My grandfather was chief fire control officer aboard the Ross. By her history, one of the most highly decorated DDs of WWII. She hit two mines there and was abandoned at 27° of list but was still afloat at dawn.
Towed to a floating drydock, it was sunk by kamikazes in the dock but recovered.
Being towed to San Diego for full repair and hedgehog retrofit, she was torpedoed and cut loose but refused to sink. She went on to see service in Korea as well.
Sal, you just keep knocking it out of the park on FBF, thanks so much for making this old Sonarman feel like a kid again! As a certified “Little Beaver” (from the Persian gulf days albeit) this just rocks!
There was buzz one was in the works about 10 years ago...
Given how much better the CGI is now (Masters of the Air was awesome because of it), perhaps the wait will be beneficial when/if one does get produced.
I for one look forward to learning the name of the Black female TBF pilot who disobeys her orders and leads her squadron off to find and sink the opposing Fleet (can't say Jap Fleet any longer)
reconsidering, she should fly a TBD. The are some extra TBFs in spares but the White CAG wants all the gender variable queer folk to fly TBDs, solving several emerging sub-plots. "It will be a teaching moment"
Absolutely fullbore. Grandpa Scoobs (the brown shoe) was an active participant in this minor skirmish, logging three strikes and about 15 hours of green ink against the IJN fleet. Flew on the first strike against the battleships in the Sibuyan Sea, escorted his crippled Skipper back to the carrier dodging crap weather and marauding fighters, watched the Skipper (USNA Class of 1935) ditch and go down with his aircraft, landed aboard the carrier and then got called up to flag country to brief VADM Mark Mitscher and his CoS (some guy named Arleigh Burke) on what he'd seen. He was up early the next morning flying wing on the new Skipper (USNA Class of 1940) on the first strike against the carriers off Cape Engano, bringing the hurt down on Zuikakau, last CV of the Pearl Harbor strikers. On their return flight they passed over the northbound battleships of TF 34 as they executed their 180 and headed south towards the fight off Samar. That afternoon he went back out and pounded a fleeing battleship that was putting up everything - including incendiary main battery AA shells - in response. In the aftermath he and his buddies received some appropriate gongs and then crossed decked to Enterprise CV-6 headed back to Pearl Harbor: http://www.emersonguys.com/bill/vb19.htm
Fast forward 70 years - I found myself aboard CVN LAST SHIP in Manila Bay when a major liberty / international incident elsewhere in the country got us kicked out port with orders to head for Guam. We made for San Bernadino Strait via the Sibuyan Sea, retracing the route of Admiral Kurita's force, on 24 October 2014 - exactly 70 years to the day after the battle. We transited San Bernadino Strait at night ended up in the waters off Samar shortly after dawn, just like the Japanese did - it was a spooky and incredibly emotional experience for me. The sad thing was nobody else on the ship caught the anniversary - I passed word to the OPS O & PAO that this was a perfect setup for a memorial service and wreath laying ceremony but was told there wasn't time - best they could do was note the anniversary on the air plan :-(
Remember as kids sometimes a teacher didn't feel like teaching?
"54 minutes of excellence…"
And put on a movie?
Edit: Almost twenty years on Battle 360 has aged well. Shame about both the Enterprise and the Cabot.
https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalhistoriclandmarks/uss-cabot.htm
Interesting that the Smithsonian has never tried to preserve a historic ship on the Potomac.
Was never lucky enough to get a movie like this.
I did not know about AAA dye markers!
Thanks for the tip. Maybe later, at 2X :)
My grandfather was chief fire control officer aboard the Ross. By her history, one of the most highly decorated DDs of WWII. She hit two mines there and was abandoned at 27° of list but was still afloat at dawn.
Towed to a floating drydock, it was sunk by kamikazes in the dock but recovered.
Being towed to San Diego for full repair and hedgehog retrofit, she was torpedoed and cut loose but refused to sink. She went on to see service in Korea as well.
back in the day when men were men and ships had guns, lots of beautiful guns :)
5 × 5 in (130 mm),
6 × 40 mm AA guns,
7 × 20 mm AA guns,
10 × 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes,
6 × depth charge projectors,
2 × depth charge tracks
Sadly, today she would have been lost because we don’t have organic towing and salvage capacity.
Sal, you just keep knocking it out of the park on FBF, thanks so much for making this old Sonarman feel like a kid again! As a certified “Little Beaver” (from the Persian gulf days albeit) this just rocks!
“Every type of action…”
You usually have to pay double for that mind of action, Cotton.
/not sorry
mind = kind
/still not sorry
Battle at Samar!
They deserve a Tennyson!
When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wondered.
Honour the charge they made!
Honour the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred!
I find it very strange that there has never been a TAFFY THREE movie.
There was buzz one was in the works about 10 years ago...
Given how much better the CGI is now (Masters of the Air was awesome because of it), perhaps the wait will be beneficial when/if one does get produced.
I for one look forward to learning the name of the Black female TBF pilot who disobeys her orders and leads her squadron off to find and sink the opposing Fleet (can't say Jap Fleet any longer)
lol
The opposing Fleet fighting Colonialism!
(oh wait...salt in some 'artistic license' here...)
reconsidering, she should fly a TBD. The are some extra TBFs in spares but the White CAG wants all the gender variable queer folk to fly TBDs, solving several emerging sub-plots. "It will be a teaching moment"
Re the anti air shell dye...
If you can find it, this book is worth picking up:
https://www.amazon.com/Naval-Anti-Aircraft-Gunnery-Norman-Friedman/dp/1591146046
Absolutely fullbore. Grandpa Scoobs (the brown shoe) was an active participant in this minor skirmish, logging three strikes and about 15 hours of green ink against the IJN fleet. Flew on the first strike against the battleships in the Sibuyan Sea, escorted his crippled Skipper back to the carrier dodging crap weather and marauding fighters, watched the Skipper (USNA Class of 1935) ditch and go down with his aircraft, landed aboard the carrier and then got called up to flag country to brief VADM Mark Mitscher and his CoS (some guy named Arleigh Burke) on what he'd seen. He was up early the next morning flying wing on the new Skipper (USNA Class of 1940) on the first strike against the carriers off Cape Engano, bringing the hurt down on Zuikakau, last CV of the Pearl Harbor strikers. On their return flight they passed over the northbound battleships of TF 34 as they executed their 180 and headed south towards the fight off Samar. That afternoon he went back out and pounded a fleeing battleship that was putting up everything - including incendiary main battery AA shells - in response. In the aftermath he and his buddies received some appropriate gongs and then crossed decked to Enterprise CV-6 headed back to Pearl Harbor: http://www.emersonguys.com/bill/vb19.htm
Fast forward 70 years - I found myself aboard CVN LAST SHIP in Manila Bay when a major liberty / international incident elsewhere in the country got us kicked out port with orders to head for Guam. We made for San Bernadino Strait via the Sibuyan Sea, retracing the route of Admiral Kurita's force, on 24 October 2014 - exactly 70 years to the day after the battle. We transited San Bernadino Strait at night ended up in the waters off Samar shortly after dawn, just like the Japanese did - it was a spooky and incredibly emotional experience for me. The sad thing was nobody else on the ship caught the anniversary - I passed word to the OPS O & PAO that this was a perfect setup for a memorial service and wreath laying ceremony but was told there wasn't time - best they could do was note the anniversary on the air plan :-(