The Battleship Massachusetts

[Rogeee]

Has anyone here visited the battleship Massachusetts ?

I'm trying to gather some info on the sleeping accomodations, this friday me,my boy and 65 other Boy Scouts are heading up there for a camp out, we are all set to go but I have heard some rumblings amongst the other BS leaders about the uncomfortable sleeping conditions, specifically the hanging/swinging bunks.I do not want to wake up with a sore back again


Has anyone here slept overnight on any of the Battleships here in the US ?


Battleship Massachussetts

 

[Scouzer]

I cannot imagine sleeping on a 60 year old battleship would count as a 5 star hotel.

 

[BHeemsoth]

I went there for campouts a couple of times with my Boy Scout troop from Long Island.

When I was real young, it was a lot of fun, although some of my fellow scouts got very bored with the trip quickly.

You might want to bring a thin mattress to put over the bunk, I believe many people did that.

Brian

 

[arcenite]

Originally posted by: Scouzer
I cannot imagine sleeping on a 60 year old battleship would count as a 5 star hotel.

 

[CVSiN]

Originally posted by: crustyoldman
Has anyone here visited the battleship Massachusetts ?

I'm trying to gather some info on the sleeping accomodations, this friday me,my boy and 65 other Boy Scouts are heading up there for a camp out, we are all set to go but I have heard some rumblings amongst the other BS leaders about the uncomfortable sleeping conditions, specifically the hanging/swinging bunks.I do not want to wake up with a sore back again


Has anyone here slept overnight on any of the Battleships here in the US ?


Battleship Massachussetts

haha your back is gonna be in for a rough time..
navy matresses are exactly like jail matresses.. thin and non existant.
yes you will either have a hanging bunk.. or what we called a coffin bunk..

coffin bunks are 3 high and about 20 or so inches clearance to the bunk above you..low bunk is at floor level.. middle bunk at waist level and top bunk at shoulder level..

in other words DONT SIT UP or WACK head trauma lol...


pain in the ass..

I spent alot of time in those bunks.. you get used to it =p
hope your not claustrphobic..

 

[Rogeee]

Thanks for the info CVSiN, I'm going to go find my foam sleeping pad to stick under my sleeping bag, hopefully I will be able to walk in the straight up postition the next day

 

[purepolly]

Thanks for posting the link. One of my favorite scenes is going over the Braga bridge towards FR in the morning. Now I know I have to make a reverse trip at sunset.

 

[Linflas]

Originally posted by: CVSiN

Originally posted by: crustyoldman
Has anyone here visited the battleship Massachusetts ?

I'm trying to gather some info on the sleeping accomodations, this friday me,my boy and 65 other Boy Scouts are heading up there for a camp out, we are all set to go but I have heard some rumblings amongst the other BS leaders about the uncomfortable sleeping conditions, specifically the hanging/swinging bunks.I do not want to wake up with a sore back again


Has anyone here slept overnight on any of the Battleships here in the US ?


Battleship Massachussetts

haha your back is gonna be in for a rough time..
navy matresses are exactly like jail matresses.. thin and non existant.
yes you will either have a hanging bunk.. or what we called a coffin bunk..

coffin bunks are 3 high and about 20 or so inches clearance to the bunk above you..low bunk is at floor level.. middle bunk at waist level and top bunk at shoulder level..

in other words DONT SIT UP or WACK head trauma lol...


pain in the ass..

I spent alot of time in those bunks.. you get used to it =p
hope your not claustrphobic..

Top bunk FTW. I had a nice little setup in my compartment by having a top bunk.

 

[Rogeee]

Top bunk FTW. I had a nice little setup in my compartment by having a top bunk.

I was planning on a top bunk anyways, I don't want a free shower in the middle of the night from a Boy Scout who drank tooo much soda before hitting the sack !

 

[CVSiN]

[/quote]

Top bunk FTW. I had a nice little setup in my compartment by having a top bunk. [/quote]

Yah I usually tried to get Tops as well..
no head bonkage...

but I was right under the 3 wire on a carrier... on the 03 level... LOL BOOM CRASH WEEEEEEEEEERRRRRR every 15 seconds LOL.. at least lower and middle are a little more insulated..

 

[Linflas]

Originally posted by: CVSiN

Top bunk FTW. I had a nice little setup in my compartment by having a top bunk. [/quote]

Yah I usually tried to get Tops as well..
no head bonkage...

but I was right under the 3 wire on a carrier... on the 03 level... LOL BOOM CRASH WEEEEEEEEEERRRRRR every 15 seconds LOL.. at least lower and middle are a little more insulated..
[/quote]

I was back by the round down so the worst noise was when they did full power maintenance turns on my ceiling. Recovery was noisy but not as bad as up where you were with the wires and machinery.

