Reactivate the USS Iowa and USS Wisconsin to fight terrorists!

[SoCal Pubbie]

Paging Mr. bah, Mr. Poohbah, your presence is requested!

[TemplarAkolyte]

Let's bring in the big guns! BTTTT

[El Gato]

It just so happens that the Iowa is at sea as we type. It's due into San Francisco the middle of this month. Alas, I belive she's under tow, not under her own power. Those boilers, now nearly 60 years old, have got to be getting pretty tired. Still there is much to be said for a mobile big gun platform. I remember when the call went out for Battleship sailors that last time the Iowas were brought out of mothballs. Guy at work was a Navy Reserve Lt. Cmdr., and he had some of the paperwork done by one of our secretaries during her free moments. About that same time I put in paperwork to rejoin the active Air Force reserve, which she also knew about. Scared her half to death, she was sure there was a war coming, soon, :) And there was, but not for several years, and not against any enemy then anticipated at that time. The Reagan buildup that all that was a part of helped bring down the Soviet Union.

Until the Iowas are once more resurrected, if they ever are, we'll just have to make do with "flying artillery" using precison guided weapons, which do alot more good than theire mere tonage would indicate, should we have to push Marines ashore on some hostile beach.

[SkyPilot]

Good post.

While we are at it, let's bring back the USS New Jersey as well. We have foolishly "retired" these ships at least 3 times now. Even though the 16" guns are 1930's techology, there is nothing out there comparable to them, even today.

[DieselBoy]

Iowa is currently deactivated. She has been deactivated since 1990, but her sisteships Missouri, which is a museum in Pearl Harbor but can be called back, and Wisconsin, which is berthed at Nauticus in Norfolk, Va, served in the Gulf War.

[Better Dead Than Red]

I have to admit that it is awful tempting to haul out those big guns once again but I am no so sure that it is the best option. Perhaps it would be better to develop so high explosive missiles with cheap, simple quidance systmes that could be fired from Ticonderoga class cruisers or Arleigh Burke class destroyers.

[joeyman]

Those boilers, now nearly 60 years old, have got to be getting pretty tired.

Considering that 40 to 45 of those years, these ships were mothballed, the actual wear is far less than implied here. These ships, built to last about 40 years, have about 15 years of their life used up. There's lots of fight left in both of them and those big guns are far more cost effective than hi-tech missles will ever be.

[screed]

Mighty Mo was involved in the Gulf War even before it was a Gulf War. Battle Group Sierra was created in response to an attack on the USS Stark in the mid 80's and Missouri was part of that. I know because I was priveleged to be a member of her crew for that cruise. There is nothing out there like the "fat-bottomed girls" of the U.S. Navy. However, let me add this caveat. These ships were not designed with air-conditioning in mind and the retrofit was less than optimal. It gets a scooch warm in that neck of the woods too.

[DieselBoy]

The battleships are probably the simplest warships left in the fleet because they were built on 1940's technology. On more modern ships, there is nothing simple. Everything requires lots of values and numbers to be plugged in.

[agitator]

This thread needs some pictures.

 

Oops, I had to sneak that one in!

[DieselBoy]

Thanks for the pics agitator!

[hchutch]

Agreed. I also suggest we pull the New Jersey and Missouri from museum duty as well.

We need more ships out there.

[hchutch]

PING!

[rightwing2]

I absolutely agree. I toured the USS Wisconsin at Portsmouth the day after the 9-11 terrorist attack following the conclusion of my meetings with the Canadians on the LAV-III on the day of the attacks. Man, she is a beauty! We need the firepower of the Iowa class in our Navy once again. Who said battleships were obselete? In an age when shore bombardment is the primary mission of the US Navy, they would be veritable assets.

[hchutch]

I see these ships as more useful for operations against Iran or North Korea, myself. They're also not bad for gunboat diplomacy.

They just exude a "don't mess with us" atmosphere that we could sure use right now.

[JoeGar]

... only battleships can provide the massive, high volume, accurate, instant, 24- 7, all weather, tactical NSFS that Marines (and soldiers) must have ...

I can remember our squadron spending a whole day dropping 1000-pound bombs, with impact fuses, on a concrete blockhouse. We inflicted no substantial damage. Then the battleship New Jersey rolled onto the scene. And, after about five minutes of shelling, the only thing left was dust and small concrete pebbles.

[HamiltonJay]

An Iowa Class battle ship is a site to behold, there is little doubt... and watching the night sky turn to day when the 16 inch guns are fired is awe inspiring. Against nation states, an Iowa Class battleship sitting off your coast is definately a very intimidating sight. It is a pure and raw projection of unadulterated power.

Does the battleship give more flexibility than than a carrier? Well if you haven't secured the airspace over your target, give me a battleship anyday. Once air space is secured however, the role the Battleship plays in sea to ground war is less vital, tomahawks can be launched from other vessles and air strikes and bombers can certainly pound the earth with greater ferocity than anything known. Granted it is knice to know you can land a projectile roughly 20 miles away at a cost far less than smart weapons thanks to the 16 inch guns, but does that justify battleships presence?

I don't know if calling up he Iowa is the right move right now, but have little doubt that when needed she will once again steam to her destination and project pure military might of the US around the globe.

[MeekOneGOP]

Thanks for the Great post, pictures and ping-a-roo!