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The Drydock - Episode 274
🕑 Added 2023-11-24 18:00:07 +0000 UTC00:00:00 - Intro
00:00:47 - Who, if anyone, saluted USS Johnston as she sank?
00:10:37 - Was Gneisenau's fatal damage due to unusual dockyard practices?
00:16:12 - How did mail work in the Age of Sail at great distances?
00:22:14 - Of all the "real" personalities from the age of sail, who has been done the worst by fiction?
00:26:23 - Effects of Admiral Anson taking command of the Channel Fleet in 1758?
00:29:58 - Modern US carriers have essentially two commanding officers, the captain of the ship and the captain of the air group. This was implemented in 1983 but given that ideas like this are usually kicked around for a number of years before they're actually implemented, does the concept show up at any point during the covered time period?
00:31:53 - Considering the connection between Ross Winans and Russia, is there any evidence that Winans influenced the designs of Andrei Popov?
00:33:56 - How close would have the Battle of the Nile have been if the French had been warned, had put to sea and been fully prepared?
00:38:29 - Why were heavy cruisers or transports sometimes chosen as flagship when more powerful ships were available?
00:43:42 - Was it more technical reasons or aesthetic reasons that some countries would prefer certain types of turret layout for there cruisers and battleships, with some exceptions in each navy of course? ie triples for the USN, quads for France and twins for IJN and RN.
00:52:49 - What did the Italy and Germany think of Japan?
00:55:53 - At what point did the world's navies determine the need to equip their warships with Anti-Aircraft armament, and what was the first ship class you know of to be designed from the start with a dedicated AA armament?
00:58:28 - Captain Langsdorff of the Graf Spee seems to have been remembered by history as an honorable man, is this reputation deserved?
01:02:07 - Not including "Anchor turning", what is your least favourite naval trope in fiction?
01:04:56 - Did the USN plan anything like HMS Vanguard?
01:08:49 - Have anchors ever played a part during combat?
01:11:08 - Could Wasp have been refitted with better TDS?
01:14:58 - As far as I can tell, it seems the only distinct differences between a Light and Heavy Cruiser per the treaties are Displacement, Armor and Gun size, could you give us more detail?
01:21:10 - What was the first true naval starshell developed and in what historical engagement were starshells first used?
01:23:29 - Did the Swedish have German-build 283 mm guns before The Sverige or did they bought machinery from Germany?
01:26:36 - Unrestricted warfare in the North Sea in 1914?
01:34:52 - Fake enrollements on RN ships in the Age of Sail?
01:41:14 - How did designers check for the ergonomics of turrets?
01:46:25 - Catwalks around the stern?
01:49:53 - Is there any evidence that the Admiral Troubridge court-martial was influenced by the events of the Battle of Coronel?
01:55:02 - The Blue Riband?
01:59:38 - Compared to technology, how important was crew skill?
02:05:42 - Ships libraries in WW2?
02:11:11 - Book recommendations to study naval history?
02:16:35 - Did two masted "post-ships" ever exist, such as a big 20 gun brig?
02:19:39 - Alternate pre-WW1 German Naval strength?
02:25:52 - Assuming you gave the firing ship aimbot, but it was still forced to shoot under reasonable battle ranges and the shell still obeys all laws of physics, what's the smallest caliber gun that could one-shot a WWII dreadnought a la Hood?
02:31:31 - Were British battleships a lot more inefficient in fuel burning than their US counterparts?
02:36:39 - I have heard you mention several times the problems with the Royal navy and making 16" guns for the Lion Class Battleships. What problems did they have? Could the British have used Nelson's 16 inch guns?
02:41:17 - We all know about the "Funnies" developed by the British to support the Normandy landings. Did the British, or anyone else, try to develop "Funnies" for ship to ship encounters, successful or not?
02:44:50 - How many funnels did a P class cruiser have?
02:47:23 - What was the cost to build, maintain and equip a capital ship?
02:52:21 - What is the most over-the-top, cliché, stereotypically "Warhammer 40K" thing a ship's crew has done during World War 2, and what was it?
02:54:42 - What was the most important and/or influential (your choice) technological development for pre-gunpowder naval warfare, and how long did it stick around?
02:58:04 - So, the Casablanca class escort carrier were less than 10,000 ton standard displacement. Was there anything in their basic design that couldn't have been built in the 1920s?
Comments
Allen Parmet
At 2:29 there is a discussion of a possible agreement between England and Germany regarding naval strength. While the possibility is dismissed, such a discussion actually did occur. In 1912, Germany was distressed by the multiple near-misses at a general European war, began to actually consider trying to repair relations with Britain, Russia and even to a degree with France. Ham-fisted as usual, these all failed. But it did lead to a discussion with England regarding overseas colonies and the naval arms race. The British Secretary of State for War, Richard Haldane, fluent in German, was sent to Berlin in February 1912 to discuss such an agreement. England agreed to transfer control to Germany of the Portuguese colonies in Africa (this completely without consulting England’s oldest ally) in return for Germany freezing its naval construction program and formally accepting British naval superiority. Winston Churchill offered a “naval holiday” in dreadnought construction. Ultimately the deal hung up on the German insistence that England guarantee to remain neutral in the event of a European war, which would betray the entente with France and the treaty creating Belgium. (Margaret MacMillan, The War That Ended Peace: The Road to 1914, Chapter 17.)
Andrew Dederer
The provision of ship's libraries would have gotten a big boost during WWII due to the Armed forces editions (VERY cheaply made, stapled and printed long ways horizontal) which were widely issued from about 1943 onwards. They were especially designed to fit a soldier's utility pocket and were printed and issued in barrels of 26 different books at a time. There was a parallel British program on a rather smaller scale (despite Penguin introducing paperbacks just before the war, paper shortages bit the UK publishers HARD). The US paperback industry (as opposed to "pulp" magazines) grew out of this (helped by recruiting a lot of recreational readers during the war).
