Such a beautiful and powerful ship. I agree, I wish they would bring back just one and keep it commissioned like the Constitution. Thank you for posting, and thank you for your service!
@nairda55555 You don't just hear it, you experience it. You felt the flash of heat and a percussion wave that slammed your body. I'll have to admit, I enjoyed being in the plotting room shooting these things more than standing topside watching them.
Yes, we'd do 9 gun broadsides. It was typically just for show. In actual combat fire missions in Iraq, we fired one gun at a time. Even in a broadside, the guns never fire at exactly the same instant. They were designed to fire at slightly different times to minimize the stress on the turrets and the ship. It may be in the photos you've seen that some of the guns had not fired yet.
God that must have been an amazing feeling standing on the deck of an old brute from ww2 shipping off to go fight again 46 years after her coronation. Bet you guys made the old ww2 vets proud. I really wish one of the Iowa-Class ships would be recommissioned the most likely candidate it seems would be the Iowa since it still is in the moth-ball fleet. I think they would have some use for fire missions of the coast of southern Afghanistan. Or be stationed at naval base overseas.
I know in this era a smart munitions that something like a battleship is technically obsolete but if only for sheer sheer awesomeness I wish we could bring back just one. Is there anything as awe inspiring as a broadside being fired by a battleship?
@Yakko77 I got to pull the trigger for a 9-gun broadside on my 23rd birthday on the Mo. Awesome indeed. I'm a little sad we'll never see such a sight again.
its pretty cool. my grandfather was on deck when Truman signed the treaty. he was even in the Time mag cover pic! and as i remember it, the Mo was used in Iraqi freedom in 2001-02 for a few months... seeing as how the Navy has 1,000s of rounds for the guns in storage. and yes, they want to re-activate them as giant missile cruisers. removing the rear turret and replacing it with ICM banks is what i heard. that's just scuttlebutt tho...
I remember when she was docked at San Franciso, CA. I visited her, she is massive.
Best moment of the day was that a group of hippies had a small table set up and trying to hand out anti-military leaflets. An old Vet walked up as I was argueing with these people and asked if he could "..have them to hand out to people in line" they said he could have as many as he liked......he grabbed their entire stack of thousands or so an tossed them into the Bay..everyone cheered and clapped for him.
Cant imagine what the Iraqis felt when they saw this thing firing on them. I dont think any modern warship could survive more than a couple hits from this thing, they just arent built as strong anymore. Well maybe a carrier
LOL... I think one would leave pretty much nothing much to destroy already haha... two broadsides if you really want to crush some metal... but yeah I agree... two broadsides from the Mighty Mo would be murderous...
You know even just one of those 16 inchers would be devestating i know i wouldnt want to be on a poor ship targeted by the Missouri or any other Iowa class
When the geysers erupt from the shells landing there @ the end; it is seeing what the guys from all our battleships, the Brits, the Germans & Japanese saw 65 years ago whether Atlantic or Pacific a real-life glimpse into the past .astonishing.
On Oct.14 this beautiful ship goes into dry dock for 18 m worth of upgrades and repairs. Partially paid for by the U.S. Navy and the rest from private donations!
Yeah, what a day when we left port. Australia was the best part of the cruise towards the end. The Wisconsin didn't have the luck as we did. They went to Cuba. You can see a short shot of her in harbor from the movie "A Few Good Men".
I remember that day like it was yesterday. Nov. 13 '91. I just got back the night before from Albuquerque. Went to visit the family before deployment and I had the time. Then, 4:30 in the afternoon we heard that call everyone heard all over the ship and the pier. "UNDERWAY!!! SHIFT COLORS!!" Pulling away from the pier seeing family, friends and loved ones get smaller and smaller. We were going out to support Operation Desert Shield / Storm along the USS FORD FFG-54.
that has been an ongoing debate for a long time. if only the two ships could've met in battle. i think it would come down more to how well the crew was trained more than the ships themselves, becuase the ships themselves were pretty much evenly matched. the yamato had 18 inch guns, but the iowa's 16 inch .50 guns had the same power and penetration rate as the yamato's 18s.
