How Quickly Could the Battleships Be Reactivated? 

It depends on how loud you play AC/DC in the background... if you blast Highway to Hell at 14,000 decibels, the task can be done in as little as 3 hours with a competent commander like Channing Tatum and a handful of senior citizens.

I was stationed at NAS Sanford FL back in 1968. I remember when they brought the New Jersey back on line and the Navy needed a bunch of WWII and Korean War retired gunner’s mates to bring back on active duty to teach the young lads how to fire the 16 guns. I’ll never forget the Cheshire grins all these CPOs had wearing the uniform once again. Respect.

I don’t care what anyone says, that scene from battleship is one of the coolest scenes ever

I was on Eisenhower (CVN-69) in the Red Sea at the beginning of Desert Shield. We were relieved by battleship Wisconsin (BB-64). The sight of a battleship coming over the horizon and pulling up alongside is something I will never forget.

After the 1980s reactivations of Iowa class battleships, a distant cousin of mine who retired as a US Navy Master Chief Petty Officer was invited to return to active duty for service aboard one of them. He did so, gleefully, but his wife was less thrilled!

I will say this about Battleship, as ridiculous as it was, VFX on Mo looked amazing and really made me want a remake of movies like Sink the Bismarck! with that attention to detail like in Greyhound, etc. We need some great ship on ship movies again, more so if we can tell REAL stories as they're often better than fiction. Cheers to the whole team working on NJ right now!

"Let's drop some lead on these mother-" *16 inch full broadside sounds*

The movie they most need to make is Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors. It's another one of those movies where they'll have to tone down how incredibly those destroyers fought simply because the audience wouldn't believe it.

A movie about how Admiral Lee turned Washington's gunners into snipers and made it the only US battleship to sink another battleship in a gunfight.

"i have not had a chance to see it" = translated from ryan speech for "NOT GONNA DO IT"

I can tell this man likes his job and is passionate for it. Great job answering a qustion I've had for 12 years

I was a Gunners Mate stationed on the New Jersey from March 1985 to March 1989. Turret 1 left gun captain.

To be fair to the film Battleship, there's some hints that it might not be in the same condition that Missouri is in today. There's a line about how much fuel they have onboard, and one of the old crew (there's a number of veterans from her previous crews who are at a reunion, and happen to be there) says they've only got enough to do the odd shakedown run, implying that the ship (in that universe) might have been kept operational enough to do the odd sail. Though there's no indication of where all the people they'd need to do that are etc.

This solves the fermi paradox, the aliens stay away because of the threat of museum ships.

im a marine mechanic and i love seeing this kind of stuff, i love hearing about he history and stories of these ships and i would absolutely LOVE to take an active duty style tour of her, if the new jersey was reactivated, i'd be one of the first sailors to say "no, i want to be on THAT *pointing to the battleship*"

Battle of Leyte Gulf. It is absolutely criminal that this has never been made into a movie.

In the movie Battleship it is implied that Missouri is kept in a semi operational state, saying they have enough fuel for a "maintenance run." And that some ammunition was available somewhere nearby, either sealed away from tourists in one of the magazines or in a wearhouse nearby.

I think Warspite needs a movie. To tell her story, from WW1 and her lone stand against the German Navy, to her Conquests in the Mediterranean during WW2, to her disgraceful death. All of that deserves to be covered in a movie, show, something. Let the Grand old Lady shine.

That scene from Battleship, while ridiculous, is just absolutely awesome. It is so much dumb fun seeing the Mo power slide and unload a full broadside

Big Mo at Desert Storm video was shock and awe to the world.

The thing I see never mentioned about the "Battleship" movie and is missed quit a lot. They mention that they go out for "maintenance runs" with it. Meaning its already ready to go and NOT mothballed or docked in a manner in witch it can't move. I think they even mention it twice in the movie.

almost nothing makes me happier than hearing a person talk about different alien movies, or different types of zombie movies, or stuff in star wars and star trek. i freakin love it.

