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Warship Photos
 

Battleships - USA

featuring
 

The "New York" Class
 


1977-08-070
USS "Texas"  BB 35
At her permanent berth in Houston, - 1977
(Photography by Karsten Petersen ©)
 
 
 


1977-08-071
USS "Texas"  BB 35
At her permanent berth in Houston, - 1977
(Photography by Karsten Petersen ©)
 
 
 


1977-08-072
USS "Texas"  BB 35
At her permanent berth in Houston, - 1977
(Photography by Karsten Petersen ©)
 
 
 


1977-08-073
USS "Texas"  BB 35
At her permanent berth in Houston, - 1977
(Photography by Karsten Petersen ©)
 
 


1977-08-074
USS "Texas"  BB 35
At her permanent berth in Houston, - 1977
(Photography by Karsten Petersen ©)
 
 
 


1977-08-075
USS "Texas"  BB 35
At her permanent berth in Houston, - 1977
(Photography by Karsten Petersen ©)
 
 
 


1977-08-076
USS "Texas"  BB 35
At her permanent berth in Houston, - 1977
(Photography by Karsten Petersen ©)
 
 


1978-09-062
USS "Texas"  BB 35
Photographed in Sept. 1979, at her permanent berth in Houston
(Photography by Karsten Petersen ©)
 
 
 
 
 


1978-09-064
USS "Texas"  BB 35
Photographed in Sept. 1979, at her permanent berth in Houston
(Photography by Karsten Petersen ©)
 
 
 


1978-09-067
USS "Texas"  BB 35
Photographed in Sept. 1979, at her permanent berth in Houston
(Photography by Karsten Petersen ©)
 
 
 


1978-09-074
USS "Texas"  BB 35
Photographed in Sept. 1979, at her permanent berth in Houston
(Photography by Karsten Petersen ©)
 
 
 


1978-09-075
USS "Texas"  BB 35
Photographed in Sept. 1979, at her permanent berth in Houston
(Photography by Karsten Petersen ©)
 
 
 


1979-08-092
USS "Texas"  BB 35
Photographed in Sept. 1979, at her permanent berth in Houston
(Photography by Karsten Petersen ©)
 
 
 


1979-09-008
USS "Texas"  BB 35
Photographed in Sept. 1979, at her permanent berth in Houston
(Photography by Karsten Petersen ©)
 

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Fort Drum

- the Concrete Battleship -

Built:  1909 - 1919
Dimensions: Main deck, - 350 feet long, - 144 feet wide, - 40 feet above water level, thivkness: 20 feet
Thickness of side "armour":  25 - 36 feet
Guns:  4 x 14" guns in two rotating turrets, - Battery Wilson and Battery Marshall
4 x 6" guns in casemates, - Battery Roberts
3 x 3" guns
Complement: 200

"Fort Drum" is not really a battleship, - but only looks like one.
It is in fact constructed of steel reinforced concrete by US Army Engineers on top of an island, - El Fraile -, at the entrance of Manila Bay, Philippines.
But is is often referred to as the "Concrete Battleship, - so why not place a few pics of this unique structure here in the battleship section?
What makes it look like a battleship is its shape, - which very much resemples a ships hull -, and also the main battery consisting of two specially made rotating gun turrets that look exactly like the main batteries on a battleship.
In it's heyday it also had a mast of the cage-type used for observation and fire direction, - again very similar to the type of mast that was used on early US battleships -, but today the deck is "cleaned", - only the massive 14" gun turrets remains.

Fort Drum was "battleship" like that could sink any known ship of its time, while it could not be sunk itself, - and it was considered impregnable.

Please enjoy my pics of this unique and rare structure, photographed during a passage in january 1977.
 
 


1977-01-009
Fort Drum, - the concrete "battleship" of Manila Bay.
Photography by Karsten Petersen ©)
 
 
 


1977-01-011
Fort Drum, - the concrete "battleship" of Manila Bay.
Photography by Karsten Petersen ©)
 
 
 


1977-01-012
Fort Drum, - the concrete "battleship" of Manila Bay-, heavily scarred from WW2 action, but still "floating".
Photography by Karsten Petersen ©)
 
 
 


1977-01-013
Fort Drum, - the concrete "battleship" of Manila Bay.
Photography by Karsten Petersen ©)
 
 


1977-01-014
Fort Drum, - the concrete "battleship" of Manila Bay.
Photography by Karsten Petersen ©)
 
 

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Page initiated:  Dec.19. 2009
Page updated:  Dec.20.2009, - Jan.18.2010, - jan.26.2010, - Feb.10.2010