There was a German battleship on the Z-plan that would've had 20 inch guns and displaced 120,000 tons. I've heard other stories that Hitler wanted it to have 20 inch guns, but the German admiralty had to explain to him that 20 inch guns would've been too large and so they would have to settle for 18s. There some beasts on the drawing board, the US had the Montana, I think the UK had the Lion, the USSR had the Sovietsky Soyuz, and the Germans had the H44. Those would've been some bloody fights
Yes, Hilter and his damned notion for a 120,000 ton H-44 class battleship. Also there were TWO Lion class designs. The two that were being built, but scrapped were 45,000 tons. About the same size as the Iowa class in which the HMS Vanguard was a tad bigger by design. The Lion 2 was a much bigger and better protected design and was 65,000 tons, relevant to the US's Montana class and IJNs Yamato class ships. Japan also had considered a Super Yamato class armed with 20" guns displacing 100,000tons
Japan would've needed to hold on to their conquests a little while longer to have the resources necessary to float one of those. What a sight it must've been to see those great ships sail out of the harbor into battle. If the Japanese didn't have the kamikaze mentality, Yamato could've survived the war. The US would've most likely got it as terms in the peace treaty. It probably would've ended up at bikini atoll, but the navy might've incorported it into the fleet. Guess we'll never know.
I've talked to a few guys in the US Navy, and they say that there are a lot of advocates to bring back the battleship. I'm sure if we sailed an Iowa right up to Somolia's door step, their pirates wouldn't be so keen in coming out and wreaking havoc on the shipping in the area.
There are many in the defense community who advocate for reactivation. Unfortunately the Navy has actively sought to preclude that possibility by destroying as much of the support pipeline (parts, ammo, R&D) as they could before Congress stopped them. Also the Navy is shifting away from steam turbine powerplants, further complicating a reactivation. Having said all that, it's still technically feasible, but politically unlikely. IOWAs would be overkill for pirates of any kind...
true, and unfortunate as well. The battleship is a symbol of power that, I believe anyway, is unmatched even by an aircraft carrier. The mere presence of the USS New Jersey in Lebanon was enough to stop the fighting in Beruit. The technology is improving to such a state that planes and missiles can be shot down. The phalanx has even been used to shoot down incoming artillery rounds. I think that technology like this could breath new life into the battleship if the politics would just SFTU.
Actually, even at they were being deactivated, development was underway on a GPS guided extended range 16 inch round. Conceptual plans also exist for VLS, RAM, and other enhancements. One of the great advantages of the IOWAs is that they are extremely adaptable platforms.
That's true. I'm in the Army, but the battleship has always been something that's fascinated me. I recently got into building 3d models a few years back. I plan on building a few WWII era battleships as what-if modernizations. I am trying to work it out in my head how I would want it to look, but I'm working on a Bismarck right now. I want to do a Vanguard, a North Carolina, a South Dakota, a Kentucky BBG, a Yamato, a Sovietski Soyuz, a Lion, and a Montana. All modernized or course.
I'm not very good at animating yet, but I can render and texture fairly well. I'll post them on photobucket and send you the links when I complete them.
You are only looking at the firepower - which is awesome. But keep in mind the ship cannot be bottoned up against biologic agents that can be sucked throughout the interior of the ship with the drafts from 1 end to the other. Fine against pirates, not so against a sophisticated enemy.
That's true. However, very few modern US vehicles can be buttoned up against a chemical attack and be protected without the crew wearing MOPP gear. As far as biological agents are concerned, there is really no effective defense against something like that besides vaccines. Gas masks and air filters are only designed to protect against chemical weapons such as nerve agents and are practically useless against germ warfare. Besides, If I can do my job in MOPP4, then why can't sailors do theirs?
I saw the USS North Carolina at Wilmington last year. There were still restoration efforts going, but I didn't see anything resembling vandalism in it. I think that if they really wanted to, the Navy could reactivate all of these ships. It would be expensive as hell though. They say that carriers replaced the battleship. In my opinion it think that it costs more to operate an aircraft carrier than a battleship. A battleship can linger a lot longer on station than aircraft can.
Alone, a battleship is practically defenseless against aircraft. But as part of a battle group with adequate anti-air defenses...let's just say anything that goes up against it will have a short and exciting lifespan.
but the iowas have a beefed up aa system, which is about equal to a aegis ship, and you need a bigass warhead to penetrate that foot thick armor on them
it would be awesome for an iowa or two to be re-activated. The only problem is they are just sitting ducks for cruise missiles. Unless the US government can make a system that could intercept missiles that could be placed on a ship, and comes out of debt. There probably not gonna reactivate. I hope someday they will, it would be neat to live in an age of battleships.
