The Safest Place on the Battleship 

USN and Retired Merchant Marine Engineer... I almost fell out of my chair laughing to hear someone suggest an engineroom or powder magazine.... I like your choice, above the waterline, well inboard, good access, and probably some of the best ventilation on the ship.

This dude has one of the coolest jobs, ever.

My Grandfather was a master in the Boiler Room he walked out on the deck from the library rite when the 16's went off for training in Korea and said he bled from every hole in his body. Also had a shell run rite down the deck. Traded hooch they made on the steampipes for steaks from the cooks. Loved listening to his stories. By the way he was on the Mighty Mo in Korea for 16 months.

As a former A-Gang crew member, I always felt like aft steering was fairly well protected with the exceptions of being below the water line and only one way in/out. I remember thinking what if an armored hatch counter weight system was damaged 😬.

One alternative is the steering gear compartment...while outside the citadel box, it still has pretty good armor for protecting the vital steering engines, and there are nearby trunks to get you topside quickly (only three decks above). The bad thing is ready aviation gas is stored just aft, but that might well be dumped overboard if the ship was going into action.

Anywhere on the battleship is safer than NOT being on it when you're in battle!

The most senior officer to survive from Bismarck said that when Hood exploded a cheer went up in the ship but I'll dare bet the older hands thought "there but for the grace of God go I". Must have been terrifying with pure luck your best friend.

Appreciate your videos .. amazing the complexity of the battleship

He sold me on this room. Air conditioning in the South Pacific. Enough said. I think the powder magazine would be good, though. You are well protected, and if an enemy shell gets through the armor and detonates the powder it will be over before you know it. This room is next to one of the turrets. I guess if the magazines explode under him I suspect getting off of the ship will NOT be an issue since you would get blown into orbit :)

This channel is a goldmine. I toured the Iowa and the Wisconsin, but never got the info they show here. Hell, I don't know anyone who served on a battleship and living on an aircraft carrier is not the same

Given yesterday's video, it certainly isn't in a car on liberty.

The story told by the gentleman from HMS HOOD about the officer stepping aside is chilling.

This is all honestly very interesting but how about that Univac?👀

I liked the location of the Photo Lab on Forestall /Kityhawk class carriers. 3rd deck right underneith Medical. Easy ladder up to the 2nd deck plus a secondary egress through the Print Shop on the port side.

Main plot. Aft steering wouldn't be bad either

I’d probably go with either the bow or stern AA mounts, sure you’re nearly naked in terms of armor, but if there’s an enemy firing, they’re probably aiming amidship and not for me.

You just have to accept your fate, whatever it may be, wherever it may be, your time is your time.

the IC shop is always a good place to hang out! of course i may be biased as an old IC2.

I think I'd like to be just below the main deck right next to a barbette on the opposite side the battleship is being engaged from (assuming this is a ship-to-ship gun battle). You'd get double the armor protection from the far and near sides of the barbette, some overhead protection from plunging fire from the turret above, and still be in an area where you could quickly get to the main deck in the event of having to abandon ship.

Aft Emergency steering. It is at the end of the ship, out of the general line of fire. It is well armored, plenty of splinter protection and can with all but the biggest shells. It is at or above the water line and has more than one way in and out. There are a few passageways and ladders to the main deck.

Love the logic of your choice of the safest place. I’ve never thought there would actually be a place that was significantly safer than another, given 3,200 lb shells, 1,000 lb bombs, and torpedos incoming with malice. Glad your choice was never tested during wartime.

The conning tower door looked like it was maintaining a good pace, especially for manual operation.

I especially appreciate this one because I was an Interior communications Electrician.

I think that you are going to be at your duty station where ever that is, and that is that.

I vote for the engine room below the waterline and gamble the escape trunks are not blocked. It reminds me of a friend who joined the Coast Guard to avoid being an infantryman in Vietnam and ended up on one of those river patrol boats on the Mekong.

If Ryan ever used a regular belt, I wouldn’t recognize him. Is his current floppy belt a safety/evacuation device?

