The Greatest Generation
 

"My first big recipe was shark repellant that I mixed in a bathtub for the Navy, for the men who might get caught in the water."

Before she mastered the art of French cooking, Julia Child cooked up shark repellent while working for the precursor to the CIA as a covert operative during World War II. Sharks kept unintentionally setting off underwater explosives meant for German U-boats — until Child came up with an inventive recipe that saved the day.

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Sent from my SM-S916U using Tapatalk

There are so many stories like this of ordinary people who did what they had to do to stop the madness of that time. I fear that more and more of those stories will be lost forever as we stop remembering them.

One cigarette in each hand, and they did not even get cancer like people do now…

On Thursday, March 21st, the Battleship New Jersey was towed down the Delaware River towards the Philadelphia Navy Yard where she will be drydocked for 60 days.

This project is years in the making and will see restoration of the bottom part of the ship.

While in dry dock, a thorough examination will be conducted on approximately 165 underwater through-hull openings essential for various operations, such as engine cooling.

These openings were safeguarded with sheet-metal plates upon the ship’s decommissioning in 1991, and to date, only one instance of failure has been recorded.

The entire operation is projected to span at least two months, with the ultimate aim of returning the USS New Jersey to Camden in time for Memorial Day and the ensuing tourist season.

The Wildwood Video Archive has been documenting every step of the process with this being our 4th video on the Battleship New Jersey.

To check out all those videos click the link below.

• Battleship New Jersey Dry Dock Series


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I love reading the comments on videos such as these:

My father served aboard the New Jersey during the Korean War in charge of a 5" gun. He is 94 now.

My Dad, long gone, helped build this beautiful ship.

New Jersey was part of my battle group in the 80's. Watching, hearing and feeling those 16 inch guns was AWESOME!

I served on BB62 from '86-'89. The old girl looks great and so pleased to see her being taken care of. She certainly deserves the best. Firepower for Freedom!

Gorgeous... That long tapered bow on the deck seems endless.

US ARMY 65 68 -You have to love a BIG GRAY ONE!

I have landed on both the Missouri and Wisconsin (Iowa Class FTW) flying with the Desert Ducks during the first Gulf dust up.

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I know I geek out on these things, but I have called in naval gun fire support from about the perspective in the photo above.

I need a cigarette.

Would enjoy hearing more from you in this thread, Paul, as you feel appropriate......SmileWavy

+ 1. It would be very interesting to hear how this stuff works.

I was fortunate to have seen this ship in NJ a few years ago. Too late to participate in the 4 hour tour, this ship is a mark of American greatness. Tears were in my eyes. Further up the river sits the USS United Stated sitting idle in a dock on the Philly side. Fortunate to have seen both

That is an amazing shot...

I'd love to know more about your Dessert Storm experience... especially about the fast attack boats as I am set to get my dad's ex-Navy 33' Fountain that saw duty in Bagdad.

My dad had one of these too (the lower one, the top one was a 26' lifeboat and they wre terrible). A 34' lifeboat with a 453 detroit diesel. It would do about 16 knots. It was faster with the 4 blade prop we had on it for a while but the borg warner velvet drive gear didnt like it much...

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I got to walk around on the Missouri one time. It was tied up on the other side of the pier. Walked up, permission to come aboard, do your salutes and off you go.

It was like a floating church, kind of humbling

https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2024/04/01/lou-conter-arizona-pearl-harbor-dead-obituary/

Lt. Cmdr. Lou Conter, the last living survivor of the USS Arizona battleship that exploded and sank during the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, died April 1 at his home in Grass Valley, Calif. He was 102.

The cause was congestive heart failure, said his daughter, Louann Daley.

The Arizona lost 1,177 sailors and Marines in the 1941 attack that launched the United States into World War II. The battleship’s dead account for nearly half of those killed in the surprise attack.

Mr. Conter was a quartermaster, standing on the main deck of the Arizona as Japanese planes flew overhead at 7:55 a.m. on Dec. 7 that year. Sailors were just beginning to hoist colors or raise the flag when the assault began.

Mr. Conter recalled how one bomb penetrated steel decks 13 minutes into the battle and set off more than 1 million pounds of gunpowder stored below.

The explosion lifted the battleship 30 to 40 feet out of the water, he said during a 2008 oral history interview stored at the Library of Congress. Everything was on fire from the mainmast forward, he said.

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The have the old girl up on blocks for the first time since the 1990's

New Jersey in dry dock, they are doing tours over the next few months, you lucky bastages
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Not mine UB.

So, my Naval Gunfire Support for a Battleship was in SoCal before DS, early 1988 after I got back from my second cruise...off of San Clemente Island, which is still a live fire range.

https://cnrsw.cnic.navy.mil/Installations/NAVBASE-Coronado/About/Installations/Naval-Auxiliary-Landing-Field-San-Clemente-Island/

I rehearsed the event like I was going on Broadway. I was, as the saying goes, sweating like an alcoholic on the second day of rehab the day of the NGS mission.

The coolest thing I have every said in thousands of hours of helo time was, "Fire for Effect" for a f'ing Battleship after two salvos: It was glorious.

To the Gulf.

First time was the escorting of re-flagged Kuwaiti tankers, Ernest Will, a complete Goat Rope. If they had, the Iranian's, any sense or capability, it would have gone much worse. It was embarrassing.

I was on a Frigate and the Captains Gig was a diesel powered nightmare that had a top speed of about 10 knots.

The Iranians were on rib boats and Whalers with many times that speed. At anchor in before we went through the Straits of Hormuz, it looked like Spring Break on Lake Havasu with white robes.

We fixed that. It was very interesting to see the quick evolution.

For the Gulf War Part Uno, I was the Air Boss on the USS La Salle, the command ship for COMIDEASTFOR. In that capacity I helped managed the "Desert Ducks" of HC-2 and flew with them when the La Salle was in port.

All logistics stuff, a$$ and trash and a lot of fun. The DD's knew how to party. We flew everybody around: News dweebs, celebs, etc.

As an SH-60B guy, Plank Owner in the first SH-60B squadron, flying the H-3's that the DD's flew was like leaving F-1 for dirt track night in Placerville in Bubbas Ford: a bit of a performance difference:) Fun, but different.

The mighty-mighty:

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That is the aircraft I landed on the Battleships with. No NGS at all. Pony and parts.

I did ride into port in Kuwait on a Kuwaiti fast boat the day Iraqi's were booted.

So, again, there are folks here that I admire because they know what I don't. I never pretend to be anything other than fortunate in my minor dust-ups.

I forgot: We did get bounced by fast boats headed back to Manama after Kuwait fell, near mid-night.

My good buddy, Mr. Bird, was on the conn, a former Vietnam era brown water sailor, then a Warrant Officer.

WO Bird called GQ and directed fire like he knew what he was doing, because, well he did.

It did not go well for the fast boats. I can still see it.

49 combat missions in WWII alone and another 76 in Korea!!!

Still looks great and has a very sharp mind!

THANK YOU and God Bless Colonel Peterburs!

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My father was on the USS Wisconsin BB64 during WWII, sister ship to the New Jersey. He was a 1st class machinist mate,and certified underwater welder. Never said much about his tour of duty..

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From my Dad First Marine Division served in the Pacific theater. Engineer. His only story to me about his service was his pride in rebuilding the airfield at Iwo Jima for the Marines to attack the Japanese

Dirt track night in Hangtown is a hell of a party, just saying