Too much freeboard :) ?

[southkogs]

Whaddya' think ... should she be sitting a little lower in the water? It's a cool 100' from the flight deck to the water surface.


My son and I (along with members of our CAP squadron) got to spend the weekend on the USS Yorktown at Patriot's Point. I have a new appreciation for you NAVY guys ...

5 1/2 hours of tromping around that monster and I'll bet I didn't see but half of the ship. I highly recommend a stop by if you're in the Charleston area.

 

[partskenn]

Re: Too much freeboard ?

And I have problems docking my 30footer. Patriots Point is a great place. Went there on vacation last year, visited for about 2 hours with my wife. The next day, she went shopping, I went back and spent the day. Still didn't see everything.

 

[Georgesalmon]

Re: Too much freeboard ?

Spent the part of the 60's and all of the 70's on nuc subs. Moored outboard a carrier in Rio. Took a half hour just to get across to shore for liberty.

 

[southkogs]

Re: Too much freeboard - USS Yorktown

Re: Too much freeboard - USS Yorktown

It was fantastic to see all three ships. I never really made it to the land based stuff. Got to walk through the Clamagore (sub that was there) with a fella' who had served two years on her. It made it all the more interesting to hear it from him.

 

[JStrom]

Re: Too much freeboard - USS Yorktown

Re: Too much freeboard - USS Yorktown

I did the last year of my 4 yr enlistment (AF) in Charleston, lived there a while later for 2 years and I've made many, many trips there for the day or weekend. My sister used to have a house on Isle of Palms but hurricane Hugo relocated it, free of charge. I've seen that carrier countless times but never had the desire to tour it...no reason why, just never did.
Reminds me of a time when I had to take a patient to the naval hospital though. He'd fallen off an aircraft wing onto the tarmac, possibly fracturing a few bones and having a concussion (lost consciousness). When I arrived at the Navy ER, we transferred the patient from the ambulance to the ER and on the dock as I was leaving a Navy guy stopped me to ask how far the guy had fallen. I told him that I wasn't given that information, that I didn't know. He got irritated with that response and "asked" me "Don't you know how far off the ground the wings of your planes are off the ground?" I replied "Do you know how far out of the water your boats sit?" He started cursing me out as I just turned my back, ignored him, got back into the ambulance and drove back to the base. The next day I got a call from my commander (Colonel) asking me about an "incident" that happened at the Navy hospital. I told him exactly what happened and he just started laughing. He said the guy on the dock was a Navy Captain and he'd called to complain about me. I mentioned something about being a Captain in the Navy must mean something to Navy people (rememeber, I was an E4) and my commander laughed again and said the guy thought very highly of himself and that it shouldn't be anything for me to worry about. I still have no real idea what a captain in the Navy means rank-wise.

 

[snowman48047]

Re: Too much freeboard - USS Yorktown

Re: Too much freeboard - USS Yorktown

Nice. I had the chance to tour the Enterprise years ago while in Norfolk. Was really amazed at how large some areas were and how cramped others seemed. Never really get an idea how big the are untill you are standing on the dock looking up at 'em.

 

[Maclin]

Re: Too much freeboard - USS Yorktown

Re: Too much freeboard - USS Yorktown

I wonder if they move the planes way up front to limit bowrise and help "planing" time.

I bet they WOULD need the ST stainless Tabs for that one!

or Bennets the size of a basketball court...

 

[catfish58]

Re: Too much freeboard - USS Yorktown

Re: Too much freeboard - USS Yorktown

How much fishing line would you need just to reach the water?

 

[jdlough]

Re: Too much freeboard - USS Yorktown

Re: Too much freeboard - USS Yorktown

I was on the USS Midway in the '70s in the South China Sea, with typhoon waves crashing over the bow.

Not enough freeboard.

Same thing happened to the USS Kitty Hawk a few years ago: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1graEzmeRU

 

[southkogs]

Re: Too much freeboard - USS Yorktown

Re: Too much freeboard - USS Yorktown

Was really amazed at how large some areas were and how cramped others seemed.

Dual utilization of space was pretty fascinating. Some of the working "offices" were really sadistic in size, while others were really kinda' reasonable. Felt bad for folks like the butchers and bakers ... wonder how often those guys say daylight.

Never really get an idea how big the are untill you are standing on the dock looking up at 'em.

The flight deck was the most amazing place for it ... coupla' more pics for y'all:
From the bow looking back at the island ...


The port CAT...


Looking down at the Destroyer USS Laffey

I bet they WOULD need the ST stainless Tabs for that one! ...or Bennets the size of a basketball court...

Just lookin' at the internal machinery for things like plane and bomb lifts, I can only imagine what the mechanics would look like for tabs on the back of her ... 'course they're using that sort of thing on some of the new cruise ships at least.

