just starting a new thread on a slow day…wondering what are your favorite ships both from today and the past? Ships or boats that were excellent in both form and function…
although I love almost every one of them, of the thousands to pick from, if I had to pick three it would be US Army 125’ (Miki) class tugs,
another very classic old vessel which has caught my interest recently is the ex USCG bouytender FIR which is sitting down in Stockton, CA begging for a rebirth.
The old lady has been languishing down there since 1997 but sitting in fresh water like she is, is in remarkably good condition. I toured her about a month ago and could not believe what a wonderful time capsule she still is!
Don’t let the lack of traffic here deter you c.captain. I may not have any pics to share, but I doubt I’m the only one that loves to see these old Ladies.
Keep posting.
South Dakota Class battleship. She had 3 sister ships. This class was the first with trunked tower foremast & funnel built together. The design was frowned on by most of the senior navy brass at the time. It was too different and barely got approved for construction. Hull plating was also different among many other changes from the old battleship designs. This was the precursor to the famous Iowa Class battleships. The Alabama was also one of the first to spot enemy fighter squadron by radar.
Sad thing is that her, her sisters, and Iowa Class cousins were built at the end of the battleship era. But they were one helluva imposing sight. I guarantee that any enemy ever to lay eyes on these girls knew that there was trouble coming. I’ve read that this stance and swagger is why MacArthur chose the Missouri (BB63, Iowa Class) as the platform for the Japanese surrender ceremony.
She was saved from the scrapyard in ’62 through fundraising, including $100,000 of nickels and dimes from the state’s school children. The museum and park was established through fund raising and maintained & expanded through admission tickets and private donations. The park was not a burden to the tax payer. It’s a nice place to visit and even though she’s the star of the show there is more there to see, including aircraft.
[ATTACH]3957[/ATTACH] The Athena , has two Diesel engines and a turbine. When you lit off the turbine it was like getting kicked in the but. It Burnt 12% of her fuel per hour with the turbine online. I loved the look on peoples faces when we past them at 35 kts
although not gas turbine powered…I always thought the Ferris designed WWI US Shipping Board three islanders were a handsome ship indeed
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all built of wood and delivered after the war in Europe ended, most never carried a single cargo before rotting away or being deliberately burned into oblivion
Landry Boat Works in Bayou La Batre, AL were well known for their wooden trawlers. They built other wooden boats as well, party boats, excursion boats. But they all had the distinctive Landry flair (and flare). I’ve always been attracted to plumb bows but these guys made all the angles look graceful. They even look like they are in motion when moored. They were known for their speed, strength, sea worthiness and quiet comfort compared to others and especially the steel hulls. You can see in the wreck photo (Hurricane Katrina) and model photo, there was quite a bit of hull below the waterline with a nice streamlined narrow entry, a big “belly" for capacity and a beautiful streamlined exit on her stern. Wooden boat building is a truly beautiful art form. Art with a purpose and benefit though. There are still quite a few around and working. They can be spotted in fishing towns from Texas all the way around to the Carolinas. They built boats from the 1950s until the mid 1980s when they could no longer compete against the steel hulls with cost, insurance & maintenance. I think the yard tried to shift over to steel but it just didn’t work the way they wanted and the capital wasn’t there to keep trying. They are still owned and operated by the same family as a repair yard known for their skill in wooden and fiberglass hulls.
I really haven’t taken any pictures; however, I do enjoy ship/boat spotting. Got pretty excited seeing a “Triple E” while on lookout once.
I don’t have any “favorite” ships to spot/see, as I enjoy them all for the most part. Yesterday was pretty cool, I was walking down Alaskan Way on the way home and saw the wooden boat show going on over by the Norwegian Pearl. Some pretty cool boats! Just had to put up with all of the damn tourists!
As a ship nerd/spotter, pulling into Singapore was frickin’ crazy. So many damn ships I was blown away!!
I always enjoy seeing the Star of India while in San Diego. Also went to the Vasa museum in Stockholm, that was a pretty cool–yet amazingly ill-fated–ship!
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