Recent content by barney

Sorry for being so long in replying as I promised to do when I had Max Hastings' book, “Retribution” before me. I wish I could put the blame on some family or business matter but it is only due to inertia on my part. The Japanese government had been appealing to the Russians to negotiate a...

I'll make an effort to reacquire Max's book before writing more but do recall that that was at least his supposition.

I don't have Max Hastings' book "Retribution" before me (it was a library book) but Max makes the claim that President Truman never made the decision to drop the bomb on Japan. He wrote, as I remember, that Truman was informed of its existence but only in Truman's autobiography does the...

I remember reading that for the Japanese the drop tank was not an expendable item. If you left with one you were expected to bring it back.

It is my understanding that for long range missions and before escorting Mustangs, Spitfires would take the bombers across the channel, to be relieved by P-47's that were then relieved by P-38's. A second group of P-38's would be waiting for the bombers to come off target and into P-38 range to...

Part of this may be explained by the very high skill level possessed by Japanese pilots during this early period of the war.

Hello cherry blossom I have some numbers for the Massachusetts which are in close agreement with your calculations. Draft of 34.625 feet at 43884 tons Draft of 36.083 feet at 46041 tons or 1479 tons per foot of freeboard At the max loaded condition of 47000 tons the vessel would have...

Going into more detail on the subject of battleship vulnerability I'll continue to use the South Dakota as an example. Using caisson tests after the South Dakota was built, it was discovered that her torpedo protection was flawed. This is attributed to the side armor that extended all the...

How do you do barney! Thanks for your precious experience with your mother too. That sounds very impressive. I've enjoyed your posts for some years now so I find it a privilege to write you a few words. Here is what I think is an amusing story concerning the trunk of WWII memorabilia. My...

On top of the other comments, Shinpachi, you are a great photographer. I'm named for an uncle who died at Buna but the time for hate is long past. My mother has a steamer trunk filled with WWII memorabilia. A few years ago she and I spent an evening going through it. There's even a...

How Fletcher came into command of the CV's, I suggest, amounted to no more than which commander was available to make a rush supply and reinforcement trip to Wake. That trip was a bust but it wasn't Fletcher's fault, the enemy struck and Fletcher was recalled. Once in the command slot he...

Reserve bouyancy is the difference between the volume of a hull below the designed waterline and the volume of the hull below the lowest opening incapable of being made watertight. Battleships had a lot of submerged hull because they were heavy. They had to have a wide beam in order to not sit...

You can list the fine steel, the thickness of the belt, the plating on the decks, how well the magazines or the barbettes were protected but what I reiterate is that as you add this protection you are removing reserve buoyancy. There is no way around it, it is the other side of the coin. So...

Okay, thanks.

Sinking a battleship can't be difficult. Last winter my wife was sick. First, she couldn't walk, then she had trouble using her arms too. Scary stuff, the local neurologist hadn't a clue. Finally, the lab came back with a result – Lyme Disease. Thirty days of pill taking and she was...