The phalanx system can shoot down incoming cruise/anti ship missiles. There are also systems in place to confuse the missiles guidance system. Cruise missiles can also be shot down by aircraft. The first cruise missiles, the German V-1 Buzzbomb, were easy targets for the Royal Airforce once they fielded the Gloster Meteor. I think the main problem is that the US is in so much debt right now. If we didn't have that problem, the Iowa's could very easily be on station in the Persian Gulf.
Hey livest1, if a cruise missile were to hit the haul of a Iowa class battleship. The ship would have to put some swab jocks over the side with a bucket of paint. The Iowa class BB's were designed to take numerous direct hits from 16 inch, 2.700 pound armor piercing round. They are some what unsinkable with what weapons are available today. A nuke could put her out of commission but I doubt it could sink her.
i visited this ship at puget sound back in 1980 i believe, same week mt st. helens blew a gasket. i was on a trip with my folks, pop worked for pratt an whitney in hartford,ct. and was sent to boeing for a few weeks. i was suprised when reagen had the four battleships re-activted, and all new equipment installed, heard it costs a million a day to operate, wow!...but they do their job well when called.
Iowa and Wisconsin are the only re-eactivation candidates, but USS Wisconsin is open for deck tours in Norfolk, VA, while Iowa is still part of the Inactive Reserve Fleet, moored at Susun Bay, CA.
Her lower decks however are still maitained in working order and as a ship she is to be kept in a condition which would allow her to be turned back over to the Navy within 24hrs. I have less knowledge of the other Iowa's but I do know that the Wisconsin is kept under similar if not stricter conditions.
The Missouri and New Jersey are pretty much done for. The Iowa and Wisconsin are the two Iowa classes thats in better operational condition should they be needed. However the Iowa's #2 turret is still un-operational since the incident that happened years ago leaving only the Wisconsin in short notice re-activation status. The New Jersey's equipment is too far beyond repair. Her main turret training mechs are welded down and most of her engine equipment is frozen in place.
It is true that a bulk of her original equipment has been removed but do to outdated electronic suites and external weapons systems this really isn't an issue to the Navy who finds it easier to replace than find someone who's been around long enough to know how to use it.
For the information of all hands. The Missouri is under joint civilian/military control. She is in this state because of her significant historical value. Only her upper decks and selected internal compartments are open to the public.
How fast can the Missouri be put back into action if recalled to active service? Which Iowa class battleship is most likely to be recalled? I heard Navy had to scavenge parts from the two remaining North Dakotas (Massachusetts and Alabama) for the Iowa class reactivations. Is this true?
After visiting Missouri last month, I don't believe a reactivation is likely. In the 80's when Mo was reactivated, she was being stored in Bremerton with special preservation measures in place. Now she is a floating museum with thousands of visitors touching (and taking) things that will make it very difficult to ever make her a fighting machine again.
I'm on the East coast. I visited the USS Massachusetts (South Dakota class BB) a few years ago. Saw evidence of vandalism inside #3 main gun turret. Someone smashed the glass protecting the fire control computing station. Graffiti inside 5 inch gun turrets too. We are lucky these ships are still around, and some people think it's ok to wreck and steal. Missouri now suffering at hands of public! Shame.
Enjoyed my tour on "The Mighty Mo"....The Most Historic and Dominating ship in our History.. BM2 1986-1990...Shellback,Blue-Nose,Persian Gulf,2 World Tours,Master Helmsman...She was Awesome!
The range record was set by the Iowa prior at 50,000 yards or about 28 miles! This equaled the range of the prototype 56cal gun that was never used. It may or may not have contributed to the fire and explosion that later occurred. I'm not sure if they used the 2750# AP shell or the HE 2000# shell.
I thought as much. I read once that the US Navy still used the black powder patches when other navies had stopped. I wonder if the fire started in the storage compartment where they were kept?
The six, 110 bags of nitrocellulose powder (in grains that approximate shotgun shell size) are ignited by black powder pockets at the end of the bags. Yes. They are volatile as hell. But are integral "pads" sewn into the larger bags of nitrocellulose and are not stored separately. The tragedy on the IOWA was most likely caused by an unlikely confluence of factors: Defectively remanufactured bags of powder; Over-ram of powder bags; Lack of big gun practice; Undermanning; Failure of command...
