Touring USS Somerset: Image Heavy
Posted: 2014-02-27 06:56pm
Visited LPD-25 USS Somerset at the Philidelphia waterfront yesterday, as she was open for public tours prior to her commissioning ceremony March 1st. Named for the county where flight 93 crashed in PA, though we have had several vessels named USS Somerset before. My camera quality is 2.1 megapixles of doom, and a lot of pictures didn't come out well because of bad lighting or me not giving enough time to focus in the hustle, but a bunch did and are worthy enough of posting. I suggest zooming out some while you view, they look fairly good at say 50% zoom, at least on a 1080p screen as I have in front of me now. Not so good blown up to the whole screen size.
From the city side of I-95, she looms.
And closer, she had marines with rifles on the deck rails and on land along with the USCG on land in the river with two RHIBs mounting machine guns least the dastardly terrorists attack her, or some Philly heroin smugglers decide to upscale.
View from the line, maybe two hundred people where present promptly when they began screening tour groups
Angled hull of doom, and you can see every single stringer in the hull which is just weird and seems like they went a little too far on the lightweight on this class.
Entry onto the main vehicle deck, with LCAC occupied welldeck behind
Amtrack parked for display on main vehicle deck, you could climb into it and I did but my pictures didn’t come out well lighting wise. Also very crowded to get a clear shot as her rear ramp was down but up against the wall.
Ships plaque, one of several. The crew also painted the name of everyone one flight 93 onto some of the girders nearby.
Upper vehicle deck, 27 ton weight limit, signs warning of weight limits are everywhere.
Ramp back down for lighter stuff. Most of the ramps can be moved and turned into more storage decking via cable hoists.
Inch thick super armor hummved door. Glass is three times that.
Tacticool navy fleet invasion forklifts
This is the latest in navy bunking technology, a three high stack instead of four! Oh and 42 of these are in one compartment.
Then it was up to the top of the superstructure after a minor maze of ladders and corridors. Don’t not put metal paint on communications antenna domes! Makes you wonder how many times people did that and made the radios act like a fork in a microwave.
The bridge door
Inner door, making a tiny airlock for the NBC overpressure system
Bow with coast guard patrol RHIB in sight. They had M240s mounted fore and aft but everyone was keeping in the pilothouse to avoid freezing to death. Cold windy day.
Bow RAM and 30mm cannon turret, scenic Camden wasteland in the background.
Windblows based navigation system on the bridge, looking like it was super advanced in 1998 or so.
TV view of the flight deck, several of these were below decks as well in Marine berthing areas.
I reflect well in the surface search-navigation radar display. Radar was off.
USS New Jersey across the river, ships gyro compass on left
RAM
30mm training to engage Philadelphia, they were playing with the RAM and 30mm at times, I later found out because they showed some but not all groups the CIC!
This is on the port side of the bridge, and is the most elaborate system ever for washing windows.
More windows, engine status displays. Four 10,000hp diesels.
Wider shot
Helm control panel, needed more warning labels.
Helm control with ships tiny wheel. Must save more weight! Keeping in mind this ship has titanium watertight doors, okay why not.
Other bridge wing, crew using stealth crane to lift an object that looked very small, our tour guide on the right in navy camo.
Part of the main medical bay with some of the ICU beds. As to be expected on a gator, the ship has a lot of medical space.
Beds for lesser wounded, IIRC 16 of them on the other side of the same compartment as above which had a lot of pipe work, and people, in it preventing a wide shot. Emergency escape oxygen devices on the wall.
One of two spacious operating rooms beside the prior compartment.
The helicopter hanger, which is directly aft of the medical spaces. It had been rigged into a ship souvenir bazaar. I’m not sure why a ship needs its name on eighty different hats but they have them. Today’s super navy can accept credit cards too.
Hanger is not small, two V-22s easily.
Flight deck; standing out on it some. Apparently just about one acre even in area.
Opening on the left is a ramp down to the upper vehicle deck, hanger door on the right. The ships motto is ‘Lets Roll’ for Flight 93. Forgot to get a clear shot of it.
Valiant coast guard keeping New Jersey and Somerset out of a fistfight, or something.
Ramp down into the vehicle decks, which took us back down to where we started.
LCAC seen upon entry
LCAC luxury seating for embarked vehicle crews
Random drivetrain inspection hatch open, I think this was some kind coupling or the main clutch in the driveshaft to engage/disengage the propulsion fans.
Intake to centrifugal lift fan. Same shaft as above.
Propulsion fan
The rest of the well deck with space for another LCAC
LCAC buttocks
LCAC buttocks wide angle with random person.
Stern gate with additional random person. I was touring with several friends but none of them are in these pictures.
Very good tour overall even without getting into the CIC, I did get to poke a head in the door but the were getting some confusion in the ranks I think with so many different 25 person tour groups roaming around on paths which doubled back on themselves at.
