Japanese Admirals Never Knew Iowa's 16 Inch Guns Could Hit From 23 Miles—Then 4 Ships Vanished

youtube ^ | 11/03/2025 | @FrontLineMemories02

[ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas]

Admiral Spruance, commander of US naval forces at Midway, wanted to prove that the IOWA class US battleships were superior the the Japanese battleships Yamato and Musashi in a surface battle. No such combat ever occurred. Despite the fact that the Yamato had bigger guns, Iowa class battleships had radar controlled fire control systems which enabled them to target and hit ships outside visual range. Japanese ships sever had that capability.

[ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas]

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[Governor Dinwiddie]

The Japanese had 18.1 inch guns on two of their battleships: the Yamamoto and the Musashi.

Range was about the same as USN, but I'm not sure if their fire control was equal to USN.

[ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas]

US fire control was overwhelmingly superior in 1943.

[Governor Dinwiddie]

Thanks for the info. That's kinda what I suspected.

[balch3]

American battleships could fire with accuracy while maneuvering at full speed. The Japanese had to choose between accuracy or evasive action.

[spetznaz]

Exactly. The Japanese found out the hard way.

[ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas]

America battleships could hit vessels outside visual range. Japanese ships never could.

[Jonty30]

It would have been awesome to be on that ship when it fired.

[Rockingham]

No. Japanese fire control was weak at longer ranges. Yet as accounts of the night combat engagements off Guadalcanal reveal, the Japanese were tough opponents in surface warfare, especially in the early years of WW II.

[Rockingham]

Based on optical sighting, Japanese fire control was relatively weak at long range. Yet, as accounts of the night combat engagements off Guadalcanal reveal, the Japanese were tough opponents in surface warfare, especially in the early years of WW II.

[Does so]

“It would have been awesome to be on that ship when it fired”.
.
You might notice the ship moving sideways...

[shoff]

battleship firing 16 inch guns https://www.youtube.com/shorts/_ZyQ6WTT3A8

[Locomotive Breath]

... especially in the early years of WW II.

At the start of the war, the Japanese had superior optics which allowed them to see us before we could see them – especially at night. They also had the oxygen based "Long Lance" torpedos with a range that far outstripped that of the U.S. Mark 14 torpedos which were defective anyway.

At Guadalcanal this allowed the Japanese to win several surface engagements. As pointed out, once U.S. radar came on line (and U.S. captains at sea learned to trust and use it) it negated these Japanese advantages.

(But you probably knew all that.)

[I-ambush]

[“It would have been awesome to be on that ship when it fired”.
.
You might notice the ship moving sideways...]

Any Desert Storm vets who experienced this?

[where's_the_Outrage?]

I seem to recall 2 stories from the Pacific:

1. A US Seaman thought it was funny to make the smokestack belch black smoke. Despite being ordered not too, he did it anyway. A Jap ship seeing the black smoke fired and sank the US ship.

2. The US captain did not trust that the new fangled radar was providing the right information, so he sailed his ship within visual range and got his ass kicked by the Japs.

[central_va]

I think the USN BB main battery gun fire control system could accept both optical and radar targeting data at the same time. I do not think it was either one or the other. Which was awesome and deadly.

[for-q-clinton]

Getting hit by a 16 inch shell will do the damage you need.

[NFHale]

Iowa-class Battleships had some serious firepower.

Still, the Japanese Yamato and Musashi were bigger.

Carriers ruled the waves though…. Mahan’s “battleship supremacy” was doomed by air power, as Billy Mitchell proved.

[central_va]

I saw the USS New Jersey fire all 9 in Beirut from another ship about 2500 yards away. It was spectacular. It was also getting dark at the time enhancing the effect. Tan smoke everywhere! She was going about 10 knots at the time so I didn’t notice any sideways movement.