The Drydock - Episode 245 (Part 2)

00:00:00 - Intro

00:00:26 - How much would a modern gyro stabilizer affect gunnery in each era of warship (age of sail-ww2)?

00:05:23 - Could La Argentina have been brought back for the Falklands?

00:10:09 - How effective were the secondary batteries on ships that weren't dual purpose?

00:14:46 - A naval history case of `its a horrendous idea at best, but its fun, and eventually, somehow not as bad`?

00:16:57 - Replacing Beatty in March 1916?

00:20:57 - Overpowered ships, engine-wise?

00:22:27 - Have there been any occurrences where battleships employed their main battery to engage multiple enemy vessels simultaneously?

00:23:59 - Full Admiral classes effect on modernisation of other ships?

00:28:41 - Effect of more Deutschlands?

00:32:20 - The Japanese Navy wasn’t shy about substituting wood for steel in warship fixtures and fittings to conserve imported iron ore for more vital purposes. Why did they choose to use linoleum as apposed to wood for decking?

00:33:50 - Japanese carrier doctrine at Midway?

00:39:09 - Video game mechanics for naval warfare?

00:42:33 - How much do we know about the Yamato's these days?

00:45:15 - Extra attachments to binoculars?

00:47:22 - On coal fueled warships, how dangerous was it to be a stoker, and which dangers did they face?

00:49:43 - What is a 'goofing' platform?

00:51:46 - Victory vs Ocean class

00:54:14 - How do you control the depth at which a depth charge detonates in WW2?

00:56:39 - Rocketing turrets?

01:00:40 - How did ship types get their names (i.e. Corvettes, Frigates, Battleships, destroyers, schooners, brigs, etc etc) and what were the first and last ships to really be classified as such?

01:06:49 - In the age of sail how were iron cannons kept from rusting while at
sea?

01:09:08 - What did the typical sailors meal looked like in the british, us, german, italian, japanese and soviet navy during WW2? (uboat and surface combat vessels)

01:15:37 - Torpedo damage to Shimakaze?

01:19:27 - Did the Dutch ships that survived the end of ABDA have any meaningful involvement in the remainder of the war?

01:21:14 - During WW2, how much use was the UK able to make of the English Channel for civilian traffic?

01:22:54 - How did clothing work on RN Age of Sail Ships? Did the average sailor have any real change of clothes?

01:25:47 - In your opinion do you think the post-war modernization of HMS Victorious was worth the immense cost and time?

01:28:50 - How tolerated was the use of opium by Royal Navy sailors before during and after the opium wars?

01:32:36 - How could a KGV transit the Suez Canal?

01:35:40 - How would you make a escort battleship?

01:37:57 - How much does speed matter on a strategic level?

01:46:15 - How naval does a ship have to be to get a Five Minute Guide?

01:49:05 - How important was the Naval Defense Act of 1889 and was it successful in what the British wanted to accomplish?

01:55:49 - In an alternate scenario where the British end up being the ones who mainly fight the Japanese how do you think their naval tactics and ships would hold up?

02:03:11 - If their had been a major fleet battle between 2 navies primarily equipped with Steam Ships of the Line, say Britain or France, how would such a battle likely play out?

02:09:07 - Power density of 2cycle vs 4cycle diesel engines in subs?

02:12:33 - How high up the Royal Marine rank structure could/can a Royal Marine be promoted while serving on a Royal Navy vessel while retaining command commensurate with his rank? Taking this to its logical end, hypothetically can a Royal Marine Officer command a Royal Navy capital ship? Has this ever occurred?

02:16:02 - HMAS Vampire going to action stations?

[joshuahawkins]

I suffer from panic attacks. Was recently diagnosed with autism. Your videos. Are so relaxing. It’s a perfect end of night relaxation to learn whil I get ready to rest

[davidbryden]

I think that a "Dining with Drach" series would be deliciously delightful!😊

[Tiberos]

The handles of people whose questions are answered trend towards endlessly entertaining. That has become one of my favorite features of your Drydock episodes, frankly.

[seanmalloy]

The availability of rice on Japanese warships was both a perk and a threat. White rice stored better, and polished white rice was regarded as a status symbol, and being able to eat all the white rice you wanted was a serious draw for enlistment in the Japanese Navy, with many sailors eating little else (white rice was free; the messes had to buy other foods from the galleys). However, this resulted in _kakke_, known to the West as beriberi, being endemic in the fleet. The first solution was adding barley to the rice; this encountered resistance from the sailors who didn't want to return to a 'peasant' diet. Meat was added to the diet based on the observation that sailors with a protein-to-carb ratio of 1:15 suffered little from _kakke_, while the common Japanese sailor's diet was often as low as 1:28. With observation of other navies' provisions, a variation of the British navy curry was adopted; it could be prepared in bulk and served over rice to feed an entire mess hall. With 'Kagun kare' having become a staple of Japanese Navy cuisine, the dish spread back through the nation with sailors returning to civilian life.