Having served on both, I have to say they're definitely not the same. The destroyer was 440 ft long and weighed 4,500 tons while the battleship was 880 ft. and weighed 45,000 tons- twice as long & ten times heavier! See my USS Cochrane video for a look at a destroyer.
destroyers are more meant for escort and frigate. Battleships where more meant for long range ass kickings. And if direct contact, to go and beat the shit outta stuff.
Max range is over 20 miles; at that range the guns must be elevated to 45 degrees. In this video, you can see the elevation is much lower, and the projectiles skip like stones. The first splash is probably only around 5-7 miles away.
With full charges(powder bags) the Mark-7 16"/50 can hurl a 2,700lbs AP projectile 42,345 yards at 45 degrees elevation. Thats 24 miles. They begin using *reduced* charges in the 80's to extend barrel life. With the reduced charges max range is about 15 miles.
The deck where the Marines are marching is called the "Surrender Deck" because it is where MacArthur accepted the Japanese surrender in WWII. You can see the plaque marking the spot in the deck in the video.
The battleship was, is, and will forever be the most beautiful ship to ever roam the oceans.
spyderc85 4 months ago
the best part starts at :48 secs
commandokell 7 months ago
Such a beautiful and powerful ship. I agree, I wish they would bring back just one and keep it commissioned like the Constitution. Thank you for posting, and thank you for your service!
wd8084 7 months ago
0:48 even in my quiet home and wearing headphones at half volume, the salvo still sounds intense.
it must be a tremendous noise to witness it in real life.
nairda55555 10 months ago
@nairda55555 You don't just hear it, you experience it. You felt the flash of heat and a percussion wave that slammed your body. I'll have to admit, I enjoyed being in the plotting room shooting these things more than standing topside watching them.
billgx 10 months ago
Yes, we'd do 9 gun broadsides. It was typically just for show. In actual combat fire missions in Iraq, we fired one gun at a time. Even in a broadside, the guns never fire at exactly the same instant. They were designed to fire at slightly different times to minimize the stress on the turrets and the ship. It may be in the photos you've seen that some of the guns had not fired yet.
billgx 1 year ago
God that must have been an amazing feeling standing on the deck of an old brute from ww2 shipping off to go fight again 46 years after her coronation. Bet you guys made the old ww2 vets proud. I really wish one of the Iowa-Class ships would be recommissioned the most likely candidate it seems would be the Iowa since it still is in the moth-ball fleet. I think they would have some use for fire missions of the coast of southern Afghanistan. Or be stationed at naval base overseas.
thecursedyou 1 year ago
@billgx Yep I saw a cut off of a iowa class battlesthips bridge where the captain was when I went 2 c the USS Wisconsin
trainmanjg611 1 year ago
Wow USS Missouri has a heck of horn
trainmanjg611 1 year ago
@trainmanjg611 It's actually known as a "ship's whistle", for what it's worth. :-)
billgx 1 year ago
I was there. I miss you, old girl.
BattleshipSailorBB63 1 year ago
I know in this era a smart munitions that something like a battleship is technically obsolete but if only for sheer sheer awesomeness I wish we could bring back just one. Is there anything as awe inspiring as a broadside being fired by a battleship?
Yakko77 1 year ago 2
@Yakko77 I got to pull the trigger for a 9-gun broadside on my 23rd birthday on the Mo. Awesome indeed. I'm a little sad we'll never see such a sight again.
billgx 1 year ago
@billgx Did they do 9-gun 'sides in the 80's and 90's? I always could only make out 6 guns firing in pictures.
Contrajoe 1 year ago
@Yakko77 I dont see what is wrong with using the ships as platforms for firing those smart munitions. My dad was on the USS Wisconsin
gainescasey 1 year ago
Comment removed
gainescasey 1 year ago
its pretty cool. my grandfather was on deck when Truman signed the treaty. he was even in the Time mag cover pic! and as i remember it, the Mo was used in Iraqi freedom in 2001-02 for a few months... seeing as how the Navy has 1,000s of rounds for the guns in storage. and yes, they want to re-activate them as giant missile cruisers. removing the rear turret and replacing it with ICM banks is what i heard. that's just scuttlebutt tho...
REBELsst 1 year ago
Lol 1:14 boom
pancreasmen 1 year ago
Love the sound of the horn!
