The Drydock - Episode 179

00:00:00 - Intro

00:00:40 - Storage precautions for gunpowder in the age of sail?

00:06:28 - What was the idea behind the Atlanta class?

00:12:53 - IJN cruiser hit in the Feb 1942 raids?

00:14:56 - Naval engagements where being old turned out to be an advantage?

00:18:58 - Contra-rotating propellors on ships?

00:24:30 - Battle of the Chesapeake, what happened?

00:32:52 - What benefits to civilian life do we enjoy thanks to naval technology?

00:39:55 - In your opinion, were there any noteworthy naval actions by the various warlords during the Chinese Civil War (1912-1949)?

00:41:40 - Steam locomotives have cylinder drain cocks to allow any condensated water out of the cylinders when starting. How was it generally handled on ships and how did it change between reciprocating engines and turbines?

00:44:23 - Roles for Akron etc in WW2?

00:46:35 - How valuable was ultimate top speed vs cruising speed/range?

00:52:17 - Would the Jeune École have been a viable option for either the U.S. navy or the navy of the confederacy during the American Civil War?

00:56:36 - What if HMS Erebus and HMS Terror had chosen to risk the unknown passage east around King William Island?

01:00:19 - Any examples of an enlisted man figuring significantly in a navy's history, excluding being known or important just for his valorous actions in combat?

01:02:38 - Was just it a coincidence that HMS Berwick came off worse in both of her cruiser engagements, or would any of the other Counties have done better?

01:04:46 - Had Tone NO. 4 launched on time how likely is it to have missed the US Carriers due to their different positions earlier in the day?

01:07:24 - How much of an effect would Force Z have been if it had not been sunk?

01:11:54 - What would Drach do in place of Admiral Callaghan?

01:23:22 - Why did the RN abandon transom sterns for the Nelsons, and especially the KGVs?

01:26:53 - How would damage control aboard differ aboard a starship vs an ocean ship? How would it be similar?

01:31:05 - Was jamming actually used at Jutland? Would not the presence of enemy jamming be something of a 'trouble over here' sign as surely as hearing gunfire when it comes to indicators of hostilities elsewhere in the fleet?

01:34:43 - Would World War Two naval aviators have benefited from having an angled flight deck to land on?

01:39:42 - Was Shoho the greatest use of overkill in WW2?

01:41:36 - What kind of added difficulties would the Grand Fleet and the Harwich Force commanders have had if the codes of the Kaiserliche Marine had not been captured so early in the war?

01:46:49 - When the US Navy was bombarding the Japanese held islands, did they use only HE shells or did they also employ AP shells to penetrate the bunkers and tunnel systems?

01:49:10 - Was a literally all big gun ship, i.e. no secondaries at all, ever a viable strategy?

01:53:22 - HMS Nelson AA main guns?

01:56:12 - Guided main gun rounds for battleships?

02:00:50 - Why were there such recurrent problems in making a turret for anything more than two guns?

02:08:33 - Was it common for the Royal navy to invest in ports and just later abandon them? In what other cases has this occurred?

02:11:34 - Rear Admiral Sir Home Riggs Popham appears to have truly been "a damned cunning fellow" with a colorful career, and many significant contributions to the Royal Navy and the British Empire. Was or is he a particularly notable officer of the Royal Navy, or did the Royal Navy produce many with similar accomplishments during their careers in the Age of Sail?

02:15:52 - What is your favourite WW 2 Maritime warcraft aircraft and why?

02:17:39 - Why did it take so long for ship to ship missiles to become effective weapons?

02:22:02 - Did the Japanese have any real equivalent to the Condor in the Pacific Theater, and how effective was it? Conversely, what were the most effective Allied counters to it?

02:24:55 - Can you please explain whyconverting Leonardo da Vinci and the Italia class ironclad into aircraft carriers is a terrible idea?

02:28:50 - What would be commonly accepted values for acceptable dispersion? How much is too much, and how much is too little, and why those values?

02:40:40 - How useful were the active pre-standard U.S. battleships (Arkansas, New York, and Texas) in WWII and how does that utility compare to the QE and R-class battleships of the Royal Navy?

02:44:55 - What would a Washington Naval Treaty look like if the British had lost their fleet in WW1 (and the High Seas fleet also sank, so they can't use the German Ships) and would that give the RN a leg up in WW2 by having the most modern fleet?

02:53:09 - Was it imprudent to value ultra-long range in gunnery?

03:00:03 - How did SMS Derflinger get the name Iron Dog and is it the best warship nickname of all time?

[Drachinifel]

03:01:22 - Could the Danish Navy by 1864 be considered the 6th most powerfull in the world?

