Satellite images of old Warships

[horsa]

Anyone had a go with the free google.earth software ? (http://earth.google.com/ )
I was absolutely fascinated by it. I spent the best part of a day hunting down existing ship museum sites around the world. Most of them were in the US ( most of the preserved ships are in the US anyway, and most of the available high definition satellite data is also found in the US ).

Anyway, first stop was the location of USS Texas , which was one of the locations for the second annual International Subclub meeting in October 2004.( Look closely on the bow and you can see us all lined up and being photographed by Onkel Neal )

Second stop was Pearl Harbor …. as you’d expect looking very much like those aerial photos from films like Tora Tora Tora and Pearl Harbor . …… and yep , moored alongside Ford island was USS Missouri.
More poignantly , (and I wasn’t really expecting this) you can clearly see the sunken USS Arizona … preserved as a war grave and memorial

Number 3 … Just to wave the flag a bit I’ve included HMS Belfast (London and one of the locations for first Subclub meeting 2003 ) . This is not quite as clear as the other, maybe cos the light in the UK is often not so vivid as places like Galveston and Hawaii. ( or maybe the man in the satellite wobbled his camera a bit when he passed over London ;) )

I also snapped ( but not included here )

Armoured cruiser Averoff ( Greece ) …circa 1911
CL Little Rock
DD The Sullivans
BB Massachussets
BB New jersey
BB Alabama ( before Katrina displaced her somewhat )
BB Wisconsin
Philadelphia reserve basin ( numerous ships I haven’t yet identified )

USS Texas

http://www.amberphotography.co.uk/navalsite/images/Satellite800/Texas1.jpg

http://www.amberphotography.co.uk/navalsite/images/Satellite800/Texas2.jpg

http://www.amberphotography.co.uk/navalsite/images/Satellite800/Texas3.jpg

USS Missouri
http://www.amberphotography.co.uk/navalsite/images/Satellite800/Missouri1.jpg

http://www.amberphotography.co.uk/navalsite/images/Satellite800/Missouri2.jpg

http://www.amberphotography.co.uk/navalsite/images/Satellite800/Missouri3.jpg

USS Arizona

http://www.amberphotography.co.uk/navalsite/images/Satellite800/Arizona.jpg

http://www.amberphotography.co.uk/navalsite/images/Satellite800/Arizona2.jpg

HMS Belfast

http://www.amberphotography.co.uk/navalsite/images/Satellite800/Belfast1.jpg

http://www.amberphotography.co.uk/navalsite/images/Satellite800/Belfast02.jpg

[Type941]

very intersting pictures. I have a NASA World Wind and it shows similar things.

Is that oil leaking out of the sunken BB in PH (Arizona?)?

[The Avon Lady]

Aircraft carrier USS Intrepid. Alongside to its north are destroyer USS Edson and sub USS Growler:

http://img368.imageshack.us/img368/3328/04if.th.jpg (http://img368.imageshack.us/my.php?image=04if.jpg)

More info at the Interpid Sea, Air & Space Museum website (http://www.intrepidmuseum.org/).

EDIT: Picture from maps.google.com

[Bill Nichols]

You only see a blur if you look for USS Nautilus (outside Subbase Groton) -- the resolution isn't high enough. (I wonder if this is because of some official U.S. Gov't policy concerning commercial space images of military sites?)

[kholemann]

Great thread!! Thanks!

[Kapitan]

gunna get some pics of me own lol nice ones

[horsa]

@Type491
Yes, I think you’re right . There is a trail of something coming from Arizona …presumably oil. Well spotted . I hadn’t seen that.

Intrepid site ….. nice one AL

It’s the detail that bowls me over. The first pic is honed right in on the flight deck

http://www.amberphotography.co.uk/navalsite/images/Satellite800/Intrepid04.jpg

Another great feature(s) that grabbed me was the ability to rotate the plane of the image and get a 3D terrain effect ( Grand Canyon is a must for this ) …..and they slung in a 3D representation of many US cities . Image here shows USS Intrepid in the context of Manhattan.

http://www.amberphotography.co.uk/navalsite/images/Satellite800/Intrepid02.jpg

[Kpt. Lehmann]

If you look again... you can also see the oil leaking from the Arizona.

It bubbles up from the wreck to this day.

Old Sailors quite sadly call it the "ship's tears."

[TLAM Strike]

Here is the USS Wisconsin in Norfolk from google earth:
http://img389.imageshack.us/img389/2600/ussw3av.jpg
http://img389.imageshack.us/img389/6347/ussw20io.jpg
http://img389.imageshack.us/img389/69/ussw36oa.jpg

[Kresge]

You can also use this website:

http://terraserver.microsoft.com/

To see the same info. I checked out the Texas and it was fromteh same sat. pass (1/27/2002). It's not quite as functional, but that may also make it easier to use for some of us.

Anyhow, it's lots of fun to look up everything from your own house to landmarks!
:up:

[Kresge]

This link will put you right in the middle of the aircraft graveyard in Arizona!

http://terraserver.microsoft.com/image.aspx?T=4&S=10&Z=12&X=2581&Y=17786&W=2

[Syxx_Killer]

Thanks for sharing those! They are amazing! I just love the Google Earth tool (Or should I say toy? :P ).

Anywho, here is the U-505.

http://img378.imageshack.us/img378/245/u5052fq.jpg

[horsa]

Brilliant. That's one I couldn't track down :up:

[Kresge]

Of course the U-505 now lives in its own building at the Museum of Science & Industry.
http://www.msichicago.org/exhibit/U505/index.html

I've been trying to schedule a road trip over since it opened to the public this summer; only a 5 hour drive. :up:

[Bubblehead555]

http://paulland.brinkster.net/images/sites/subsim/freedompark.jpg

Freedom Park in Omaha Nebraska.

[Charleston]

Wonderful stuff!

Can someone get me a shot of the USS Silversides in Muskegon, Michigan?

I believe it's in an outside berth. I was hoping to make it out there before they closed for the season at the end of the month.

Thanks!

[TLAM Strike]

Here you are Charleston:
http://img394.imageshack.us/img394/2959/sub2ts.jpg

[Sulikate]

here are some pics I took when viewing San Diego

SHIPS NEAR BALLAST POINT

http://img126.imageshack.us/img126/2185/015jp.png

http://img126.imageshack.us/img126/8854/025fz.png

http://img126.imageshack.us/img126/8991/037ui.png
:arrgh!:

[Charleston]

Woot! Well done.

Thankee, TLAM. :D

[Bubblehead555]

Couple of my 'usta tunas ... The POLK's sail will be at the National Atomic Museum some day (when the bigger site is opened) but my first boat is still partially around ... BANCROFT's sail outside the gate in Kings Bay.
http://paulland.brinkster.net/images/sites/shared/bancroftsailinkb.jpg
.. and still around (only one I served on that is still floating, and the oldest) DOLPHIN in San Diego
http://paulland.brinkster.net/images/sites/shared/dolphininsd.jpg