Man, those big guns are amazing...
Tiger313NL 1 year ago
Being from Missouri: I sure am glad President Truman or whomever got the Japanese to sign them papers on the Battleship USS Missouri (BB-63)
Elect4Sure 2 years ago
I remember when she was docked at San Franciso, CA. I visited her, she is massive.
Best moment of the day was that a group of hippies had a small table set up and trying to hand out anti-military leaflets. An old Vet walked up as I was argueing with these people and asked if he could "..have them to hand out to people in line" they said he could have as many as he liked......he grabbed their entire stack of thousands or so an tossed them into the Bay..everyone cheered and clapped for him.
actonbath 2 years ago 8
Cant imagine what the Iraqis felt when they saw this thing firing on them. I dont think any modern warship could survive more than a couple hits from this thing, they just arent built as strong anymore. Well maybe a carrier
LittlePikachu 2 years ago
LOL definitely not a carrier... one full broadside would gut the carrier fully.
Nelsonwmj 2 years ago
Nah those Nimitz's are pretty damn tough. Maybe 2 broadsides
LittlePikachu 2 years ago
LOL... I think one would leave pretty much nothing much to destroy already haha... two broadsides if you really want to crush some metal... but yeah I agree... two broadsides from the Mighty Mo would be murderous...
Nelsonwmj 2 years ago
You know even just one of those 16 inchers would be devestating i know i wouldnt want to be on a poor ship targeted by the Missouri or any other Iowa class
LittlePikachu 2 years ago
When the geysers erupt from the shells landing there @ the end; it is seeing what the guys from all our battleships, the Brits, the Germans & Japanese saw 65 years ago whether Atlantic or Pacific a real-life glimpse into the past .astonishing.
matapan50 2 years ago
On Oct.14 this beautiful ship goes into dry dock for 18 m worth of upgrades and repairs. Partially paid for by the U.S. Navy and the rest from private donations!
lander4545 2 years ago
Yeah, what a day when we left port. Australia was the best part of the cruise towards the end. The Wisconsin didn't have the luck as we did. They went to Cuba. You can see a short shot of her in harbor from the movie "A Few Good Men".
SCHRUBBE1966 2 years ago
Unbelievably cool!
Guitfiddlejase 2 years ago
This is a great vid of the Mo in action. Thanks so much!
argus1948 3 years ago
Damn these ladies were awesome!!!
beatnavy2005 3 years ago
I remember that day like it was yesterday. Nov. 13 '91. I just got back the night before from Albuquerque. Went to visit the family before deployment and I had the time. Then, 4:30 in the afternoon we heard that call everyone heard all over the ship and the pier. "UNDERWAY!!! SHIFT COLORS!!" Pulling away from the pier seeing family, friends and loved ones get smaller and smaller. We were going out to support Operation Desert Shield / Storm along the USS FORD FFG-54.
sixx3times 3 years ago 3
I too remeber that day! Also remeber almost running down a sailboat as we cleared the harbor!
FCanby 2 years ago
The Mighty MO!!!
Nolo6000 3 years ago
The lowa class is good but I think that yamato and mushashi were best
celula125 3 years ago
ya, those BB's were beasts. in a head on conflict. they would have taken out iowa class
racerx33x 3 years ago
that has been an ongoing debate for a long time. if only the two ships could've met in battle. i think it would come down more to how well the crew was trained more than the ships themselves, becuase the ships themselves were pretty much evenly matched. the yamato had 18 inch guns, but the iowa's 16 inch .50 guns had the same power and penetration rate as the yamato's 18s.
25depleteduranium 3 years ago
i thought yamato had 20 inch? lol o well but ya. they would have. to bad the carrier went into flight... lol o well.
racerx33x 3 years ago
There was a German battleship on the Z-plan that would've had 20 inch guns and displaced 120,000 tons. I've heard other stories that Hitler wanted it to have 20 inch guns, but the German admiralty had to explain to him that 20 inch guns would've been too large and so they would have to settle for 18s. There some beasts on the drawing board, the US had the Montana, I think the UK had the Lion, the USSR had the Sovietsky Soyuz, and the Germans had the H44. Those would've been some bloody fights
25depleteduranium 3 years ago
ya, ive heard of them. woulda been awsome though.