My brother was on the NJ when they reactivated her. When they went through the Panama Canal they trimmed everything off the sides so she would fit. Then she went on to Viet Nam. Hollywood should make a movie about that deployment. I've talked to many soldiers & Marines who praised the ship AND her crew for being there. I was in the Sixth Fleet on an Oiler USS Nantahala at the same time. I'm grateful she brought my bro back safely. Sorry! Just thinking out loud. I wish my brother and I could visit the ship while she's in dry dock. I would love to see her, and I think my brother would as well. Thanks for these videos!

As someone who works for government, and has been tasked to clean up old storage locations and found 'disposed of three decades ago' gear and equipment, I'm almost willing to bet a taco that somewhere is a forgotten warehouse absolutely stuffed full of 16" shells for the SoDac's and Iowas. Whether you'd be game to try and MOVE them at this stage is a choice for someone else to make!

I once suggested to them a fundraiser - "Watch Battleship with Ryan!" We'd all donate a bunch of bucks to sit in the wardroom and watch the movie with Ryan, with him pausing the movie and commenting on various scenes and how ridiculous it is. I understand we'd be there for probably 6 hours but the bar would bring in mega money! 😆😆😆

Great show! I learned more great things about that class of battleships. Thanks.

I saw the NJ twice. First time was in Bremerton when she came back from Nam and tied up across the pier for us. The next time was when she headed home from Desert Storm. The big MO came in and tied up near where we were stationed. I got a ride out with a Coast Guard boat.

Let's say you had an Iowa-class battleship perfectly preserved in like-new condition. It requires 1,921 crew members to make it come to life. Every one of them has to qualify for each watch station. The last time anyone did any of those was 32 years ago, and the documentation, such as it is, is that old. The youngest person to actually serve on a battleship is in their 50's. Reactivating the Iowa-class BBs could be done, but it is about as practical as raising the Yamato and turning it into a spaceship.

Battleship is one of my favorites. Does it have an emotional roller coaster of a story? No. Does it have a message all should learn in their lives? Nope. Does it have an Iowa class battleship absolutely clapping aliens back to the void of space with 16 inches of democracy. YES! Therefore, Emmy award material. But as for a real one, just about any. I can't think of a single battleship engagement that could not be made into a great movie. But my personal vote would be the Second Night Action off Guadalcanal. But I'm thinking more of a biopic of Admiral Lee with the climax being his leading Washington in introducing the Empire of Japan to the American tradition of shotguns and road signs. (If you know, you know. And probably grew up in the country.) Just seeing a decently accurate of that battle on the big screen would be amazing. Plus, you get a bonus. I'm betting to save money, a lot of scenes would be filmed on board North Carolina. More publicity and money for the ol' girl.

Love this great cover story! Sooo excited to see one of the Iowa's finally reactivated again. Will love to see videos about all the new upgrades

I'm a honorable discharge, Navy BT2. I'll be there. Help you get it moving with NO problem. I've run manually fired superheated boilers But might be a couple days to fix the steam leaks😊

Battleship gets a worse rep than it deserves. I'm not saying it's historically accurate or sensible, mind you, but it's entertaining and Mighty MO does get to kick some stern.

Side note, when I joined the Army in 2001 I worked at a depot that had surplus 16" shells for the iowa class in one of out ammunition bunkers, along with 8" shells for the M110 mobile howitzer. Some time around 2004 the 16" shells were removed, their charges removed and then sent off to various static displays. A few are at the Gold Star Museum at Camp Dodge Iowa

You called it “Missourah”. I am so happy!

I am a retired shipbuilder and supervisor from Bath Iron Works. We built the CG51 class, the DDG 51 class and the DDG1000 class. New Jersey would be a great place for retired shipbuilders to donate their time for upkeep and maintenance….

Kudos to Ryan for his deadpan delivery and tact when dealing with the oft-posed questions about re-activating USS New Jersey.

Jutland. The Battlecruiser duel would be fantastic with modern special effects. Plus when Jellicoe crosses the German T and Scheer’s masterful handling of his fleet. They could also show the Kaiser and Tirpitz while King George and Mary form a contrast. Many stories to tell here…

My Dad was on the Missouri Thanks for sharing

Thank you for a real world explanation of what it takes to bring old battle ships back on line.

