[Poohbah]

The bombing of the USS Cole would have difficulty being repeated with a BB, due to it would take a freighter filled with explosives, rather than a rowboat.

If I were the terrorists, I'd send in a suicide squad to detonate a bomb inside the forward powder magazine. That would sink the ship.

All I'm saying is that a BB is a lot more survivable than most anything else in the fleet.

Like I said: a BB is just about the only weapons system out there that concentrates THAT much chemical energy, in one place, in an easily-ignited form, and then dares the crew to make one mistake--or dares the enemy to get ONE bomb into the magazine by any means.

Since you like to use the carriers as examples, how do you think carriers defend themselves from anti-ship missiles?

By killing the archer, not the arrows.

By having a DD or CG get in the missile's way and take the hit for them.

Actually, the idea is that the DD or CG uses their own weapons suite to bag the inbound. DDs and CGs are pretty expensive, after all.

If I had to take an inbound vampire strike, I would certainly rather be on a battleship.

Of course, if I were attacking a CVBG, I'd be throwing nuclear vampires. Being in a BB wouldn't do you THAT much good :o)

[hchutch]

Of course, the question is how you get to said magazine. Figure the Marine detachment, the size of the ship...

A very long shot, IMHO.

[Smogger]

Poohbah dont you realize that the terrorists would have to fight through 1500 crewmen? IT takes about 10 minutes to reach the forward magazine from the deck. Maybe 200 or more terrorists with bombs strapped to their chests and AK-47's blacking could do it. Terrorists would never be able to get aboard anyways.