Gamecock Fanatics
This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!
Dec. 7
- Thread starter Swayin
- Start date
It's hard for many people today to envision a world where nations sent their young men to kill the young men of other nations simply to allow one nation to enslave another, but that's what WW2 was about.
Most people didn't realize that Dawn's team won gold in Tokyo earlier this year on the 76th anniversary of the dropping of the Hiroshima atom bomb.
Most people didn't realize that Dawn's team won gold in Tokyo earlier this year on the 76th anniversary of the dropping of the Hiroshima atom bomb.
Last edited by a moderator:
This paid a big part in changing naval surface warfare forever. It may have take a decade or so, but the carrier replaced the heavy battleship/cruiser as the king of the seas.
It's interesting that the IJN modified their torpedos for shallow water after learning of that the Royal Navy did to the Bismarck.
In the picture below, you can see some of the wakes from the torpedos as well as an oil spill from a previous hit.
It's interesting that the IJN modified their torpedos for shallow water after learning of that the Royal Navy did to the Bismarck.
In the picture below, you can see some of the wakes from the torpedos as well as an oil spill from a previous hit.
Last edited by a moderator:
In response to the rapidly escalating global conflict situation, the U. S. Navy conducted camouflage paint testing from February through August of 1941 in conjunction with Naval Aviation assets. Light Sea Gray, which was the primarily the overall peacetime color of Navy ships in the 1930s, was found to be too light. A few destroyers and even the carriers Wasp and Ranger were painted overall Black for testing purposes. However, overall Black was found to absorb too much light and create an unwanted silhouette in potential night surface action scenarios.This paid a big part in changing naval surface warfare forever. It may have take a decade or so, but the carrier replaced the heavy battleship/cruiser as the king of the seas.
It's interesting that the IJN modified their torpedos for shallow water after learning of that the Royal Navy did to the Bismarck.
In the picture below, you can see some of the wakes from the torpedos as well as an oil spill from a previous hit.
Both overall Dark Gray and Dark Blue were also tested and Dark Gray was found to be too visible from the air to potential air attackers or search flights. In November of 1941, the Navy settled on overall Dark Blue as the least visible from the air and in potential night surface engagements and issued orders to its ship commanders to have their ships painted in that color ASAP.
The "Fighting Tops", which were the tallest parts of the ships used for optical sighting purposes over the horizon, were kept Light Sea Gray. They were eventually removed on the survivors as part of their modernization to radar, which made the "Fighting Tops" obsolete.
So, although Battleship Row has been portrayed as a uniform Medium or Light Gray for reasons of simplicity in various war movies, the battleships in Pearl Harbor on the morning of the attack actually were in various stages of being painted overall Dark Blue. Tennessee was the most complete in terms of the repaints.
I have always thought this picture was just poorly exposed because of the darker colors on the battleships, but it makes sense once you know what was going on in the Navy in the months leading up to the attack.
Thanks for posting this picture, Jim.
Last edited by a moderator: