How to Load Ammunition onto the Battleship 

“I guess that still works” - Ryan after pulling the trigger on a 16 inch gun starting a civil war with Pennsylvania

"How to Load Ammunition onto the Battleship" -Very carefully.

I liked Ryan's reaction when the hoist worked. :D

I was Aviation navy and not Surface but do have some experience with the loading and unloading of ammo. It's not that ships can't enter port loaded with ammo (we did it all the time on cruise), it's that you can't load and unload ammo pierside within city limits There are ammo storage and loading/unloading areas near major navy ports that are far enough away from major city areas just for this purpose. You would only unload all your ammo if the ship with going into drydock or other major work required it.

I can relate to Ryan's commitment to originality and keeping the look of things period-correct. That's the way to go.

7:18 LMFAO!!! Don't ever let this guy go. He's the perfect amount of weird for the internet and keeps me coming back to watch more videos. 7:38 LOL!!! please stop I can't breath.

I have learned more about the Iowa Class Battleships and how they worked from Mr. Szimanski than just about any other source out there. It has been about 10 years since my last visit to the USS New Jersey and it was a day I would never forget. I will get up there again some day.

I can tell you from my own service on New Jersey in the 90’s we did not offload ammunition every time we went into port.

"I guess that still works". When we were going through the Alabama I was constantly cautioning my son not to push any buttons! I was terrified something would spring to life somewhere!

I always enjoy Ryan just plain off the cuff explanations with no script.

It’s just so cool that the cable hoist still works. My jaw dropped when the shell hoist raised that shell. It makes me wonder what other machinery can still be operated ( assuming fuses/ breakers are reset). Can you give us a sense for that? What Ryan and the whole team do with the NJ is a model for how a museum ships should operate. Lastly, I can’t recommend enough the curator tour with Ryan. It’s the. Best $500 you’ll ever spend if you’re a battleship nerd like me. Ryan was extremely accommodating.

"Smart like tractors and strong like oxen".. LOL! I was an ordinance man myself. I'll have to remember that term when chatting with my fellow Ammo troops while reminiscing about the old days!

It would take us about 4-5 days to totally on load or off load all of the 16 inch ammunition at Seal Beach. The other ammo and missiles were done at the same time but the 16 inch ammo took the longest. Also for the “odd” turret 2 powder magazine that was difficult to access, that was where the reduced charges were stored as they were lighter to handle.

In one of the oral history videos I think it was a Marine, was supervising a detail loading the 16" shells to a magazine. The Lieut in charge told the Marine to hurry up the detail and as a result the loading crane was mishandled and a 16" slipped its tackle and fell all the way down into the magazine. The guys in the magazine must have thought 'game over'. Imagine a 16" arriving unannounced down the vertical loading shaft. Noise must have been hell. The Lieut was given a severely hard time but he stayed on the ship.

I wish I could live near an Iowa class battleship and spend my retirement serving these great men that served on them.

Lol, smart like a tractor and strong like an ox.

"Smart like tractors and strong like oxes". In the Aussie army we used to say guys like that "could lift a ton, but couldn't spell it". Looks like all forces have some of those guys. The other thing we used to say was "he's not very smart, but he can lift heavy things".

Ryan from what I've seen, he is very knowledgeable about everything he says. He is a very smart man in my view, so when the next mzn comes along; his job will be easier, because Ryan and his crew of Volunteers have kept things very authentic. Thank you Ryan for all of the work you do to keep New Jersey looking as good as she is.,

The look on his face was priceless when he realized the hoist still worked. I'm suprised it still did to, considered its 480 volt.

As of 2016 there were still 15,595 live 16"/ 50 calibre rounds in storage at Crane, Indiana.

I believe the men working in the magazines were affectionately known as Mag Rats. On a carrier where aircraft weapons were stored in cramped spaces like up in the bow, your height, or lack thereof, would usually get you the job since many of these spaces were no more than 5ft high and the short guys could go in there and handle missiles and rockets with better ease. In the Navy they have a job for you no matter who you are or your stature.

The sheer immensity of these beauties is just awe inspiring! Truly, modern battleships from this era are wonders of the world.

Thanks once again for letting us view this important piece of history.

That is a topic I have requested a video about, so thank you very much for picking it up 👍🏻 I wouldn’t have thought that (un)loading the shells is apparently such a massive effort

Wow! That was fantastic. Nice job, both of you.

I would love to spend the rest of my life educating my grandchildren.

Thank you so much for satisfying my request for loading the ammo onboard ship. It was VERY informative and I especially liked the actual use of the lifts and winches.

Great information and video, I love these longer vids

Great video Ryan and team! Thank you

Thank you for this video! That was something I wondered about.

Excellent.. I'm one of the guys who asked about It. Ryan you explained it to me in a email but nice to see in a visual context. I will visit when this corvid ends. Until then your videos, and knowing how to read a ships bulls eye and having the San Francisco maritime booklet of general plans are bringing it all together in my minds eye. Thank you from me and those who can not travel yet.

awesome video as always... thank you

My father was a Chief Gunners Mate, plank owner on the Iowa and North Carolina. He mentioned unloading the 16" gun out the muzzle.

Such a good channel

Ryan I can say with 100% certainty that we did not unload our ammunition and powder when going into a civilian port and reload when leaving. That would take DAYS each way.

Great video thank you ❤

Navy ammo depot in NY Harbor is at Earle, about 10 miles from Bayonne. Some ships anchored in Gravesend Bay and off loaded to barges.

I was on a replenishment oiler (AOR). We onloaded ammo at anchor, in San Francisco Bay, with the ammo being brought to the ship by barge. When this was done it was an all hands operation, officers and enlisted. I don't remember what we did since obviously shells are to heavy to be handled even by a group, but there were long lines of sailors. At the time I was in the Navy, 1973 - 79, Concord Naval Weapons Station was still operating, but my oiler never got there in the 6 months I was on board.

Excellent subject matter. Five stars *****. Thanks

So the navy has gunbunnies just like the Army! Redlegs needs their gunbunnies to do the heavy lifting. Great video again!

To quote Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy "buttons aren't toys" 😁

Great video sir!

great. Keep going guys!

Pretty exciting - ships I deployed aboard had either a pair of 5 inch guns or a single 76mm gun. ONE fun thing as AirDet - we got to man the Mk38 Mod 1 25mm Bushmaster on frigates if we weren't flying

Nice sequence!

While touring the USS Alabama area under the turret we noticed a giant circular dent in the floor, under the gantry. Sure enough, the docent said that is where a shell fell off the gantry and hit the floor. This was in their gantry.

@5:10 Ahh Ryan you never fail to underestimate the size

I get "greasing the deck" to move shells of that size but how does the crew gain any traction? The grease must have been equally slippery on the sole of a shoe or boot.

Cool info. Thanks

Thank you.

Ryan, you are quite the spokesman. You try you're best I'm sure.

The Real History Channel.

I am a Brit and found this fascinating. Sadly, we no longer have a Battleship to view. However, I guess there are strong similarities in US and UK Battleships. Surely, to have an oiled deck for sliding shells must have been dangerous for slipping over, especially if the ship is rolling around? I have subscribed..

I would love to have heard a little bit more about the actual lifting lug used to hoist the 16-inch shells.

Ah, the halifax incident. That was a doozy

I remember the Missouri back in the 80s when it opened fire of the east coast of Australia sure was spectacular blanks off course

I was wondering about this the other day

I need a starburst shell in 16”. I have an APnround and a 14.6” British AP round.

Im guessing you weren’t expecting the hoist to work? 😳

i feel like you should paint all the museum era stuff like those railings the same color, so everyone knows it was added by the museum and doesnt mistakenly believe the navy had your safety at heart when you were on the ship (or maybe they just went "if you're stupid enough to fall down a hatch, thats your problem buddy")

Really interesting video and have been enjoying these informative insights into the behind the scenes kind of stuff. I was not aware that ships needed to unload ammunition before going into dock. Surely, there is a greater risk of an accident that could potentially be catastrophic when transporting ammunition on and off the ship each time than there would be leaving it as is?

Got to love perry just like my Dad 💕

Love the vid's. Wanna see more plus BB-61

Jersey loves her Marines. Always has, always will.

Loved this! Might have been easier to understand with more use of plan & section illustrations.

I cant imagine designing a machine as large and complex as a battleship. they were truly geniuses

The fuses weren't in the shells until ready for firing, correct? They were basically inert heavy SOB's before arming.

Do you know how long it takes to fully load the powder and ammo per magazine? And what stange things have you found in catacombs of the ship?

This will be good .

Thank you for the video. Could you do one discussing loading of other ammunition, food, or other stores?

Is there a video about asbestos, mold, or lead-paint abatement issues for the ship?

My father was a Jewish War Veterans' member for years, but he was in the Army in WWII

i recently thought of an idea for a possible video you guys could do if you havent already. possibly one detailing the process of scuttling the ship if the crew had no other option due to a catastrophic situation

What i want to know is can the 16inch guns still fire assuming you had a projectile and powder bags to load it with..

"Very fecking carefully!"

