Someone loves their girlfriend
Others are intoxicated by the mountains.
For the third, life is not sweet without a mug, Well, I fell in love with … battleships.
Ocean lords became
You are not the brainchild of darkness or light.
You are only strength. You are outside of morality.
Although not everyone realized this …
His Majesty's ship "Rhinaun"
Bets did not always come up
In your favor, oh lords of steel:
You were shredded at the smelter
And thrown into the enemy's captivity.
But also military talents
You have shown: preserved for centuries
Jutland's grand scale
And the Russian pain of Tsushima.
Again the war - and the soldiers are in the ranks.
Ready for World War II!
Richelieu! Duke of York! Yamato!
And Littorio! And Iowa!
They say luck for beginners!
Only God thought otherwise
And he said to the battleships dryly:
"You will not see luck in battles!"
Those who sweep away the hordes of the enemy ?!
And why do you disgrace this ?!
But with each other really, lords, You fought little in that war.
Fanfares are thundering in the motherland:
The Kriegsmarine - Sieg Heil to the Heroes!
Hood is finished in one blow!
Prince of Wells avoided the fight!
But the British didn't wait long
And for "Hood" they avenged quickly -
And Mont Blanc of melted steel
The Bismarck sinks under the water.
The British are eager for battles.
The pipes breathe ominously hot.
In the bluish gloom of the polar night
Duke of York is catching up with Scharnhorst …
Battle cruiser Scharnhorst. Killed in battle with the numerically superior forces of the British fleet (battle at North Cape, December 26, 1943)
Yes! The Yankees also distinguished themselves:
Wasn't wasted for the French
Shootout at Casablanca
Massachusetts with Jean Bar!
That's all. And others were drowned
The ubiquitous planes.
Those are the lucky ones. There were still others
Decommissioned from the fleet …
There are very few of you left
And even so it does not leave beautifully.
Why is that? - I ask God. -
So teasingly unfair ?!"
Museum Ship USS Alabama (Mobile, Alabama)
Battleships of the "South Dakota" type were shorter than the "Iowa" by 70 meters (the absence of a second echelon of the power plant, the speed was "only" 27 knots), but in practice they were not inferior to their formidable descendants, having comparable weapons and protection.
But the Lord gives no answer
Throwing a sly look from behind the clouds.
Okay, god, because I have it all
Give me only freedom, I will replay!
And still descendants will know
Noble lords of steel
And they will learn how
You died in battles!
How Richelieu and Roma got together
How the Missouri shot the Yamato
How, by the enmity of powers attracted, Fought "Tirpitz" and "King George the Fifth" …
Than at the pier to rust in obscurity, One per squadron proudly
Better to go out - that is more honor!
And in dreams I, lords of steel, With a boldly raised head, Gritting my teeth, squaring my shoulders, I have always prepared you for battle, Even though I know that the fight is not forever.
Duty and honor, lords, with a sleepy gesture
God took it away from you. It must be very!
Let's stand next - and we are capable
Slap Heaven!
Steel and flesh against God's will -
Our rates are negligible!
But, already drowning in pain, We will pass through the gates of Valhalla …
(c) Barrel
Hero Gallery:
Battleship Museum "North Caroline", (Wilmington, NC)
One of the first representatives of the “fast battleship” generation, which combined the performance characteristics of battle cruisers with the firepower and protection of battleships. All possible types of threats (including advanced protection against torpedoes) were taken into account in the design of the silent ships, and the battleships themselves of that period turned into real floating fortresses. Whose sinking was an extraordinary military operation, involving entire air armies and naval squadrons of the enemy.
American battleships enter Lingaen Bay, January 1945. Modernized Pennsylvania and Colorado are at the head of the column. A flurry of hot steel fell on the islands of Kwajelin, Saipan, Guam, Tinian, Markus, on the coast of Leyte and Lingaen gulfs, on the island of Okinawa, destroying fortifications, bases, airfields and ground communications of the Japanese.
The hero of the Jutland battle is the German battle cruiser Seydlitz. The ship was hit by 22 shells ranging in caliber from 305 to 381 mm and one torpedo from a British destroyer. Despite severe damage and 5329 tons of water penetrated into the hull (21% of the cruiser's standard displacement!), Seydlitz accomplished the impossible. Thanks to the professionalism of its commanders, the courage and resilience of the sailors, who did not sleep for four days after a hard battle, continuously keeping their ship afloat. Thanks to the selfless actions of the members of the machine team, who worked and died, standing up to the waist in boiling water, "Seydlitz" returned to base!
Battleship Colorado in New York, 1932
The conning tower of the battleship "Massachusetts" (type "South Dakota").
"On duty, I had to deal with many programs to increase the survivability of ships. In my personal belief, there is no more tenacious ship than a battleship."
- James O'Brien, Director of the Center for Fire Testing and Combat Damage Evaluation, US Department of Defense.
In 1919, the Japanese shocked the world by launching a ship with 16-inch guns (410 mm). The first-class battleship made the "Master of the Seas" itself grow out of envy, launching a new round of the naval arms race.
Battleship "Nagato" after a nuclear explosion (distance to the epicenter - 800 m). It will withstand the second test (an underwater explosion 650 meters from the side). Despite the absence of any struggle for its survivability, “Nagato” will live for four more days and slowly sink under water on July 29, 1946. In silence and loneliness, hiding in the darkness of the night from the eyes of arrogant enemies. As befits a real samurai!
Modern weaponry aboard the battleship Iowa. Armored launchers Mk.143 ABL for storing and launching Tomahawks. In the background - a six-barreled anti-aircraft gun "Falanx" with automatic targeting according to the built-in radar.
Boxes with "Axes"!
Battleship "New Jersey" on the Delaver River, today
