Building a Super Battleship the Daybook Volume 6 Issue 4 Summer2000 in This Issue
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The Da)'book Volume 6 Issue 4 Summer2000 A• lnclepenclent Newsp•p•r for A ll the Poop lo Navy Yard Launches Battleship Wisconsin, Mightiest in World /lkutrcte4 Oil ,.,. Zl The world's IDOit powerful Ht.vr y.WrU,y ;allllchtd the bla· 1Mt aJHf JaJtbUttt l&belAc Ytllti ever eoutru~d u tile U. s. S ~ ~ law She aur~y WMtn et ~ Delltftre RiTer- 1 • Building a Super Battleship The Daybook Volume 6 Issue 4 Summer2000 In This Issue ... Operations Manager for Wisconsin Hired, Page 3 Wisconsin Exhibit and Interpretation Plans Finalized, Page 4 Super-Battleship: Plans and Construction of USS Wisconsin, page 6 L o r a I History. Wo rId Even t r. Features About The Daybook The Daybook is an authorized publication of World Wide Web at http:// The Director's Column ...................... .2 the Hampton Roads Naval Museum (HRNM). Its www.hrnm.navy.mil. contents do not necessarily reflect the official view The Daybook is published quarterly Future Deployments of the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense, with a circulation of 1,500. Contact the U.S. Navy or the U.S. Marine Corps and do not the editor for a free subscription. imply endorsement thereof. Book reviews are solely the opinion of the reviewer. HRNMStaff Book Reviews ..................................... 10 The HRNM is operated and funded by Commander, Navy Region, Mid-Atlantic. The Director Millions for Defense: The Subscription museum is dedicated to the study of 225 years of Becky Poulliot naval history in the Hampton Roads region. It is Curator Ships of 1798 by Frederick C. Leiner. also responsible for the historic interpretation of the battleship Wisconsin which will be moored next to Joe Judge Review by Joseph Mosier the museum in December 2000. Education Specialist The museum is open daily. Call for information Bob Matteson When Computers Went To Sea: The on Wisconsin's planned hours of operations. Admission Exhibits Specialist to the museum is free. The Daybook's purpose is to Digitization of the U.S. Navy by David educate and inform readers on historical topics and Marta Nelson museum related events. It is written by the staff and Museum Tech.!Librarian L. Boslaugh. Reviewed by J. Huntington volunteers of the museum. Ofelia Elbo Lewis Questions or comments can be directed to the Editor of The Daybook Hampton Roads Naval Museum editor. The Daybook Gordon Calhoun can be reached at (757) 322-2993, by fax at (757) 445-1867, e-mail [email protected], Architectural Historian Museum Sage ....... or write The Daybook, Hampton Roads Naval Michael Taylor ~ The 12 Museum, One Waterside Drive, Suite 248, Norfolk, Battleship Wisconsin ~ VA 23510-1607. The museum can be found on the ~ Local Ships, One World ~----------------------------------~Operations Manager Event-Hampton Roads' Capt. Mary Mosier, ships in the Korean War • USN (Ret.) Special Events Helene Tisdale HRNMLPO Cover Photographs: On December 8, 1943, the Philadelphia AOJ (AWINAC) Sonny Hall Inquirer hailed the battleship Wisconsin (BB-64) as the "biggest Director, HRNHF and mightiest fighting vessel ever constructed." Her design and Maj.Gen.Dennis Murphy, construction is the accumulation of more than 60 years of American Rear Adm. Christopher W. Cole and European battleship experience. She included the latest in armor, USMC (Ret.) fire control, engineering, and weapons technology that truly made Commander, Navy Region, Mid-Atlantic her the most powerful warship of her age. This article is the first of many to be published about the battleship, her crew, and her historic operations. 1 The Daybook Summer 2000 Future Deployments The Director's Column by Becky Poulliot n less than three months, battleship is to the man the ship for Wisconsin will relocate to her new tours beginning April 16, Eorne in downtown Norfolk, adjacent to 2001. If you want to find out our museum. The December 7 arrival marks more about becoming a the anniversary of her 1943 launching. For museum volunteer, call our those of you not aware, the museum is educator Bob Matteson at responsible for the day-to-day operations 322-2986. and the historic interpretation of this huge April 2001 also marks artifact. A special welcome aboard to our the opening of another newly hired battleship operations manager, permanent museum exhibit, Capt. Mary Mosier (Ret.). She is the this one on USS Wisconsin. museum's point of contact for anything and Its location is adjacent to our The Museum 's public advertisement at the Norfolk International Airport everything related to the ship. Mary brings museum entry (where (PhotobyGordonCalhoun) more than 26 years of Navy experience and Virtual Adventures stood.) Interestingly, out to the public, the museum has managerial skills to this exciting project. See the display forms the actual walkway to the advertisements in