My husband and I recently visited the USS Turner Joy in Bremerton, WA. The Turner Joy is a Forrest Sherman class destroyer built in Seattle in 1957. Most notable about her time in service: she fired the first naval shot of the Vietnam War, and the last.
As a former United States sailor, I couldn’t help but be reminded of my own time in service. The boat ‘smell’, the decking, the paint, sound-powered phones, battle lanterns, very little has changed from the days of the Turner Joy’s service to today.
Navy destroyers have been in the news a lot lately with the incidents involving the USS Fitzgerald and the USS John S. McCain. Both of these ships were involved in collisions that resulted in loss of life. It amazed me how these mighty warships were shredded by the ships that hit them. While aboard the Turner Joy, I would discover why.
At one point as I toured part of the engine room, I noted a change in temperature. I was on the starboard side of the #2 engine room and as I moved aft into a narrow space, it felt warmer however, no equipment was running. I reached out to the outboard bulkhead and it was warm! The sun was out and I could feel significant heat radiating from the bulkhead! It didn’t take me long to find an information sheet about the hull and learn why. How much metal stood between my hand and the sunshine outside? 3/8’s of an inch! THREE-EIGHTHS of an INCH! It’s no wonder they call destroyers tin cans and it’s no wonder the collisions mentioned above were so devastating!
These ships were designed for speed and evasion so to keep them light they give them just enough of a hull to hold everything together. The downside to this design, they crumble if they hit something or something hits them. After touring the Turner Joy I gained a lot of respect for my shipmates serving aboard tin cans!
I highly recommend visiting the Turner Joy for those of you in and around the Seattle area. It’s a short walk from the ferry pier in Bremerton and almost 90% of the ship is accessible!
Great info! Were you able to take pictures or was that taboo? The skin on the destroyer is significantly different from a battleship and a carrier. I believe we toured a WWII destroyer in Charleston. I only remember how skinny the ship was . I can’t remember its name but it was at the same pier as the Yorktown.
I did take pictures lol. They are included in the post!