I think it depends a lot on what type of engagement you are in (and especially which side you are on). In a lot of engagements the outcome was pretty much clear from the beginning. Like Bismarck vs KGV and Rodney. On Bismarck you'd want to be somewhere armoured, but still relatively high up with an easy way out. You know you can't win amd that you have to get out at some point. On KGV you'd be perfectly fine in the magazine. Even if Bismarck scores a hit, it's the best place to survive. And if Bismarck is very lucky again, it really doesn't matter.

My placement. 3rd deck aft dry cleaning shop. Deep enough in the ship to protect from most direct fire. Away from all powder or ammo rooms and gun turrets. Above the water line. Above high armored steering rooms to protect from torpedoes blasts. Right next to ladder to direct up to main deck.

Awesome!

Ryan another great one. Sometimes the most casual of questions seem to produce the most fascinating answers.

Another great video from the battleship. Thanks

I'd take a punt at not in a '50s car on shore.

That was interesting Ryan. Thankyou

Thank you.

Knowing me, I’d be in an engine room. High risk, but it’s where I’d love to be.

Tough choice !! Interesting video, thanks for sharing !!!!

Would love to see a video dedicated to that room. Looks really intresting with all that electrical equipment.

On the pier, as it steams out of port. Just kidding, old navy salt having a poke. Haze gray and under way does have it's moments.

7:56 - got me thinking. Does Ryan, Libby or any of the other staff ever use some of the interior ladders as shortcuts between decks? For instance "oh I need to go to the ward room from the IC room, oh let me just pop through the floor of the ward room for this meeting." On a side note - How does the exhaust from FWD EMER DIESEL & DIST PLANT make it out of the ship? Does it just get routed over to FIRE ROOM 1 ?

One of the aft steering compartments!

can we get more of that battle damage diagram? , maybe one of the other iowa's Maybe even how much damage NEW JERESY has taken ?

The Battery plotting room for me it has great access, well protected and not too deep

Ah the old univac computer. My uncle worked for Univac and Nasa back in the day of Mercury and Gemini.

Comms room makes sense. You are also always in the know of what's going on around you.

From general plans, workshops on 2nd deck around the uptakes, you are close to the exits and have the super structure protecting you from incoming.

Well it's not the shelter deck that's for sure as the Battle of Denmark Strait in WW2 proved it has to be deep inside the ship

Nice peace. Should show us the escape route pov style, for this room, maybe the others also. Thanks again for the content

You had me at Air-conditioning

As an ICC I would also pick that space. Well protected because it has the gyro compasses that tells the CO where they are pointing and the 1MC (talk to the crew). Great space to be safe until someone comes along side you and blows up. Also happened

I'd probably go with something at one of the extreme ends of the ship, something like the Nixie room. It's unarmored but it's also at the extreme end, and since most shots would probably be aimed at the center of the ship, the likelihood of getting hit all the way back at the extreme aft of the ship is probably fairly small.

the goat locker is where I'd go.

If it's your time. It's your time. Doesn't matter where you are.

My suggestion for the safest place on an Iowa is either the spotters float plane or helicopter. Well out of harms way and if the ship goes down I could fly to another ship or land and in the float plane on the water. You are right about the shock Ryan. The heavy gun emplacements on the Atlantic wall were impenetrable however the shock of the artillery strikes wounded or killed the occupants.

I'd be afraid of a shell "welding" the conning tower door shut.

On the 2nd Deck, almost completely aft there is a tiny compartment labelled 'unassigned'. That's where I think would be best. Reasoning:- If it's unassigned, it's not named. If it doesn't have a name, it doesn't exist (everything, and I mean everything has a name in the military). If it doesn't exist, the enemy can't hit it. However, if it doesn't exist, might be tricky to find when needed!! On 2nd thoughts, I'll just stick to my submarine!

I was on a US cruiser that was a destroyer size and reclassified, CG-16. USS Leahy. I was in the Persian Gulf 1980s and my bunk was next to the forward missile magazines. I would sleep on the floor 4 decks up just fine in my radar equipment space with a Navy blanket and crappy pillow (like a prison, lol). Hey, at least I was on station if they needed me. No way I was sleeping there with mines in the water. The floor was a better sleep with that threat.