[sewing]

Re: Marine Officer commanding a ship.

In the US Navy the officer "designators" are divided into "Line", "Staff", Limited duty, and Warrant. Those are further divided into subgroups (example: Staff is sub divided into Medical & JAG, Supply Corps, Chaplain Corps, and Civil Engineer Corps). The way it used to be (and probably still is) in relation to the command of US Navy vessels is the most senior Unrestricted Line officer, of any rank, is expected to be in command regardless of the fact there may be senior officers from the other designators onboard at the same time.

An example (probably a little on the extreme in the difference between the ranks) would be a Unrestricted Line Officer Lieutenant and a Staff Officer Captain (for this example: from the Supply Corps) on board a ship that for whatever reason is missing the other senior Line Officers that would normally be present. The Line Officer Lieutenant would be in command of that vessel, not the Staff Officer Captain. The same would be true if the senior officer onboard was from another service, such as the US Marine Corps.

[dand]

Drachinifel
I have been watching your channel for years now and want to say thank you. You are a library of knowledge on naval history. Also your voice is so calming I fall asleep to episodes of drydock. The only other person with a voice I can fall asleep to is forgotten weapons, Ian and the Q&A vids. Straight.

[theicmn]

If you watch the documentary Battleship, you would see that a museum ship can be put in service in just a few minutes and with minimal crew.

[rupertboleyn]

WRT to strategic speed, Norman Friedman notes that one seldom mentioned advantage the RN had in the early years of the 20th century with their adoption of turbines was that their fleet could move anywhere in the world (because of their extensive network of coaling stations) at about 20 knots, whereas everyone else would be lucky to manage 10 knots because reciprocating engines just couldn't manage high speeds for days on end.

[ROBERTNABORNEY-fk]

Ref Meals - My dad served on the USS San Jacinto (CVL30) and he could remember going to the galley late at night (really very early morning) after working hours to fix a misbehaving piece of electronic gear and begging. Mid rats were not yet a US Navy custom, but he often got what was considered good eating in the Western Pacific circa 1944/45. - a sandwich made from sliced canned SPAM and sliced canned cheese (sometimes in rather strange flavors....Pimento, anyone?) on freshly baked (from flour, yeast and powdered milk) bread sometimes still warm from the ovens. Washed down by strong US Navy coffee (My dad said that if Brazil hadn't been an ally of the US, the war would have lasted years longer). He was grateful, he might have been a soldier or marine and eating C or K rations - if they made it to the front.

[richardanderson]

OK guys, it is time to chip in for the trip down under. If need be, forgo your beverage of choice for a week and send the savings along to Drach and company. Anyone willing to go to the ends of the earth (and having flown there, that is pretty much what Australia is) to bring us this quality content deserves support from all of us.

[vikkimcdonough]

Interestingly, the Americans never could completely decide whether to go with four-stroke or two-stroke diesels for their subs; right up to the end of the war, the American submarine fleet had a mixture of four-strokes and opposed-piston two-strokes.

[williamharvey]

I love Floppy the dog. You need a doggo cam in a small window when you do your livestream.

[GrahamWKidd]

The more of Floppy's contributions we hear, the better!

[kemarisite]

On the opium question, this puts me in mind of something Jerry Pournelle wrote in his Codominium series:

"There is no regulation against drinking or being drunk on duty. There are very firm regulations against rendering yourself unfit for duty."

[johnlucas]

Drachinifel
I when to a food at sea exhibition and one of the talks was from a cook on a submarine from 80's. He explained that he needed to plan his menu for the full 60 days so that the item needed for the 60th day menu was stored first, 59th day second etc.

[paulkazjack]

I suffer from schizophrenia and your videos help me to relax and focus. My condition mainly comes during the night when most acts takes place. It's then I watch your content which does help to calm me down and stop.

[caminojohn]

Regarding linoleum on Japanese ships. Watching a different YouTube channel dealing with a French Château restoration. One of the rooms was originally covered by a linoleum product that was hand painted for a wall covering. But the manufacturer was a British company who also made the flooring for the Titanic to look like stone. So there is actually a history using linoleum in deck applications.

[notshapedforsportivetricks]

An escort battleship is a pretty silly concept when you think about it. A battleship is an offensive weapon almost by definition; but I suppose that if you wanted something cheap & nasty to scare off surface raiders, you might get something like a pre-dreadnought. Obviously you can't use a commercial hull, but you could cut costs in various ways. I would imagine:
* around 8, 000 tons
* maybe 450' in length and 75' beam
* 4 x 12" in two turrets forward
* 8 x 4.5" DP in four turrets
* the usual AA outfit
* minimal belt & turret armour (8" proof only)
* 20 knots max (maybe even using triple expansion).
As I said, a bit of a silly idea, really.

[BigPapaKaiser]

"Babe, it's 4 p.m., it's time for your goof platforming!"

"...Yes Admiral Cunningham..."

[mpersad]

Your walk through of HMAS Vampire with your comments regarding the film would be very welcome!