Bob Seccombe's "Tennessee" 1903

[Bob S]

It is TENNESSEE. The upper superstructure just forward of the director in CALIFORNIA is just slightly different.

When I was at ED School in the Mare Island NSY in 1977, you could still find the lines for the shell expansion of CALIFORNIA on the floor of the mould loft. When the ship was launched, it did not have enough drag chain attached, and the hull kept right on going ... and stern buried itself in the mud on the Vallejo side of the channel. I'll bet the launch/dockmaster got yelled at for that one.

Resp'y,
Bob S.

[Emri]

An interesting side note. Just Tuesday after viewing this thread, a customer came in to ask about some repairs. He was wearing a T-shirt and ball cap with USS TENNESSEE on them. I asked if he served on the ship ( DUH ) and what his station was. He was a gunnery director in the foward director for the 5" guns. I plan to talk to him more when he brings the repair in for me. He is 87 years old. Said at a reunion in 1995 there were over 200 in attendance. The last reunion he went to there were 25. We are losing more and more every day. Talk to the ones you meet while you still can. They have some very interesting stories!

FWIW,

Emri

[Rick the Librarian]

It is TENNESSEE. The upper superstructure just forward of the director in CALIFORNIA is just slightly different.

Resp'y,
Bob S.

Bob's clarification reminds me of a story I heard about the exchange between a new officer of the Yorktown (CV10) and an enlisted man during the latter stages of the Pacific War. The officer asked the EM what the name of the battleship was that was coming alongside. The enlisted man said the New Jersey. The officer asked him how he could be sure it wasn't the New Jersey's sister ship, the Iowa. The enlisted man, with infinite patience said, "Sir, the New Jersey is one foot longer". The officer wisely let it drop at that.

As Emri, I ran into a older gentleman wearing a USS Lexington (CV2) ball cap. I asked him if he had taken a swim in the Coral Sea [The Lexington was sunk during the Battle of the Coral Sea in May, 1942]. He said he had. We chatted for a few minutes and he finally asked, "Were you on the Lexington, too? (I wasn't born until 1949!). Like the officer in the first story, I decided to quit while I was ahead!!