We really need a movie of Willis A. Lee and USS Washington both are getting so overlooked in history considering that that night at Guadacanal was a real make it or brake it engagement Washington and SoDak were the very last ships available to guard the airfield which was the big factor in this conflict. Lee was an absolutely outstanding commander who did so much for the USN in WW2 it really is a shame he gets non of the credits

I'd like to see a movie about "The Battleship Commander" but they'd have to get the North Carolina to sit in for Washington

Excellent history and explanations. Thank you.

Got to sneak a glimpse at the New Jersey on a recent trip to the US; definitely a sight to behold. Once she's reopened and I'm stateside again, it'd be an honour to come onboard and witness her in person.

the sarcasm mixed with disdain for that movie is perfect.

Not necessarily a battleship idea, but one that would be cool to see on the big screen would be one depicting the Battle off Samar.

I cry BS. Ryan has watched battleship and enjoyed every second of it.

Ryan, you need to watch the movie Battleship at the soonest opportunity. This should be a personal imperative, in order to be relatable to the rest of the nation. It is also cracking good fun and gets the jingoist juices flowing, while continuing to embrace our harmonious relationship with the Japanese nation.

Thank you, I was curious about all this. Not thinking you were reactivating but but wondering if it could be done.

This is quite the rabbit hole that we all just went down

Movie Name: "Ironbottom Sound" This covers the 1st - 4th Battles off Savo Island - The First Battle of Savo Island - The Second Battle of Savo Island (a.k.a. the Battle of Cape Esperance) - The Third Battle of Savo Island (a.k.a. the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal) - The Fourth Battle of Savo Island (a.k.a. the Battle of Tassafaronga)

The New Jersey is impressive. I was stationed at Navy Recruiting District Philadelphia from 2004-2007 and we conducted our Chief initiations there. Sleeping there, eating there and doing drills there was a blast. The volunteer crew were mostly all retired Chiefs, the had a blast participating on the Chief initiation final night. They were so happy to be part of the shaping of our new Chiefs. I participated in 12 Chief initiations in my 24 year career, but those 3 onboard the New Jersey were the best by far.

I'm glad you brought up the Bismark. Great story and history lesson. On another note, I would have loved to have felt the percussion of salvo of 16" guns. Great video!

One key point of the movie "Battleship" is that as the movie begins, the battleship is *just arriving* to be decommissioned and turned into a museum.

People seem to forget that the movie was never intended to be about battleship warfare - it was one of a planned series of movies based around kids games. The first one, Real Steel, was based on Rockem Sockem Robots. Battleship was based on the boardgame of the same name (hence the alien weapons looked like the pegs used in the game). There was supposed to be a couple of others, but I don't think they finished them.

Honestly, the most shocking thing about this entire ( excellent) vid, is that you sir, some one with the job, experience and knowledge that you have, have not seen the ONE SINGLE movie, that most Americans have seen ( it's a very entertaining movie!) and know believe they know how we will be fighting the alien space invaders with are old awsome battleships. I do not wanna spoil this. I've for any one who has not seen it, but I will. Say these ships are the HERO of the movie 😂. Take a couple hours, go watch this movie and get ready to smile.

Thank you for this really informative video.

Aside from the 16" guns, just park a HIMARS or ATACMS on the stern helicopter pad with some reloads. The Navy's already tried it.

The last stand of the tin can sailor would make a great movie

Excellent topic. Thanks

For someone who hasn’t seen a movie they’ve done a good job of explaining it

I am waiting for the day that Ryan goes full Frank Grimes level crazy from having to answer these questions all the time.

My dad worked at Detroit Edison's plant in Monroe, Mish-Gin and they had no end of tube leaks with their boilers. Four big boilers, four 750 MW units, the place was a monster! It was as long as a shopping mall and 20 stories high with two 800 foot stacks. That place was nothing but trouble, and a decommissioned New Jersey? I suspect a year to get it running is optimistic! Great video!

