Ships are often measured by how much water they displace. It's funny how when it comes to launches, people sometimes forget about that word "displace." 😁
That's what I was thinking... The 44,000 tons is the water it will displace and they were surprised by the water going over the bank from the Queen Mary?
Since the mini tidal waves got brought up, fun fact: The Japanese battleship Musashi, Yamato's sister ship, actually caused a mini tsunami during her launch which flooded the streets of Nagasaki
Edmund Fitzgerald had itself an... eventful launch too, involving a delayed launch for stubborn keel blocks, soaking spectators with a wave, and hitting the opposing pier
So enjoy your polished and dignified (without being stuffy) delivery! I also like how you manage to end almost every video on an upbeat note! Also like how your background accentuates the quiet dignity of your presentations!
My dad was in the Navy....Thank you for your service, and I admit, the Navy is my fave, with the SeaBees at the top (Dad was a SeaBee). Bless you & best to you! ❤
This channel , along with Part-Time Explorer , are two of the nicest history channels on YT . The quality of presentation puts many television documentaries to shame . Thanks for your hard work , Mike .
@@beneddiected Oh my gosh, thank you for telling me. There are such good people in this world who will leave no stone unturned to learn what happened to these poor souls and to search out where their final resting places are. That was very emotional to watch. The lone daisy growing beside the mother & daughter's gravesite was so touching & beautiful. 🌹🌼🌹
Yeah, her keel is still buried in a beach somewhere. Gotta say... I'm impressed that the ship not only survived a boiler explosion, but... just... kept going without it. Enh, I guess when you have several boiler you might not need all of them?
Technically the Vasa sunk on her maiden voyage, not at launch. She at least made it past the fitting out stage even if she didn’t quite make it out of the harbor.
"More guns!" insists the boss. Naval engineers: "But the physics says that'll make it top-heavy and prone to turn over!" Between the bosses and the engineers, guess who got their way. #DunningKrugerEffect
@@MinnesotaGuy822 Vasa got heavy and it's lowest gun ports become submerged and allowed water to get in and flood the ship. And thus the ship sunk to the bottom of the bay.
I've just spent the last several days binge watching all of your videos. Until last year, this is probably something I never would have thought to do as I'm afraid of the ocean as well as boats. But last year I experienced my first cruise ship (11 day cruise up the east coast from Baltimore to Quebec City), and now, for some reason, I'm obsessed with ships. I've enjoyed every one of your videos and am looking forward to more. Since last year, I've visited several ships in San Diego, Long Beach, Baltimore, Boston, and I even had the wonderful opportunity to visit the Amerigo Vespucci when she was in town. Amazing ship. I just wanted to tell you how interesting and informative your videos are (as you already know) and I'm learning so much. Thank you.
My launch story doesn't have anything going wrong but it may still be of note. My Scottish grandfather (he was, of course, an engineer) worked at the Williamstown Naval Dockyard during World War 2. He took my mother to a launching of one of the corvettes built there in 1944. I worked as a technical writer at Williamstown Naval Dockyards in the 1990s, although the dockyards were then AMECON. In February 1992 HMAS Melbourne (FFG05) was commissioned at Port Melbourne, while Nuship Newcastle (she wasn't yet a naval ship, later FFG06) was launched at Williamstown. I put together the Order of Service for the launch and took all of my family along, which meant that 4 generations of my family attended launches there.
I agree! I loved the Sunday buffet(pre covid-19) and wondering around the ship after the tour. The feel of the paneling on the walls of the “hotel” staterooms is amazing. I also love the tributes to Sir. Winston S. Churchill and his bar. Yes, everyone should visit. I ALSO HAVE TO THANK THE QUEEN MARY for bringing my Dad home from Europe at the end of WWII.
Recently, the good folks over at the Battleship New Jersey channel did a drydock set of videos, one of which was from the remains of the actual slipway NJ was launched from in Philadelphia Pennsylvania. According to them, NJ was launched and went clear across the Delaware river (Crossing the state border) to touch the other bank, and the State of New Jersey, before being brought back under control. She just wanted to touch home.
A fun note is that the navy thought she was so heavy, she may not slide on the slipway at all. As such, 100,000 lbs of lard were slathered on the slipway to help it slide...far too well, as it flew clean past the tugs on standby to catch her to eventually slam into the opposite bank. To be fair, that is one way to bring a ship to a stop.
