The Navy's Super Secret Stash of Keel Blocks and How You Paint Under Them

This episode is a deep dive into all things keel blocks.

To support the battleship's efforts to drydock, go to:

[mikeletteri]

Ryan, I was stationed on the USS Midway CV-41 in the 1980's and, on one occasion we went into drydock to repair a propeller shaft. I examined the propellers closely, since they were removed and on the dock next to the ship and stamped into them was the following: For Use on BB 61 thru 64 & CV 41 thru CV 43. I was wondering if you knew about that and wanted to know if you find it stamped into the USS New Jersey's propellers. Let us know during the drydock period. Thanks for the great videos.

[alanrogers]

I was forty when the dry dock footage of 1990 was filmed. I am now 73. Memories.

[michaelimbesi]

The same size keel blocks are used for pretty much all large classes of ships. Putting wood on top is actually necessary, because it crushes and conforms to the shape of the hull, thus cushioning the ship and distributing the force of the keel block evenly.

[DeviantOllam]

What an absolutely outstanding update. I was one of the many who had the question and never thought to ask it out loud and I love learning about this from you. ☺️👍

[m]

I’m so happy that you guys have clip on microphones now. It makes the video’s quality just that much better.

[wolfpreist]

Texas also had a lot more extensive repairs needed due to mistakes made when she was originally deactivated and set as a museum ship and again in her drydocking i want to say in the 80s. IIRC, all the drydocking since Texas as made a museum, has been to correct mistakes made when she was originally turned into a museum.

[ThrawnFett]

I think this was an extremely important video, even for the people not deliberately asking for it. In my head, I had basically assumed all of the information that you just put out about it. But, watching the video, I realized that I hadn't really based it on anything more than having seen ships in drydock. In my head, of course you just carve toppers from scrap wood, its cheap, easy, and all you need is to make sure its level on the bottom. But people may have never SEEN that before and wonder how wood could hold battleship

[Eledore]

Nice to finally see the ghost of the camera operator for a chance. Always the under appreciated member of the video.

[ytlas]

I only saw one size of keel blocks at LBNSY, and they were used for all classes of ships. The wood forms that set on top of the keel blocks were different sizes and shapes. Keel blocks were stored, usually two high in the storage yard East of building 303. I wouldn't be surprised if all the keel blocks were lowered into the bottom of the dry docks to help fill them in after the shipyard closed.

[WilliamTMusil]

Brings back memories. I spent about a year in that very same dry dock when USS Independence CV-62 went through SLEP there in 85-86? when Philly was still a Navy Base. CV-62 is now razor blades. Glad BB-62 is getting some dry time.

[davemayberry]

LBNSY had 2 sets of IOWA-class blocks, due to differences in Missouri’s & New Jersey’s Hull openings...stenciled in black paint were the location, port-starboard side, and of course, a “62” or “63”.... I remember hearing of a barge taking New Jersey’s blocks to Bremerton, and so I assumed Missouri’s were transported to Pearl. Or quite possibly, I’d assume they had or made their own? That seems expensive for what they were, but the Navy were great about wasting $ on the damndest things....😆😆

[Wafflebanger]

My dad worked as a shipwright at the Philadelphia Navy Yard in 80’s until its close. He worked primarily on the block setups and the transit work to make sure the ship sat properly on the blocks in the dewatering process. It’s such fascinating work, I could listen to him talk about it for hours.

[chrisrasmussen]

30 years ago I was at Little Creek VA for training. We got in a warehouse full of screws in white shrink wrap. They had to be 8 feet tall and who knows how wide. One was stenciled Missouri. Outside were a mountain of blocks with brass handles all the way around. Numbered and covered in rotten tarps.

[Brees]

In Baton Rouge, we have the USS Kidd destroyer. It’s permanently moored along the banks of the Mississippi. During the winter, the Mississippi is at low tide. During this period, you can literally walk underneath the keel. It is pretty cool, but also really unnerving, because you realize that 2000 tones is right above your head…

[richardfuller]

Thank you so very much for answering a question I have pondered for decades.
I love how you are so easy to understand with your presentations. I've learned to have a great appreciation for the hard work it must have been to keep our country free!
And thank you for keeping the history alive for the future generations.

[doubledrats]

When I was an 19 year old Engine room cadet at SUNY Maritime College in NYC a fellow student had worked one summer at Todd Shipyards in Staten Island. The following winter (01 Feb 1980) I visited that shipyard with my friend and another cadet. There was a ship there called the Range Sentinel that had fallen off the keel blocks and crushed the sonar dome. I took a lot of good pictures that day.

[bferguson]

I was with the Saratoga (CV-60) in 1973 when she went into drydock for a long overdue yard period. When I went down to the dry dock floor, I saw pits in the bottom plating you could put your fist into, the anodes having deteriorated so badly.

[jasonsisk]

During WWII, when capital ships like NJ were dry docked in forward areas using floating dry docks, where keel blocks used then too? Did the floating dry docks carry blocks with them to accommodate a variety of ships like destroyers, cruisers, carriers etc?

[ensnipe]

Having work on AFDM7 AND 10 keel blocks were pretty much concrete, then Oak timbers and the a pine cap to allow the wood to crush, also AFDM10 only docked 637 and 688 boats and that was usually 2 or 3 of each class in a row

[dhalz]

Funny watching your camerawoman bounce back and forth in the reflection. She gives a hell of a tour though!!! Very informative vid about the drydocking plans, thanks all!