Heavy Metal

German battlecruiser SMS Derfflinger being broken up in 1946 still inverted after having been scuttled in June 1919

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A ship engine rusting away on a beach on Iwo Jima.

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This is on Iwo Jima as noted, but what's the context?

Aside: a tragic, heroic WW II battle and setting for this iconic pic on Mount Siribachi when Marines took the island after two months of brutal fighting:

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There is SO much out there about this particular battle, from both America's and Japan's perspective, during WW II. Iwo Jima was as terrifying/costly as any battle in human history before or since.

The following link puts the story if how this derelict engine got there in context. About 30 minutes of reading it you have interest/time.

The Concrete Ships of Iwo Jima

Cliff Notes.

After US captured Iwo Jima in 1945, they had to hold it of course and establish a base there. This link will put the whole battle for "Why Iwo Jima Anyway?" in context.

A whole infrastructure had to be built on the island and that task fell on the "Seabees", the Navy's construction/engineering battalions.

LSS, it was a very difficult job. And had to done fast (at the start, they didnt know about the Manhattan Project that would end the war earlier than planned).

In the grand construction plan, the first effort was to build a harbor to unload copious amounts of men and materiel necessary to do the job. There was NO infrastructure there to do that. Rough seas, weather, etc , were unforgiving too.

They wound up "scuttling" a lot of the specialized construction & supply ships to create "breakwaters" (artificial reefs). Literally tons of many of vessels -- what remains 80 years later at least -- are rusted-out hulks but still there.

This Japanese diesel engine among them.
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A heavy metall staple.

Many of these engines are here in this thread in one or more posts, but this vid distinguishes itself with its focus on SOUND. let alone, many of these designs are between 80 -100+ years old. Who thought of this stuff?

At your leisure/interest level. Longish at 25 mins, more fun if you can play it loud!

Aside: the 10 year-old kid STILL in me does NOT want to stand anywhere near some of these behemoths, let alone drive/ride in a vehicle (car or truck) with one IN it.

 
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