Posted on 03/09/2018 11:07:28 AM PST by Simon Green
Despite what Wikipedia says, North Carolina was heavily damaged by just one torpedo and had to immediately head for Noumea for emergency repairs
The North Carolina class underwater protection was inadequate. The torpedo hit just under the #1 turret and almost caused a magazine explosion.
The turret was knocked out and she spent considerable time under repair.
Other Pearl Harbor battleships other than the Pennsylvania that weren’t as heavily damaged were able to avoid being expended at the Bikini test and remained mothballed well into the 1950’s.
The future is drone boats serving as recon, electronic warfare and missile platforms, with stealth structures and minimal draught.
One of the ships in that photo was the USS Prinz Eugen (war prize given to us by the Brits).
It survived TWO nuke tests, and, then was towed to Kwajalein Atoll. It stayed there for a few months, but, as no one could go on board due to the radiation, it finally deteriorated until it capsized and sank.
It’s still sticking up in the lagoon, and, safe enough to dive on now.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_cruiser_Prinz_Eugen
A heavy cruiser with two triple 8 or 10 inch forward gun turrets and the mid and stern areas packed with various missiles would do the trick rather than go full battleship. You get armor, you get speed, you get long distance hitting power, AA capabilities and you can stand off shore and pound your enemy with shell fire as well.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northrop_Grumman_X-47C
Future would be a stealthy unmanned drone able to provide live intel and long loiter time of when would be best to strike the target without the target knowing it.
The gunboat diplomacy of the battleship is also it’s downfall, everyone knows it’s there so they can take countermeasures and hide or even target the ship.
I’d be overjoyed to see the Wisconsin, New Jersey and, of course, Mighty Mo brought back in to service. I never thought they should have been re-de-commissioned after they were refitted in the 1980s.
Unfortunately, I think the USS Newport News may have been scrapped.
The Iowa class refit had a crew of over 1800, the post war Navy couldn't afford that extravagance. You could crew 4 Ticonderoga's with that.
And the nukes are a lot bigger now ...
For some reason, I can’t copy the image, but the shadow on the right side of the waterspout is a ship, standing on its fantail....
I know, I know. But those battleships are, in my opinion, the most beautiful warships ever constructed. They are just so low, sleek and stream-lined looking that I think the Navy should keep at least one of them around forever.
I am, of course, biased, because when Reagan called the Missouri back in to service, he also called my father back out of retirement to serve on her. I think that was the happiest he ever was in his Navy career.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Arkansas_(BB-33)
Yup, the Arkansas, the oldest US navy combatant in WWII.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Arkansas_(BB-33)
Yup, the Arkansas, the oldest US navy combatant in WWII.
Thanks, I did not know the name of the ship....amazing photo.
Engines? They recalled engine crews of the Sacramento and Camden to man the Iowa's when they were recommissioned.
They used the powerplant from uncommissioned Iowa class Kentucky with lower pressure boilers than other ships.
Pretty much all battleships had inadequate underwater torpedo protection. They were designed to fling 2000 pound project at one another. As for other battleships being mothballed, the point is youre not going to repair a ship that is considered obsolescent. Of course you would keep those that were more modern and in good working order.
Electronics.
You couldve also pointed out that the Bismarck was rippled by a single torpedo hitting the rudder, but of course any warship that loses its ability to turn is going to be in serious trouble.
The Navy revisited the underwater protection of the North Carolina's in the succeeding class the South Dakotas.
The Japanese torpedo didn't just penetrate the hull of the North Carolina, the flash penetrated the forward turret handling room almost causing a magazine explosion.
Akagi, a battlecruiser hull, had it's steering crippled by a 1000lb bomb that didn't even hit the ship, it was a very near miss to the stern at Midway.
USS Long Beach CGN-9If you wanted to serve on a ship that rarely left port in the US, the Long Beach was where to be. We couldnt do much more than 30 knots with a clean hull, so we couldnt keep up with the carriers, so we rarely left port. The reason was that the Long Beach was originally going to be a DLG weighing 12,000 tons. By the time the USN was done expanding it, it weighed 14,000 tons. During sea trials, it was feared that the ship would roll over because it was so top heavy, so 2000 tons of lead was added along the keel to raise the weight to 16,000 tons.
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