In this episode, we're crawling down another trunk to take a look at the battleship's anchor chains. Please consider supporting the channel and the museum with a donation by going to: www.battleshipnewjersey.org/v...
The hoses are also for air circulation. The chain locker is one of the most dangerous parts of any ship but they are especially deadly on steel/iron ships. They are tight enclosed spaces without much air transfer, and as the chain rusts it can literally strip all of the oxygen out of the air to the point that there isn't enough oxygen to survive. Sailors can and have suffocated going into unventilated chain lockers where this has happened. Stay safe!
True! Seeing Ryan descend that ladder without using a sniffer first gave me high anxiety (despite realizing that he had posted the video and must be ok). I love these videos, but this one set a poor example. As the ship ages some of these confined spaces are going to pose a serious risk and that needs to be recognized before a tragedy occurs.
Our camera person! And editor! And producer! And Ryan wrangler! The best person ever! And the person who answers these comments...ok I'm a little biased on this one.
Got another story about the big 'J'. During the '68 Nam refit, we took her on river run for systems check-out. Now, all the yard birds stored their tool boxes oh the main deck. The main guns were being tested for operational reasons. When she fired salvo #1, the racks filled with tools boxes jumped into the air and most went overboard. Everyday when I pass her, I think of my lost brand new 18" and 24" pipe wrenches.
I'm a former yardbird at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. You may enjoy this story about post-overhaul seatrials on an FF or other small ship (can't quite remember the detail of which ship). The final test remaining in the seatrial was the windlass test, after about a week underway. Everyone was tried and ready to go home by that point. The shipyard test director, mechanics and ships force gathered around the windlass to discuss the procedure prior to the test. The test plan said the chain was between 100 fathoms and 120 fathoms (exact numbers are forgotten). The test director proposed dropping the anchor rapidly to 110 fathoms, splitting the difference, and everyone involved agreed that was a good plan. As the chain thundered over the side, apparently nobody was paying attention to the colored links, and the red link was much closer to 100 fathoms than 120 fathoms. They stared in disbelief as the bitter end went over the side! I understand that's not the only anchor and chain off Port Angeles.
OOPS! Amazing they didn't retrieve it. Those are big bucks and retrieval is common practice. The windlass brake can burn up, too, with the same result.
@@KutWrite Amazing nobody was killed, if the chain comes out altogether, it could whip across the deck and that is not the time for anyone to be in the way. I'm sure iron eating bacteria appreciate the tasty anchor chain feast sent their way.
I was on CV67 the JFK. Our coop was the furthest forward and lowest. The next compartment forward was the chain locker. It was the shape of a silo. Links were over 500 lbs and anchor was around 60 tons. When they dropped or raised the hook in our compartment you couldn't hear yourself think. Was the loudest noise I think I was ever subjected too.
Pretty much everywhere has electricity still. Not everywhere has working light bulbs but mostly thats void spaces and places we rarely go. You'll see those on our channel a lot. Generally, about a third of the ship has been completely restored and is visitable. Most of the rest is in good shape but lacks the furnishings or just needs paint. Weve only fully restored one engine room and one turret but the others are in manageable condition. Most electrical and plumbing works, hydraulics do not work, small guns are mostly functional, main battery isn't, steam systems are not functional.
Of course it would not matter because if you were in there with the chain going out you'd be dead fairly quickly unless there was a spot, maybe on a ladder where the chain did not whip around and hit you. I think your body would wind up painting the walls. I would guess it depends how fast they let the chain out.
I don’t have to imagine it. I was on numerous aircraft carriers and we could hear the anchor chains all the way to the fan tail... it is loud as all hell.
Ditto in the RCN. You have to vent it first. And if buddy is unconscious at the bottom - put on breathing equipment BEFOR attempting to assist! Rust removes O2 from an unvented space surprisingly quickly!
The ladder cut-outs in the locker are exactly the same style as the ones on the outside of US WW2 subs to get on deck from a small boat or out of the water, very interesting detail!
Thanks for the insight of how and where an anchor is stored, This is something I have often wondered about. Hats of to all the volunteers who take up there time to show us these films, Great viewing.
Thanks for this video. I am building a 1/72 CV6 Enterprise (1943) and had no idea about how the anchor handling was done. The plans I have only show a plan view of the anchor chain layout and 2 wildcats that I did not know much about. Now I fully understand how this all works and I can replicate the operation, including building a chain locker.
