cool new battleship on the prowl

[OcciferFriendly]

When it comes down to it, it's pretty hard to make an ugly battleship. They just look tough.

The Texas has been around for a seriously long time - she comes from the era were it was fashionable to have your secondary armament in casements on the side of the ship. As designed and built she had more guns on her than she does now.

A further piece of Yamato's last mission is that the initial plan to counter her was by a traditional battleship division. The shore bombardment force at Okinawa was the first force ordered to intercept and destroy her. Fleet submarines also had a crack at her - one of them only missed torpedoing her because their orders were only to fire after clearing an enemy report, and they couldn't get through to fleet comms at Pearl!

That shore bombardment division was also composed of older battleships - none of the Iowas, which were already in service at that time. So even if the battlewagons had gone at it in the old way we wouldn't know which class wins.

If the US battleships had brought her to battle it would have been epic, but a foregone conclusion. There were six ships in the US battle line, and Yamato's 18 inch guns and huge size notwithstanding, there was no way she defeats all six. She might seriously damage one or two, but unless she had done them like the Bismarck did the Hood (and that was impossible due to better design) the Yamato is still screwed. And carrier air would have played a part in the battle too - there was no way anyone was telling Marc Mitscher he couldn't have a crack at the last capital ship of the Imperial Japanese navy!

Well I'm way the hell off track now. As you can see I'm a bit of a military history buff!

[OcciferFriendly]

To have an on topic post here, I would point out that the new Independence, while very cool, is not a battleship. I consider a battleship to be any ship with 10 inch guns or larger - no one is making them any more, and more's the pity.

[RangerXLT8]

That ship may only have one 5 inch gun to shoot pirates, but on the back deck of that thing they can most likely shoot any type of sea to air, sea to land missile.

Heck for all we know those dark hatches on the side could open up and a 12" gun barrel slides out...

[Reloadron]

@ OcciferFriendly:

The CG(X) cruiser will replace the Ticonderoga class AEGIS cruisers.

Currently in the works. One real big consideration right now on so many of the new classes of ships is the power plants to be used. The best weapons and biggest guns suffer from how long it takes to get them on station.

Right now the CG(X) is becoming a pipe dream as congress is failing to act on it.

Right now we are decomissioning submarines faster than we are comissioning them. The Navy wants 2 per year but are getting 1 per year.

Ron

[simple_inhibition]

after the decimation of what was left of the IJN at Leyte Gulf, there was no doubt about the fate of the Yamato.

[Boy'nBlack]

This is now silly. It's the look of the ship, not it's capabilities. A battle ship is not a battleship unless it looks like it has stuff on deck?

Take one 15" barrel. You can't go bigger, unlike the Germans, due to the war rules. Now take one VLS slot. You can launch VW beetles all day at a ground target a mile away with the giant barrels. Or you can hit something within 30m 800 miles away with one VLS slot. The Iowa had 12 15" guns? Look at the deck of a cruiser...quadruple that.

It's a flap on the deck. Not scary to look at, but really really scary when you know what lies under those flaps. This USS Shiloh has still launched more tom's in one sitting, and over all, in battle conditions and in testing than any ship. Think of a volley of 48 toms coming from absolutely nowhere and all within a time frame that is seemingly a minute's time. When a tom launches, they can go right out to the target. If a volley is planned, you can have them all go into a holding pattern and leave based on either flight time plan or to have them all hit at their indicated targets at the same time. Nukes are still able to be carried, and can be stuffed in a tom quite easily. Not easily shoved into a barrel.

And that's just one weapon's aspect just like an Iowa's big guns are. This is totally ignoring the power of the Aegis systems. And the armor? You don't need armor if nothing can get in your umbrella. Small, nimble, quick, and very powerful. It just doesn't look like it.

Speed is classified at 30+ knots. Even unclassified, non-secret holding visitors have seen 48 knots out of these ships on tiger cruises. There's one button on the PLC's that is labeled "battle override" that can make them run quicker. Max CRP, max engine. And along with that and a good snipe shoving water into the engines and tweaking the FISI, she can book! And that's on a single hull aging cruiser. This is a tri-hull that should lift a bit out when breaking waves.

[OcciferFriendly]

Well, you're completely missing the point Chums. No one's denying the incredible combat power of the newer ships - a single Ticonderoga class CG is more than a match for all 4 Iowas, even after the mods. And this new Independence could probably take them on and sink them all before they answered the flank speed bell.

It's just a romantic "looks" thing. Were I going off to real war, I'd rather be on board Tico or one of her sisters, but sitting here bullshitting about it, the Iowa class seems like it would be more fun.

You might want to stop assuming others are idiots when you comment - even one of your friends isn't safe it appears.

[Lokie]

Am I to asume the angles of this ship is for stealth perposes? I mean like the stealth bomber, all angles and what not.

[Reloadron]

Originally Posted by Lokie

Am I to asume the angles of this ship is for stealth perposes? I mean like the stealth bomber, all angles and what not.

Likely yes.

Stealthy Hull Form: The CG(X) will have a stealthy hull form. This advanced hull form helps to reduce radar identification by other ships.

CG(X): Navy of the Future: Ships & Equipment: About the Navy: Navy

Ron

[Boy'nBlack]

Originally Posted by OcciferFriendly

You might want to stop assuming others are idiots when you comment - even one of your friends isn't safe it appears.

Ouch. All I saw was what I read. I then pimped more than just one person on what's possible with a single Crusier. I didn't quote, I just wanted to state that guns on deck are dead. Sorry I missed that. Gotta understand that I was just told I wasn't on a battleship. In all her battles, it wasn't considered a battleship by definition. I must defend them. And the useless crap I pin to my chest. Understood, right? They've got guns, and are battle hardened.

The USS Missouri is in Pearl Harbor, HI. Every ship on the West coast stops there before going out for their jobs. As all hands are lined up on the deck, they start with paying respect to the Arizona and get saddened. And then they pass the lady in all her glory moments afterward. The emotional rollercoaster is that all hands come from the port hit, the sadness for fallen brethren, and then the spirit that the big lady holds. It's not just a site to see, but really the exact stuff to get you in gear and ready to roll.

The trip got me every time, and seeing that trip again on PBS's "Carrier" had the same effect. I wish I wasn't a washed up has-been and could do something again. Those guns up in the air are just awe inspiring.
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Angles are all about stealth. Common radar needs a flat surface. If the surface is confusing, it reports back in a very peculiar manner. If you look at the Arleigh Burke class, everything is angled...even the masts. The stacks are heat hidden, and just hard to spot with common world tech as to what exactly is out there. A >DDG-51 is shown as a fishing boat with a big question mark. It's footprint is all that's known, and we know it by the Aegis and IFF (Identify, friend/foe) relation only. These ships are rowboats in comparison.