HMS Hood (pennant number 51) was the last battlecruiser built for the Royal Navy. Commissioned in 1920, she was named after the 18th-century Admiral Samuel Hood. One of four Admiral-class battlecruisers ordered in mid-1916, Hood had design limitations, though her design was revised after the Battle of Jutland and improved while she was under construction.
“A water blaster when I turned ‘10’ 40 was a favorite.” He also got a surprise bar mitzvah for his 13th/52nd birthday.In fact, Balfour’s mother often said that while she was in labor, the nurses told her she had to wait until March 1 to deliver him.I often thought that my nickname, ‘Skip,’ was related to the skipping of birthdays.Ralph Balfour“She said that was not going to happen,” Balfour said. Leap day birthday deals.
Media captionRemembering HMS Hood's launch in Clydebank in 1918A ceremony has been held in Clydebank to mark the centenary of the launch of one of Britain's largest warships.The battlecruiser HMS Hood was launched at John Brown's shipyard in Clydebank on 22 August 1918.Until the commissioning of the, there had never been a bigger British warship than 'The Mighty Hood'.The ship was sunk in 1941 by the German battleship Bismarck, with the loss of all but three of the 1,418 crew. ClydebuiltThe laying of the keel for HMS Hood got under way at John Brown Shipyard in Clydebank on 1 September 1916 and it was launched two years later just before the end of World War One. Image captionThe Hood's magazines exploded, sinking the Royal Navy's largest vessel in just six minutesThis meant it had less armour than a battleship, particularly horizontal armour against plunging fire - shells coming down from on high at a long range.HMS Hood was struck by several German shells near its ammunition magazines which subsequently exploded, causing the ship to sink.It sparked a huge Royal Navy pursuit of the Bismarck, which was destroyed three days later.
More than 2,000 German sailors lost their lives.Rear Admiral Philip Wilcocks, the president of the HMS Hood Association, told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland: 'Hood was the largest ship in the Royal Navy until our two new aircraft carriers.' She was, in the inter-war years, the iconic figure for the Royal Navy, for the country, and in those days, for the Empire.' Image copyright The Sydney Morning Herald Image captionHMS Hood enters Fremantle, WA, as part of the Cruise of the Special Squadron in 1923Rear Admiral Wilcocks said the John Brown yard in Clydebank was accustomed to building big ships but when Hood was launched it was the biggest ever in the UK.He said Hood spent most of her time patrolling around the UK or in the Mediterranean.' But in 1923 she went around the world with the Special Service Squadron,' he said.' She went to South Africa, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, New Zealand, back across the Pacific to the United States.
From its humble beginnings on February 1, 1940 as the keel was laid at the Norfolk Navy Yard in Portsmouth, Virginia, Battleship USS ALABAMA (BB-60) has had a remarkable career. She began her World War II adventures in the North Atlantic in 1943, then later that year, went to the South Pacific seas. She ended up in Mobile, Alabama as a National Historic Landmark and memorial to millions.Home to a crew of 2,500 courageous Americans, this 45,000 ton war machine’s WWII adventure culminated with BB-60 leading the American Fleet into Tokyo Bay on September 5, 1945. Nine Battle Stars for meritorious service were awarded the “Mighty A” during her brief three year tenure as the “Heroine of the Pacific”. Most American warships end their useful life after wartime, but ALABAMA was destined to live another day. In May 1962, the Federal Government announced that BB-60 and others would be scrapped, but a forward-looking group of Mobilians and other Alabamians saw a bright future in the aging warship. They envisioned the ALABAMA as the anchor attraction of a Veterans Memorial Park to be located in Mobile.
That impossible dream came true on January 9, 1965 when USS ALABAMA Battleship Memorial Park opened to the public.More than fifteen million visitors later and a statewide economic impact approaching one billion dollars, the Park is easily the most recognizable symbol of the State of Alabama. Dedicated to all Alabama Citizens who have worn the uniform of all branches of the United States Armed Forces, the Park’s numerous artifacts, exhibits, and displays all point to the fact that the Park is America’s most unique military attraction. Come see for yourself. Sister Ships:MASSACHUSETTS, INDIANA, SOUTH DAKOTALaunched:16 February 1942Commissioned:16 August 1942Displacement:35,000 to 44,500 tonsLength:680 ftBeam:108 ft. 2 in.Height of truck light above keel:194 ft.Design Draft:33 ft. 8 in.Actual weight when fully loaded:42,500 tons.Speed:28 knotsRange:15,000 Nautical miles at 15 knotsCrew:2,500 crew members at the height of WWIIPower Plants:. Horsepower: 130,000 hp.
4 engine rooms, each carrying 2 boilers and 2 turbines. Four propellers, 2 five bladed and 2 four bladed, each weighing 18.2 tons.Armament. 9 – 16″/45 cal. Guns (3 turrets). 20 – 5″/38 cal. Guns (10 mounts).
48 – 40mm Guns (12 mounts). 52- 20mm GunsArmor. Turret faces: 18 inches. 20 – 5″/38 cal. Guns (10 mounts). Conning tower: 16 inches. Side armor: 12.2 inches, tapering to 1 inch at bottom.
Our MissionThe State of Alabama Legislature outlined the mission of the USS ALABAMA Battleship Commission when it created that body in 1963. The Commission shall “establish, operate and maintain a state memorial park to honor the Alabamians who participated so valiantly in all armed conflicts of the United Statesand, as a permanent public memorial, to educate the public on the contributions and sacrifices of the veterans of all branches of the United States Armed Services in all conflicts.” DOWNLOAD OUR APPYour purchase funds the development of the official USS ALABAMA Battleship Memorial Park mobile application development & distribution. The only compensation the developer receives for the development and distribution of the app is through app fees.PROUD MEMBER OF.