Nice locker! The chain lockers on Battleship Texas are easier to get to, but are much smaller. By the way, Texas’ lockers have the same cutouts in the bulkhead used for ladder. The design makes sense since standard rungs would probably be quickly torn off by chain hitting them. I’ll have to see if I have enough pieces of video to put something together as a comparison.
Glad I found this video. I just watched the drone footage of the recent live feed and was shocked how much anchor chain was on deck. Made me want to learn more about the anchor system!
I know a story of this ship. My Wonderful grandfather told that when he was assigned to this ship, he father, my Great Grandfather gave him two gold coins, and told him as soon as he can, to give one of the coins to the ship before setting sail, so to speak.. in request to take care of her men. When he was finished with his time before he got off the ship, he was to give the ship the last coin and to tell the ship "Thank you for taking care of us the best you could".. Both of those gold coins went into the anchor chain holds. Hearing that these chain lockers/holds have been cleaned out, kinda saddens me, as I am betting those coins are now long gone.. not a big deal, I am not complaining, rather, just the thought of bunches of coins some gold, some that were just what the family's could afford as an offering to keep their sons safe to the best of her ability, may no longer be there in the ships rightful ownership. Again, I am not complaining, as my Grandfather made it home in one piece, the ship kept her end of the deal. hence, I am now here telling the story. There is more to the story of this "two coin deal". I struggle to fully understand when or where this superstition or spiritual notion comes from. I do not even know if it is a religious notion, as I can't find anything upon this, and all I can find about this is the boatman and two coins on the eyes type payment while being completely flooded out with the movie BOONDOCK SAINTS, among a few other movies. Anyways, to hear my Grandfather say, "Either way, she will claim the other coin from me." was very heavy for me to hear. The relationship many if not all men had with the ships they each were assigned to serve upon, are some remarkable story's. If anybody knows more about this, I would very much like to learn about this further, as my Grandfather was not the only navel man that paid the ship to keep each of them safe and paid her again, at the end of their service time for a job well done. It is unknown to me, if the coins caused problems in plugging or damaging bulge pumps, I do not know these things. For all I know, is that those coins were sucked up and spewed all over the ocean floor, once the coins got close enough to a suction pumps currents after a chain was pulled up, and filled the chain locker/holds up with 800 gallons of water that ringed off the chain? Who knows. It is remarkable to hear the stories of how little a Navy man feels on a ship that is the size of several city blocks, but when out in the middle of the ocean, no dry land that one can swim to, these men had to care for the ship, and in return, hope the ship would take care of them, as they only had each other to survive upon.. My Grandfather has since passed about 5 years ago, I do miss him very much. He was an easy guy to like, had a million stories, a story for everyone.
@@BattleshipNewJersey Ah, now that is some words I never typed in to the search box "coins under the sailing mast" to see if any literature covers this in more detail to what it has morphed into for today's type ships.. Thank you.. This will be fun to look up, as I do believe I exhausted the search results for what I originally was typing in to look into this.. Again, Thank you..
If you or anyone else wants additional details, heres an article from our friends at USS Constitution ussconstitutionmuseum.org/2017/03/17/hidden-treasures/#:~:text=The%20coins%20are%20then%20carefully,cent%20coin%20in%20its%20step.
@@BattleshipNewJersey That was a really great article. Thank you so much.. I am on a mission now, that I have better words and phrases to search for.. I realize this is old info for most of you that are directly involved with the conservation of our battle ships. For me, a city guy, to be able to see what you folks are doing and watch and read all about this of our beloved nations history, kinda makes me ashamed of myself that I didn't do better in school 30 years ago...lol.. Thank you so much, the article was well put together, as every question that crossed my mind, if I would just continue reading, would get answered. I excitement sometimes gets the best of me.. Again, Thank you,
Hey Ryan, you mention the wildcat, capstans, and the windlass in your video about the tackle. On its way to the chain locker from the anchor, the chain passes through the hawse pipe which passes through the bow to the anchor itself & the spurling pipe is passes through the decks down to the chain locker. Great video!
