Hell, I'll just post everything.  Taken at the Battleship North Carolina in Wilmington last week.



Rudder control for the ship.  There are two rudders for the ship, hence two of these huge monster steering controls.



Another photo of the steering control



One of the many fuse panels in the fire control room.  Talk about a big honking computer!



I can't imagine sleeping like that.  Or the heat that they had to endure.  It was 104* outside last week when we visited the ship.  It had to be a good 130* deep inside the ship.  Without anything running.  I'd say a functioning ship would be a good 150* around the equator.



Kingfisher sea plane









I spent the entire tour in awe of the men that crewed her



An accounting of her kills

a really big rudder

The Titanic?

USS. NC?

More photos will be added once someone can tell me what the first photo depicts.  

The USS Wisconsin?

Quoted: USS. NC?

Yes, that is where the photos were taken.

Quoted: More photos will be added once someone can tell me what the first photo depicts.

Yee gads

I've been in plenty of decommissioned aircraft carriers, battleships and destroyers and this could be part of any of them.

I'll say the Battleship North Carolina but I have no idea.

Steam ram for an aircraft carrier catapult.

Second guess, piston for aircraft carrier arresting gear.

Quoted: Quoted: USS. NC? Yes, that is where the photos were taken.

I've been on that boat four or five times and it never fails to amaze me.
Love the gun turrets and the ammo magazines.

You must be an engineer, I'm missing the amazing part.

That's the very first Flux-Capacitor.

It looks like the Rudder actuator...................or it is Rosie O's vibro?

toilet on a boat

I think Cleatus had it in the first reply. It's steering gear.

That Vent piping makes me think of steam or something with moisture.

Looks like rudder steer gear.

Quoted: You must be an engineer, I'm missing the amazing part.

I guess it is one of those 'you have to be there' things.  The sheer size of that thing was amazing.

Neat pics.  Thanks for posting.

NorCal

it looks to be very well maintained.

Quoted: I think Cleatus had it in the first reply. It's steering gear.

Oh yeah...who's yer daddy...
...wait ...I'm not sure....

Quoted: it looks to be very well maintained.

I think it is still quite capable of running.  I doubt any of the guns would still fire though.  All of the smaller stuff on the decks was in really bad shape.

Battleship NC

Was the gator still there?

I went there probably 7-8 years ago and there was a gator there.

Neat pics. I should get back there next time I'm in MB.

Quoted: Was the gator still there? I went there probably 7-8 years ago and there was a gator there. Neat pics. I should get back there next time I'm in MB.

I read something somewhere about a gator, but didn't see one personally.

Wow, that's an impressive ship.  I took my 13 yo boy to see the USS Texas a couple of weeks ago.  It was impressive, but obviously an older ship compared to the USS NC.  We had a great time.  It was just me and him, no womenz to slow us down.  We from bow to stern, as high as we could and as low as we could.  No way I could have handled being on one of those things.  I'm too closterphobic.  

The heat really got to me.  I spent a good hour and a half below deck and damn near passed out just before I got to the room with the A/C on deck level.  Didn't help any that there were no working water fountains below deck and the little refreshment stand in the galley wasn't open.

Ended up sucking down 3 bottles of water when I got off the ship.

I say it's a bunch of metal and pipes and paint and stuff.

You mean THIS battleship I got to take a tour of it while in NC in April.......

What class of ship was the North Carolina?  I remember that the Alabama was a South Dakota class battleship, is this from the same class?

Ah, nevermind.  Namesake of her own class, the North Carolina.  Afterward were the South Dakota class (including Alabama) and then the Iowa class ( Missouri, New Jersey, Wisconsin and Iowa).

Awesome ships all.

Great pics. Thanks for sharing.

I'm proud to say my John Hancock is in "The Show Boat" visitor's log.

No pics of the Marine's 5" gun turrent?  How about the main Fire Control room?

I've toured it twice, unfortunately with people who were no where near as interested in it as I was.  Next time I'm going by myself.

Burley, those bunks (racks?  berths? I don't know what the squid word for "bed" is) really struck me too.  I believe those guys had to hot-bunk, too.  Just couldn't imagine, swaying back in forth in those things, everybody stinking and covered in oil, hot as hell, getting woke up every time somebody got in or out of your bunk assembly, for months on end...man that would have sucked.  My great-uncle was on the Alabama and my grand-father was on a destroyer in the North Atlantic-I wished they'd lived long enough to tell me about it.  I still have a couple of "orders of the day" sheets from the Alabama that my great-uncle brought home.  Someone, I guess my great-uncle, covered the back of one of the sheets with practice attempts at faking the signature of the officer that signed the orders-maybe he was trying to get a liberty pass "authorized."  

In the early 60’s I was one of the thousands of NC school kids that helped raise money to help bring her home by saving our pennies and lunch money (lots of pennies LOL)

I was also there with my parents and thousands of others watching from across the Cape Fear River as the tugboats pushed her into her permanent mooring.  While she was swinging into position she struck and sunk a floating restaurant that was docked on our side of the river. The gods of war gave her a well deserved last kill I guess. I'll never forget that day.

