It's time once again for our regular Open Thread. Talk about whatever you want, so long as it isn't Culture War.
A reminder that signups are open for the Naval Gazing meetup at Iowa in May. It's going to be a great time, and you should come.
Overhauls are Carrier Doom Part 3, the King George V Class, German Guided Bombs Part 1, Hornet Part 3 and for 2024, Fuzes parts three and four.
I recently read Gary Sheffield's book Forgotten Victory about WWI, and on the whole, very much liked it. It's not really intended as a complete overview of the war so much as a corrective to false narratives (mostly "lions led by donkeys") that have grown up around it, so it's mostly about the BEF on the Western Front, but it also covers the start and end of the war and some other topics (including a brief section on the role of sea power that I completely endorse). I didn't learn a ton, having absorbed most of the thesis by osmosis over the years, but if you're interested in WWI, it's a good corrective to broader works like Keegan or A World Undone, both of which lean into "lions led by donkeys" quite a bit.
Comments
Thank you for the recommendation regarding Sheffield's work. Ordering it now. 5805
The Truman collided with a merchant ship near Port Said, Egypt.
https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2025/02/13/uss-harry-s-truman-collides-with-merchant-vessel-in-mediterranean/
One assumes this was exacerbated by its proximity to the Suez Canal, though it doesn’t appear to have been in the canal itself.
Nonetheless, it seems concerning.
It is concerning, although we have pictures now, and it doesn't look too bad by the standards of "ships running into each other". Also far enough back on the Truman that it probably wasn't too much of their fault.
Anyone have recommendations, and/or near London and want to come with me: Chatham or HMS Belfast(*)?
The obvious difference is that Chatham has 3 ships (providing more variety of both role and time period) and some original shore facilities, while HMS Belfast is bigger than all 3 together and more conveniently located.
Either might be followed by the Imperial War Museum (which has possibly the only surviving-above-water British battleship guns(*), and is free).
I'm thinking a Saturday, and probably soon (maybe as soon as this week), but I could do a weekday if they're a better experience when less crowded.
() In London, not to be confused with HMS Caroline in Belfast. () HMS Warrior no longer has any real guns.
If you do Chatham, would you be interested in writing a review?
I'm pretty sure this isn't true, at least of we're willing to go back to the ironclad era. Warrior may not have real guns, but the ones she has are modeled on real guns that exist. But it might be right re dreadnought guns.
Looks like this comes down to several definitional questions: not just whether the ~8" guns of early ironclads are big enough to count, but whether "British" means manufacture, service, or current location, and whether guns of the same type that were never mounted on a ship count.
You seem to be right that HMS Warrior's replicas are copied from real guns (not original plans). A nearby fort has both types on display (and also a Turkish 25" of a non-ship type, though as this fired stone balls the shot weight was less exceptional).
Larger surviving British coastal artillery includes ~18"s in Gibraltar and Malta, and 16"s in England but not publicly accessible.
The Spanish dreadnoughts had British-made guns, and some of those guns survive.
Probably, but that's not a promise.
Hmm. Good point. I'm going to decide not to think about this question further...
Wait, Mikasa, if we think British-built counts.
That's fine. It's just somewhere I don't have a review of, and I always like to have more of those.
That's fine: me asking a question is not a demand that you (or anyone) answer it.
If you believe Wiki, Mikasa doesn't have real main guns either.
Unrelated oddity: Britain has preserved capital ships from both before and arguably(*) after HMS Belfast, but they're all smaller than her.
(*) After Britain gave up full-size carriers, officially the light carriers were the flagships, but the actual enemy seemed more scared of the SSNs.
Obviously not. I was joking about the giant pit of complexity this was turning into.
Foiled again.
And interesting on capital ships.
I went to Chatham, and now may not be a good time for that because some of it is closed for maintenance, though enough was open to occupy me for a full day.
(Posted to not further waste the time of anyone reading this thread; a longer review may follow.)