The U.S. Navy’s Iowa-Class: The Best Battleships Ever

19FortyFive ^ | 2/5/2021 | Peter Suicu

[Onthebrink]

Armed with a main battery of 16-inch guns that could hit targets nearly 24 miles away with a variety of artillery shells, the Iowa-class were among the most heavily armed U.S. military ships ever put to see. The battleships’ main battery consisted of nine 16″/50 caliber Mark 7 guns in three-gun turrets, which could fire 2,700-pound (1,225 kg) armor-piercing shells some 23 miles (42.6 km). Secondary batteries consisted of twenty 5″/38 caliber guns mounted in twin-gun dual-purpose (DP) turrets, which could hit targets up to 9 miles (16.7 km) away.

[woodbutcher1963]

Oedipus could not SEE his true parents.
Therefore, he killed his father and married his mother.
It was a tradgedy.

Sophocles

[allendale]

No doubt they saw action, men served bravely and courageously on them but in a retrospective strategic analysis of their impact, it is argued that the cost, resources and manpower allocated to them did not have the huge significant impact on the war’s outcome that many believe to be the case. In fact when you total the number of Japanese, British, German, American and others sailors killed or drowned on those ships, they would have been more effective if they had been deployed in other ways.

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

L.P. !

In your time I recollect you have some small experience with Mark 5s?

[SoCal Pubbie]

“Their vulnerability and ability to keep pace with a carrier battle group would also inhibit their general usage.”

I’m not arguing for bringing the Iowa class back into service, but vulnerability and lack of speed are not really issues. They’re not invincible but much better armored than modern ships and were designed to keep up with carriers. In fact they’re faster than a Nimitz class carrier.

[DesertRhino]

If those pre-invasion bombardments hadnt happened, the casualties would have been catastrophically worse. It’s like air power, it can’t 100% end the problem, but it sure is a game changer.

[Lazamataz]

the Iowa-class were among the most heavily armed U.S. military ships ever put to see.

I had to go to the link to see if this was actually written that poorly.

It was.

While spell-check is your friend, PROOFREADING is moreso.

[ImJustAnotherOkie]

you mean marine corpse?

Remember when that dumbass obama said that?

[Lazamataz]

Ever put to see?

At least he didn't write "put to c".

[Magnatron]

The U.S. Navy’s Iowa-Class: The Best Battleships Ever

Maybe, but this was the baddest-a**ed Mini-Me ever...

[DesertRhino]

Exactly, how much worse would it have been without the bombardment? USS Texas was devastating to the German defense at Omaha and made a lifesaving impact. Iwo without bombardment would have been orders of magnitude worse.
Saying it made no difference reminds me of people saying the bombing of Germany made no difference.

[DesertRhino]

They were mostly dumped by the navy for money reasons, they had giant crews. Any vulnerabilities of the Iowas was 10 times worse in the other thin skinned and lightly armed ships of today.
Also, there were elements in our government that dislike the national pride came from an Iowa class battleship pulling into other ports in the world.

Are military thrives on procurement. Not on power.

This causes them to do things like get rid of the perfect Orion and Viking anti-submarine aircraft and insist a handful of 737s is just as good. It’s dumb but procurement officers love it.

[DesertRhino]

Yes, a situation that is dangerous for an Iowa class battleship is ten times worse for a modern surface combatant. And the loadbearing ability of those Iowas meant plenty of space for cruise missiles stc.
Everybody talks about the 16 inch gun, but the power of its 5 inch battery was incredible as well. The thing was a beast. And expensive beast, but yes, a beast. It even had nuclear cruise missile ability.

[Hazwaste]

Death penalty for spelling errors. Am I right?

[DesertRhino]

Beautiful

[FatherofFive]

Eye halve a spelling check her;
It came with my pea sea.
It plane lee marks four my revue
Miss steaks aye kin knot sea.

Eye ran this poem threw it
Your sure reel glad two no.
Its vary polished in it’s weigh,
My checker tolled me sew.

A check her is a bless sing;
It freeze yew lodes of thyme.
It helps me right awl stiles two reed,
And aides me when aye rime.

Each frays come posed up on my screen
Eye trussed too bee a joule;
The checker pours o’er every word
To cheque sum spelling rule.

Bee fore wee rote with checkers
Hour spelling was inn deck line,
Butt now when wee dew have a laps,
Wee are knot maid too wine.
Butt now bee cause my spelling
Is checked with such grate flare,
Their are know faults with in my cite,
Of nun eye am a wear.

Now spelling does knot phase me,
It does knot bring a tier;
My pay purrs awl due glad den
With wrapped words fare as hear.

To rite with care is quite a feet
Of witch won should be proud;
And wee mussed dew da best wee can
Sew flaws are knot aloud.

That’s why eye brake in two averse
Cuz eye dew want too please.
Sow glad eye yam that aye did bye
This soft wear four pea seas.

[PapaBear3625]

If there’s a better ways to kill thousands of Chinese soldiers in the space of a few minutes, I’m all for that too.

MLRS (Multiple Launch Rocket System) can send 12 missiles, each containing 644 bomblets, out to an effective range of 43 miles.

Put a few launchers on a ship, with a crane to keep re-loading the launch canisters. Then have a container ship sitting far out at sea to replenish from.

[Rockingham]

My father was a lieutenant in the USN during Korea, stationed in the Panama Canal Zone. He would serve as the Canal authority's representative aboard ship as they transited the Canal. That included the New Jersey.

[DesertRhino]

Oh well. At least those monsters will never be devil defiled by women sailors and lesbo commanders.

[allendale]

You might be right.The psychological effect alone on the assaulting troops and those being bombarded was significant. However the capabilities of the defensive fortifications remained highly effective. Even those that were identified pre bombardment through various intelligence modalities tended to survive and functioned. No disrespect meant to those who seved heroically or died on those ships but the amount of effective offensive ordanance delivered was negligible compared to the cost of materials and the horrendous loss of manpower killed and drowned on thos ships.Put another way what were the accomplishments of HMS Hood, HMS Prince of Wales, Bismarck,Yamato, Arizona, etc that justified their costs and the loss of their sailors? .

[xkaydet65]

I believe the Pearl Harbor surviving BBs were more effective bombardment platforms. And while the Iowas were superb ships I believe the Indiana Class while lacking 33knot speed were perhaps better armored and packed equal firepower to the Iowas.