My Great Ships Collection

[ZacharyB]

I truly do love authentic pieces like this that were really "there." So much history is bound up in them that it is almost electric. On one of the most important days in the history of the free world, this simple piece of brass equipment served its purpose and made its small contribution to victory.

Thanks for Looking,

Z

[gregM]

Very cool

[Gary B]

Z,

You do have a knack for finding these things!

Keep it up!

Gary B

[ZacharyB]

Thank you again Greg and Gary for the kind words. I have built up some contacts in the world of old sailors and naval enthusiasts over the years and those relationships have helped me enormously when it comes to this type of stuff. It sometimes seems that networking is 9/10 of the battle when it comes to building a collection.

Here is another item that arrived just a few days ago courtesy of a friend. These relics are from the USS Yorktown (CV-10) which is now a museum ship at Patriot's Point, South Carolina.

She is an Essex Class carrier and was launched in summer 1943. Her name was changed to Yorktown during construction in honor of the USS Yorktown (CV-5) lost at Midway in 1942. She served extensively in the Pacific War and her well-earned nickname "The Fighting Lady" is proven by her 11 Battle Stars and Presidential Unit Citation. She also served in the Korean War as well as the Vietnam War.

Of note, she was the recovery ship for the Apollo 8 Space Mission. She appeared in two movies--Tora Tora Tora and The Philadelphia Experiment.

First up, is a piece of the Yorktown's flight deck. Most of the original flight deck was taken up years ago and replaced with waterproof decking. This piece of the original decking is teak on top with a layer of Douglas Fir beneath.

Enjoy,

Z

[ZacharyB]

Next up is a really cool piece. It is a block of steel cut from her hull during some renovations that were undertaken many years ago to make the ship more handicap accessible.

Z

[ZacharyB]

Here's a pic of the hull of the ship from which this piece was taken when a new doorway had to be cut for this wheelchair ramp. And then one of the Yorktown in active service.

I'm glad to be able to share these updates with those who are interested.

Kind Regards and Thanks for Looking,

Z

[Gary B]

Very neat!

Gary B

[JustinG]

A very interesting and specialized collection. Quite fascinating. Thanks for sharing.
I had no idea that these kind of commemorative pieces were created.

Best Regards,
JustinG

[leproc]

Another ship collector?!

How amazing! I really need to post up mine as well.

What I love about ships is the fact that they already come pre-packaged with a story, which makes it easy to talk about. That and the sea is a wonderful, fascinating place as well as the fact that WW2 was the last big gun ship-to-ship war.

Nice collection!

[ZacharyB]

Another ship collector?!

How amazing! I really need to post up mine as well.

What I love about ships is the fact that they already come pre-packaged with a story, which makes it easy to talk about. That and the sea is a wonderful, fascinating place as well as the fact that WW2 was the last big gun ship-to-ship war.

Nice collection!

Thank you gents for the kind comments. Leproc, you are quite right about the ships. Unlike panzers, planes, and the like which (with notable exceptions) are anonymous weapons of war; these Great Ships are each unique with a life, soul, and history of their very own.

It is spine tingling to hold an actual piece of one of these great ships in your hand and then to look at pictures of that ship in action at some of the most decisive moments in history and know that this relic in your hand is there somewhere in the picture and is a part of that leviathan making history, deciding the fate of empires, and changing the world in black and white.

Z

[JustinG]

Thank you gents for the kind comments. Leproc, you are quite right about the ships. Unlike panzers, planes, and the like which (with notable exceptions) are anonymous weapons of war; these Great Ships are each unique with a life, soul, and history of their very own.

It is spine tingling to hold an actual piece of one of these great ships in your hand and then to look at pictures of that ship in action at some of the most decisive moments in history and know that this relic in your hand is there somewhere in the picture and is a part of that leviathan making history, deciding the fate of empires, and changing the world in black and white.

Z

I whole-heartidly agree. This is my fascination with naval cap tallies/Mützenband as well as schiffswappen/crests and pillow cases. Really cool. In a way it is nice that this type of collecting is overlooked by so many as it keeps prices more affordible.

Best Regards,
JustinG

[leproc]

I whole-heartidly agree. This is my fascination with naval cap tallies/Mützenband as well as schiffswappen/crests and pillow cases. Really cool. In a way it is nice that this type of collecting is overlooked by so many as it keeps prices more affordible.

Best Regards,
JustinG

Not for those elusive schiffswappen / crests. They are like searching for white whales in the ocean .

That being said, they are way more affordable than all the fancy awards and other knick-knacks of the ground and air forces of the WW2 factions.

[leproc]

Thank you gents for the kind comments. Leproc, you are quite right about the ships. Unlike panzers, planes, and the like which (with notable exceptions) are anonymous weapons of war; these Great Ships are each unique with a life, soul, and history of their very own.

It is spine tingling to hold an actual piece of one of these great ships in your hand and then to look at pictures of that ship in action at some of the most decisive moments in history and know that this relic in your hand is there somewhere in the picture and is a part of that leviathan making history, deciding the fate of empires, and changing the world in black and white.

Z

I quite agree. Ships are special and they're almost like famous historical figures in their own right. One can talk about a Tiger or a BF-109 as a mass unit, but ships like Arizona or Bismarck are talked about as a single entity - a defining individual in a conflict.

Also, it's always exciting to hold something from the past in your hand. That's why I'm a museum junkie and love looking at all the mementos of the past. Also, the visceral nature of naval combat during WW2 makes it more gripping and epic to people of this time.