Warbird Information Exchange

He's not a poster here, but Tom Creekmore, a 305th BG radio operator, has a birthday on December 7th. He'll be 91 this year, and still has quite a bit of spunk. Here he is at his 89th Birthday: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zy003yRpM0o

I know people who are a 1/4 of his age that claim to be singers that don't have a voice like his. "There I've Said it Again" was the first song he heard after the announcement on the tannoi at Chelveston that the war was over.

There were a number of men trapped inside the Oklahoma when she turned turtle, and a bunch made it to the engine room and were saved by cutting thru the hull near the shafts. I read a book written by one of those rescued. One thing that is interesting is the fact the main gun turrets are still in place, they are normally held in by gravity and when a Battleship founders like that the turrets fall out of the hull, look at the photos of the Bismark, no turrets.

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Matt Gunsch, A&P, IA, Warbird maint and restorations
Jack, You have Debauched my sloth !!!!!!
We tried voting with the Ballot box, When do we start voting from the Ammo box, and am I allowed only one vote ?
Check out the Ercoupe Discussion Group on facebook

i like everyone have never seen her being built, nor her modifications & post pearl harbor dismantling. i am perplexed why it took till 1983 to declassify the wreck photos.

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tom d. friedman - hey!!! those fokkers were messerschmitts!! * without ammunition, the usaf would be just another flying club!!! * better to have piece of mind than piece of tail!!

Oklahoma series is awesome!
On my first visit to PH in the early 80s I chatted with one of the docents at the visitors center--he wore LtCdr rank on his PH Survivors hat.
When I asked him to sign the book I had just purchased he flipped it open to a photo of the Oklahoma (afloat and underway) and said, "I'll sign this the way I was on that day----Seaman 2nd." The book is packed away and I can't recall his name off the top of my head.

My nephew was born on Dec. 7th.
His middle name is Philip; named after me, because my brother knew I was such a WWII buff.

Thanks brother,
Phil

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A man's got to know his limitations.

USS Nevada (One of the first to be PH ships to go back into action)


The Nevada (BB-36) making her way down the river from NY ship yard while being escorted by several tugs. c 1914


USS Nevada c 1925


Nevada (BB36) Port beam, underway with aircraft-launching platform on turret c 1920


Nevada (BB-36) is shown here circa 1917


November 1918 USS Nevada seen off Queenstown, Ireland.


formations of aircraft flying over U.S. Navy battleships during exercises at sea, circa late 1930's.


1936 photo of Battleship Row, Pearl Harbor


Passing through the Panama Canal after modernization c 1930's


USS Shaw exploding as the USS Nevada is attempting to make a run for open water.






USS Nevada temporarily beached on hospital point 925AM


At Pearl Harbor


Twisted wreck of a float plane on the USS Nevada


Refurbished & Refitted and ready for duty once again.

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“Knowing what’s right, doesn’t mean much unless you do what’s right.”

Another ship that survived Pearl Harbor and the rest of the war was the USS Phoenix,

The USS Phoenix passing the burning USS West Virginia and USS Arizona

The USS Phoenix went on to earn 11 Battle Stars for service in WWII

The USS Phoenix has the dubious distinction of being the only warship sunk in combat by a nuclear powered sub, except at the time of her sinking she was going by the name General Belgrano and was part of the Argentinian Navy

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Matt Gunsch, A&P, IA, Warbird maint and restorations
Jack, You have Debauched my sloth !!!!!!
We tried voting with the Ballot box, When do we start voting from the Ammo box, and am I allowed only one vote ?
Check out the Ercoupe Discussion Group on facebook

Fantastic pics! A couple of things that might be of interest to this group, and some (if not all) might know is that a major portion of superstructure and other parts removed from the Arizona and were unusable, are stored on a remote point of Oahu on the Pearl Harbor Base. I have seen several pics. It looks like scrap just laying in the weeds and bushes, but you can tell what you are looking at if you know about the Arizona. Also there was a movie called "This Is The Navy" with Jimmy Cagney that came out in the late 30's. A lot of scenes were filmed on the Arizona.

I had heard that as well, but also heard a conflicting rumor that those parts were cut up and disposed of. There is yet another rumor that one of Arizona's Kingfishers was stored along with the superstructure, etc. If they are truly extant, they should be incorporated into an adjoining memorial on Ford Island, don't you think?

found a few pics of the "stash".


2 pictures, about 2/3rd of the way down on this page. http://www.navsource.org/archives/01/39f.htm

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My pics http://www.tdlitwiller.com/

USS California
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_California_(BB-44)

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“Knowing what’s right, doesn’t mean much unless you do what’s right.”

Mark you have outdone yourself. Those are fantastic!! The birdcage masts almost look "primitive" compared to the tri-legged masts installed at a later date. In my opinion the tri-legged masts look much better and really make the ship look more modern. The California was certainly transformed into a totally different looking ship. Interesting that she still had the birdcage masts at the time of the attack. When the Oklahoma was pulled upright, her masts were gone. Were they broken off when she turned turtle? Would the masts still be stuck in the muck in the bottom of the harbor? Kind of too bad none of the Pearl Harbor battleships were not preserved except the Arizona of course.

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Ain't no sunshine when she's gone!

I have seen this scrap metal mentioned in documentaries. It has been said this metal was removed from the Arizona during construction of the memorial that we are all familiar with today. The metal removed from the ship in 1942 was I have been told, sent back to the US to be used in building the arsenal of democracy. The turrets were used as batteries for island defense. They never were fired in anger and were scrapped at the end of hostilities.

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Ain't no sunshine when she's gone!

USS West Virginia, Photo Source: Robert F. Walden collection.

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“Knowing what’s right, doesn’t mean much unless you do what’s right.”

It's hard to imagine how many man hours of very dirty manual labor were involved. Very item looks like it had to be freed up and moved by hand. It must have smelled very bad and everything had to be slimy & slippery. Even the people doing the laundry had a hard job there.
Hugh

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My father was a a/c armorer 7th aaf 318FG 73FS