I was onboard a submarine. You're pretty much screwed everywhere if something happens.

Compared to a battleship you are the size of an ant on a semi. Any single large shell or torpedo has almost no chance of hitting you directly, but you have a high chance of blowing up if it strikes near explosives. So I say you are best in a spot that can stop rapid fire projectiles from penetrating and you can get out quickly if the ship starts sinking or fills up with smoke.

I think if the conning tower is hit with a 16" shell, anyone inside will be turned into goo...

I like your choice, but I’d suggest your assigned work space during general quarters. Ha

Mention turret explosions and immediately the Iowa turret explosion comes to mind. It was terrible.

Nope,nada,nahhh...the safest place...other than staying on shore...is SICK BAY!

Can you do a video explaining the armor types like all or nothing armor scheme and turtle back armor

I was thinking CIC/main gunnery plot etc for much the same reasons i.e. somewhere within the armour, not too low, not in close proximity to anything that might go 'bang' violently. Not knowing the layout of the ship, however, I wasn't sure exactly how those would score on that criteria. A comment about the conning tower: I was thinking about USS South Dakota when you brought up the damage chart from the action off Guadalcanal. The reason I was thinking of it was because the report SPECIFICALLY makes mention of the observation that without the CT it was extremely likely the bridge command staff would have been wounded if not killed. I think it was the Captain himself who made that comment in light of the number of hits she suffered to the superstructure. HMS Prince of Wales makes a good contrast as everyone on the bridge other than the captain himself was killed when a 15" shell from Bismarck passed through, exploding on the water on the other side from which the hit struck the bridge i.e. it went right through. So while I agree it's entirely possible a main calibre shell may kill everyone, it also appears to be the case that anything else almost certainly WON'T. Not that I'd pick it, but I find it an interesting topic. Cheers

Give me a spot in #2-B Turret.......

Lessee, obviously you wouldn't want to be in any of the firerooms or engine rooms (you really don't want to be around ruptured high pressure steam pipes), same for being near the stack uptakes. 2-143-2-M, Marine Small Arms Locker. In the hull, well away from anything that has the most potential to rupture, away from the easy targets of the conning tower and dead center of the ship, works for me.

I was going to guess the crapper would be the safest, as long as you don't sit on the red seats! 😂😂😂

In World War II I'd still be in the armored conning Tower it's the planes you got to worry about not the other ships. Modern times still be in the conning Tower there isn't a weapon in anybody's Navy Arsenal that could even scratch that armor.

I would be in Broadway which is in the heart of the citadel! There are multiple vertical exits out of Broadway going fore and aft and repair party crews located in Broadway means medical personnel are present.

6:26 it appears tha that Hood's gunnery spotting top tower was hit by a 15" shell from the Bismarck

Can you do a video on the Hvac systems on the ship?

For me it would be Sickbay right next to IC but also allows me to assist the surgeons in patching up my wounded shipmates

I would stay on the tip of the bow or the most astern region. Not much there that would cause an AP round to ignite. Most of the shells are aimed at the center and would probably straddle in around the 80% of the ships length around there. Easy to get away there. On Bismarck the most forward hit seems to have gone trough the deck near the chains. The stern section would have been a bad place due to the construction issues, however.

I'm guessing the safest place would ironically be in the powder rooms or the lower levels of the turret.

Is there a video describing the equipment in the space? I worked with UNIVAC computers long ago.

I'm a radio operator so, comms/radio room. I'd want to know what's going on out there and be able to communicate with the other ships in the group. Plus it is critical space and armored e.t.c.

Love these vids, thanks. I am close to Fall River, MA and have visited battleship Massachusetts numerous times. I am most curious how they aim and fire the 16" guns. I would think there are a huge variety of factors that come into play including pitch, roll & yaw, plus the ship (and the enemy's ship) is likely turning... and there may be some delay when firing the powder charge, etc, etc, etc. How did they coordinate all of those various factors so that the projectile traveled down the barrel at precisely the right moment?? Maybe you've done a vid already?

