[carumba]

The Bismark was the beginning of the end for the battle ship. Argentina's General Belgarno was an example of large surface ships being large targets.

[jamaksin]

Or perhaps the tale of Billy Mitchell and the reason for his court martial ...

[R. Scott]

Neither example you cited had air cover or effective anti-air weapons systems.

[Cheapskate]

I have no idea if this is actually true, butI had read or heard that the watertight doors on the Adm. Belgarno were not closed.

If that's the case,It would have fared no better than any pre- dreadnaught

[Jimmy Valentine]

"Argentina's General Belgarno was an example of large surface ships being large targets"

She was the old USS Phoenix a cruiser (Brooklyn Class?). She was armed with automatic six inch guns, and if she had gotten loose in the Falklands, the entire British invasion force would have been sunk. I don't know what the Argentinians did to her in terms of maintenance, but she was caught with no escort, loafing along at ten knots and not on a zigzag course when the Brits sank her. Battleships (16 inch guns) and the two cruisers left of the Demoines Class (automatic 8 inch guns) are superior gun platforms for shore bombardment and are capable of +-30 knots (34 land miles per hour). Unless we can replace them with better fire power, we should not throw them away.

Regards,