For anyone in the Phily area, online it says yesterday was the last day before March 1 that she was open to tours, but some of the crew onboard suggested that she was actually still open every day until then. Hours are 1-4. She’s worth going down to Penns Landing just to gawk at if nothing else. The march 1st commissioning ceremony itself is sold out with 7000 attending but you can see her well from many publicly accessible areas, they have a security cordon up, such as the I-95 pedestrian bridges and in front of the Independence Seaport Museum.
From the city side of I-95, she looms.
And closer, she had marines with rifles on the deck rails and on land along with the USCG on land in the river with two RHIBs mounting machine guns least the dastardly terrorists attack her, or some Philly heroin smugglers decide to upscale.
View from the line, maybe two hundred people where present promptly when they began screening tour groups
Angled hull of doom, and you can see every single stringer in the hull which is just weird and seems like they went a little too far on the lightweight on this class.
Entry onto the main vehicle deck, with LCAC occupied welldeck behind
Amtrack parked for display on main vehicle deck, you could climb into it and I did but my pictures didn’t come out well lighting wise. Also very crowded to get a clear shot as her rear ramp was down but up against the wall.
Ships plaque, one of several. The crew also painted the name of everyone one flight 93 onto some of the girders nearby.
Upper vehicle deck, 27 ton weight limit, signs warning of weight limits are everywhere.
Ramp back down for lighter stuff. Most of the ramps can be moved and turned into more storage decking via cable hoists.
Inch thick super armor hummved door. Glass is three times that.
Tacticool navy fleet invasion forklifts
This is the latest in navy bunking technology, a three high stack instead of four! Oh and 42 of these are in one compartment.
Then it was up to the top of the superstructure after a minor maze of ladders and corridors. Don’t not put metal paint on communications antenna domes! Makes you wonder how many times people did that and made the radios act like a fork in a microwave.
The bridge door
Inner door, making a tiny airlock for the NBC overpressure system
Bow with coast guard patrol RHIB in sight. They had M240s mounted fore and aft but everyone was keeping in the pilothouse to avoid freezing to death. Cold windy day.
Bow RAM and 30mm cannon turret, scenic Camden wasteland in the background.
Windblows based navigation system on the bridge, looking like it was super advanced in 1998 or so.
TV view of the flight deck, several of these were below decks as well in Marine berthing areas.
I reflect well in the surface search-navigation radar display. Radar was off.
USS New Jersey across the river, ships gyro compass on left
RAM
30mm training to engage Philadelphia, they were playing with the RAM and 30mm at times, I later found out because they showed some but not all groups the CIC!
This is on the port side of the bridge, and is the most elaborate system ever for washing windows.
More windows, engine status displays. Four 10,000hp diesels.
Wider shot
Helm control panel, needed more warning labels.
Helm control with ships tiny wheel. Must save more weight! Keeping in mind this ship has titanium watertight doors, okay why not.
Other bridge wing, crew using stealth crane to lift an object that looked very small, our tour guide on the right in navy camo.
Part of the main medical bay with some of the ICU beds. As to be expected on a gator, the ship has a lot of medical space.
Beds for lesser wounded, IIRC 16 of them on the other side of the same compartment as above which had a lot of pipe work, and people, in it preventing a wide shot. Emergency escape oxygen devices on the wall.
One of two spacious operating rooms beside the prior compartment.
The helicopter hanger, which is directly aft of the medical spaces. It had been rigged into a ship souvenir bazaar. I’m not sure why a ship needs its name on eighty different hats but they have them. Today’s super navy can accept credit cards too.
Hanger is not small, two V-22s easily.
Flight deck; standing out on it some. Apparently just about one acre even in area.
Opening on the left is a ramp down to the upper vehicle deck, hanger door on the right. The ships motto is ‘Lets Roll’ for Flight 93. Forgot to get a clear shot of it.
Valiant coast guard keeping New Jersey and Somerset out of a fistfight, or something.
Ramp down into the vehicle decks, which took us back down to where we started.
LCAC seen upon entry
LCAC luxury seating for embarked vehicle crews
Random drivetrain inspection hatch open, I think this was some kind coupling or the main clutch in the driveshaft to engage/disengage the propulsion fans.
Intake to centrifugal lift fan. Same shaft as above.
Propulsion fan
The rest of the well deck with space for another LCAC
LCAC buttocks
LCAC buttocks wide angle with random person.
Stern gate with additional random person. I was touring with several friends but none of them are in these pictures.
Very good tour overall even without getting into the CIC, I did get to poke a head in the door but the were getting some confusion in the ranks I think with so many different 25 person tour groups roaming around on paths which doubled back on themselves at.
For anyone in the Phily area, online it says yesterday was the last day before March 1 that she was open to tours, but some of the crew onboard suggested that she was actually still open every day until then. Hours are 1-4. She’s worth going down to Penns Landing just to gawk at if nothing else. The march 1st commissioning ceremony itself is sold out with 7000 attending but you can see her well from many publicly accessible areas, they have a security cordon up, such as the I-95 pedestrian bridges and in front of the Independence Seaport Museum.
