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Ford 9N, 2N & 8N Discussion Forum
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Ford and the Mighty MO

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Rob N VA

05-03-2004 05:13:29




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I just got back from my honeymoon in Hawaii. My new wife and I spent 6 days in Maui and 4 days in Waikiki. While we were in Oahu, we went to the U.S.S Arizona Memorial. A relatively new addition to the memorial is the U.S.S Missouri. She was decomissioned after Operation Desert Storm, and docked directly behind the Arizona to watch over her. I thought it was interesting that WWII started with the Arizona, and ended on the Missouri. The Missouri is also open for tour, which my wife and I took. One of the coolest things was the guidance for the old warheads was operated by a room sized analog computer made by Ford Motor Company!! All of that was removed during her refit in the mid eighties, and replaced with more modern computers, so I did not get to see it. So now I guess its a little more obvious to me why some of the early N's had magnetos, and where Ford's attention was.

On a side note, the post below about the Ford museum reminded me of something. Last year my wife and I went to FT. Myers Florida and saw the Edison Ford Museum. This is where Thomas Edison and Henry had their winter estates. The museum was O.K. but they didn't have a single tractor display!!! I was really disapointed! The rest of FT. Myers wasn't too impressive either. ----Rob

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Stumpy

05-03-2004 17:37:28




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 Re: Ford and the Mighty MO in reply to Rob N VA, 05-03-2004 05:13:29  
I am glad she is safe Rob. It was a sad day steaming into the port of Long Beach, Ca aboard USS Vincennes seeing the Mighty Mo being put up. She was and still is breathtaking, a shipmate and fellow snipe was with me on the fantail looking at her. He was quite upset, Missouri was his home through the gulf war. I was very glad she has been preserved.

Stumpy EN2 USS Vincennes CG-49



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Bill(Wis)

05-03-2004 07:06:20




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 Re: Ford and the Mighty MO in reply to Rob N VA, 05-03-2004 05:13:29  
If my recollection is right, the Ford Motor Company had over 5 billion WWII dollars worth of contracts with Uncle Sam during those years. Remember Willow Run? A mile long assembly plant that, near the end of the war, rolled out one B-24 bomber every 55 minutes.



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Barnstormer

05-03-2004 08:10:02




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 Re: Re: Ford and the Mighty MO in reply to Bill(Wis), 05-03-2004 07:06:20  
I'm sitting at my desk at Willow Run (Ypsilanti, Michigan)in the former Ford B-24 bomber plant. It is now part of GM Powertrain automatic transmission manufacturing and assembly.
The bomber assembly line was over a mile long but the building is not. The main line started in the west end and headed east. At the east end was the airport. The plant is in Washtenaw County, the airport is in Wayne County. There was some political hassel about crossing a county line so Ford turned his assembly line 90 degrees and went south to the exit through overhead hanger doors. This made the assembly line a mile long. (by the way, the doors still operate and may be found open on hot summer days)

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Jim Cox

05-03-2004 09:44:53




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 Re: Re: Re: Ford and the Mighty MO in reply to Barnstormer, 05-03-2004 08:10:02  
any chance you would post a pic or two? or emai coxster at yahoo dot com some time?

thanks

JC



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Barnstormer

05-03-2004 11:56:03




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 Re: Re: Re: Re: Ford and the Mighty MO in reply to Jim Cox, 05-03-2004 09:44:53  
Hi JC.
Cameras not allowed in the plant. A local rag called the Ypsilanti Courier, published once a week, frequently publishes pictures from the 40's and the bomber plant.
You can also get a lot of that stuff at various web sites with a search.
Not sure what the Yankee Air Force may have. They are headquartered on the east side of Willow Run Airport.



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Jim Cox

05-03-2004 06:49:47




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 Re: Ford and the Mighty MO in reply to Rob N VA, 05-03-2004 05:13:29  
some amazing stuff over there. They call those two ships the 'Bookends of WWII', where it started and ended. My wife's Granpa was on the USS Nevada BB36 when the Mitsubishi welcome wagon came by to say hello. He still has a scar in his forehead, a glass right eye, several scars in his right forearm and right leg he got while handing 5" AA shells up to the gunner station. I got to visit Pearl 07 Dec 2001, and got a private view of the Nevada Point memorial. On Dec 8th we visited the AZ memorial, the USS Missouri, and then drove over to Ford Island NAS for a special look at the USS Utah. ( in the movie the bridge has been digitally removed ).

Looking back at those old ships and equipment, it makes sense why some hi-tech limited production equipment could cost so much in a government contract. Today's computer is based on a machine designed to calculate trajectories from the Missouri's 16" guns, and the like, so precious time would not be tied up looking thru pages and pages of tables to allow for elevation, distance, windage, etc. I don't like waste, but I sure don't like shortcuts either, 'specially when a man's life is at stake.

Got Freedom? Thank a Vet!

Jim Cox
SW Missouri
Pearl Harbor amateur Historian

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souNdguy

05-03-2004 05:29:21




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 Re: Ford and the Mighty MO in reply to Rob N VA, 05-03-2004 05:13:29  
Myt grandfather was a missle tech before and during ww2. He had to go calibrate the fireing systems. Gusee with an analog computer that big.. guess there was lotsa rom for calibrations!

Its kinda funny when you think about it... That same computer technology took us into space, and the moon. The average home computer is much more capable than anything on the apollo missions...

Soundguy



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