May as well also make the decks airtight and launch it into space...
Posted on 04/14/2021 6:04:10 AM PDT by Onthebrink
She was briefly decommissioned, and then reactivated for the Korean War, and provided naval gunfire support duties against enemy bunkers, command posts, and artillery positions. Wisconsin earned five battle stars for her World War II service, and one for the Korean War.
When she joined the United States Navy reserve fleet – the “Mothball Fleet” – in 1958, it was the first time the United States Navy was without an active battleship since 1895.
However, that wasn’t the end of the line for USS Wisconsin.
President Ronald Reagan called for a 600-ship U.S. Navy in the 1980s, and as a result, the Iowa-class battleships were reactivated and upgraded with new combat systems that replaced many of the ships’ smaller five-inch guns with a launcher for Harpoon anti-ship missiles, thirty-two Tomahawk cruise missiles and four Phalanx close-in weapon systems (CIWS). Initially equipped with 40mm anti-aircraft guns, during the Cold War those were replaced with missiles, electronic-warfare suites, and Phalanx anti-missile Gatling gun systems.
(Excerpt) Read more at 19fortyfive.com ...
Giver her a nuclear power plant, pull off two of the big turrets and replace then with VLS weaponry, manufacture remaining new ammunition’s for her main battery, add modern secondary batteries and CIWS....send her up and down the Taiwan Straight nonstop.
I have visited the New Jersey. It's a darned interesting tour.
Never happen. Propulsion systems are too old. When Reagan reactivated them there were still some Korea vets and shipyard guys around who had worked on the Iowa’s. Those guys are long gone now. Plus the Navy isn’t going to train up & crew a ship that size when they are at the same time retiring the Ticonderoga’s.
Sounds like they already did that sans nukes. She is a floating armament platform:
From the article:
President Ronald Reagan called for a 600-ship U.S. Navy in the 1980s, and as a result, the Iowa-class battleships were reactivated and upgraded with new combat systems that replaced many of the ships’ smaller five-inch guns with a launcher for Harpoon anti-ship missiles, thirty-two Tomahawk cruise missiles and four Phalanx close-in weapon systems (CIWS). Initially equipped with 40mm anti-aircraft guns, during the Cold War those were replaced with missiles, electronic-warfare suites, and Phalanx anti-missile Gatling gun systems.
Given the reality of modern technology which includes but is not limited to pinpoint surveillance and positioning, lethal stealthy drones launched from land, planes, cruise missiles and submarines as well as stealthy modern long range missiles, the era of surface combatants is over. Few if any would survive against even a moderately technologically competent opponent. The brave young sailors would never see or be able to fight back against the people who killed them. Nor would the “battleship” admirals who sent them to their watery graves ever be held accountable.
Wishful thinking but wasted talk and funds. The ship is too old and the refurbish to re-commission would only benefit the shipyard.
At a former employer, we were asked to consult on replacing the decks on the New Jersey. We got a brief tour after our consulting part. I brought home a small piece of the original Admiral’s deck, a small balcony where Halsey and a few other Admirals would have stepped.
Not going to happen!!!
May as well also make the decks airtight and launch it into space...
Not really there is a Large Surface Combatant Program going on that is quite robust. Something along the lines of the Chinese Type 055.
Nancy might get the money for it and have the Navy park it in the Potomac to protect the Capital!
Iowa and Missouri were used during Desert Storm.
The Iowa’s are awesome, effective, beautiful museum pieces. But the cost of refitting them with new energy and tech systems is not worth it.
I’m from Norfolk and worked in shipyards there during high school and college during the late 70s. Not on anything so large as BB-64 USS Wisconsin but ships from the same era (LST, LSD, AO and AR). Been on the tour of the “Big Whiskey” multiple times. No way it could set to sea again. It’s bolted to the pier
I don’t know about that but do dig the fact that the Wisconsin is built like a....well...like a battleship. She could take a licking and keep on ticking, potentially packing enough surface to surface and surface to air firepower to seriously hamper Red Chinese attempt to put forces ashore in Taiwan.
But, yes, I know, it will never happen.
Raytheon has been developing ramjet missiles which are brought up to ramjet operating speed (supersonic) by being fired from cannon.
I would imaging a ramjet missile fired from a 16-inch gun could be made pretty powerful.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vIPNElDkns
Did you see the footage of the crowd of people taking down a drone with laser pointers. The footage from the nearby police helicopter was stunning. A ship and its crew could be vulnerable even to this behavior.
This display is in the Nauticus museum next to her berth in Norfolk, VA
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