03:04:01 - Shore bombardment seems to be a relatively "boring" duty for warships during war, but did the crews manning these ships think it was boring? Were there differences in opinion between gunnery crews, other crews, and the command staff?

03:05:42 - What was the first warship to accommodate all it's crew in bunks instead of hammocks?

03:08:02 - WW2 sonar ping?

03:11:10 - What are your top 3 moments of "Haven't those muppets learned anything?" in ship design from 1918 on?

03:15:13 - In movies, there is often a scene in which a ship, submarine or in particular spaceship pushes the reactor, engines etc. above 100% - so 110% etc. Was this done and if so how often?

03:20:38 - If the USN had gone with the 14" gun for the Florida's like proposed how would that effect all follow on BBs up to the Colorado if at all?

03:24:33 - Was the decision by Admiral Pye to ultimately pull back from sending assistance to Wake Island by the carrier task force justified, in your opinion?

03:28:10 - Howl's Moving Castle battleships

03:32:57 - It is generally held that the WNT helped roadblock another very expensive arms race and possibly even a war in the 20s. What are some other examples of, the often justifiably, maligned politicians, getting something right? A program that they cut due to cost or for being overly aggressive.

03:38:11 - KGV's fitted 'for but not with' 15" guns?

03:43:02 - If you could take a camera on one trip with a time machine what event, person, or ship from naval history would you choose to photograph?

03:44:19 - How many ships could the UK build at once during WW2? How many slipways did the UK have that could build battleships/carriers, cruisers, destroyers and smaller ships? And how many larger (say about Liberty/Victory ship size) merchant ships did the UK build during the conflict?

03:49:47 - We all know how deadly Typhoon Cobra was to lightly-ballasted destroyers, but in how much peril were the capital ships?

03:55:11 - US Battleships beyond Montana?

03:58:46 - Fletcher decks and USS Iowa Turrent No.2 explosion

04:00:54 - Are there any other cases you know about where crews took the letter designations of a ship and twisted time for humorous reasons, dark humor or otherwise?

04:03:32 - How is the propellant in guns using bag charges discharged?

04:05:05 - Rats on Naval Vessels

04:08:23 - How exactly does a Reduit ship differ from a Barbette ship, Central Battery ship, or other type of pre-turreted (as in Fully Armored Barbette type we are familiar with now) in the ironclad era?

04:10:32 - Would did Plan X and Y look like before PLan Z?

04:12:29 - Submarine-carrying battleships?

04:14:44 - During the age of sail, were there tenders sent out by the RN Admiralty for cannon and shot. If not, how did procurement for these materials work exactly?

04:16:06 - Why did the British supply ships to anti-Spanish rebels in the early 19th century?

04:25:03 - Operation Downfall decoy fleet?

04:27:18 - Small WW1/2 navies showing up in unexpected locations?

04:29:26 - What were Italy's plans to respond to naval build up in the 1930's?

04:35:02 - Project HARP and naval uses?

04:37:31 - Would the Alaska's be better with 6x16" guns?

04:44:54 - What impact did the invention of the gatling gun have upon naval warfare design considerations if any? Were they used in any navies before being made obsolete by the invention of the machine gun?

04:46:42 - I've heard that the black hulls on coal powered ships such as Titanic and the Victorian peace time colours was to hide the mess from coal dust. Is this true? Were any other aesthetic standards originally for some functional purpose like that?

04:51:09 - Would the Dunderberg/Rochambeau have lasted longer in service if she'd been built with her original turrets?

04:55:17 - How does Nevada compare to the German WW1 and Interwar Capital Ships?

05:00:56 - How often was there more than one carrier docked at Pearl Harbor throughout 1941?

05:01:58 - Why does there appear to have been suction when Hood sank but not Titanic?

05:10:17 - For the Nelson Class why was B turret the super firing one?

05:12:51 - S.S. Great Eastern, If we took the same design with more modern steel (1910-1930's) how would she compare to vessels of that period? How was her design so robust?

05:20:31 - Boarding action in the Age of Sail

05:25:05 - What was the Royal Navy's transition from Imperial to Metric units like?

05:28:51 - What motors or similar devices are on tugboats to enable towing, and do warships used for towing their 'sisters' have the same types of equipment?

05:35:08 - In past Drydocks you've stated that the Royal Navy tried to develop a dual-purpose 5-inch gun akin to the US 5" 38, but that effort failed. What went wrong?

05:41:27 - Why did the US Marines become closer to the phrase the US Navy's army rather than other marine forces such as the British Royal Marines being closer to Special Forces ?

05:47:51 - What’s with the inclusion of underwater torpedo tubes on battleships designed/constructed immediately after WW1?

05:53:13 - Special ops against enemy ships in the age of sail?

05:58:43 - What, if any, equipment and procedures were there for rebalancing ammunition between the magazines on a ship in the age of dreadnaughts while she was at sea?

