Saturday, October 17, 2009

Bits 'O History: A Tale of Two Ships: Mighty Mo to Drydock-- Remembering the HMS Royal Oak

Some New News About Old Stuff.


1. MIGHTY MO TO DRYDOCK-- The 887 foot long, 54,889 ton battleship USS Missouri was moved 2 miles away to Drydock No. 4 where it will be sandblasted and painted over the course of the next two months. The $18 million cost will also include removing and replacing rusted metal.

Over 50 million gallons of water will be pumped out of the drydock and the ship will rest on 310 4-ton wooden blocks during the repairs.

The ship mis now a World War II Memorial and is run by the USS Missouri Memorial Association.



2. REMEMBERING THE HMS ROYAL OAK-- Observances were held in the United Kingdom to honor the British battleship Royal Oak which was sunk in Scapa Flow October 14, 1939.

Scapa Flow was the anchorage of the British fleet and thought to be safe until the German U-boat-47 slipped in and sank the Royal Oak. It sank within minutes, killing 883 crew members, 100 of them referred to as the "boy sailors" as they were between 14 and 18 years of age.

The wreck has been declared an official maritime grave.

Two Great Ships. --Cooter

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