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May 22nd Photos Page |
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Today was another one of those Red Letter Days in my book! As part of a group of five volunteers from the Battleship I went to the former Philadelphia Navy Yard on a parts raid, it doesn't get much better than that in my world! There were four ships made available during the one week raid period, on this day we went onboard three. They were the Amphibious Assault Carrier USS Saipan, the cruiser USS Yorktown and the Destroyer USS O'Bannon. Going on three ships in one day (which translates to about 6 hours when you factor in lunch and traveling around from ship to ship) was exhausting, but I had a blast. Plus, most importantly, we brought back many useable items which will be able to be put to use on the Battleship. There is a chance we will get to go again later in the year, I hope that comes to pass. Hope you enjoy the photos below, it was a great day for sure! |
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| Four
decommissioned warships in the basin just inside the entrance to the former Philadelphia Navy Yard. The cruiser on the left is the USS Ticonderoga. |
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| When
I parked in the parking lot to report in, I parked right next to
the USS Ticonderoga. She's been here for a while and hasn't been opened for ship raids, not sure if she is on hold to be offered as a museum or not. |
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| Shot
of the Flight Deck of the USS Saipan a small, relatively speaking anyway, Amphibious Assault Carrier. We spent the morning on this ship scavenging for brass covers and plates and other items we needed. |
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| Sailor
art in one of the bays below decks on the USS Saipan. Very unusual layout below decks, lots of ramps and areas to store and maintain the small marine amphibious vehicles the ship carried. |
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| Shot
from on top of the Island on the USS Saipan looking aft across the flight deck. |
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| Shot
from on top of the Island on the USS Saipan looking forward across the flight deck. |
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real treat of the visit was that the USS Saipan was tied up right next to the USS John F. Kennedy. It was an interesting comparison seeing them tied up side-by-side, both are huge in their own rights, but the Kennedy was enormous! I wish we could have had the chance to go onboard her, but alas all we could do was take photos from the Island of the USS Saipan. The next two photos are other views of Big John. |
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| Straight on shot of the Island of ole Number 67. |
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| Shot looking forward at the flight deck of the Kennedy, huge! |
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| We
found a pair of salute guns on top of the Island of the USS Saipan and so we just had to take this picture of dueling salute guns... |
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| One
of the raiders cut his finger and first aid had to be administered. He says it hurts right there, hit him up with a band-aid quick! This shot was taken on the main bridge of the USS Saipan. |
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| After
spending the morning on the USS Saipan we broke for lunch. As
I walked back to my car I snapped this shot looking straight on at the bow of the USS John F. Kennedy, quite an impressive sight! Note one anchor is missing, I saw it up on the flight deck, it may have been removed to facilitate towing back from Florida. |
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| After
lunch we went onboard the cruiser USS Yorktown and Destroyer USS O'Bannon. We had a total of 2 1/2 hours to go through both ships so we were pressed for time. I did take other photos but decided since many of them were in sensitive areas that it wouldn't be appropriate to post them here. This photo was taken in one of the Engine Rooms of the USS O'Bannon, I believe it is a power generating control panel, somewhat similar to those we have on the New Jersey. |
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| This
is a destroyer in the yard that is getting a fresh coat of paint from the top down. I believe she is the USS Charles Adams and I think she is up for donation as a museum, but I don't have any more details. |