06:02:49 - How or what seems to be the deciding factor of if a ship is sunk or just damaged (so a decisive conclusion or not) where the engagement cannot be avoided especially in the Dreadnaught era and on?

06:08:41 - Channel Admin

[josh]

I laughed way too hard at “naval related sleep aid” because almost daily I listen to dry dock to help me fall asleep! 🤣🤣

[beglitchery]

Honestly, re: sleep aid. You have the perfect quality of voice and presentation that is engaging and yet never jarring. I use your videos while I’m crafting/cleaning/driving because it’s just pure calm without losing my interest, and I can let it play for hours and not interrupt myself trying to find more content. I also use your videos for sleeping, well - because it’s just pure calm without losing my interest! It keeps my brain from running wild with worries, while letting me drift off when I’m ready. When I wake up if the video is still playing I know I need more sleep! haha

[VinylScratchBass]

The fact Drach has become aware his drydock series is some people's sleep aid is great. Please keep them coming Drach. This drydock alone will last me a week xD

[TOcean-cmdy]

I feel called out for listening to uncle Drach as I fall asleep. NEVER change, your work is incredible and I appreciate the calm delivery and witty writing. Well done sir, well done.

And a happy new year from Australia!

[CaptainCoffee]

Me starting to watch The Drydock, lying in bed, lights out, getting ready to fall asleep

Drach: "Welcome to everyone's favorite naval history related sleep aid"

Me: breaks out laughing, compromising sleep. XD

[amandajones]

Special reward for having listened to the whole patron drydock is having heard the whole patron drydock.

[danieltaylor]

"I survived the 6 hour drydock and all I got was this empty Irn Bru bottle."

[GaldirEonai]

Regarding obsolescence being an advantage: The USN's old S-Boats were too old to use the Mk. 14 torpedo and thus had badly outdated but actually _functional_ torpedoes when the shooting started.

[hillogical]

In response to the sleep aid comment: 1) I always listen twice at least with one being fully awake (thanks to a sales job that allows plenty of time for podcasts) 2) you should be proud of the fact that you have the power to alleviate people's anxiety. You literally allow me to have a better life.

[Colthatchback]

I cant watch your videos to sleep. I watch these while im working/driving so im getting paid to learn. No way i could sleep through the drydock, there would be so much googling to find the answers to further questions raised by the questions and answers, id just be awake permanently 😂

[tombogan]

The vision of Akron and a dozen Sparrow fighters battling a couple FW 200's made me blow coffee out my nose. Coral Sea at 15000 LOL

[mattreganowski]

I have become addicted to this channel. It's kinda like educational white noise; the speaker has a very pleasant and relaxing speaking voice and style, and interjects a good bit of humor, but I have also learned a helluva lot listening to him, not only about ships and naval history but about engineering in general.😄😄👍👍

[Keaperman]

I've said it before.
But I'll say it again.
I love these long Drydocks.
I've spent 9 hour's on the roads tonight.
I popped this on, and it covered just about the whole evening.
It's very relaxing, a long dark night.
As well as informative.

[princeoftonga]

Ohhh… it’s a big un!
Constantly amazed by Uncle Drachs dedication to his viewers. Thank you so much.

[richardanderson]

If I was to listen to one of these straight through, I'd need to hire someone to do my work that I should be doing. However your weekend drydocks provide me quality entertainment for a few days when I'm working at my computer. So I do listen to them from beginning to end, but not straight through. Forty-five minutes blocks seem to work for me. May I suggest a "Drydock Survivor" patch to be attached to our favorite garment.

[SimplyTakuma]

_Naval related sleep aid_ 😂😂😂

Its not every time that i using it as a sleep aid, but it calms me down from a stressfull day to hear one guy speaks about ships and history or answerig questions from fans. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[ReturnoftheNative-wk]

Thank you so much Drach, Production Crew, & Contributors.
BTW its not a sleep aid. I listen to, & savour every word, over and over again.

[Dr_V]

Regarding boat sinking suction (05:01:58) I experienced that personally in a small boat accident on a lake, it's no joke and can easily drown you, especially if you're not aware of it. I've never seen that mythbusters episode, but in my case it was just a 5 meters long (~16ft) fishing boat displacing probably less than a ton, flipped over and went down like a brick after a high speed collision with a log. Despite being a fairly strong (and experienced) swimmer, I couldn't get away from that bloody boat until it actually hit the bottom, fortunately the lake was just 6-7 meters (20-23ft) deep at that point so it didn't take more than a few seconds in real time, but it felt like a much longer struggle and scared the crap out of me.

[edweeks]

I'm glad I'm not the only one to use Drach as a sleep aid. It took me five attempts to get through the USS Arizona episode.