Sunday, September 22, 2013

Australian battlecruiser HMAS Australia passing the swing bridge at Kantara, Suez Canal, April 29th 1919.

The only capital ship to ever serve with the Royal Australian Navy is on her way home after the Great War.
Class details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMAS_Australia_(1911)

French predreadnought battleship (ironclad) Marceau, Toulon, 1902.


Ship details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_ironclad_Marceau

Battleship USS Iowa off New York Naval Ship Yard, July 9th 1943.


Ship details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Iowa_(BB-61)

Royal Sovereign-class predreadnought battleship HMS Hood in 1905.

One of the last low-freeboard battleships. The walls of her central citadel are notably sloped.
Ship details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Hood_(1891)

German predreadnought battleship SMS Kaiser Barbarossa.


Ship details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMS_Kaiser_Barbarossa

Italian heavy cruiser Gorizia, La Spezia, August 5th 1933.


Ship details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_cruiser_Gorizia

Installing the guns on fourth turret of the Imperial Japanese Navy battleship Hyuga.


Ship details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_battleship_Hyūga

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Russian Imperial Navy coastal defence predreadnought battleships of the 3rd Baltic battleship division, early 1900s.

The three ships of the Admiral Ushakov class can be seen.
Class details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Admiral_Ushakov_class_coastal_defense_ship

French battleship Bretagne, Toulon, 1919.


Ship details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_battleship_Bretagne

Battleship USS Nevada in Port Phillip Bay (near Melbourne), Australia, July 23rd 1925.


Ship details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Nevada_(BB-36)

Austro-Hungarian battleship SMS Viribus Unitis in 1913.


Ship details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMS_Viribus_Unitis

Battlecruiser HMS Renown in Melbourne, May 1920.


Ship details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Renown_(1916)

German battlecruiser SMS Goeben.


Ship details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMS_Goeben

Italian predreadnought battleship Sardegna in 1890.


Ship details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_battleship_Sardegna

Friday, September 20, 2013

Brazilian battleship Minas Geraes, Bahia, 1942.

The prominent clock-like device near her topmast is a range clock. This device was used to communicate range (distance to target) between ships. Battleships preferably used to form a so-called battle line and fire broadsides at the enemy. Once one of them found the correct range (by straddling the enemy ship), she would indicate this distance on the clock-like display for others in the line to see and use (one hand meaning 10,000 yards, the other 1,000 yards). Bearing (direction towards target) was shown by compass-like markings on the sides of some turrets.

Example of bearing markers on the turrets of Queen Elizabeth: http://dennilfloss.blogspot.ca/2013/09/battleship-hms-queen-elizabeth-as-seen.html

Dreadnoughts used this visual method (with some officers training binoculars on the neighboring ships in a battle line to keep watch for this) before radio became the prevalent tool to transmit such information. Later still, radar provided each ship with both range and bearing.
Ship details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_battleship_Minas_Geraes

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Imperial Russian Navy predreadnought battleship Retvizan, Kronshtadt, summer 1902.


Ship details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_battleship_Retvizan

German battleship SMS Kaiser no later than 1915.


Although sometimes dated as 1916, the same photograph could be seen on a German World War I postcard, with one specimen for sale on Ebay said to be postmarked September 7th 1915.

Ship details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMS_Kaiser_(1911)

Imperial Japanese Navy battlecruiser Kirishima at Sasebo, Japan, December 21st 1915.


Ship details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_battleship_Kirishima

Light cruiser USS Birmingham passing a line to the tugboat Tooronga in Port Phillip Bay, Melbourne, November 8th 1945.

USS Birmingham is the ship that went alongside the stricken carrier USS Princeton on Oct 24, 1944 during the battle of Leyte Gulf to help fight fires and suffered extensive damage to her superstructure and considerable casualties (229 killed instantly, 400 wounded, and four men missing) when a large topside explosion shook the doomed carrier.
Ship details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Birmingham_(CL-62)

French semidreadnought battleship Diderot.


Ship details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_battleship_Diderot

Battleship HMS Warspite entering the Grand Harbour of Valletta, Malta, 1938.


Ship details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Warspite_(03)

Monday, September 16, 2013

Italian guided missile cruiser Giuseppe Garibaldi, Genoa, February 28th 1963.

With a markedly different appearance from her early days as a Condottieri class light cruiser.
Ship details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_cruiser_Giuseppe_Garibaldi_(1936)

Predreadnought battleship USS Oregon departing Seattle for Portland in 1925.

Where she will be moored on the Willamette River as a floating museum.
Ship details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Oregon_(BB-3)

Imperial Russian Navy predreadnought battleship Navarin in 1905.


Ship details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_battleship_Navarin

Loading the bow torpedo tube on the German battleship SMS König.


Ship details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMS_König

Cooks and kittie mascot aboard predreadnought battleship USS Maine in 1896.


Ship details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Maine_(ACR-1)

Battleship HMS Nelson. View of 'Queen Anne's Mansions' and the secondary armament.


Ship details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Nelson_(28)

Linois class French protected cruiser Galilée.