 

[crownjules]

Originally posted by: crustyoldman
Has anyone here visited the battleship Massachusetts ?

I'm trying to gather some info on the sleeping accomodations, this friday me,my boy and 65 other Boy Scouts are heading up there for a camp out, we are all set to go but I have heard some rumblings amongst the other BS leaders about the uncomfortable sleeping conditions, specifically the hanging/swinging bunks.I do not want to wake up with a sore back again


Has anyone here slept overnight on any of the Battleships here in the US ?


Battleship Massachussetts

I did this about 10 years ago when I was a boy scout. I had a blast. Yes, the sleeping conditions are cramped. It's a Navy ship. It's built for utility, not comfort. You have maybe a couple of inches of space between you and the cot above and they're made of canvas like material, from what I remember. I slept fine. Didn't hear too many complaints from my friends or leaders.

 

[40Hands]

65 boy scouts, sleeping accomodations, pain in the ass, sore back, "hopefully I will be able to walk in the straight up postition the next day"

:laugh:

(no offense intended but I couldn't stop thinking of the SP episode about gays in scouts)

 

[Accipiter22]

UMMM...from that website: "RADM ROBERT GIFFEN (1886-1962) Responsible for protecting American troop ships from French warships during the invasion of North Africa, Admiral Giffen chose to fly his flag from Massachusetts. "


I think they meant german warships

 

[CVSiN]

Originally posted by: Accipiter22
UMMM...from that website: "RADM ROBERT GIFFEN (1886-1962) Responsible for protecting American troop ships from French warships during the invasion of North Africa, Admiral Giffen chose to fly his flag from Massachusetts. "


I think they meant german warships

nope check your history books during that time the French were holding North Africa and they were not all that happy about us getting involved..
during that invasion it woulda been French ships.

Operation Torch was the Anglo-American invasion of French North Africa in World War II during the North African Campaign, started November 8, 1942.

The Soviet Union had pressed the United States and Britain to start operations in Europe, and open a second front to reduce the pressure of German forces on the Russian troops. While the American commanders favoured Operation Sledgehammer, landing in Occupied Europe as soon as possible, the British commanders believed such a course would end in disaster. An attack on French Northern Africa was proposed instead, which would clear the Axis from North Africa, improve Naval control of the Mediterranean and prepare an invasion of Southern Europe in 1943. American president Roosevelt suspected the African operation would rule out an invasion of Europe in 1943 but agreed to support Churchill.

The Allies planned an Anglo-American invasion of northwestern Africa ? Morocco and Algeria, territory nominally in the hands of Vichy French government. The French had around 60,000 soldiers in Morocco as well as coastal artillery, a handful of tanks and aircraft, with ten or so warships and 11 submarines at Casablanca. The Allies believed that the French forces would not fight, partly because of information supplied by American Consul Robert Daniel Murphy in Algiers. However they harboured suspicions that the French navy would bear a grudge over the British action at Mers-el-Kebir (near Oran) in 1940. An assessment of the sympathies of the French forces in North Africa was essential, and plans were made to secure their cooperation, rather than resistance. The Allies intended to advance rapidly eastwards into Tunisia and attack the German forces in the rear. General Dwight Eisenhower was given command of the operation, and set up his headquarters in Gibraltar.

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: Accipiter22
UMMM...from that website: "RADM ROBERT GIFFEN (1886-1962) Responsible for protecting American troop ships from French warships during the invasion of North Africa, Admiral Giffen chose to fly his flag from Massachusetts. "


I think they meant german warships

Nope, French. You need to brush up on your WWII History.

Dammit, CVSiN.

 

[Rogeee]

WooHoo, today's the big day, taking along my Digicam, will post pics when I get back

 

[CVSiN]

have fun!

 

[Rogeee]

Holy cripes oh mighty, those are some big damn guns on that Battleship :Q

My nephew and I had a grand time even though it poured two days straight, we crawled through every nook and cranny of that magnificant ship, I am truely awestruck at the armor that baby has, in places it is 17.5 inches thick of hardened steel, not plates stacked on top of each, solid hardened steel.
It burns 13,500 gal an hour of crude oil at 12 knots,45,000 gallons at full speed, the steam turbines generate 35,000 shaft horsepower each.

I will be posting pics as soon as I sign up for picsblllzzrd or such.

 

[spacejamz]

saw the Alabama down in Mobile (which is a sister ship of the Massachusetts) when I was a kid...

still want to trek on over to Pearl to check out the Missouri...

Iowa class BB > South Dakota Class (no offense meant though )...

 

[sindows]

I remember seeing a 14" shell at the Intrepid museum in NYC. It as friggin' huge and 16" is that much bigger. It must be amazing to see a battleship firing a broadside of salvos. Screw carriers, we need more battleships. They create a much better sense of power...not to mention, modern missles will probably just bounce off the armour...