I just wanted to say thank you so much for making these videos. I am a WW2 history nut and I've watched your videos constantly since I discovered them. I was in my first year of law school at Rutgers Camden when the New Jersey was moved to her new home. Over the next 3 years, I visited her on a regular basis and even started referencing her as "my battleship" because I was there so much. I never got to do a detailed tour however. I moved to Texas after graduation and haven't been able to return since. Seeing your videos has brought back so many memories and I love seeing you explore all the areas I never got to see. So again, thank you so much for everything you do in taking care of our big girl and for making these videos for everyone to see. You are appreciated so much!!!
Thanks again, Ryan. The way I learned it, the capstan is for handling line, the anchor is handled by the windlass. And the chain pipe is a hawse pipe through the side of the ship and a spurling pipe down to the chain locker.
Ryan, was just on a tour with my friends there. I was little bummed not to see the chain locker ..... but man was excited to see this video! I got to see it!! Thanks for the great tour! If any out there is questioning whether to go check out this ship, do yourself a favor and check it out.... it was awesome! What a great experience, thanks again!
I've read similar things about anchoring small vessels too. I think you have to have enough anchor line/chain/whatever that if the ship gets shoved around, the anchor is much more effective keeping it in place if it's being dragged horizontally than lifted vertically. As Ryan says here, of course, with a massive anchor chain like this one, there's the additional factor that the chain on the sea floor adds significant weight as well (which isn't true for smaller boats with a heavy anchor secured by a rope).
I give this guy a ton of credit. No way could I ever go down that far, in total darkness and still maintain my composure. Kudos to you Sir, a lot of respect heading your way. Great video, awesome to actually see where the anchor chain ends at. Not what I was expecting at all. Especially being onboard the USS COONTZ DDG 40, which has been stricken and then scrapped. Two totally different anchor chain locker styles to say the least
Another great video....thanks again. Makes me wish the museum was open even more. I usually visit the Big J 3-4 times a year. Looking forward to the reopening
Congratulations on landing a very interesting job. If you’re ever in Mobile please make a point to see the USS Alabama at Battleship Memorial Park. It’s right off the Causeway between Mobile and Spanish Fort. While the Alabama is a smaller SD class vessel I think you will find the museum to be a very interesting attraction and an exceptionally well-organized operation. The other exhibits include an extensive collection of military aircraft, a submarine, gift shop restrooms as well as food and drink service. Each year the museum selects several young ladies to receive scholarships for serving for a year as goodwill ambassadors and tour hostesses for the ship. They make public appearances “in uniform” and participate in fundraisers for the ship as well as local charities. The museum’s board has faced a lot of challenges including a couple of highly destructive hurricanes and the attendant storm surges which damaged the ship and other attractions. Maintaining a Museum ship is a terrific challenge and I wish you the best of luck.
The Historic Naval Ships Association yearly conference is on the Alabama next year, we're planning on bringing the whole team down and making a video or two while we're there.
As much time as I’ve spent watching the wonderful content on this channel, and in honor of the 4th of July, I just donated to the channel. Thank you and keep up the great work and I hope you and the staff are safe and hopefully everyone will be back to normal soon if not already. Best wishes and God bless.
Your cameraman picked up the grated floor I think. The floor of the chain storage locker is grated to drain sea water. Each section or 'shot' of chain is 15 fathoms or 90 ft or about 27 meters.
Thanks. The carrier I was on had 60,000lb anchors with 360# chain links. The chains and anchors were washed with sea water as they were pulled aboard. But the chain lockers were still foul! As for what sailors did who got into trouble, cleaning the main machinery bilge areas was a favorite. Hot, not high enough to fully stand up, sloshing with sea water and leaked oils & grease. Not fun!
U.S.S. Chicago at Savo Island received a torpedo in the bow that opened the anchor chain locker. The ship put into Sydney Harbor for temporary repairs and on the way in destroyed some of the anti-submarine equipment in the harbor entrance unknowingly dragging fathoms of the anchor chain.
Thank you. Your videos are very informative. I don't think I would enjoy climbing the last ladder you showed. I need to get a set of plans so I can follow along.
On the Missouri, I was told that we put out 100 feet of chain for every foot of the depth of the water. So 50 feet of water, we would put out 500 feet of chain
👍I am surprised the anchors and chains weren't re-purposed for another ship. The USS Ranger anchors and chains were repurposed to the USS Regan long before it was designated to be scrapped
I think there's special exceptions for museum ships. The Phalanx and be SLQ-32 mounts were left in place, and those could also have been used elsewhere.