racerx33x 3 years ago
Yes, Hilter and his damned notion for a 120,000 ton H-44 class battleship. Also there were TWO Lion class designs. The two that were being built, but scrapped were 45,000 tons. About the same size as the Iowa class in which the HMS Vanguard was a tad bigger by design. The Lion 2 was a much bigger and better protected design and was 65,000 tons, relevant to the US's Montana class and IJNs Yamato class ships. Japan also had considered a Super Yamato class armed with 20" guns displacing 100,000tons
Cirux321 3 years ago
Japan would've needed to hold on to their conquests a little while longer to have the resources necessary to float one of those. What a sight it must've been to see those great ships sail out of the harbor into battle. If the Japanese didn't have the kamikaze mentality, Yamato could've survived the war. The US would've most likely got it as terms in the peace treaty. It probably would've ended up at bikini atoll, but the navy might've incorported it into the fleet. Guess we'll never know.
25depleteduranium 3 years ago 2
The IOWA's could outrun, outhit and outmaneuver the YAMATOs. And yes, US Navy crews were better trained and drilled than IJN crews.
iowa61 2 years ago
I've talked to a few guys in the US Navy, and they say that there are a lot of advocates to bring back the battleship. I'm sure if we sailed an Iowa right up to Somolia's door step, their pirates wouldn't be so keen in coming out and wreaking havoc on the shipping in the area.
25depleteduranium 2 years ago 2
There are many in the defense community who advocate for reactivation. Unfortunately the Navy has actively sought to preclude that possibility by destroying as much of the support pipeline (parts, ammo, R&D) as they could before Congress stopped them. Also the Navy is shifting away from steam turbine powerplants, further complicating a reactivation. Having said all that, it's still technically feasible, but politically unlikely. IOWAs would be overkill for pirates of any kind...
iowa61 2 years ago
true, and unfortunate as well. The battleship is a symbol of power that, I believe anyway, is unmatched even by an aircraft carrier. The mere presence of the USS New Jersey in Lebanon was enough to stop the fighting in Beruit. The technology is improving to such a state that planes and missiles can be shot down. The phalanx has even been used to shoot down incoming artillery rounds. I think that technology like this could breath new life into the battleship if the politics would just SFTU.
25depleteduranium 2 years ago
Actually, even at they were being deactivated, development was underway on a GPS guided extended range 16 inch round. Conceptual plans also exist for VLS, RAM, and other enhancements. One of the great advantages of the IOWAs is that they are extremely adaptable platforms.
iowa61 2 years ago
That's true. I'm in the Army, but the battleship has always been something that's fascinated me. I recently got into building 3d models a few years back. I plan on building a few WWII era battleships as what-if modernizations. I am trying to work it out in my head how I would want it to look, but I'm working on a Bismarck right now. I want to do a Vanguard, a North Carolina, a South Dakota, a Kentucky BBG, a Yamato, a Sovietski Soyuz, a Lion, and a Montana. All modernized or course.
25depleteduranium 2 years ago
Very cool project! Would love to see the results!
iowa61 2 years ago
I'm not very good at animating yet, but I can render and texture fairly well. I'll post them on photobucket and send you the links when I complete them.
25depleteduranium 2 years ago
Many thanks!!!
iowa61 2 years ago
You are only looking at the firepower - which is awesome. But keep in mind the ship cannot be bottoned up against biologic agents that can be sucked throughout the interior of the ship with the drafts from 1 end to the other. Fine against pirates, not so against a sophisticated enemy.
FCanby 2 years ago
That's true. However, very few modern US vehicles can be buttoned up against a chemical attack and be protected without the crew wearing MOPP gear. As far as biological agents are concerned, there is really no effective defense against something like that besides vaccines. Gas masks and air filters are only designed to protect against chemical weapons such as nerve agents and are practically useless against germ warfare. Besides, If I can do my job in MOPP4, then why can't sailors do theirs?
25depleteduranium 2 years ago
he he, they proved no match for our airforce...owned!
lifevest1 3 years ago
I saw the USS North Carolina at Wilmington last year. There were still restoration efforts going, but I didn't see anything resembling vandalism in it. I think that if they really wanted to, the Navy could reactivate all of these ships. It would be expensive as hell though. They say that carriers replaced the battleship. In my opinion it think that it costs more to operate an aircraft carrier than a battleship. A battleship can linger a lot longer on station than aircraft can.