Well statistically most of the hits if you look at multiple ships batte damage reports is in the forward half of the ship and in particular between the super firing turret and the forward superstructure thake the lion's share of the hits so you probably want to be somewhere in the aft half of the ship speaking in general terms without getting into specific compartments

Hell and a battleship of course there's a gift shop.

I'd rather be in either the turret or Powder Magazine because the armor on both means nothing is likely to penetrate and explode but given what's inside of them if around did penetrate and explode suddenly it's not a problem I have to worry about there isn't really much of an in-between that results in injury but not death

The ships onshore storage spaces. No projectiles will hit me there. 😅

I don't know , how about the absolute front at the bow ? I mean think about it , how may navel gunners go out of the way to shoot off the bow ? Now running into other ships , that's another problem but the scenario here is a shooting war and I can't remember any ships that got hit in the very front part of the bow .

As far up the bow on the deck as possible.

Hiya Ryan great video thank you. Although, I agree where you suggest makes sense. I do have a couple of issues with that area.... 1. electrical / communication wires have coverings and generally when they go on fire you get lots of smoke which tends to not be good for you. and 2. Like you. I have an issue with just one door to exit. Which gets me thinking and a question for you all or for those who have served on warships in general. You can only exit somewhere if you can open the door. Sure those doors are blast proof (depending on where in the ship) and certainly watertight. If a blast is near them, Can it in fact lock or bend the door so that it cannot be opened?. I assume most doors on a warship are watertight rather than blast proof except for main critical areas. Or if a shell hits near them does it instead tend to just blow them off or pass through them if a direct hit ?. Keep safe and well everyone :)

Sick Bay would be my bet

If the conning tower extend slightly below deck wouldn't that give you the benefits of the armored deck as well as the conning tower for projectiles coming in at an angle

Your spot is right behind turret 2. If it goes boom, you might too. 🤔

On a shore boat tied to the NJ with 600 ft of rope filming the battle.

Safest is not the same that less dangerous,, very interesting though.

In the case of the Hood if you could not move at the speed of light you were not going to get off if you were not on the super structure.

Truly interesting. Thanks, Ryan. Whilst I have your attention, I read your channel content. I thought the USS Wisconsin (BB 63) was the longest, after the postwar collision with a destroyer. I understand the Iowas to be 887'3" o.a. The Wisconsin in its repair had the bow of the incomplete USS Kentucky (BB 64) grafted in place of the damage the ship sustained. Is this correct? Happy Holidays to you and yours!

That battle damage report at 4:09 is quite interesting. Feels to me they would have been better off firing HE, or they were but their fuse/detonators were quite bad, overall a lot more damage could have been done. I've honestly no idea why a cruiser would even try to use AP on a battleship unless they didn't quite know what they were shooting at. 8 inch shells ie 203mm in real units is very heavy artillery on land easily able to collapse a house on a near hit so you can imagine what a HE 203mm would do if it didn't just fly right through both sides of the superstructure and exploded inside instead.

Is that a Univac computer ? Please tell some more about the compute equipment on board, I grew up on what I call the second generation of 8 bit home computers, and are interested in computer history and their practical usage Love your content, if I ever in get in your neighborhood I will come visit.

Well, if something does penetrate the turret and explodes inside and you are in there, then its not your problem anymore...

You mentioned the hand crank for the conning tower door, and a question that keeps coming up is whether or not the turrets can move. I remember seeing a video on one of the other Iowa class ships in which they used a hand crank to raise and lower the 16 inch gun barrels, I believe for display purposes. Is there any such system to rotate the turrets? Granted, that is a lot of metal to move, but they would have had to use some sort of backup system to return Iowa's turret 1 to align with the ship after the explosion. Is there any such thing on New Jersey?

Was hoping this was the answer to my question about a zombie apocalypse😂.

There are two hatches under the turret overhang, not one. But they are right next to each other.

Wait a second, this is a little like "What seat do you want to seated in in an aircraft accident.? There are options, but it depends on the accident of course. I love battleships and they don't fall from the sky! Well, usually they don't. There are factors, but for me it's like the aircraft seat angle.

If i'd have my say: My work would be Post Office and my Battle Station would one deck down commanding the 5" power/projectile handling.

Top handrail on the fantail is the safest place on any ship