"Rookie Battleship" USS Williamsport, why is it called an improper naval battleship?
Introduction:
The United States is the world's leading naval power, and their navy is therefore called the world's number one navy. Since they began to show their strength in World War I, the Americans have basically taken over the position of the British in the naval battles of World War II. Their strong productivity has made both Japan and Germany impressed by their huge fleets. But even with such an elite U.S. Navy, there are actually some irregular warships in the fleet. The USS Williamsport is the most special "funny battleship" in the U.S. Navy.
The reason why it is known as the "funny battleship" is because It also benefited from the unique experience of the Williamsport. After the start of World War II, the United States quickly embarked on a rush to build projects. For a time, both destroyers and aircraft carriers were stepped up to build plans. Although the quality and quantity of warships are guaranteed, the United States cannot raise more crew members at once, which forces many rookie players to board the ships and drive them. The 125 people on board the Williamsport once made a huge joke with US President Roosevelt .
The USS Williamsport on the dock
1. The "Rookie Battleship" USS Williamsport
The year 1943 is destined to be very special in history. In this year, Japan sent troops to Philippines , and this year the Battle of Stalingrad was declared over. Americans on the other side of the ocean have completely realized that they are at a critical crossroads. The country needs more warships and tanks to protect its allies. Although the war weapons production line can be easily started, personnel training is not easy at all.
In fact, the navy has always been a luxury product in the history of war. It is known as the "hundred-year navy" in the military circles. In order to cultivate an excellent navy, we must have good military education and cultivate many directional talents in a targeted manner. These are very difficult for countries that are not major powers, and it is also not easy for countries with traditional maritime powers such as the United Kingdom and the United States. The Germans were smarter in betting their navy on submarines, but the Americans needed to build as many warships as possible because they needed to maintain shipping security in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
During this period, the U.S. Navy had no choice but to expand its recruitment targets, allowing new recruits to board the official battlefield one after another. In 1943, the Williamsport was officially commissioned, leaving only four months for training. Because they had to accompany Roosevelt to French North Africa before December, where a meeting of the four giants would be held. The four countries Russia, Britain, the United States, and China gathered together to discuss the future direction of the Allied war. On December 12, the battleship Iowa received an order that they needed to rush to the Chesapeake Bay immediately. It wasn't until a giant bathtub was hoisted onto the Iowa's deck that the crew realized someone big was about to board the ship.
The battleship USS Iowa
The USS Iowa maintained radio silence throughout the entire process and sailed out of the bay. Each of the officers and soldiers on the ship looked very nervous. After all, Roosevelt, the Secretary of State, the Chief of Staff, and a series of important officials were on board, and no one dared to make fun of the American brains. At this time, two escort carriers and three destroyers appeared together, and the Iowa quietly formed a huge formation. Among them was the USS Williamsport, which was to undertake anti-submarine duties because Roosevelt was uneasy about German submarines in the Atlantic. At this time, most people on the Williamsport didn't know where they were going, but they could tell from the faces of the senior officers on the ship that this mission was definitely not simple.
2. The rookie battleship that made frequent mistakes
Even when it was dispatched on a mission, the Williamsport was still training intensively on the deck. They had no time to rest at all, because the performance of these rookie crew members was not enough to ensure combat effectiveness. But the more you worry about something, the more likely it is to happen. In the first 48 hours of the fleet's trip, the Williamsport repeatedly became the focus of the fleet.
Fletcher-class destroyer design sketch
Of course, before that, we still need to understand the specific hard power level of this strange warship.In this way, in the next ridiculous incident, you will feel that their operations are indeed very unreasonable. The USS Williamsport belongs to the " Fletcher " class destroyer. In fact, the Americans have a very simple positioning of it. Speed, air defense, and mine clearance constitute its three main tasks. Many of the sister battleships of the USS Williamsport are low-key battleships that have made great military achievements, but the existence of the USS Williamsport is relatively special.
Power system:
Destroyers have different power requirements from cruisers and battleships . Basically, they are required to have long endurance and efficient power. The original goal of building a Fletcher-class destroyer is to require it to be able to catch up with fast-moving main battleships and aircraft carriers. Such target requirements require that their speed must reach more than 38 knots, and the power standard must be more powerful.
high-performance steam engines (2) and oil-fired boilers (4) allow their main engine output power to reach 60,000 horsepower, and the basic normal speed can be at the level of 37 knots. Moreover, most destroyers have to adapt to the task of individual combat mine clearance, so American designers specially made some small changes in the design, adopting an independent and staggered arrangement of engine rooms and boiler rooms. With this design, even if the opponent hits a separate power system, the destroyer can still quickly escape the battlefield at full power.
Weapon system:
The weapon system of destroyers has always been relatively simple, and they have not used too many powerful weapon systems. But in fact we can see that the weapons and equipment on the Fletcher-class destroyers are still very powerful. The most important thing is of course their main gun weapon system. The 127mm high and flat dual-purpose naval guns (5 guns) can fully combat the enemy in all directions. And their rate of fire can reach 24-30 rounds per minute.
