Bid for WWII ship hits rough waters ( USS Iowa )

Sacramento Bee ^ | 9/5/10 | Jeff Mitchell

[SmithL]

VALLEJO

[SmithL]

[pepsionice]

Vallejo is completely and absolutely broke. I don’t see how any bid from the city can possibly be taken serious now. I doubt if any city in California can make a true bid at this point.

[Paleo Conservative]

There’s still lots of 16” ammunition left for the guns. Why not park the Iowa off the coast and lob them all into San Francisco?

[El Gato]

Vallejo is completely and absolutely broke. I don’t see how any bid from the city can possibly be taken serious now. I doubt if any city in California can make a true bid at this point.

The cities can not, but private groups very well could.

[Lurker]

I know these old ships were horribly expensive to man and maintain, I know that the weaponry is considered obsolete, and I know that the Navy is in love with the new fangled guided missile cruisers. But man oh man do I wish we had a few of these monsters still on active duty.

L

[Huskrrrr]

“There’s still lots of 16” ammunition left for the guns. Why not park the Iowa off the coast and lob them all into San Francisco?”

Don’t get me started.

[RachelFaith]

Refit it AGAIN.

Put it off the US East Coast.

Those gun can shoot down ICBMs 100 miles up in space.

Far cheaper than missiles.

[Wayne07]

They are rather beautiful too

[Mr. Jeeves]

It should go to San Diego, near the aircraft carrier Midway.

[Lurker]

Those gun can shoot down ICBMs 100 miles up in space.

The range of those 16 inch rifles was about 20 miles or so, not 100. And as accurate as they were they'd never be able to hit an incoming missile moving at Mach 7 unless it was the luckiest shot in history.

[El Gato]

At the same time the Iowa was being refitted and taken back into commission, I was also “being refitted” and returned to active AF reserve status.

In the office where I worked there was also a Naval Reserve officer. He would sometimes get the secretary to type up some of his paperwork, if they had no company work at the moment.

I got her to type up some of my paperwork as well. She is a very nice lady, and both of us knew how to treat nice ladies. :)

Anyway, when she finished with my typing, she said, “There’s going to be a war, isn’t there?”. Of course she was wrong, but only because we were both part of the Reagan buildup. Being stronger than the other guy, and clearly so, prevented that war she was worried about. :)

[NoControllingLegalAuthority]

Why not park the Iowa off the coast and lob them all into San Francisco?

I don't see any point in wasting perfectly good ammunition.

[El Gato]

The range of those 16 inch rifles was about 20 miles or so, not 100. And as accurate as they were they'd never be able to hit an incoming missile moving at Mach 7 unless it was the luckiest shot in history.

Range and max alittued are not the same thing. However I suspect you are correct in that her shells could not reach 100 miles altitude.

As to being able to hit something anywhere near that far away, it would depend on the nature of the "shell". If it was mostly second stage and guidance, (don't need anywhere near that much warhead to kill an ICBM RV) it might be able to achieve both the range/altitude and be able to hit the target.

[The Great RJ]

There’s still lots of 16” ammunition left for the guns. Why not park the Iowa off the coast and lob them all into San Francisco?

North Korea may save us the trouble as San Fransisco is about the right range for their ICBMs. Maybe just paint a large target on the roof of Pelosi's house.

[MSF BU]

As I understood it, the cost to refit these was less than the cost to build one destroyer.

[ThunderSleeps]

The range of those 16 inch rifles was about 20 miles or so, not 100. And as accurate as they were they'd never be able to hit an incoming missile moving at Mach 7 unless it was the luckiest shot in history.

I wonder though... What about a sub-calibre round? If it can toss 2700 lbs 20 miles, how high could it put say a 200 lb kill vehicle? If it could get it exo-atmospheric and reasonably close, then the kill vehicle merely has to manuever into the path of the inbound. Kinetic engery does the rest. Have to maybe run the numbers and see if it is feasible. Of course, that assumes you can build a 200 lb kill vehicle that can survive the tremendous acceleration being shot out of the barrel. The Navy does have ERGMs which sort-of proves the concept. (or disproves it, depending on your take on ERGMs) Another problem may simply be what is the max elevation the 16ers can be fired at? Would it even be realistic to get a projectile exo-atmospheric?

I like the old BBs, but sadly there's not much of mission left for them.

[Reily]

To all
hey out to refit at least 2 (yes hey are expensive to maintain, the is a better expenditure of money then most government projects!

Leave the 16 inchers on, maybe modernize the 5 inchers put on a few Vulcan chain guns then cover the deck with cruise missiles launchers.

Nothing says from Uncle with love like a shell that's weighs more then a Volkswagen!

Also that armor probably could take a hit from any number of nonnuclear cruise missiles and not scratch the paint. I doubt if these missiles have amour piercing warheads of sufficient strength

[null and void]

Those gun can shoot down ICBMs 100 miles up in space.

Source please? (Not that I doubt you, but I'd sure like to be able to cite it!)

Why the east coast??? The Norks are far closer to us on the Left coast.

[fso301]

A guy who served on the Iowa told me they had a 16” sabot shell with a range of approx 75 miles.

[mc5cents]

Of course she was wrong, but only because we were both part of the Reagan buildup. Being stronger than the other guy, and clearly so, prevented that war she was worried about. :)