Just saw an interesting RU-vid video from USS Missouri in the gulf war from i think the plot room. The speakers kept talking about reduced loads in each turret and the amounts. During the video the ship gets two missiles fired at it, one was destroyed less than a mile from Missouri by the British. Very interesting to see the crew reaction while bracing for impact, even laughing at the comments on the speaker. they then wear gas masks as burning oil from the wells was mistaken as gas. It would be awesome for you to breakdown the video and translate what the being said and the work going on.

I'd like to share something that I found on a competing RU-vid channel: "Yes, Iowa landscapers? My husband and I would like to have a pool in our garden." "Of course madam. Quick question, how far is your house from the coast line?" "Ehm, 15 miles I believe." "Very good, we can help you. How big should the pool be?" "We'd like a big pool. 6 feet deep, 50 feet long, 30 feet wide." "Understood madam. Just give us the GPS coordinates of where the pool should be, then step back a bit. Mike, load the 16 inch HE shells."

How do you arm a shell? Are they all the same?

Don't push any buttons! I remember when taking a tour of the USS Cobia in Manitowoc Wisconsin. There was a guy who was touching everything and turning handles and knobs, the guide got in his face and said, " This equipment still works!".

Question regarding unloading munitions before going to a large city, did they unload all munitions, or leave small amounts?

How large are the grains of powder in the 16 in bags? and are they stacked or just poured into the bags?

Excellent video. How much armor is around the powder and shell magazines? Id imagine its fairly substantial, or do they rely mostly on the armored belt and deck armor?

The comment about unloading ammunition before entering a civilian port is incorrect. Navy ships unload ammunition before going into a shipyard for a maintenance availability. They go into civilian ports all the time without unloading ammunition, which is not a hazard when it's properly stored in magazines and not being handled. USS Missouri sailor 1988-90. The shell decks on Missouri were bare steel with a thin coat of oil.

"You load 16 inch and what do you get another day older an' deeper in debt..." ^_^

Would love to see a video about how the guns were fired. What kind of primer was used to set off the powder?

The CIC came in during 1943 and 1944. The USS Abercrombie was retrofitted with a CIC shortly after it was commissioned.

If you use those old Yale hoists look on the brake end. I would make sure if you do have the vented style of brake housing you limit your youth because those Yale hoist are made with asbestos brakes and they vented the asbestos brakes to atmosphere for cooling

It is the large number of unprotected and unconfined HiCap and AP shells being moved that causes the safety issue. A good old barge could do the job of carrying powder and shells out to a stationary battleship at anchor (a few miles from shore facilities). Powder in the storage flasks, has a less than 1 time in a million chance of "accident". Even then, it is a fire (NOT an explosion). An unquenchable, hot fire. Just one burning could "cook off" more flasks, but they tended to be guarded with fire hoses (for cooling). Shells have been dropped, but the nose fuse (HiCap) and the base fuse (AP) is not just started by an impact alone. I don't know the details, but modern fuses require a shell to spin fast (to arm) AND then impact before detonating. Whacking it with a big hammer, won't do anything but scratch the paint.

Where you mentioned rotating the turrets: I wonder how fast the turrets can rotate. Do you have any numbers for that, like „x seconds for 180 degrees“ for the 16“ and/or the 5“ turrets? Thank you very much for your answer! 😊

When they say "flood the magazine" when a catastrophic hit has punched a hole. Is there actually pipes dedicated to doing that? Is it remote controlled? If the powder is stored in aluminum containers, would flooding actually help?

are the 3 shell hoists for each gun inline vertically between each shell deck ? or do the shells have to be loaded exclusively from the upper shell deck?

>it would take a small wrench to open all this. Christ, if that's a small wrench what's a big wrench considered to be on these ships?! XD Great video btw. Love seeing these parts of the ship and how they would function.

How can you show me that the buttons still work and tell me not to push the buttons...

The Mt Blanc/Halifax explosion was utterly horrific.

The excellent book "Strike Able Peter" by John Butler describes the grounding of USS Missouri. She was lightened by removing all ammunition, including 16" shells. No detail is given on the process.

Out of curiosity, how long would it have taken to fully restock the magazines for the main guns? Given a up to standards crew and no SNAFU i mean.

Were the magazine's just protected from the side by the armor belt or were they armored separate?

Fuses are installed when the ship was getting ready for combat or were these installed at the factory/depot?

I did a tour on the USS Texas a few years ago and the guide said the powder canisters that the bags came in were filled with laughing gas and they had to relieve the crews handling the bags every few minutes or hours can't remember which.

Thanks for the video, really appreciate it.