World War II Navy Radio
Museum Ships
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My Favorite Museum Ships


NOTE - This is a re-creation of Rob Flory's original site which crashed some time ago - unfortunately some photos are still missing but most of the text is here - if you can help with any replacement photos, please send e-mail to Rob or to Nick K4NYW

Click here for Nick's 1950's-60's Navy Radio Pages -  www.navy-radio.com

Battleship MASSACHUSETTS, BB-59

Located at Battleship Cove in Fall River, Massachusetts, this is my favorite museum ship, because it has so much functional WWII gear and is within my normal travels.  Battleship Cove encompasses the world's largest collection of historic naval vessels, including destroyer Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., submarine LIONFISH, two PT Boats, and the Soviet-built Corvette Hiddensee.

MASSACHUSETTS can be heard on the air as N1EPL, reflecting the original callsign NEPL.

 

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TAJ-10 in Radio II on BB-59

The TAJ-10 is a medium frequency transmitter made by Westinghouse, running an 861 in the final amplifier.   The link below is a recording of the TAJ-10 made January 2007 on 500kc by Lloyd W3NF in Pennsylvania.  Photo courtesy of Battleship Cove.

Click here to hear TAJ-10

Click here to visit Battleship Cove, home of USS Massachusetts.

 
Battleship NEW JERSEY BB-62
 
Located in Camden, NJ, coincidentally the place where many of the WWII Navy radios were built by RCA, the "Big J" cannot be beat when it comes to pure awesome firepower.  At almost 900 feet in length, the Big J makes the MASSACHUSETTS look like a cruiser.  During WWII her main battery of 9, 16-inch, 50-caliber guns made her a force to be reckoned with.  As a museum, she is being shown in her 1980s condition with Tomahawk cruise missles, Phalanx antimissle defense system, and high-tech R-1051 radio receivers, teletype systems, YK-20 computer, and URT-23 transmitters.
 
The Battleship New Jersey Amateur Radio Station puts the ship on the air as NJ2BB with modern amateur and ship's equipment.  The club is really active, with work parties every weekend, restoring and repairing radio and other electronic gear on the ship.  BNJARS has assumed the management of the Museum Ships Radio Weekend, during which ships around the world can be worked via amateur radio. 
 
USS New Jersey signed NEPP during WWII, but at some time the call was changed to NJBB.

Click here to visit the Battleship New Jersey Amateur Radio Station

 
 
USS LST-325
 
The story of this ship becoming a museum started out with its recovery from Greece, where it had served in the Greek Navy.  A brave crew sailed it back to the U. S. under its own power, and it is now based in Evansville, IN.  It is one of a small group of World War II ships that are still seaworthy and taken out for cruises from time to time.  It can be heard on the air as WW2LST, often with its WWII TDE, TCS, RBB,RBC, and RAL equipment.
 
 

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Perry Ballinger W8AU on watch on LST-325

Click here to visit LST-325

HMAS Diamantina
 
The Royal Australian Navy Frigate HMAS Diamantina is displayed at the Queensland Maritime Museum in Brisbane, Australia.  I have contacted her from home and from the Massachusetts.  She uses WWII equipment made by Amalgamated Wireless of Australia and Marconi.
 

Click here to visit the radio room on USS Pampanito Submarine.

Click here to see WWII pictures of Radiomen at work on USS Slater and USS Hilbert.

Battleship NORTH CAROLINA BB-55
 
Located in Wilmington, North Carolina, the NORTH CAROLINA offers a living history program twice a year.  Called "Battleship Alive", the program demonstrates life and work on a WWII battleship.  Click below to visit the NORTH CAROLINA.
 

SS Jeremiah O'Brien Liberty Ship
 
Docked in San Francisco, CA, this WWII transport is still sea-worthy and offers cruises.  It is the only of the thousands of this type of ship that remains in its original WWII condition.

COMING SOON
 
SS John W. Brown
and More
 
To learn about other Museum Ships, check out the Historical Naval Ships Association page: