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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Anyone ever heard of "aircraft carriers" USS Wolverine and USS Sable? Before today, I hadn't.

The Sable was a side-wheel paddle boat no less.

They never saw combat duty.

They were "flat-tops", built 1942 from existing passenger ships, to train WW II naval aviators to take off from/land on the real thing.

Spent their war service lives in Lake Michigan near Chicago. Scrapped right after the war ended.

Stories at the links.

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After
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USS_Sable

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Before
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January 17th, 1991 – An UNARMED USAF EF-111 A Raven, crewed by Captain James A. Denton and Captain Brent D. Brandon most amazingly scored a kill against an enemy Iraqi Dassault Mirage F1EQ.

The EF-111 Raven, completely lacking any weaponry, managed to maneuver the hostile enemy fighter straight into the ground, making it the one and only F-111 to achieve the impressive distinction of an air-to-air victory over an enemy aircraft.
www.Sierrahotel.net

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Martin M-130 Flying Boat

Circa.1935. The Pan Am "China Clipper" was one.
One more note for historical context.

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Above photo at this link too. With the world (figuratively) watching, the pilot improvised and got this historic shot for the ages to mark the occasion.

It marked (in 2015) the 80th anniversary if the first commercial flight across the Pacific. This year will be 90th anniversary of course.


Excerpt from link:

"On Nov. 22, 1935, the China Clipper took off from Alameda for Manila. The journey would take 59 hours, and by the time the plane landed, a new era of air flight had begun.

The China Clipper was the first commercial flight across the Pacific, and the fanfare around it was incredible. O
ver 25,000 people came to watch its departure for the Philippines, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt bid the crew good luck on a radio broadcast.

Fully loaded with fuel, over 110,000 pieces of airmail, and its seven-man crew, the China Clipper struggled to clear the Bay Bridge on its inaugural transpacific flight on Nov. 22, 1935. At the last moment Capt. Edwin C. Musick, veered under the bridge cable and threaded through the tension wires.

By the time they reached the Golden Gate Bridge, also under construction (about 10 miles as the crow flies), the China Clipper had gained enough altitude to clear the south tower. The Martin M-130 made four overnight stops, Honolulu, Midway, then-Wake Island and Guam, before landing in Manila on Nov. 29.

A journey that normally took 15 days each way by steam ship now could be done in less than half the time.

The China Clipper became synonymous for glamour the next year, when the flight started taking on passengers.
Only the elite could afford a ticket, which cost $950 and included hotel accommodations at Pan Am hotels in Honolulu, Midway, Wake Island and Guam.

That's about $16,600 in today's (2015) money ... and it only covered the fare one-way."
 
One more note for historical context.

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Above photo at this link too. With the world (figuratively) watching, the pilot improvised and got this historic shot for the ages to mark the occasion.

It marked (in 2015) the 80th anniversary if the first commercial flight across the Pacific. This year will be 90th anniversary of course.


Excerpt from link:

"On Nov. 22, 1935, the China Clipper took off from Alameda for Manila. The journey would take 59 hours, and by the time the plane landed, a new era of air flight had begun.

The China Clipper was the first commercial flight across the Pacific, and the fanfare around it was incredible. O
ver 25,000 people came to watch its departure for the Philippines, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt bid the crew good luck on a radio broadcast.

Fully loaded with fuel, over 110,000 pieces of airmail, and its seven-man crew, the China Clipper struggled to clear the Bay Bridge on its inaugural transpacific flight on Nov. 22, 1935. At the last moment Capt. Edwin C. Musick, veered under the bridge cable and threaded through the tension wires.

By the time they reached the Golden Gate Bridge, also under construction (about 10 miles as the crow flies), the China Clipper had gained enough altitude to clear the south tower. The Martin M-130 made four overnight stops, Honolulu, Midway, then-Wake Island and Guam, before landing in Manila on Nov. 29.

A journey that normally took 15 days each way by steam ship now could be done in less than half the time.

The China Clipper became synonymous for glamour the next year, when the flight started taking on passengers.
Only the elite could afford a ticket, which cost $950 and included hotel accommodations at Pan Am hotels in Honolulu, Midway, Wake Island and Guam.

That's about $16,600 in today's (2015) money ... and it only covered the fare one-way."
Philippine Mars, the last flying Martin Mars flying boat had an engine failure and has returned to base.
It’s robbing 2 engines from the Hawaiian Mars (nearby) to finish flying to Arizona (Pima Air Museum is its destination).

MSN
 
Philippine Mars, the last flying Martin Mars flying boat had an engine failure and has returned to base.
It’s robbing 2 engines from the Hawaiian Mars (nearby) to finish flying to Arizona (Pima Air Museum is its destination).

MSN
"Somebody" here was on top of this historic craft already.

Hmm... who was that? :poke:

Heavy Metal
 
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