[APRPEH]

the strength of the battleship hull and the ability to re-fit to modern standards including missile batteries made the BB a Reagan era symbol. remember as "obsolete" as they were deemed, the New Jersey was pulled out of retirement 3 times. the last time during the Reagan administration and she put on quite a light and sound show off the shore of Lebanon.

[APRPEH]

BTW..correction
this photo is not Lebanon but Vietnam

[APRPEH]

this one is Lebanon

[Gator101]

ability to re-fit to modern standards including missile batteries

True, but what I think finally put the BB's out of service was the cost of manning and maintaining a ship that big and that old when it's more cost effective to put those same systems on smaller, more efficient ships (that also have smaller radar signatures). While there is certainly a "diplomatic" benefit of putting a powerful ship off somebody's shore - the modern CVN's fulfill that role with their longer reach.

[Humvee]

That broadside would displace the entire ship by about 5-6 feet. That's some kick.