Mystery Questions of the Week
Almost everyone imagines falsely that he/she was born well after the last U.S. Navy warship fitted with teakwood decks was commissioned.Changing the problem slightly to coexistence with a commissioned U.S. warship fitted with teakwood decking makes almost all of you sailors who retired in the last decade of the 20th century the mystery warship's contemporaries.
Also, did you ever realize that not all flat-decked subs (warships) had teak decking? Contrast the examples in the accompanying photos.
MYSTERY QUESTIONS - UPDATE - #1 has been reworded with my apologies:
Some explanatory notes:
a- fitted applies to original teakwood construction, whether or not refitted later with other material.
b- museum and exhibition vessels (e.g. USS Constitution), even if still afloat, are not eligible answers to the first question.
1- What was the name of the last built U.S. warship to have teakwood decking when first commissioned? (Original wording was ambiguous: What was the name of the last U.S. warship ever fitted with teakwood decking? Early reader responses reflected this unintended interpretation: What was the last teak decked vessel to be decommissioned by the Navy. The intent of this question should have been what was the last U.S. warship to be built with teakwood decking).
2- When was the last submarine fitted with teakwood decks commissioned and what was its hull number?
3- What was the name of the ship in the upper photo? BONUS: and what was its hull number?
4- What was the name of the ship in the lower photo? BONUS: and what is its hull number?
ANSWERS: 1 - Wednesday. My guess is that more time will be required for the other answers. Good luck!
posted by Vigilis @ 12:36 PM
10 comments
10 Comments:
1-USS Wisonsin, BB-64. Decommed in 1991, stricken in 1995, returned in 1998.
2-???
3-USS Halibut, SSGN-587
4-It looks like the picture Vigilis took of the Turtle shortly after it was built...
1 & 2, no idear, I'll go with PTS above.
3. Agree with Halibut
4. Looks vaguely familiar, definitely a museum boat. I'll take a SWAG and say Nautilus - or maybe Bowfin.
Port tack start, Sonarman and any other readers: The wording of my first question was ambiguous - you have my apology and clarification.
Since the weekend is upon us and few are likely to see the revision before Monday, time for answering the first question has been extended until Wednesday AM.
Incidentally, PTS, USS Wisconsin and Halibut were good guesses for #1 and #3 and, although not as funny as your answer to #4, they are just as incorrect.
Sonarman, one of your SWAGs for #4 is correct.
Official Navy site was wrong on the teakwood decking, then: Holystone entry. I found that site will researching for a rumor I vaguely remembered from my first trip through NNPTC:
One salty instructor had actually been on one of the CGNs up to and included when it was decommed and chopped up. He had mentioned something about saving some wood from somewhere on the ship and saying how awesome it was (and how they just don't make 'em like they used to).
But that's hearsay and inadmissible in court as evidence so I can't officially guess that until I find some corroboration.
I've confirmed thru Google Earth photos, that #4 is definitely USS Nautilus SSN 571.
For #2, I'll say USS Kamehameha SSBN 642. I should have remembered that the 1st time i read the question.
#3 appears to be a modern nuke boat, or possibly one of the B-Girls modernn US diesel boats, with some type of mod I can't figure out. That's all I can tell. It may not even be US. The Russians had some silly looking boats, but the style of the limber holes on the deck tells me it is US.
Port tack start, the USN site is still correct. How can that be? The last warship built with teak decks, however, was not a BB. It was built after all the BBs.
Sonarman, you are correct on #4. Can you provide some solid topside decking evidence for your answer to #2?
For #1 I would venture a guess that it was the USS Blueback (SS-581) commissioned Oct. 1959 and by hull # USS Bonefish (SS-582) commissioned July 1959.
Oldboater, thank you for your excellent comments - reminders of truly iconoclastic boats.
They were the first production warships built with teardrop-shape hulls proven by Albacore (SS-569). Bonefish was launched: 22 November 1958, and USS Blueback: 16 May 1959. The problem appears to be their teardrop shaped rounded superstructures. No teakwood topside decking is apparent from photos. However, if you have evidence to the contrary, we are very open-minded to facts.
Vigilis, see sepcor for photo of topside of USS Bonefish. I spent many years on her and can attest to the fact she had a wooden topside walking deck.
Old Boater:
I'm pretty sure the Kamy-Ha-Ha had a teak deck in her bridge. She was commissioned in 1965.
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