25depleteduranium 3 years ago
yea, but aircraft can easily take out any ship aflost, proved that with musashio and yamato, sunk them with just carrier aircraft
HUNDLEYGUY95 3 years ago
Alone, a battleship is practically defenseless against aircraft. But as part of a battle group with adequate anti-air defenses...let's just say anything that goes up against it will have a short and exciting lifespan.
Don113 3 years ago
but the iowas have a beefed up aa system, which is about equal to a aegis ship, and you need a bigass warhead to penetrate that foot thick armor on them
HUNDLEYGUY95 3 years ago
it would be awesome for an iowa or two to be re-activated. The only problem is they are just sitting ducks for cruise missiles. Unless the US government can make a system that could intercept missiles that could be placed on a ship, and comes out of debt. There probably not gonna reactivate. I hope someday they will, it would be neat to live in an age of battleships.
lifevest1 3 years ago
The phalanx system can shoot down incoming cruise/anti ship missiles. There are also systems in place to confuse the missiles guidance system. Cruise missiles can also be shot down by aircraft. The first cruise missiles, the German V-1 Buzzbomb, were easy targets for the Royal Airforce once they fielded the Gloster Meteor. I think the main problem is that the US is in so much debt right now. If we didn't have that problem, the Iowa's could very easily be on station in the Persian Gulf.
25depleteduranium 3 years ago
Hey livest1, if a cruise missile were to hit the haul of a Iowa class battleship. The ship would have to put some swab jocks over the side with a bucket of paint. The Iowa class BB's were designed to take numerous direct hits from 16 inch, 2.700 pound armor piercing round. They are some what unsinkable with what weapons are available today. A nuke could put her out of commission but I doubt it could sink her.
laspulgasgunners 3 years ago
laspulgasgunners:
"A nuke could put her out of commission but I doubt it could sink her. "
That is funny as hell.
underfoil 3 years ago
You have no clue what you're talking about....
iowa61 2 years ago
fucking badass :D
earthmagekl7 4 years ago
ahhh good old battle wagons
ElPresidente101 4 years ago
Bloody awesome, the sight of the Iowa class battle ships for sure scared the panties off the Japs at Guadacanal, great visual and good impact stuff.
wepu67 4 years ago
i visited this ship at puget sound back in 1980 i believe, same week mt st. helens blew a gasket. i was on a trip with my folks, pop worked for pratt an whitney in hartford,ct. and was sent to boeing for a few weeks. i was suprised when reagen had the four battleships re-activted, and all new equipment installed, heard it costs a million a day to operate, wow!...but they do their job well when called.
custardpie40 4 years ago
Iowa and Wisconsin are the only re-eactivation candidates, but USS Wisconsin is open for deck tours in Norfolk, VA, while Iowa is still part of the Inactive Reserve Fleet, moored at Susun Bay, CA.
FortunaFortesJuvat 4 years ago 2
Her lower decks however are still maitained in working order and as a ship she is to be kept in a condition which would allow her to be turned back over to the Navy within 24hrs. I have less knowledge of the other Iowa's but I do know that the Wisconsin is kept under similar if not stricter conditions.
talberna 4 years ago
The Missouri and New Jersey are pretty much done for. The Iowa and Wisconsin are the two Iowa classes thats in better operational condition should they be needed. However the Iowa's #2 turret is still un-operational since the incident that happened years ago leaving only the Wisconsin in short notice re-activation status. The New Jersey's equipment is too far beyond repair. Her main turret training mechs are welded down and most of her engine equipment is frozen in place.
Cirux321 4 years ago
It is true that a bulk of her original equipment has been removed but do to outdated electronic suites and external weapons systems this really isn't an issue to the Navy who finds it easier to replace than find someone who's been around long enough to know how to use it.
talberna 4 years ago
For the information of all hands. The Missouri is under joint civilian/military control. She is in this state because of her significant historical value. Only her upper decks and selected internal compartments are open to the public.
talberna 4 years ago
the japs made their surrender on this ship
didyoushityourpants 4 years ago
How fast can the Missouri be put back into action if recalled to active service? Which Iowa class battleship is most likely to be recalled? I heard Navy had to scavenge parts from the two remaining North Dakotas (Massachusetts and Alabama) for the Iowa class reactivations. Is this true?
What parts were needed?
