Also have they solved the issue of the barrel for the railguns just straight up melting after like 2 shots yet or are they just hoping they'll figure it out by the time they start building them?

One of these is gonna be swarmed by destroyers and aircraft like a modern fucking Yamato.

I plan to touch more on this as further details are released, and I guess we'll see if they actually will be made. My instincts say they'll end up like the Constellations, but I guess time will tell.

#naval #maritime #USNavy #ships #history #news #maritimenews #navy

I'm not a defense analyst or naval architect, just a dear humble mariner, so I cannot offer a solution to what I see to be just another appeal to an egomaniacal oligarch's ego. Maybe we should just stick to "good enough" and build a lot of what we know already works and competes. All n all, above me

Those ships, not nearly as seemingly grandiose, had a slew of issues and could not stick to their budgets or timelines. This, I fear, will go a similar route, leaving the US still far behind in the naval arms race and the country more in debt. Once the US were naval pioneers. No more, it seems.

While the orange bellend naming a whole class of ships after himself and christening the fleet they'll belong to as the "Golden Fleet" is not shocking given his vanity, the decision to build these is. Recent attempts of fleet building, including the Constellation-class, have been dismal failures.

As I do not cover maritime disasters on this blog of mine, if any of you want to know more I cannot recommend "Maritime Horrors" or "Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs Podcast" enough. They cover the events masterfully. Go to YouTube n' give em a look.

#maritime #ships #GreatLakes #freighter #EdmundFitzgerald

I'll likely do a specific post on this vessel once there's more info. The official website has specs, but she just went out on her first voyage and I'd like to report how she fares after the fact.

#maritime #sailing #sailboat #boat #ship #maritimenews

I had a similar fit last year for Halloween. It's a fun costume. :D

I approve, mate. 👀

That's all I have today! The other, the River Queen, I'll do sometime this week, ideally, before I go out on my next hitch. Either way, thank you for stopping by and stay safe, shipmates!

#maritime #history #naval #usnavy #maritimehistory #ships #boats #navalhistory

Some work has been done since the early 2010s on scrapping her, but the turbulent nature of the Mississippi's river stage makes it difficult to do, as Inaugural is only easily reachable when river stages are low and the current slower, allowing us to see this beautiful bygone girl.

Having suffered damage to the hull, she started taking on water and listed over to her port side, then promptly sank. This is what remains of her, after over 30 years of being a victim to water and sun and neglect. Much of her superstructure is gone, but the hull mostly still intact surprisingly.

In 1993 St. Louis (and honestly everyone along the Mississippi River) suffered the Great Flood of 1993, one of 3 major floods in the last century and arguably the worst. During this catastrophe, the Inaugural broke loose at her moorings, drifted south, then grounded ashore.

She was stricken from the record in 1967, being sold to Missouri to be kept as a floating museum from 1968 onwards. Being only one of two remaining wartime vessels of her class, she was a popular attraction, even being designated a Historic Landmark. For 25 years she remained moored by the Arch.

She also swept mines after the battle to clear way for the potential US invasion, which of course never occurred. The war over, she sailed back to the mainland, arriving back home in early February of 1946. After the war, she was transferred to the Naval Reserve Fleet and kinda just...sat around.

She spent most of her war career doing patrols and escorts in the US-controlled Pacific waters and surrounding islands therein. She eventually found her way to Okinawa in May of 1945 and performed, again, patrols but also additionally anti-air duties. A job she was good at with her 4 Bofors 40mm.