The Drydock - Episode 199

00:00:00 - Intro

00:00:43 - What would a late-era Malta class flight group look like?

00:04:06 - How long did it take to draw up an initial/adapted design for a carrier like Malta? Since this was during war time, is the peace time process slower?

00:07:14 - What are your thoughts on Geoffrey Spicer-Simson, or "Lord Belly-Cloth?"

00:10:53 - Malta influence on the RN?

00:16:51 - 6" DP vs 5" DP for AA roles?

00:22:05 - Under-size British BB's in WW2?

00:27:50 - Philo McGiffin and the Beiyang Fleet?

00:33:01 - What would you say we're the relative strengths and weaknesses of the three major carrier powers (Japan, UK, USA) compared to one another in 1939? Which one of these powers did the most to address their shortcomings in carrier tactics/doctrine/technology over the course if the war?

00:47:02 - HMS Dreadnought and the naval arms race?

00:52:56 - Followup to Admiral Byng Court Martial question in Drydock #189: You outlined the Admiralty's "contributions" to the loss of Majorca and Byng's courts martial, but what do you think of Admiral Lord Anson involvement before, during and after the courts martial?

00:58:30 - US Fast battleship open/closed bridges?

01:01:11 - What would be your pick for the warship equivalent of the Bob Semple tank?

01:04:42 - Would you ever consider pushing the timeline of the channel into the 1960 as a continuation of topics already explored? Such as ending the river warfare series with the swift boats? Or expanding on you damage control videos by talking about some of the major US carrier fires during the Vietnam war?

01:09:00 - Channel Admin / Canada Trip

[darrellsmith]

A sad historical side note- The SS Badger car ferry, operating between Wisconsin and Michigan USA on Lake Michigan, has announced it is planning to upgrade its engines. This will mark the end of the Skinner Unaflow marine steam engine (the same engine that powered the Casablanca-Class escort carriers of WW2) on the Great Lakes. A tip o' the hat to a fine piece of early 20th Century hardware..

[jonrolfson]

Kudos on use of ‘heptenary.’ Though I don’t recall ever actually having had the opportunity to use the septenary variant, I shall, henceforth, choose heptenary. Thanks for the implied permission.

[moose]

Historical note: USS Oregon (SSN-793) was commissioned yesterday. The first USS Oregon in over a hundred years, since your thumbnail(BB-3). Now Kansas has gone the longest without a ship in the navy, since BB-21.

[Zeppflyer]

Hello! I've been meaning to ask about Philo McGiffin. I grew up in his hometown of Washington, PA and helped a friend who refurbished his historical marker in front of the courthouse for his Boy Scout Eagle project. Thank you for addressing his service, but his antics through the entirety of his career *definitely* deserves an episode. He was quite the character.

[Alex-cwrz]

10:53 I would point out to the person who asked this question the Royal Navy were the first to do an angled flight deck, invented by Dennis Cambell, as a conversion on HMS Triumph in 1952. So it would not have been influenced by Midway as Midway was influenced by Royal Navy Carriers.

[cartmann]

39:11 "...although the Skua likes to also cosplay as a fighter. To questionable effect".
The cosplayer in me really chuckled at this one. xD

[Psysouth]

This was great. Please continue the long videos over5 hours. Thank you very much for everything!

[johnlucas]

Hi Drachinifel, regards US Dive Bombers operated by US Navy in 1939, they were using 3 different types across their carriers, the Bi Plane Curtiss SBC ( Last squadron VB 8 & VS 8 USS Hornet in1941) , also mono wings Northrop BT-1 used by VB 5 (USS Yorktown July 1938) and VB 6 ( USS Enterprise Nov 1938 )mono wing Vought SB2U-1 VB 3 (USS Saratoga Dec 1937) and Vought SB2U-2 VB 4 (USS Ranger Dec 1938). All will be replace eventually by Douglas SBD Dauntless. Only the USS Lexington did not have a mono plane Dive Bomber squadron in 1939
Source US Navy and Marine Carriers based Aircraft of WW2 by Bert Kinzey and Rock Roszak and Allied Wings No3 Northrop BT-1 by Phil Listemann

[jag]

@2:14 That's the Coronado bridge in the background, panning to the right 90 degrees off picture one can see NAS North Island and Halsey field, where as many as four Nimitz class etc. carriers can be docked. When I worked there, there were four in port once in a while.

[jeromethiel]

Pretty much all modern US sailors learn about the forestall fire. It is one of the basic lessons of how to do damage control and fire fighting. So many mistakes were made, and a lot were captured on the fight deck cameras.

[ariancontreras]

That’s an Enlightened view of the Bob Semple tank. I approve.

[gibsonfenderbacker]

🤔 Perhaps, (just an idea I had at 4am) to address post 1950 issues that may have relevance or an expert is available ect., you could call the episodes "Outside The Wheelhouse ". I have watched every episode of "Drydock" since YouTube put epi 1 on my recommended watch list. Great content. Thanks so much. Cheers 🍻

[sammybaugues]

As usual great vid, appreciate your hard work Drach

[joshkamp]

The Lord Belly-cloth question brings to mind the greatest line in the history of comedy: "The British empire at present covers a quarter of the globe, while the German empire consists of a small sausage factory in Tanganyika"

[graveyard]

I think better naval equivalent of Bob Semple tank are ACW era Confederate ironclads. It's because this tank was nothing unique. Firstly, even calling it a tank is a misnomer. It was a mobile machine gun pillbox too slow to be called a tankette. A number of similar kitbashes was made by Soviets and Germans for the same purpose. The Soviet ones ended in city combat, the German ones were used against partisans. None of them was very successful but armoring for machine guns was needed and only tractors were available for conversions. It's very similar to Confederate armored ships. Grab existing hull or start from the scratch armoring it with whatever you have at hand.

[tackytrooper]

Here I was just about to go to sleep. Good thing Drac is here to help me drift off!

[ditzydoo]

I quite agree with your assessment of the Bob Semple tank, being compared to the USS Maine. Glaringly when comparing the USS Maine to the USS Olympia.

[keithplymale]

As a follow on to the 12 inch version BB answer. The question also asked about the RN getting 6 ships v. 5. My follow up is would the 12" have built faster enough that 2 would have been available against Bismarck or Sharnhorst? Of course had the RN built the smaller ships there would have most likely been 2 in Force Z which would have meant 3 big ships lost there.

[OrbitalAstronaut]

I appreciate you answering my question about the beiyang fleet. I think the comparison to the 2nd pacific squadron is fair for the battle of the Yalu river.

[frankbarnwell____]

Thanks Drachinifel. 80 years ago the IJN was midway to Midway.
You can relax at a baseball game unless the pitchers stink. Have fun.