 

[southkogs]

Re: Too much freeboard - USS Yorktown

Re: Too much freeboard - USS Yorktown

I was on the USS Midway in the '70s in the South China Sea, with typhoon waves crashing over the bow.

Not enough freeboard.

Same thing happened to the USS Kitty Hawk a few years ago: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1graEzmeRU

Talked about that on deck Saturday. The prior weekend I had been fishing in Florida and we got caught in some heavy waves in the gulf (average 8' but up to around 12' or better). We were in a 19' and getting back to shore was a little dicey. It amazed me standing there to realize that the ocean would toss that monster around as bad as that 19' was bouncin' in the gulf..

That's part of where this came from:

I have a new appreciation for you NAVY guys ...

 

[jdlough]

Re: Too much freeboard - USS Yorktown

Re: Too much freeboard - USS Yorktown

Dual utilization of space was pretty fascinating. Some of the working "offices" were really sadistic in size, while others were really kinda' reasonable. Felt bad for folks like the butchers and bakers ... wonder how often those guys say daylight.

My working “office” was the supplemental radio room, which is at the bow just under the flight deck.


It was weird. When they launched planes, you could hear them retracting the catapult to get ready. Chunka,chunka, chunka. Then they’d launch……… Whoooooshhhhh… BAM!!!!


The BAM!!! was the catapult hook thingy slamming into what was basically a very thick wall. It would fling the plane off, then slam to a stop. We’d have to lift our coffee cups off the desk at that slam, or else the jolt would knock the cups off the desks.


Another weird thing about the Midway was that originally it only had a single straight flight deck. They added the angled flight deck off to the port side later. Unfortunately, the additional weight of the new flight deck made the boat permanently list to port.


Fortunately, that meant it was very hard to get lost below decks, since you always knew port was the down hill side.


Yet another weird thing. Since I was stationed way up at the bow, the ship was so long that in big waves I didn't feel the boat rock side-to-side. The bow and stern went straight up, then straight down. It felt like I weighed 20lbs more, then 20lbs less. Over and over.

When going down a hatch, if you timed it right, you could step off into the open hatch, lightly slide down the ladder, and the deck below would rise to meet you. If you timed it wrong, the boat would fall away as you slid down the ladder, then stop, reverse, and break your legs when you hit bottom. Good times...


I found a pic of a wave breaking over the Midway's bow in 1950...

 

[southkogs]

Re: Too much freeboard - USS Yorktown

Re: Too much freeboard - USS Yorktown

My working “office” was the supplemental radio room, which is at the bow just under the flight deck.

There were six ports just under the flight deck on the bow - you can see 'em in the first pic I posted. You couldn't make it that far forward in any of the tours. That section of the ship was closed off. I but I was horribly curious about that spot. Wonder if it's the same thing?

The BAM was the catapult hook thingy slamming into what was basically a very thick wall. It would fling the plane off, then slam to a stop. We’d have to lift our coffee cups off the desk at that slam, or else the jolt would knock the cups off the desks.

I did get to see the machinery room for the CAT ... couldn't make heads or tails of it, but it was impressive.

Another weird thing about the Midway was that originally it only had a single straight flight deck. They added the angled flight deck off to the side later. Unfortunately, the additional weight of the new flight deck made the boat list to port.


Fortunately, that meant it was very hard to get lost below decks, since you always knew port was the down hill side.

... triggered another "oh yeah." Posted throughout the ship were damage control plates. I got a crack up outta' the tour note on 'em saying that not only were they used to contain damage, asses containment and so on; they were very useful in finding out where the heck you were and how to get to where you wanted to go.

When going down a hatch, if you timed it right, you could step off into the open hatch, lightly slide down the ladder, and the boat would rise to meet you. If you timed it wrong, the boat would fall away as you slid down the ladder, then stop, reverse, and break your legs when you hit bottom.

I have to admit ... against the rules of "hold the rails with two hands," on one trip down ladder I grabbed the rails, picked up my feet and tried the Hollywood Navy slide. That steel deck makes a significant impression on 40 y.o. knees.

 

[jdlough]

Re: Too much freeboard - USS Yorktown

Re: Too much freeboard - USS Yorktown

I don't think the Midway had those port holes at the bow. At least, my dinky radio room (held about 4 or 5 guys) didn't have any windows. That would have been a cool view, though!

Actually, if you get lost below decks on a carrier, it's easy to find your way again. Just keep going straight up ladders until you reach the Hangar Deck (the huge open deck just below the flight deck where all the planes are stashed).

From the hangar deck you can easily see where you are on the ship, and which way is the front. Then go back down the ladder and head in the right direction til you get lost again. Then pop on up the the Hangar Deck again. Repeat til you get where you're going.

I used to get lost on the USS Chicago (a cruiser) all the time. No hangar deck. If you asked directions, they'd tell you the wrong way just for fun. Hardi Har and Yuk Yuk.