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onomonothwip t1_j7gvxiq wrote

Anyone who hasn't visited this ship - do so, and plan a whole day for it. There's a submarine and some Russky PT boats to visit as well. EAT A BIG BREAKFAST - food on the ship isn't great, and you don't want to explore the local area.

I spent roughly 1 dozen nights sleeping on this ship with Boyscouts, and good god did I get into trouble. My favorite memory was bringing in a screwdriver, removing the plexi glass behind the shells in the barbett, and leading my buddies inside the main guns.

Inside is a substantial coat of creosote, and it instantly smells of history. There's not too much to see until you climb all the ladders to the bottom of the ship - and you have to be careful and time it right because you climb through a 'fish tank' area where other patrons can see you inside climbing past a plexi-wall. At the bottom, heavy oil all over, ancient lightbulbs with filaments the size of a noodle and putting out a surprisingly dim but warm glow, and a danker, mustier smell that just... warms you, somehow. Down here is the breach of the main gun, but it's huge and not dummy proofed. There was an ancient news paper laying there half rotted away - an antique, but of no consequential date.

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I honestly hope they've secured those panels better these days, I recognize it wasn't ideal I went down there, but I was a mischievous kid. I'm glad I did, and I did so with the utmost respect for the history of that ship. I've recently visited the USS Midway Aircraft Carrier in San Diego - and I can say unequivocally - the Battleship Massachusetts is a far less advanced, and far superior experience. No shade to the Midway, but damn the Massachusetts has moxy.

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BostonDodgeGuy t1_j7gzliv wrote

> Russky PT boats to visit as well

No such thing. The PT boats are US boats including Motor torpedo boat PT-617, also known as Big Red Cock and Dragon Lady, is the sole surviving 80' Elco type PT boat and represents the United States's most heavily used, highly favored, and combat-tested PT boat type in World War II. PT-617 is a PT-103-class Elco motor torpedo boat of the same type as the famous PT-109 commanded by future President, John F. Kennedy.

Motor torpedo boat PT-796, was laid down on 3 May 1945, launched on 23 June, and completed after the end of the war on 26 October as a 78-foot PT boat built by Higgins Industries of New Orleans, LA. The last of her type to be constructed, she was nicknamed Tail Ender.

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onomonothwip t1_j7h3pfi wrote

What was Russian, there? I thought it was the PT boats?!

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BostonDodgeGuy t1_j7h56o9 wrote

The East German ship Hiddensee is a Tarantul I class corvette built at the Petrovsky Shipyard, located near the Soviet city of St. Petersburg (formerly Leningrad). The world's only exhibited example of a Soviet-built missile corvette.

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onomonothwip t1_j7h79ya wrote

I very badly want to yell "CLOSE ENOUGH!"

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BostonDodgeGuy t1_j7h82zn wrote

Comparing a 80foot 57 ton boat to a 184 foot 549 ton boat friend. And the bigger boat is faster.

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onomonothwip t1_j7hbiue wrote

I was talking about East German produced in Russia vs Russia :)

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BostonDodgeGuy t1_j7hj23p wrote

Ah, deepest apologies. It's my day off so I basically woke up stoned.

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monotoonz t1_j7kbn1k wrote

When was the last time you went? Because the local area has BANGING restaurants. The Cove, Tipsy Toboggan, Tipsy Seagull, Sagres... All places with great food and drink.

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onomonothwip t1_j7mr96p wrote

The majority of visits were 20-25 years ago, and I did visit about 6-8 years ago.

I honestly am reacting to the IMMEDIATE area of Battleship cove. The walk to the Maritime Museum.

I just google street mapped it and WOW. WHAT A CHANGE. Under the overpass was nothing but abandoned cars with trash, that area was SCUMMY.

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Huge improvement - glad to find out about that! Thanks!

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