Have you ever discussed confined space safety? It's quite possible that some of those spaces could be low oxygen. Where I work, we wouldn't be allowed to enter those spaces without a gas analyzer and breathing apparatus.
Was there a crew at the bow washing down the salty chain with fresh water before it dropped into the locker? Love your videos! Ditto the comments about the USS Alabama ... I lived there, and went through it at least eight times, once with an 8 yr old boy (saw things I'd not seen the other times!
I would say those air ducts were for fresh air flow for the decommissioning workers. All that wet iron oxidizing in that confined space spells a textbook anaerobic envionment...very dangerous. All the extensive work they did in that room as you mentioned was likely to stop corrosion and preserve the iron not for longevity but rather to prevent dangerous confined space conditions for unaware civilians they were potentially handing this over to.
@@BattleshipNewJersey As noted you generally only need enough rode for a 3:1 for light conditions so 1100' would be OK for close to 300' of water so that sounds about right. For a correct ratio to depth you'd have to add the height of the hawsepipe to water to the depth times three but you still get somewhere near 300'. Most harbors are not that deep, e.g. under the GG Bridge the water is over 300' but the rest of the SF Bay is much shallower and most harbors I know of are similar.
@@BattleshipNewJersey now I'm wondering why only that pity little amount of chain When you have oceans that are like 50,000' deep, how are you supposed to reach the bottom???
Correction: 1,100', not 11,000' of chain... so the weight in the overlay is correct (90K#). otherwise, there'd be nearly 2 million pounds of chain upfront. :)
Just had a crazy thought design thought - maybe they should have made the torpedo bulges do double-duty as the chain lockers. I mean you have to put all that heavy chain somewhere - why not put it in the bulges and add a lot of extra iron that a torpedo charge has to go through before it pierces the hull?
More info what he's saying about the anchors themselves not holding the ship but both the anchors and chain doing it together: Basically the weight of the chain on the sea floor hold the ship in place, if wind pulls the ship, the chain gets lifted off the floor adds force to the ship, pulling it back to the point where the chain has no tension on it. The more wind, the heavier the chain gets and the harder it pulls to put the ship back to resting position. This video goes into detail about how ship anchors work: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-2YvwXJGsbEg.html
And if the chain tears itself off the bulkhead and goes to the bottom, whomever the captain hates the most has to go down and get it. But it would be nice and washed.
A rare look into a secret recess of the ship, but I'd be terrified to go in there, in case the pile of loose chain links shifted as you're climbing on it.
Partially asked here, but my question/suggestion for a topic for a video. What spaces on the ship are the most dangerous in the least expected ways. For example, the chain locker being oxygen depleted from rusting chains, or places where noise in combat could cause injury, etc.
@@markwatson3135 Wow, and I consider that space large, palatial even. Did you hear what he said that painting this area could be considered discipline? Watch the video of the splinter deck crawl, that is almost small. Smaller ships similar spaces get downright cramped.
When raising the anchor was there ever a problem with a "chain castle" building up in the chain locker then falling over and balling up on itself? On our cruising sailboat, one crew member is assigned to access the chain locker from inside the boat and knock down the chain castle so it spreads evenly throughout the locker. (something that obviously wouldn't be practical with such huge chin links.) Great videos - keep them coming! Jeff in Key West
As I understand it, a 'shot is 15 fathoms. A fathom being 6'. Thus 6' x 15 fathoms = a shot is 90' And (at least on Fletcher Class destroyers) the port and starboard chains were of DIFFERENT lengths (120 fathoms = 720' and 90 fathoms = 540' ; although I never heard which length went to which side.
WOW ! I did not realize how long & tall the Iowa Class Battleships are. You had to go all the way down a ladder in the dark like being inside of a factory building.
Well its essentially a floating city.. only thing missing is the redlight district, but since stereotype of gay sailors is a thing, guess there is a one of sorts...
I toured this amazing ship over the summer of 2021, however did not see the anchor winless room, was that part of the tour .not sure if I missed it, very well possible since the ship is just so massive
The more anchor line you have out the more the angle of the force will keep those two hooks down in the sand. The anchor chain will pull parallel to the seabed and not on an upwards angle
