Battleships and cruisers are always impressive to me. I like these two "sisters" - GNEISENAU and SCHARNHORST. Smaller than most battleships, they ran with a maximum speed of 31.3 knots and carried 9 main guns with a calibre of 28 cm (11 inch).
Vice-President of the BOC (Barmy OFFers Club) Member of the 'Albatros Aviators Club' - "We know how to die with Style!"
Look at all those AA guns on the Ticonderoga! And the 3.5" guns were firing the proximity fuse invented in England and developed and made in their thousands in the USA. I don't think the Japanese ever figured out why so many of their Kamikazes were shot down long before reaching their targets. Of course they didn't get much in the way of first-hand reports
The fuses were also responsible for so many V1 flying bombs being shot down by AA fire which would normally be very difficult against such a small and fast target.
The Yamato - the worlds biggest ever Kamikaze. Yet another battleship sunk by aircraft like the Prince of Wales and Repulse years before, though it took a bit of sinking it seems.
Olham, the Scharnhorst is probably my all time favorite battlecruiser of any time period. I built a model of her when I was around 12 and that's when the love affair started.
Member and provider of banjo music for the Illustrious BOC
Olham, the Scharnhorst is probably my all time favorite battlecruiser of any time period. I built a model of her when I was around 12 and that's when the love affair started.
Scharnhorst is the name of my cat. He's 18. His predecessor was Tirpitz who lived to 17. Before her came Bismarck who sadly was sunk at 4... Anyone sense a pattern here?
Olham......great vids about those old girls. What a time.... Thx for sharing
Originally Posted By: Banjoman
Olham, the Scharnhorst is probably my all time favorite battlecruiser of any time period. I built a model of her when I was around 12 and that's when the love affair started.
Ha, yeah, when it comes to war machines, the Germans can be quite sexy! I also had a model around that age - an AIRFIF 1:600 scale.
Originally Posted By: Buff1
Scharnhorst is the name of my cat. He's 18. His predecessor was Tirpitz who lived to 17. Before her came Bismarck who sadly was sunk at 4... Anyone sense a pattern here?
Seems your next cat will be named GNEISENAU ? Luckily, the cats didn't realise what names they had been given. Might have gone to their heads!
Vice-President of the BOC (Barmy OFFers Club) Member of the 'Albatros Aviators Club' - "We know how to die with Style!"
I wonder what message those flags mean on the Scharnhorst? I see there is a seaplane on the turret at the rear. I believe they were an ARADO aircraft. I like the motor boat as well.
Joined: May 2012 Posts: 4,879RAF_Louvert
BOC President; Pilot Extraordinaire; Humble Man
RAF_Louvert
BOC President; Pilot Extraordinaire; Humble Man
Senior Member
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 4,879
L'Etoile du Nord
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Love the old battleships. I built a massive model of the USS Missouri back when I was about 10 or so, as I recall it was about three feet long and motorized. And speaking of old battleships, some of you may recall that about a year and half back I was fortunate enough to acquire this little item:
(right-click on image and open in new window to view it full size)
It is a carved wooden box from the SMS Kronprinz Wilhelm, the last of the König class battleships of the German Imperial Navy. Here is a photo of her shortly before she was scuttled in Scapa Flow in 1919:
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Three RFC Brass Hats were strolling down a street in London. Two walked into a bar, the third one ducked. _________________________________________________________________________
Former Cold War Warrior, USAF Security Service 1974-1978, E-4, Morse Systems Intercept, England, Europe, and points above. "pippy-pahpah-pippy pah-pip-pah"
Joined: May 2012 Posts: 4,879RAF_Louvert
BOC President; Pilot Extraordinaire; Humble Man
RAF_Louvert
BOC President; Pilot Extraordinaire; Humble Man
Senior Member
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 4,879
L'Etoile du Nord
.
Originally Posted By: JFM
Interesting tidbit about the first observer who operated from the front office of the B.E.9 : Lt. Herbert "Stumpy" Tillson, during one of his early flights in the bus and in an attempt to get the pilot's attention concerning another aeroplane coming in behind them, waved his arm and pointed rearwards. This temporary lapse in good judgement was never repeated by Tillson who thereafter had to learn how to sign his name with his left hand. Later in life he became quite successful selling items specifically designed for the cack-handed.
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Three RFC Brass Hats were strolling down a street in London. Two walked into a bar, the third one ducked. _________________________________________________________________________
Former Cold War Warrior, USAF Security Service 1974-1978, E-4, Morse Systems Intercept, England, Europe, and points above. "pippy-pahpah-pippy pah-pip-pah"