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IJN Battleships in the South Pacific

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  • Member since
    November 2005
IJN Battleships in the South Pacific
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, April 21, 2004 7:05 PM

Hey all,

I consider myself somewhat of a knowledgeable fella when it comes to WWII capital ships, but I know I need some help from the masters here.

Someone recently asked this question of me "Since Japanese battleships served in the South Pacific, where they air-conditioned?"

I don't know guys; can someone give me a leg up?

Danke,

Joe
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, April 22, 2004 2:39 AM
Hmm, Interesting!

I had an Uncle (now deceased) who served in the Royal Navy in the tropics, and he had some real horror stories about conditions below-decks when it got seriously hot, so I'd guess 'no'. But I'm guessin!

cheers! Andy.
  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: Tochigi, Japan
Posted by J-Hulk on Thursday, April 22, 2004 6:09 AM
Considering that a large percentage of Japanese elementary, junior high, and high schools aren't air conditioned even today, I'd have to guess no!
~Brian
  • Member since
    December 2003
  • From: 37deg 40.13' N 95deg 29.10'W
Posted by scottrc on Thursday, April 22, 2004 8:59 AM
Also, since most of them were built in the teens and twenties. There would not have been airconditioning. I was on the USS Texas last year and it tells the tale of AC on ships. The Texas only had AC in the radar room to keep the equipment cool and she got it in 1943. The day I visisted the Texas, it was 94 degrees and 99% humidity. I crawled into the #1 turret and it felt like crawling into an oven, I sat there are 5 minutes and lost 10 lbs of water.
Ships do have ventilation systems that allow air to move while underway, this makes the life bearable. However, when in port, or under general quarters, the ventilators would be shut down and secured making it very uncomfortable.
Kinda the same way in todays navy. I was on an aircraft carrier (Ranger), the only places that had AC were areas that had equipment that needed to keep cool. Sure the berths may had AC, but it would be broke down and be a low priority to fix. The engine room would get to be around 105 degrees on a cool day. And we cruised the South Pacific. I learned the true meaning of "sweatin swabbie". We wore coveralls and nothing underneath to allow air to circulate and try to keep cool. I have seen Japanese pictures of crewman wearing nothing but their sumo shorts, I would say these were the snipes that worked below decks and spent their time in extreme heat.

  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, April 22, 2004 11:39 AM
Yeah, I just did a report on the Battle of Samar (Taffy 3, etc), and the descriptions of the Japanese ships and the conditions aboard them, led me to firmly believe that there was no AC on them. (Yamato, Nagato, Kongo, Tone, Chikuma, etc, etc) Must have been hell. (I recommend that book Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors… if you like this stuff) Most of our ships didn't even have AC, 'cept the Essex-es and the newer fast battleships.

And Joe100, great call on the U.S.S. Alaska as the sexiest ship. I totally agree with you on that one.
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