My father worked at Electric Boat in Groton Ct for years. He took me to see the USS Columbia launch. According to him , it was the last one that was going to slide down into the water. It’s motto was “Last to Slide First in Pride.” It’s amazing to be near something like that as it moves by you into the water.
At 3:58 you have a black and white "photograph" depicting the Thames in 1898 which includes The London Eye which opened in 1999! You didn't think you could slip that past us did you? Come on man - there must be hundreds of real photos of the Thames from that period! PS I enjoyed the video - very interesting!
I think he uses modern photographs because he's diligent about licensing. Old photographs should be public use just like old movies and news reels...but you never know.
The stress of the Great Eastern probably contributed to Brunel's death, although he saw the ship in the water, he didn't live long enough to see it sail. As many probably know, only one piece of the Great Eastern survives, the Top Mast, which to this day is outside Anfield, the home ground of Liverpool Football Club
At Burrell's Wharf on Westferry Road, Isle of Dogs, the building site of GE can be seen, what's left of it. The nearby housing complex covers Scott-Russel's yard (a plaque can be seen).
Mike, thank you (and I mean this genuinely) for making your thumbnails representative of the actual content and not adding bright, ugly looking text all over the screen. I understand the appeal of doing such a thing, so, I commend you. That is what I appreciate most about content creators, when they are genuine and engaging. Needless to say, do keep it up! Thank you, our friend Mike Brady, from Oceanliner Designs. (Edit: it’s really cool that you make videos about obscure things you would never find in documentaries, i.e. “Why did Titanic have 2 bells”, and so on. I think that’s epic.) ❤ from Ohio!
Mr Brady's channel has such high class from how well he does what he does and also from how he does not do all the gaudy and annoying things so many other channels are doing. Mr Brady knows what he's doing.
Visited the Queen Mary at Long Beach. Couldn't stay on her as she was fully booked. But I did have dinner at their first class restaurant. Quite a pleasure.
I am suprised HMS Formidable wasnt listed since she was known as "The Ship that Launched Herself" as her support cradle collapsed and she rush down the slipway. And yes, there was a fatality and 20 injured.
I went to a haunted ship night on the Queen Mary in the late 90's in soCal. I was too young to truly appreciate the history but what an impressive vessel!
Awesome video man! Two that I can think that went wrong were the Titanic’s launch, which resulted in one fatality, and the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, which again, created a massive wave, resulting in a man having a heart attack and died. 17 years later she would plummet to the bottom of Lake Superior, taking 29 men with her.
I got to attend the launching of a tugboat back when I was in high school lol. My father was attorney for a company that owned half of the tugs in the Port of Houston and he told me about all the pretty girls in sundresses who would be there so that’s why I went, a couple years later I spent a summer working on that tug.
@@RandomStuffUploaded245 sending positive energy and much strength your way! Hope things resolve well for you. I don’t normally recommend one channel on another, but having been in your situation, I’ll break that rule here - with appropriate apologies to our friend! If you enjoy learning about submarines as well there is a channel called Sub Brief that goes into great detail about the different classes of Soviet submarines in the past. Aaron has a great deal of personal knowledge having served as a sonar man in the US Navy himself, as well as many sources in the community who provide him with info on the Soviet era subs. The content can be gripping (these subs were not well built and I really honor the men who were brave enough to serve on them), and I managed to get lost for hours at a time in his streams. I suggest giving it a shot if you’ve ever been even vaguely interested in how submarines work and life aboard them. You have to go into his past streams, many way back to find them - Victor class, Echo class, Kilo, any like that. He’s covered them all long ago so you don’t have to wait for new videos, can watch them any time you like!!!!
Queen Mary actually ran aground on a bend in the Clyde on her journey down after completion, on a falling tide. Only the Captain's fast actions with tugs prevented the disaster of a broken back.
The sound design choice of sticks rattling together right after you say “and a man was killed by falling timbers” during the SS great eastern segment fuckin sent me bro, lmfao
I was at work when this video popped up in my notifications. I giddily exclaimed "oh, a new Oceanliner Designs video! But I'll have to watch it later 😞" in front of my client.
I was at the launch of the Qe2 at Clydebank in Sept. 1967. My father worked on the ships construction as a joiner and some of my pipework was installed in her from J&T Laurie pipe fabrication shop next to John Brown shipyard. I also went round her before her trials in 1968. Gavin Coyle
Gavin, that must have been good! My Dad used to take us down to Inchinnan to see progress on the build of the "Q4" from across the river. He himself had done the same as a kid, to watch the building of the "534". I remember in Primary school, the launch was played live on the radio over the school's tannoy system, so that we could all hear it and learn what its name would be! I can't see kids nowadays being excited about a ship launch on the radio!
