tomahawk Cruise missle pods that hold 4 missssles each, and 4 Harpoon missle launch pads. Her 16inch guns fired 2,700lb Armor Piercing rounds that could penatrate 30 feet of concrete, or 1,900lb High Capacity "shore bombardment" projectile. Here's a quote found on Google about the Wisconsin hitting a T-34 during the Korean war:
The following clipping was from the December 17, 1951 issue of TIME magazine.
Scratch One T-34
Hitting a tank with a 16-in. shell from a battleship's main battery is something like potting a mouse with an elephant gun. It isn't often done--but when it is, there isn't much left of the mouse.
One night last week the 45,000-ton U.S. battleship Wisconsin (which relieved the New Jersey last month) lay off Korea's east coast, firing her secondary batteries of 5-in. guns in support of U.N. ground troops ashore. Finally came a call for heavier fire. The No 2 turret crew swung into action and five 16-in. shells, weighing a ton apiece, whistled into the target area, 8,000 yards away.
Result: direct hits on two Communist gun emplacements, one T-34 tank. Said an observer: "With what's left of that baby (the tank), they can't even make carpet tacks."
Gives me a new apprieciation for the Navy!

Great photos, Jeff! You're having all of the fun! Did you photograph the inside of a 16" turret? That's what I've always wanted to see. Should have gone and seen the USS Alabama while I was at Anniston but didn't. Had a bad case of 'couch potato'.

I was thinking (Uh-oh), if you had contact info on these kids then people from this forum could send postcards. Would be a nice little project for us. I am highly impressed that a teacher is teaching these children about vets. There should be more of this going on!

Hi Mark! Hi Folks!

- MarkHolloway

Great photos, Jeff! You're having all of the fun! Did you photograph the inside of a 16" turret? That's what I've always wanted to see.

I remember going inside a 16" turret. I think it was on the U.S.S. North Carolina at Wilington, N.C.

I got to take a tour of the U.S.S. Missouri when she made a port call in Naples Italy while on an around the world tour. That was fun, getting to see a active ship full of sailors and talking with them about their ship.

I too love the New Jersey class BBs. Great super heavy AFVs.

Thanks for the photos Jeff!
Sgt, Scouts Out!

Hey Roy! Do you think they could come up with a chassis for one of them turrets? It would make the T28 look like a Matchbox toy!

I'm trying to be creative today. Working on a rough draft of a logo for where I'm working. Don't really need one but it will make me feel special!

[img]http://www.com-central.net/modules/coppermine/albums/userpics/10924/normal_testlogo2%7E1.jpg[/img]

I didn't get any contact info but I did think it was cool as well. The USS Wisconsin is in "reserve" status, for re-call to active duty if needed. I don't believe it ever will be, just from listening to the volunteers working on the ship. But she was mothballed twice before and was always brought back. It was actually mothballed for almost 3 decades at one point before being brought back to service in 1988 if my memory serves me correctly. The Wisconsin has actually spent more time of her life in mothballs, than in active service! She was in mothballs from 1 Jul 48 - 3 Mar 51, then again from 8 Mar 58 - 22 Oct 88 (30 years!), then the last time was 30 Sept 91 to present. She arrived at her current location in May 2000. You cant see inside the turrets because the ship is sealed and kept at a constant humidity level inside to prevent rust and corrosion damage. I would have loved to have gone into the depths of the ship.

- MarkHolloway

Hey Roy! Do you think they could come up with a chassis for one of them turrets? It would make the T28 look like a Matchbox toy!

I'm trying to be creative today. Working on a rough draft of a logo for where I'm working. Don't really need one but it will make me feel special!

[img]http://www.com-central.net/modules/coppermine/albums/userpics/10924/normal_testlogo2%7E1.jpg[/img]

Looks good. So are you going to do the Tshirt for the upcoming
"AFVnews Together Again For The First Time" gettogether?

Hi Jeff

you ought to make a trip to Camden, NJ acros the river from Philadelphia. That's where the New Jersey(BB-62) is preserved. It can be toured and on the Philly side at Penn's Landing there are The Olympia (Dewey's Spanish American War flagship and a WW II US sub.

Jeff Lewis

I can't even get him up to Aberdeen! and that's an hour or so closer than Camden

Jeff - I understand but remember the offer is open

Hi Mark! Hi Folks!

- MarkHolloway

Hey Roy! Do you think they could come up with a chassis for one of them turrets? It would make the T28 look like a Matchbox toy!

Chassis for one of those turrets? Only in our dreams!
The second thing I though about was the resupply vehicles needed to carry the extra 16 inch ammo and power!

- MarkHolloway

I'm trying to be creative today. Working on a rough draft of a logo for where I'm working. Don't really need one but it will make me feel special!

[img]http://www.com-central.net/modules/coppermine/albums/userpics/10924/normal_testlogo2%7E1.jpg[/img]

Looks good Mark, maybe the unit Boss will like it enough to let you put it on things around the work area.
Sgt, Scouts Out!

I'll do the final draft tomorrow and share it with you. You can e-mail stuff like that to Wal-Mart and have it put on a mouse pad or coffee mug. Maybe I'll make something up for the AFV get together and put it on a coffee mug. I guess we'll need four? Maybe I can make one especially for you, Roy. It'll say, "MY AFV FRIENDS ALL WENT TO KNOX TO PLAY ON TANKS AND ALL I GOT WAS THIS LOUSY COFFEE MUG!".

- MarkHolloway

Hey Roy! Do you think they could come up with a chassis for one of them turrets? It would make the T28 look like a Matchbox toy!

From Friedmans Battleship book

The 16"/50 cal 3 gun turret had a 39'4" diameter. It weighed in at about 1600 tons with an impact on the ship of about 2000 tons.

Oh and remember there were 4 decks below where the turret went through the ships deck.

I think that would make even the huge German guns like Karl or Dora look like a matchbox toy!