cool new battleship on the prowl

[RangerXLT8]

This ship is meant to protect our seaways and coastal areas from enemy submarines, it's not really a battleship in a sense of big guns meant for pounding the shore lines..

[Boy'nBlack]

See, that is it exactly. To say that means a tomahawk never hits the ground, and 5" shells aren't constantly used for Marines doing shoring.

You wouldn't use the 15" guns to pound the ground. You use them to take stuff out. I'll be damed if I were on the ground calling in 15" shells anywhere near my troops. The little, puny, weak, 5" is the Howitzer that all ground pounders love. I love them, and would not want a VW landing anywhere near me with the margin of error even added.

When we have beached, are overt (known), and need cover...I want ground cover; I can either wait to beach and get artillery on sight (days), or call in the Mk45/54cal guns on top of me. The thought of something like a 15" shell looking my way is a wave off...don't want it.

The thought that a big barrel waving over a coast is a threat is done. It's just pretty to us in recollection. I wouldn't be scared one bit over one DDG/Cruiser against a fleet of Iowas. And that's why they're mothballed.

Marines gotta stand up and say they use these things as a religion. You can stop at Oceanside and see LCAC's roll in as the beach smoked on called 5" hits. It's the next step after basic training.