I visited the Queen Mary at her position in Long Beach California. It was a fun tour, and I could imagine sailing across the Atlantic on the great ship.
Sometimes a ship is stubborn about taking to sea to the first time, but some are eager about it. This passage from Ian W. Toll's book "Six Frigates" details the launching of the original frigate USS United States in Philadelphia: "A few minutes after one o'clock, at the very height of the tide, Humphreys [the shipbuilder] ordered the restraining blocks removed from under the keel. Almost at once, prematurely, the 1,500 ton mas of oak, iron and copper shifted and began to move towards the river. Spectators let out a cheer and the militia fired an abortive salute. At that instant Humphreys grasped that there was nothing he or any mortal being could do to arrest the launch - the frigate wanted to go, and she WAS in fact going... The men on deck, understanding that the launch was underway, sprinted with their axes to cut away the lashings. About thirty workmen were stationed under the keel blocks- they lay down and hugged the ground as the great shape of the hull rumbled over them. None were injured. The frigate plunged into the river, pushing a wave of water out into the stream, and the spectator boats must have heaved and strained at their moorings. Humphreys announced that he was delighted with the launch. After going aboard and taking measurements, he found, to his "unspeakable satisfaction", no more than 1 1/4 inch hogging- far less than the two feet common for ships of that size. His report did not mention - and indeed, the spectators apparently did not notice - that the frigate had indeed struck the riverbed on launching, severely damaging her keel and rudder braces."
As a 16 year old I remember the launch, and the wave created, of Queen Elizabeth 2 in 1968 from John Brown’s in Clydebank. The ship dwarfed everything, the river Clyde itself too narrow without using the river Cart estuary diagonally opposite, just as the Queen Mary did 34 years before. Sadly only the Titan crane remains to mark the site of the famous shipyard.
Of course I enjoyed this episode along with all your other presentations. You speak eloquently. The graphics and videos are perfect. Your efforts here are commendable. Looking forward to your next one. 👍
Good vid, thank you. Another fascinating launch that went wrong was HMS Ramilies at Beardmores yard on the Clyde. Too heavy she grounded in the mud & damaged her rudder & skeg. Was towed to Liverpool & dry docked to get sorted, after fitting out. The tugs had a right ol game getting her there. Formidable was a rough one, folk were killed & injured & trapped under timber baulks when she went off on her own accord. Vid on YT of that one.
Hello! You forgot to mention that R.M.S. Queen Mary hit the opposite bank of the Clyde and stuck. There was a real risk of her back breaking, as the tide was falling. Fortunately she was straightened out in time and all was well. Peter of Portree.
Concerning the last ship, I'm sure I read somewhere that a Journalist that was supposed to report the launch, decided to miss it and sent in the report saying how well it went, not realising what actually happened.
Thirty years of my life were spent in the Los Angeles, USA area, most of it in Long Beach, a neighboring city. The Queen Mary is there and it made me feel so good to hear about and see her.
I often wonder if Isambard Brunel ever thought to himself, I might only ever have one photograph taken of me in my entire life, but when I do, I'm going to be standing in front of these massive chains like an absolute boss.
Just ran across this channel....fascinating! I'm a marine biologist who spent some time (not nearly enough!) at sea, & ships fascinate me. I even love watching those short vids that show the big ships sliding sideways off the slip for launch, & they're just a teeny bit of this! Subbed --I'll be back! Addition: I would reeeeally love to know how in the world they forgot to add the ballast on the Principessa, or if there's a hydro-physical (to coin a term) reason for them launching it in a way that sorta guaranteed it'd turn over. Wonder if they picked some random, powerless scapegoat to blame...that'd be the modern way.
Mike Brady, after watching a few of your videos I subscribed to your channel and continue to enjoy your productions . . Very well prepared and your presentation is excellent! It was from your videos that I learned why the famous tug of the Titanic had its named scratched out in the film footage! Thanks for answering a question I wondered about for a long time.. Well done mate!
I was sure HMS Formidable - the ship who launched herself, would be on this vid. mildly surprised it isn't but the other 5 stories are interesting as well.
