Warspite remembered

[goodboyladdie]

HMS Warspite should have been preserved as a memorial. Battle honours from Jutland to Normandy, the fact that she was part of the first class of 'fast' battleship and the "character" of a truly great warship should have marked her out for something more than scrapping. She didn't even go to the breakers quietly, breaking her tow and running herself aground.

Whoever made the decision deserves infamy.

Does anybody else have an opinion on this?

[Raverdave]

I do agree. However we are cannot keep ALL of the ships as the would be too high....................................if you really want to get wound up about something then how about the fact that Birkenhead (S?)naval museum is going to be closed....wait for it.....to make way for a housing project.[:@]

[goodboyladdie]

But if you were going to keep one, it should have been the grand old lady that had seen everything from the Dreadnaught age to the relegation of the battleship to support roles. Instead we have HMS Belfast (fine ship, but not the Warspite!) and recently HMS Cavalier. The US fleet of preserved warships is the third largest (possibly the second now) navy in the world and I dare say that with the possible exception of USS Missouri, none of them are as historically significant as HMS Warspte.

That is shock news about Birkenhead. Is that where the Warship Preservation Trust has HMS Plymouth?

[Raverdave]

Have a read of this thread:-

http://www.wmunderway.8m.com/cgi/yabb/Y ... 1137438905

[goodboyladdie]

Thanks very much for that. I will definitely put my name on the petition. If I win the £100,000,000 Euro Millions next week I'll sponsor them (it's a bit of an outside chance though!).

[KDonovan]

The US fleet of preserved warships is the third largest (possibly the second now) navy in the world and I dare say that with the possible exception of USS Missouri, none of them are as historically significant as HMS Warspte.

What about the USS New Jersey...most decorated ship in US history...thats gotta be up there with the Warspite....

but the US has its own sad tales of ships that should've been memorialized...like the USS Enterprise...IIRC that ship sunk more Japanese ships than any ship during WWII, yet now its probably part of some Chevy trucks driving around america.

[aletoledo]

What about the USS New Jersey...most decorated ship in US history...thats gotta be up there with the Warspite....

but the US has its own sad tales of ships that should've been memorialized...like the USS Enterprise...IIRC that ship sunk more Japanese ships than any ship during WWII, yet now its probably part of some Chevy trucks driving around america.

actually I think most naval scrap goes back into making more naval vessels. it has something to do with the quality of the steel used. therefore its kinda 'reborn'.

[Oldsweat]

Weren't Enterprise and Saratoga used as targets at the Bikini nuclear tests? I seem to recall seeing a National Geographic special on the ships there and believe they had footage taken from the flight deck,

[tsimmonds]

Sara and Independence were expended at Bikini. The Big E was turned into razor blades

[Nikademus]

I asked the curator/guide on board the HMS Warrior about Warspite's sad fate and his simple answer was at the time (just after WWII) noone had any thoughts about preserving such wartime relics...there were so many other more important concerns at the time....and besides which, there was no money for such things. had to admit, it cooled my passion a bit. Even in the "rich" US it can be very hard and expensive thing to preserve old warships. Enterprise of course is our dark mark as was the expending of Saratoga. Thank god we at least saved Texas....the world's only surviving dreadnought BB of her period. Remains my most fond warship visit.

[Miller]

Enterprise's scraping was a traversty, however Saratoga did little more than keep US dockyard workers in employment during most of WW2.

[Nikademus]

She was a unique piece of naval architecture.

[John 3rd]

I remember Admiral Halsey trying to help get the $$$ raised for Enterprise. What a terrible calamity! Cannot believe that there wasn't somebody who could save her. Instead, we save a bunch of BBs whose contribution was.....open for debate.....and get rid of a truly legendary vessel. Go figure!

[Nikademus]

well BB's are much sexier than carriers so i can't fault them for that.....still the big E should have been saved. I would also have liked the chance to explore Sara's battlecruiserish origins down in the off limits areas of the ship. [:D]

[John 3rd]

Nikadeomus,
Those are good thoughts. Sara/Lex were fabulous hybrids that served as historic testbeds for the future. Enterprise has PLENTY said about her.

When I was in Boston recently, I went aboard the Constitution and THAT was a near religious experience! Amazing to walk her deck, gun deck, and elsewhere. What a sense of history! The WWII Fletcher next to her was pretty cool as well.

[Nikademus]

Got a chance to visit the Constitution myself, along with the Massachussetts. People sure were shorter 200 years ago. [:D]

[Przemcio231]

Any way i think The Bikini Atoll test subjects lie there to this Day... so you just have to weait till radiation wear's out or buy yourself anit-rad diving suit and you can explore all those vessels underwater... i think they are not badly damaged[:D] the only WWII i explored is Polish DD "Blyskawica" docked at Gdynia Harbor[:)]

[bradfordkay]

Actually, you can go now to dive the Bikini Atoll fleet:

http://www.bikiniatoll.com/divetour.html

I forget whether it was on History Channel of Travel Channel that I first learned that people are now loowed to dive there.

[Ron Saueracker]

ORIGINAL: bradfordkay

Actually, you can go now to dive the Bikini Atoll fleet:

http://www.bikiniatoll.com/divetour.html

I forget whether it was on History Channel of Travel Channel that I first learned that people are now loowed to dive there.

Well, they allowed people to walk their decks immediately after the tests and used brooms to dust off soldiers watching the desert tests. I'd be a wee bit wary of diving Bikini.

Still pisses me off that countries had the arrogance to nuke somebody elses home to do these tests. Pretty screwy that western nations were so quick to do it too.

[AirGriff]

I just toured the North Carolina in Wilmington, NC. She served in every major action in the war from I think mid-'42 on and lost--get this--like 11 guys the whole time.

I think the Enterprise was sold in 1958. Miserable dogs.