both concourse areas of page 3 for more information on Mary. battleship, so every visitor who boards will the Norfolk International Airport. Thanks Better yet, come by and meet her. be treated to a chronological look at USS to museum docent Jack Robertson and the Museum staff members are working Wisconsin's history and battle record. This generous financial support of Dollar Tree closely with the National Maritime Center exhibit comes courtesy of our support Stores, Inc., these wall-mounted displays personnel to ensure an exciting experience organization, the Hampton Roads Naval will be seen by hundreds of thousands of for visitors when Wisconsin opens to the Historical Foundation, whose board has travelers and visitors to the area. public April 2001. From December 2000 pledged to raise $150,000. to April2001, museum staff and volunteers During renovation, the museum will will be preparing tours and educational close to the public from January 2 to March programs for the battleship. We certainly 31. We will continue to be available for need additional volunteers. Training courses scheduled group tours, especially schools. will run in November 2000 and February Check our web page at http:// 2001. Training will be held at the museum www.hrnm.navy .miVwisconsin. and each course lasts two weeks. Our goal In our continuing effort to get our name 100 Of Silence • An Exhibit Commemorating the Submarine Force Now on display on the 2nd deck outside the museum. See a small sample of the past, present, and the future of the U.S. Navy's Submarine Force. Visit http:// • www.sublant.navy.mil for information on the Submarine Force Centennial Celebration ~~NAVAL* MuSEUM Local History. World Events. 2 The Daybook Summer 2000 Museum Hires Mary Mosier as Operations Manager for Wisconsin e Hampton Roads Naval Museum recently retired after 26 years of s pleased to announce that it has Naval service. While in the Navy, Mary 11ired Capt. Mary Mosier (Ret.) to be spent most of her time in the anti-submarine its operations manger for USS Wisconsin. warfare community. Specifically, she The operations manager is the museum's worked with oceanographic and undersea point person for everything related to the surveillance systems. She has been the battleship. This current operations officer at both r--A-T_T_L----..... includes serving Oceanographic Systems Atlantic and 8 * ....,;r--...-...--. as the liaison Pacific, executive officer of the Naval Ocean * officer between Processing Facility at Ford Island, HI, * the museum and commanding officer of Naval Facility, * Naval Sea Whidbey Island, W A, and deputy * Systems commander and chief staff officer of ._w__ I_S_C_O_N __ __. c o m m a n d Commander Undersea Surveillance, Dam this publication's principal writer and a (Wisconsin's Neck, VA. docent at the museum. The museum is current custodian), as the point-of-contact After her retirement, she taught math and extremely fortunate to have Mary as part between the museum and Nauticus/City of science at the middle school level and served of the museum staff. If you have any Norfolk, and managing the day-to-day as a tour guide for Naval Station, Norfolk questions about the future plans or the day operations of the ship. and the local area. to-day goings on with the battleship, call Mary is no stranger to the Navy. She Mary is married to Joe Mosier who is her at 322-2985.D BATTL * * * L o cal History. World Even t s. *WISCON We're Looking For You! The Hampton Roads Naval Museum is Currently Signing Up Volunteers to Help with the Battleship USS Wisconsin and the Museum • Classes Start October 26 Call Bob Matteson at 757-322-2986 or e-mail him at [email protected] for more information and to sign up 3 The Daybook Summer 2 Museum Announces New Exhibits for Wisconsin, Will Close for Three Months Starting in January n preparation for the arrival of the Virtual Adventures interactive exhibit. more information on the planned chang battleship Wisconsin, the Hampton Starting in January, the museum will close I Roads Naval Museum in partnership for three months. Major space changes will Nauticus' Wisconsin Exhibits with Nauticus: the National Maritime Center be made to the museum, the office area, and is planning a new permanent exhibit on the the library. Nauticus is also planning a major exh battleship. This new exhibit will focus on The museum's privately-run, non-profit renovation of their own in preparation the extraordinary history of the warship support organization, the Hampton Roads the battleship's arrival. On the second de beginning with her design and construction Naval Historical Foundation, has pledged next to the museum's ship history exhil and then lead into her World War II $150,000 over a three to five year period to Nauticus is planning to build an exhi operations, her reactivation during Korea, help pay for the exhibit. called "City at Sea." This exhibit will foe and her most recent service.