I've been back many times over the years to visit her. Most of the time with my children in tow.  They have fond memories of that grand old lady, as will my grandchildren some day.

If you are ever anywhere near Wilmington NC do yourself a favor and go see her. Standing on deck manning one of the 20mm AA guns or sitting in the gunners position on one of the 3in .50's never fails to give this old Marine chills.

Touring the ship and spending the rest of the weekend down on Front Street makes for a hell of a weekend outing.

Thanks for the tour Burley!

I love battleships. I've read several books about different ones and just can't get enough.

But sadly I've never been close to one to tour.

My goal would be to tour the USS Texas, USS North Carolina and an Iowa Class. I really love the Iowas. What beautiful ships they are.

When I was a smaller kid (than I am now) in the 1950s I lived in the Canal Zone. My dad use to take me down to where all those WWII battlewagons were mooerd and we'd explore them inside and out. This is a wonderfel post that brings back many memories of my navy brat days. Thank you!!!

Quoted: More photos will be added once someone can tell me what the first photo depicts.

Aft Steering.

I work at Cape Fear Community College in downtown Wilmington. I can see the USS North Carolina out my office window! Haven't been aboard the ship in awhile, but I did get over to that side of the river for the Blues Festival this past weekend. Everyone should try to get to the USS North Carolina at least once.

Good pics.

Quoted: In the early 60’s I was one of the thousands of NC school kids that helped raise money to help bring her home by saving our pennies and lunch money (lots of pennies LOL)

My Dad did the same thing when he was in school.  

I've visited the ship 3 times, and appreciated more each time.
Looks like it may have a new coat of paint since the last time I went?

Quoted: Quoted: it looks to be very well maintained. I think it is still quite capable of running.  I doubt any of the guns would still fire though.  All of the smaller stuff on the decks was in really bad shape. Battleship NC

It is settled in about 20 feet of mud, IIRC.

I always like visiting it.  That and the Yorktown at Charleston, SC.

We get aboard free during resident's day.

Is it hard to steer.... if the engine quits in a turn??

Bump

Quoted: Bump

Instead of bumping, how about addressing my anwer to your query.  You said you would post more pics if someone could tell you what the first one depicted.  I posted "aft steering".  Is that correct?

Quoted: Quoted: Bump Instead of bumping, how about addressing my anwer to your query.  You said you would post more pics if someone could tell you what the first one depicted.  I posted "aft steering".  Is that correct?

Yes.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Bump Instead of bumping, how about addressing my anwer to your query.  You said you would post more pics if someone could tell you what the first one depicted.  I posted "aft steering".  Is that correct? Yes.

I knew it was, having been an electrician aboard ship and having done work in aft steering, I just want more pics.

There were two battleships in the North Carolina class of battleships.   The North Carolina, BB55 and the Washington BB56.  My father served on the Washington from 1941, plank owner, until 1947.  The only voyage the ship ever took without him was when it was sent into motballs.  

We took my parents down to see the "Showboat" in 1980.  My 59 year old father became 19 again.  We had to feed out 1 year old son and he was pacing like a caged lion.  We told him to go ahead and take mom on board and we would catch up in a bit.  Had a great time with a personal tour guide who knew every nook and cranny of the ship.  He only got upset whe he saw that the North Carolina had two ice cream makes while the Washington had only one.  

BTW, the Washington was the only American battleship to sink an enemy battleship in WWII.  It happened in a night action during the Guadalcanal campaign. It was the first instance of radar controlled fire in a ship to ship engagement.  She sunk two ships that night.  For a time in 1942, the Washington and the Enterprise were the only two undamaged capital ships in the South Pacific.   The North Carolina did survive a torpedo attack.  She was struck, counter flooding was done to restore trim and she kept on going with no loss in speed.  

These are very tough ships.  In 1944 the battleship Indiana cut across the front of the Washington the Washington lost about 100 feet off her bow.  She sailed from New Caledonia to Pearl Harbor to Bremerton, WA with a temporary bow.  It took only 28 days to fit a whole new bow on her.  Some length was added to improve sea worhtiness so she wound up being longer than the North Carolina

There were only two ships made in the North Carolina class becasue they were made to the Washington Treaty limitations.  After the war started, larger ships could be made.  It was considered a bit of engineering genious to mount nine 16" guns on such a "small" platform.  
At one point the Washington was at sea for 22 straight months.  The North Carolina would have been two except for the torpedo damage.  


Sorry for the long ramble, but very few people know the contributions made by these two ships made.  The Washington was one of the most decorated ships of WWII.  A book about her was written in the 80's called "Battleship at War".   The Navy offered the State of Washington her namesake battleship in the early 60's.  The state declined and the ship was sold for scrap shortly after.   Part of her armor belt now is used in acontainment  room cfor a nuclear reactor at the Lawrence Livermore nuclear labs.  So I guess in a way she is still protecting her country.  

They don't make um like the used too