NAZIS ACKNOWLEDGE BLOWS BY ‘NEW’ RUSSIAN ARMIES; LENINGRAD DEFENSES HOLDING (9/1/41)

Microfilm-New York Times archives, Monterey Public Library | 9/1/41 | Cyrus L. Sulzberger, Craig Thompson, Hanson W. Baldwin

[Homer_J_Simpson]

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[BroJoeK]

Revolting cat!: "I can’t wait to learn how it all ends!"

Baby boom, but shhhhhhhh, don't tell anybody...

[PzLdr]

Going back to TIRPITZ, battleships have shown an ability to annoy the hell out of torpedo bombers. Something to do [in TIRPITZ’s case] with 200 foot water spouts [at distance] from 15” guns. Additionally, a battlewagon’s secondary is about as good as a light cruiser’s main guns. And the fire control direction centers are much more protected.

It’s of some interest that one of the reasons the KONGO class battlecruisers were upgraded to fast battleships was so they could escort the carriers.

And if nothing else, fast battleships can prevent those little misfortunes like the one that happened to H.M.S GLORIOUS.

[BroJoeK]

PzLdr: "It’s of some interest that one of the reasons the KONGO class battlecruisers were upgraded to fast battleships was so they could escort the carriers."

The Kongos' speed was 30 knots.
USS West Virginia & Maryland, the newest US battleships at Pearl Harbor in December 1941, had maximum speeds of 21 knots.
The new North Carolina class, still being prepared in 1941 had theoretical speeds of 26 knots -- and that was the problem getting them ready for active duty.

So none of them could keep up with the USS Enterprise's 33 knot top speed.
Only the newest Iowa class battleships could achieve 33 knots, and then not until 1943.

PzLdr: "And if nothing else, fast battleships can prevent those little misfortunes like the one that happened to H.M.S GLORIOUS."

The captain of the Glorious made many mistakes, and from the reports words like "blithering idiot" come to mind.
So how many battleships does it take to protect any ship against abject stupidity?
Wouldn't it just be easier to find a better captain?
Indeed, where was the admiral?

Again, my only point here is: while battleships were somewhat useful all the way up through the 1991 Gulf War, even on December 7, 1941 they were no longer decisive to the war's outcome.