Museum ships

[Arrian]

True, but in fine American fashion, we acquired it...

-Arrian

[VetLegion]

Re: Museum ships

Originally posted by Lonestar
The question I have, I guess, is "why is it the United States has so many and other countries have so few?" The U.K., for example, has zero Battleships or aircraft carriers. I can understand why we would have more but come on...not that much more.

Thoughts?

A buddy of mine just came back from London, where he visited some big warship, perhaps not dreadnought size but still - big.

Swedes have lifted some old wreck from the bottom of the sea, at great expense, and it is a museum now.

Other countries simply either never had any big ships to show off, or found it too expensive to keep them afloat.

[Wezil]

We have one.

"HMCS Haida, a Tribal Class destroyer built in England, was commissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy in 1943, serving in many theatres of operation through the Second World War. After a post-war refit, Haida continued in service through Korean War and Cold War situations, until she was decommissioned in 1963. The ship was acquired by the Province of Ontario and moved to Ontario Place (Toronto) in 1971. The ship was designated as a National Historic Site of Canada in 1984 by the federal government, and ownership was transferred to Parks Canada in 2002. "

[Kropotkin]

In my hometown - Gothenburg, Sweden - we have quite a few. Most of them are smaller vessels like a lightvessel. A destroyer and a submarine the only military ones. That there's no larger ships than that shouldn't come as a suprise considering the lack of need for large modern navy vessels like air craft carriers and battleships for the defense of Sweden. No oil interests to consider, the US does that job for us. Then there's the reconstructed 18th century East Indiaman Götheborg that finished it's China-trip a few months ago.

The most well known museum ship of the world is of course the british HMS Belfast. The reason: the venue for the Pogues' second album's, "Rum, Sodomi and the Lash", release party.

[GePap]

I think more simple material consideration went into making this situation true. Most European navies that had any ships left after WW2 scrapped a lot not long after the war as Imperial duties shrank, so less ships were left to be museums. The US kept a lot of these capital ships in service much longer, as its need for a all oceans blue water Navy if anything increased during the cold war.

After all, all the Iowa class BB's stayed in service for a fair time afterwards, long enough for people to start thinking of them as historic giving some a reason to save them. Also, the US had made so many ships in WW2 that there were simply more of them to be saved at the end. Scrap yards can only go so fast.

[Patroklos]

We have one.

Canada has another in Halifax, a corvette, but I don't remembr the name.

In fact I don't remember very much of Halifax at all, except that it is the best liberty port of all time

[Wezil]

Originally posted by Patroklos


Canada has another in Halifax, a corvette, but I don't remembr the name.

This one:

[Nostromo]

The question I have, I guess, is "why is it the United States has so many and other countries have so few?" The U.K., for example, has zero Battleships or aircraft carriers. I can understand why we would have more but come on...not that much more.

Thoughts?

They sold them to us

[Grandpa Troll]

http://www.battleshipnc.com/index.html

This is the U S S North Carolina, dry docked in Wilmington North Carolina.

Very nice to take the tour if anyone ever gets by

[BeBMan]

I just want to mention that we also have a lot of museum buildings, probably because we're more of a land power than a naval one

[BlackCat]

Re: Re: Museum ships

Originally posted by VetLegion
Swedes have lifted some old wreck from the bottom of the sea, at great expense, and it is a museum now.

Yep, though you wonder why - it sank a mile in its maiden voyage when hit by a mild breeze

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasa_(ship)

Other countries simply either never had any big ships to show off, or found it too expensive to keep them afloat.

If it wasn't for those british warcriminals that stole our fleet we would have had material to save

Though, we have a couple - two frigates - Jylland and Peder Skram.

For those interested in sail ships, there are some juicy pics here : http://www.geocities.com/kp_diver/index12Jylland.html

[Dis]

I think it's because the British navy has always been bad ass up till ww2, and their peak was not in ww2 like the United States. Though you could argue why they don't keep some of their older ships (like we have the Constitution). And the other nations had crappy navies in ww2 compared to us

[BeBMan]

But they keep older ships, like the Victory.

And what happened to the Cutty Sark btw, has it been reconstructed after that fire?

[Kropotkin]

Re: Re: Re: Museum ships

Originally posted by BlackCat
Yep, though you wonder why - it sank a mile in its maiden voyage when hit by a mild breeze

Damn, imperialistic danish lies!!!




It was more of a moderate breeze...

[Dis]

oh and many countries probably lack the space for museums. . They just don't have the coastline the U.S. has. We even have some museums in inland cities such as Chicago, and I thought I hear sacramento was getting a bb. Is this true?

The land is better served for other purposes I'm sure.