Watched New Jersey sailing into Chesapeake Bay across the Bay Bridge Tunnel. Pulled over at one of the entry islands and watched it for about 10 minutes. Magnificent! Also walked around Missouri up in Bainbridge. I was surprised at how narrow it seemed. But pretty big!

As for the movie, as a former Enterprise sailor, you have to bring plenty of "suspension of disbelief" to enjoy it. But wishing to be one of the sailors who took Missouri back to war was very real. IDK why, but most any sailor I have talked to felt the same thing, no matter when or where we served. We love our battleships.

I want a movie following Adm Willis "Ching" Lee with the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. That gunfight was almost Western in it's drama!

When I was a kid in the 1950s, my extended family had a business that reactivated freighters and other non-warships. Many ships mothballed after WWII had substantial fuel, both diesel and bunker. The navy and Maritime Administration put in a fuel preserver (that's probably illegal now) and the fuel was still usable. I used fuel as old as 22 years. Liberty, Victory cargo ships and tankers were the most common to be sold to shipping companies. Smaller ship types often went to commercial fishing as processors and a few were rebuilt into fishing vessels. Some of the king crab boats in Alaska were built in WWII. Our company would take possession of a ship for the buyer and get the engines and other equipment running. Diesels were the fastest and easiest to get running. Then reciprocating steam engines. Steam turbines took the most care. The boilers usually were usable without major repair. Once operational, the ship usually was delivered under it's own power to a West Coast shipyard that would do any repairs and repaint them. The civilian ships were not drydocked before mothballing, so all the thru hull fittings were open and protected by a closed valve. In about a week, we'd have steam up. Emergency diesel generators ran on the first day so we had lights. Most ships were 250v DC. Throughout the family we had licensed mariners from captain and chief engineer on down. First time I went to sea was on a Liberty going from Astoria to Long Beach in ballast. I was 7 years old. The captain was an uncle, my dad the chief and the rest family or close friends. Before WWII the was a huge merchant fleet. Ships were smaller so there were more of them. Many coastal families had connections to shipping. Common bulk carriers you see at grain terminals range 50k to 70k DWT. I think a Liberty displaced about 10k DWT. Victory ships were larger and about 7 knots faster.

Retired USN. Gulf War 1 Vet. Missouri and Wisconsin was a sight to see!

Interesting. Didn't realize the Navy maintained a position to be able to reactivate the ships again. I mean, makes sense and I'm glad they still realize that there could come a time where that would be needed. Its nice to know the ships are still maintained so well.

I have a recollection that the USS Massachusetts had a lot of fuel on board when it first arrived in Fall River, Mass, but during the oil crisis of the early 70s the Navy reclaimed much of the fuel.

In the movie Battleship they had the surviving crew members from 3 destroyers, (2 American Arleigh Burkes & 1 Japanese Kongō class).

This was fun! Thank you

I went on a several operations with the Missouri BB-63 and she is iconic. I remember mustering on my ships flight deck and watching the Missouri steam behind us. I still have the photos of her doing a firepower presentation from 1989. Seconds after firing the 16 inch guns we would feel the heat from the primer hit us on the forecastle of our ship.

All the parts and ammo are in the same warehouse as the Ark of the Covenant!

In a video some time back, you speculated on how effective one of the Iowa class Battleships (during one of their activation periods) would be if it was present during the Revolutionary War period. I'm reminded of the situation that thrust the Nimitz back to December 1941 in the move, "The Final Countdown." Would be cool to see King George and his Generals' reaction to London being shelled by those 16 inch guns.

Battleship is legit one of my favorite movies ever. I absolutely love that movie even though its unrealistic as hell.

As soon as there’s an alien invasion off of Oahu.

I recently listened to an audio book called "Ghost Fleet" in which the US Navy had been drastically cut due to a debt crisis. Most of the remainder of the Pacific Fleet was decimated by a Chinese attack on Pearl Harbor and the subsequent capture of the islands. In the book the Navy had to quickly reactivate reserve fleet ships to go fight. That's one scenario I can see in which a battleship (and possibly other museum ships) might possibly be reactivated. Certainly there would be significant modifications, like the removal of at least two 16 inch turrets to be replaced with VLS cells, possibly rocket assisted shells for turret 3, new combat and communications systems, etc; but that is not outside the realm of possibility. As for the knowledge of how to operate the engines, there are still some Great Lakes freighters running on steam plants. Perhaps the general principles would be similar enough to cut training time.