Another winner Mike. There is a urban legend of a ship the Japanese ordered from a British shipyard just before WWII. The Japanese cancelled the order once they had the plans. Attempted to build the ship themselves. But the Brits tweaked the plans just enough so the ship capsized at launch. Any truth to this?🤔
If you look closely you can just make out a time traveling Archimedes running away from the Queen Mary launch. He's waving a gold crown in his hand and screaming "Eureka!" before disappearing suddenly.
I first heard about the Principessa Iolande in a bar in New York. There were photos of the launch and other old news items printed in the wallpaper so I looked up her story.
Isambard Brunel has got to be the embodiment of "I'm right, and you're poor, so your feedback is worth nothing to me." Isambard was good at inventing, but he was considered as very standoffish, stubborn, and sometimes reckless person, which I'm sure wasn't great qualities in an employer before any significant labour laws had passed. One of his biggest flops, largely due to him not wanting to listen to reason and critical feedback (because NO-ONE criticized the Great Isambard Kingdom Brunel, in his mind), was the so-called "atmospheric railway" which would work on vacuum (the idea is generally considered something of a precursor to maglev trains). The trains would run smoothly in the first period of time, but because of the time, the vacuum was kept in tubes between the rails, covered by leather flap. Leather is, unfortunately, susceptible to the weather; too humid and it would rot (and when is England NOT humid?), too cold and the leather would break like glass or ice. To keep the leather subtle, tallow was used. This, however, was not great, as rats found tallow to be a lovely snack. All of the above-mentioned reasons mean that the vacuum trains couldn't run very often, as the tubes constantly required maintenance, which, alongside less ticket revenue, meant that it was a financial disaster. Eventually Isambard decided to see for himself, having largely ignored the reports, or written them off as "incompetence". Upon inspecting the leather flaps, Isambard is said to have reached out to touch the leather for himself, despite the foreman and the maintenance crew warning him not to. Because the vacuum, though ineffective at moving trains, would still be powerful enough to rip fingers off of a hand, but Isambard didn't pay attention to their warnings, obviously, cause they were just "workers and foremen", what could they possibly know? A young worker had to tear Isambard away from the leather, mind you, as a lower class person in Victorian England, you COULD be thrown in jail for touching an upper class citizen. The workers then showed an enraged Isambard, with a rolled up newspaper, how powerful the vacuum actually was, which finally seemed to have given him a slice of the olde humble pie.
There is HMS Formidable, the aircraft carrier who launched herself. 1 fatality and 20 injuries when the scaffolding broke apart. She slid into the waterway, sustaining no damage.
I thought you might talk about the warship Vasa that was apparently too wide and did not have enough ballast. My understanding is that on launch, the cannon ports were all open for the launch and when it hit the water, the wind caused it to tip far enough for water to roll into the gun ports causing it to sink pretty quickly.
for some reason i seemed to think the german battleship Gneisenau had a disastrous launch too. brunnel's launch was go into in more detail by sir tony robinson on time team.
The Vasa a Swedish warship was launched in1628. The ship sank after sailing roughly 1,300. She was raised in 1961 in incredible condition, and is now in a museum.
That was her maiden voyage, not the launching from drydock. :) I'm hoping for a dedicated Vasa video too, so many incredible stories about it. The inquiry, the tragic deaths from the women and children in the boat that shouldn't even have been there and we're supposed to disembark after a brief visit
The end clip is an LCS Class for the US Navy in Marinette Wisconsin. I live across the river in Menominee Michigan. I have seen many launches at the shipyard, it is very cool.
Love the ending clip of LCS 15 launch. I worked at Marinette Marine on the LCS program for a short period as a piping system design engineer. Never attended a launch however as I was a contractor and we were not invited lol Fun fact, the last of the LCS class was launched last year, LCS 31 I believe, and it had a little run in with a tug boat as it slide into the water.
Fun and fascinating video Mike, good job. I love these mini-documentaries, focusing on a very specific element of nautical history. No one does them better than @OceanlineDesigns. 👏👏👏👏👏
Not sure if you take requests, but I've been doing some geneology research and just found out that my Grandmother came over from England to the US on the Edmund B. Alexander. There was a small snippet in the family book about the life of the ship, but Iam hoping you could cover it! I was never aware of it's existence, but seems like it has quite the interesting story. I also found out that my Great-Grandmother came over on the Mauretania and my Great Grandfather came over on the Britannic. I was really excited to find that out. :) Cheers! Love your channel!
