[Paleo Conservative]

The Montana class was designed to go toe-to-toe against the Yamato class. So, speed was sacrificed for guns and armor. But, the battleship had become obsolete. Aircraft carriers and submarines ruled. So, the Navy cancelled the Montana class, and kept producing fast Iowa class battleships, capable of escorting carrier strike fleets, for a while.

Thousands of fewer lives were put at risk sinking the Yamato class battleships by attacking them with carrier based aircraft than if Montana class battleships had gotten within range with their 16 inch guns.

[tanknetter]

Indeed.

The “Iowa vs Yamato”, or “Montana vs Yamato” theoretical faceoffs are neat to discuss, but only the most ardent Battleship sentimentalists actually yearn for them to have occurred. That might include Bill Halsey, who supposedly was yearning to get the Japanese fast-BBs in range of his fast-BBs guns at Leyte Gulf.

I will add the caveat that the Pearl Harbor battleships’ “payback is a b*tch, MFer” moment at Suragio Strait warms the heart with a sense of poetic justice.