At least the movie Battleship had live footage of Missouri under way on the open ocean. Filmed while she was either going to or coming back from her 2009 drydock visit, shot so as to keep the tugs and tow lines off camera and make it look as if Missouri was on her own, under her own power.

If you want to make a movie with battleships basing it on battles in the Pacific during WW2, would be your best option. It had some of the biggest naval battles ever.

I'd like to see a movie about Surigao Strait. Having said that, I'd take a movie about ANY BB vs BB fight, assuming it was depicted somewhat accurately. As for Battleship, while the scene where Missouri gets reactivated is wildly unrealistic, IMO it's loads of fun to watch.

I'd like to see the folks behind Band of Brothers, The Pacific, etc, do a miniseries on WW2 naval warfare.

@<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="78">1:18</a> "...*riveting* stuff, I'm sure..." LMFAO got my clowning over here, that face 🤣💯🏴‍☠

When I was a kid I remember seeing the Wisconsin going down the York river to Norfolk for deactivation… it was pretty cool

Point of note about powder charges: Black Powder and Smokeless powder are NOT the same in anything but a few chemical components and in the fact they can be "propellants". You can't do a one-to-one switch between them, and the 5" guns are not designed to use BP. The time it would take to work up a suitable charge of BP for the 5" would be better spent just making a standard smokeless charge for it from prior known listings, which likely have propellants similar to those used in tank and artillery rounds.

Petition to make Ryan react to the final fight scene with Missouri in battleship. 👇

Man is the curator of a battleship museum and never seen “Battleship.” Says all it needs about Hollywood.

When the last Iowa battleship went out of service Congress approved for the 16 inch shells to be produced and powder in the event of the need to restore them to full service.

Even the cost, time and the usefulness of those old ladies in modern day warfare aside, there is this dilemma I have with many old aircraft, especially warbirds. Being active and in use (obviously not in combat when it comes to those planes) means extra wear and tear, but also a risk of damage in an accident. Just a year and a half ago we have lost 2 WW2-era aircraft in a tragic accident in Dallas. The thought of the battleships seeing combat once more is exciting, but the fear of losing such amazing pieces of history would hardly be bearable.

I grew up near a naval magazine installation. I know in the 1980's that installation had multiple storage areas full of 16" shells for the Iowa's, however that was 45 years ago. I would assume however that somewhere the Navy has stored away ammo for an emergency.

I will go to NYC one day and just bus myself to whete NJ is situated. Gonna be a nice time.

Wow - I’m impressed- goid agreement - so it can be used again Nice

How could you not watch battleship, Ryan? It's super cheesy and really dumb, but it's worth seeing once. I like that part where they start shooting to coordinates like b3 , d5 😂

A film about a desperate last-minute reactivation of museum battleships would make for an incredible story. I suppose it would be something akin to the Yamato series. Secretly resurrecting a WWII era battleship to compete in the space age. Impractical and unlikely, but what a tale that would be!

“riveting stuff I’m sure” 😂😂😂 the sarcasm from Ryan 😂😂😂

They are getting it ready now to be recalled into service. Food for thought 🤔

We can't even get a budget passed.....

Holy moly! You're hanging on that line is triggering my engineer's ADHD SOOO much! For goodness' sake LET GO!!

Good Job on everything! My Dad was on the Texas, AA #2 turret, end of the war, kamikaze time, but I digress, I believe all the 16" Bad Boy Powder packs and rounds were spent during Desert Storm, Im sure the battle was noted the Mo ran out, not sure what year but was in the 90's

As my father said to me when I was like 10 or 11 and asked "Pop do you think the Navy will call you back for Iraq?" His words to me were "Son if the military calls me and the other retired sea dogs, they are scraping the barrel" the navy would have 1 hell of a time educating the new sailors on how these beast work.

Sure, if you play ‘Thunderstruck’ over the 1MC system.