Something... and Half of Something

No, see, that is most certainly NOT a destroyer.

I think it's the USS Missouri (BB 63)
Now the Mo displaces 45,000 tons, is 108 feet wide, and carries 9 of those guns, which are 16-inchers. That's the bore size -- 16" diameter.

A typical Fletcher-class destroyer made in the same early WWII time frame displaces 2000 tons (2500 fully loaded), which is less than the weight of the Missouri's gun turrets. In other words, you put those things on a WWII destroyer, and you'll keel her over.

The destroyer of those days was only 40 feet wide and 375 feet long. Hell, that's about the size of the crew's berthing on a battlewagon.

The phallic imagery is difficult to dismiss, tho, I agree. IOW, penis erectus and ramming speed ahead, which is another way of saying "All engines ahead flank, make turns for 33 knots."

Yes, I was aboard the Mo during 'Nam. Had to go out and do some repair on her UCC-1 and 37s and 14s while she was in the GOT on GFS. And it's one helluva lot easier to get aboard that thing by log helo than it is a destroyer, take my word for it.

Ha! Babalu, thank you for the education. I don't know a heck of a lot about our Navy Ships, and heck, I almost said "boat" before I said destroyer.

Thank you for visiting and thank you for serving this great Country of ours in Vietnam!

I think Cher is one of my all time favorites. Thanks for finding that. She was 45 when she made that video. Amazing.

Hey there Isis, darn good to see you!

Cher is one of my all time favorites too, I saw her live in the late '80s and it was one of the best shows I've ever seen.

Call me crazy, but I prefer the Meg Griffin version on Family Guy.

I missed that one Kevin. I don't watch TV.

If you rent Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story (on DVD), there is a 3-episode "movie" about Stewie's secret background. Towards the end of the film, Meg Griffin (the marginalized daughter) is shown singing "If I Could Turn Back Time" on the deck of a battleship. Not having ever seen Cher's video before now, I thought it was a rather unique joke. Now I know it's parody. But it is still hilarious (all the sailors jump overboard rather than watch teenage Meg wave her butt in their faces).