The torpedo device on the German submarine
In terms of secondary battery weapons, they paid more attention to preventing the threat of aircraft attack. In the draft design at the end of 1939, it was proposed to be equipped with four 12.7mm anti-aircraft cannons, and then additionally designed four 28mm cannons to form a high-speed, fast reloading and firing system. But even so, their secondary battery firepower systems are constantly being upgraded. It has been continuously improved from 12.7 to 20 mm and 40 mm. In fact, in the subsequent Pacific Naval War, the anti-air shooting performance indeed relied heavily on this secondary battery firing system.
3. Make trouble before the victory is achieved
Originally they hoped to reverse the ship and leave the port, but they did not fail to notice another destroyer behind them. This oversight caused the Williamsport's anchor to hit the opponent's supply storage compartment, and Captain Walter could only apologize hastily. Since the Williamsport was on a mission, Walter was able to easily join the formation without being troubled by the other party. But this is not bad, and Roosevelt will soon be disturbed by it. At that time, the fleet entered the waters where German submarines often appeared. Just as the entire fleet was tensing up, a huge explosion suddenly came from the waters.
Everyone realized that it was the sound of a torpedo, and all warships quickly entered a state of alert. Just when the warships were highly nervous, the Williamsport sent a signal to them, indicating that the explosion was a mistake caused by improper operation by its own crew. Since there was no insurance on the depth bomb, they could only drop it into the sea and detonate it. One wave after another, the Williamsport was in various situations, making the entire fleet very doubtful of their combat capabilities.
The crew of the USS Williamsport, which was patrolling the sea, disappeared, lost power, and suddenly fell behind. The fleet was very tired due to problems this time, and they had to wait for the USS Williamsport to solve its own troubles. But the Secretary of the Navy, General Ernest, who was on board the Iowa, had already made a fool of himself because of this unprofessional warship, causing great embarrassment in front of a group of dignitaries. The general was very angry, and the consequences were serious. He quickly warned Captain Walter that if their performance was still so bad, his career might come to an end.Walter quickly expressed his awakening and promised that he would lead the rookie battleship to change his mind, and would never let the U.S. Navy be looked down upon by politicians.
4. The "Assassination Behavior" of the Rookie Battleship
Captain Walter was very upset and believed that his repeated mistakes had caused him to lose all prestige in the fleet. This is not something to be proud of for Walter and the Williamsport. They need to quickly find opportunities to prove their careers. Soon a good opportunity came. General Walter and the Williamsport were very excited about it. Their chance to prove themselves finally came.
On December 14, the fleet successfully sailed through the danger zone and arrived in the relatively safe waters east of Bermuda. At this time, the captain of the USS Iowa became interested and hoped to use the super-powerful artillery system on the battleship to demonstrate the outstanding performance of the battleship's air defense capabilities. A row of weather balloons were released into the sky. Roosevelt witnessed the Iowa's shells accurately hitting the weather balloons. A group of dignitaries praised the strength of the federal navy. Captain Walter, who was 6,000 yards away, was very excited. He decided to show his strength with the torpedo technology that the Williamsport was good at.
William Porter's sister ship
However, when this order was given to the torpedo launchers, they made a big mistake in the coordinates and launch target. In order to ensure that the president and dignitaries could see its performance, the torpedo crew actually launched directly at the Iowa as the target. When the torpedo jumped out of the sea, Captain Walter realized that something was wrong. The Iowa turned and moved very slowly, and the torpedoes launched by the destroyers could severely damage the Iowa and kill it within a few minutes.
When Walter realized the problem and ordered the signalman to issue a warning message. The signalman actually hit the wrong signal twice, leaving the entire fleet confused. It was not until Captain Walter hurriedly activated the radio that the Iowa completely escaped the crisis. But this move was very wrong. According to the requirements of the entire fleet, they need to maintain absolute radio silence at sea. An inattentive radio signal could expose the entire fleet's information to the German submarine force. Fortunately, the Germans did not notice it, and the Roosevelt and the Iowa quickly escaped the disaster. But the problem of assassinating the president made them unable to continue escorting him.
Conclusion:
They then ordered to sail to the Bermuda Islands US military base, where the entire crew was charged with treason. Finally, when the Navy announced their punishment, it was Roosevelt himself who stopped and demanded that these reckless young men be given a lighter sentence. But in the following time, the Williamsport was basically excluded from major military projects. They could only serve as spectators in the most remote waters, and were not gradually used until the later stages of the Pacific Naval War. But their final fate was not so lucky. The Williamsport was blown up by a sudden Japanese plane. Under the self-destruction attack, its absurd life ended hastily. And the joke "Don't shoot, I'm a Republican" accompanies every crew member serving on the USS Williamsport. (Roosevelt was the leader of the Democratic Party)
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