Pinned post for Q&A :)

Drach, thank you so much for prohibiting in-video ads, presumably at cost to your own YT revenue stream. It hugely enhances my enjoyment of your content. Hope and trust that it pays off for you in the long run. 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

If memory serves me, most of the Japanese post-war destroyers were lost fighting Godzilla in Tokyo  Bay in the 1950’s and 1960’s.

"That brings us to the French" - shows a half sunk listing vessel.  British never miss a chance to bag on the French.

Practically speaking, I know nothing about ships or navies, but this channel is ridiculously easy to binge watch.

Destroyers: when you need to sink a sub but forgot your hammer.

Post-War Destroyers: Exists
Tribal Class Crews: "We can still eat your lunch."

I am so glad that i can now say, drach did a video on a class of ships i steamed as a boiler tech in the early 80's uss somers, a sherm conversion  ddg 34.

Have you been /Gearing/ up for this one for a while?

Drachs channel deserves a subscriber count in the millions. This channel has mostly kept me sane as my mobility slowly leaves me over the last years (its hard to judge time when most of my days are spent in bed) and I am just grateful as hell for this type of content that helps keep my mind stimulated amongst the brainrot meta

If anyone wants to see the modified Daring class there is one parked in Darling Harbour, in Sydney.

Time to re-watch the entire series again

During my US Navy deployment in 1983, my ASW Frigate USS Ainsworth FF-1090 was refueling from an oiler.  The old USS Mullinix DD-944 (Forrest Sherman class) was on her final cruise before being decommissioned upon return.  Her Captain decided to let the old girl strut her stuff.  She was zipping around at very high speed, literally running circles around us.  Made my "Fast Frigate" look like a slug.  We could make 27 knots with a good tailwind, the Mullinix had to be doing in excess of 30 kts.  Too bad she wasn't made a museum ship.  😮

Ask Jeremy Clarkson if he’s willing to voice-in the one word ”STAAAAAAAAG”.

Glad the USS Edson got a mention. Its a small little operation keeping her in shape and they do great work

My Uncle Martin finished his navy career as a Chief. His job was to keep the Staag 40mm mounts working for more than half an hour at a time.
STAAG Mark I carried the radar dish over the gun barrels, where it was subject to damage during firing so, on the STAAG Mark II the set was shifted to the roof of the control cabin.
The last ships with a STAAG were the Type 12 Whitby-class anti-submarine frigates and the Type 41 Leopard anti-aircraft and Type 61 Salisbury air direction frigates.
It was ultimately too difficult to maintain in the harsh environment of a warship and was replaced by the Mk V which had a completely remote radar director and the single Mk VII which was in use up unto the 80s.

Fun fact about the USS Edson (DD-946): by whatever rolls of the cosmic dice, she never received any missile upgrades, unlike a few others in the class, and remained in service until 1988, being the last gun-destroyer in service to the USN.

Nice one Drach. You could probably do another video on post-war minor navy gun destroyers. Sweden (Oland, Halland & Östergötland classes) , the Netherlands (Holland class) and Spain (Oquendo class) all built some interesting designs. Also, those Vickers "Almirantes" for Chile had very interesting guns that'd bear closer examination. They weren't the only post-war British exports either: Venezuela got three "Nueva Esparta" class ships that were effectively "Batch 3 Battle class" destroyers with three twin 4.5" mountings.

6:38 Excellent pronunciation, sir. I usually emulate a goat when I refer to Self Propelled Anti Aircraft Guns, (even though there are only two As) so the way you said STAAG clearly conveyed to me what you were referring to.

“I never realized how quickly destroyer design shifted from chasing surface ships to hunting submarines after WWII. The Daring and Forrest Sherman classes really show that transition. If you had to pick one all-gun destroyer from this era to serve on, which would it be?”