MRCOOGANS 4 years ago
After visiting Missouri last month, I don't believe a reactivation is likely. In the 80's when Mo was reactivated, she was being stored in Bremerton with special preservation measures in place. Now she is a floating museum with thousands of visitors touching (and taking) things that will make it very difficult to ever make her a fighting machine again.
billgx 4 years ago
I'm on the East coast. I visited the USS Massachusetts (South Dakota class BB) a few years ago. Saw evidence of vandalism inside #3 main gun turret. Someone smashed the glass protecting the fire control computing station. Graffiti inside 5 inch gun turrets too. We are lucky these ships are still around, and some people think it's ok to wreck and steal. Missouri now suffering at hands of public! Shame.
MRCOOGANS 4 years ago
BB61 Iowa and BB64 Wisconsin are the most likely to be reactivated.
FortunaFortesJuvat 4 years ago
BB-62 BABY! USS NEW JERSEY!
imperialscot 4 years ago
Enjoyed my tour on "The Mighty Mo"....The Most Historic and Dominating ship in our History.. BM2 1986-1990...Shellback,Blue-Nose,Persian Gulf,2 World Tours,Master Helmsman...She was Awesome!
bgood86 4 years ago
shes the best!
orcanels 4 years ago
Yeah no more battleships, the biggest is now cruisers.
camthrop 4 years ago
The range record was set by the Iowa prior at 50,000 yards or about 28 miles! This equaled the range of the prototype 56cal gun that was never used. It may or may not have contributed to the fire and explosion that later occurred. I'm not sure if they used the 2750# AP shell or the HE 2000# shell.
Bullettube 4 years ago
There was no relationship between the record setting hit at 27 plus miles and the subsequent accident. None whatsoever...
iowa61 2 years ago
I thought as much. I read once that the US Navy still used the black powder patches when other navies had stopped. I wonder if the fire started in the storage compartment where they were kept?
Bullettube 2 years ago
The six, 110 bags of nitrocellulose powder (in grains that approximate shotgun shell size) are ignited by black powder pockets at the end of the bags. Yes. They are volatile as hell. But are integral "pads" sewn into the larger bags of nitrocellulose and are not stored separately. The tragedy on the IOWA was most likely caused by an unlikely confluence of factors: Defectively remanufactured bags of powder; Over-ram of powder bags; Lack of big gun practice; Undermanning; Failure of command...
iowa61 2 years ago
Whats the difference between a destroyer and a battleship? Aren't they both the same?
ardoboy 4 years ago
Having served on both, I have to say they're definitely not the same. The destroyer was 440 ft long and weighed 4,500 tons while the battleship was 880 ft. and weighed 45,000 tons- twice as long & ten times heavier! See my USS Cochrane video for a look at a destroyer.
billgx 4 years ago
a Cruiser is the middle between Battle Ships and Destroyers, then under destroyers it would be a Frigate
jtoatoktoe 4 years ago
destroyers are more meant for escort and frigate. Battleships where more meant for long range ass kickings. And if direct contact, to go and beat the shit outta stuff.
lifevest1 3 years ago
does the navy still use battleships?
blaHmanz 4 years ago
The battleships have been retired. The Missouri is now a memorial in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
billgx 4 years ago
What is the max range of those guns? Was it max elevation in the vid = 20 miles ?
Great vid.
Johanoeberg 5 years ago
Max range is over 20 miles; at that range the guns must be elevated to 45 degrees. In this video, you can see the elevation is much lower, and the projectiles skip like stones. The first splash is probably only around 5-7 miles away.
billgx 5 years ago
Ok. So they have measured ranges over 20 miles... That sounds impossible but im certainly not a artilleryist...
Johanoeberg 4 years ago
With full charges(powder bags) the Mark-7 16"/50 can hurl a 2,700lbs AP projectile 42,345 yards at 45 degrees elevation. Thats 24 miles. They begin using *reduced* charges in the 80's to extend barrel life. With the reduced charges max range is about 15 miles.
Cirux321 4 years ago 2
Those impact geysers don't seem too big, until you realize they're about 20 miles from the ship. Great vid.
teddy996 5 years ago
Sweet footage!
BigUnitBeef 5 years ago
The deck where the Marines are marching is called the "Surrender Deck" because it is where MacArthur accepted the Japanese surrender in WWII. You can see the plaque marking the spot in the deck in the video.
billgx 5 years ago