USS Missouri 16 inch fire summer 1987

[GGBundy]

Damn. Those were some lucky bastards to have witnessed that. I'd have given my left testicle to have been there and witnessed that first hand. The U.S. Navy, OUR U.S. NAVY, kicks ASS. Those Iowa class ships are awesome!!!

[Crazystoner123456789]

chuck norris shoots this with one hand

[themid1957]

This was durring Operation Ernest Will, escorting american flagged tankers through the straits of Hormuz. At this time It was Aiatola Komeni who was ratteling his sword and threatening to close the straits. I believe this was around 1987 or 88.

[doughesson]

Was this during Desert Shield/Desert Storm?My destroyer's former CO moved up to MIssouri:Capt DS Bill.

[LordHannigan]

I think we should bring back the days of the white fleet. 16 battle ships divided into 2 squads. I say we make 20. I like over kill give the ships 20 inch guns and missiles a chopper pad equipped with 1 cobra attack helicopter. Nuclear powered for long stays at see. I mean a battle ship linked with an Air craft carrier madness.

[JetMechMA]

I think a thing like that is a historic moment. How many seafaring people can say they stood on the deck of a ship and witnessed a broadside from a battleship? Not many. Awesome sight, even on video. Lucky bastards.

[bweber2k]

and what ship did Cher sing on?

[1949man]

They were all the 'IOWA ' class.Big,beautiful battlewagons!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[edmonddantes64]

POWER PROJECTION....

[GGBundy]

Damn!! The U.S. Navy rules the seas!! These ships ARE awesome!!!

[jcp0129eek]

The U.S.S. New Jersey (BB62) was active all the way into the conflict in Beirut, Lebanon in 1984-85...I am not sure of her decommissioning date...at any rate...those Iowa Class Battleships were awesome war machines. M y dad was a 20mm Gunner's Mate on her through WWII from 1942 until she was decommissioned in 1946. He was 17 yrs old when he first saw action in the Marshall ands Solomon Islands in the Pacific against the Japanese.

[atpcfi]

The BRiTTTT sound at times 1, 11, 1,7 2,0 25 was the sound of a RADAR cross talking into the audio amplifier of the VCR. The other BRITTTT was the sound of the Phalanx rapid fire gun system

[Yamato4145]

Did anyone else notice that day turned to night when the USS Missouri(BB-63) or USS New Jersey(BB-62) fired her main 16in guns

[griffy1988]

makes me want to watch under siege

[NJP695]

I dont understand. If Iowa's where the best... no, ONLy Battleship in the US Navy, why did they decommission all of them? We pounded the hell out of terrorist during the Gulf War (Hell, they surrendered just to a UAV, the first time in history), who's to say we cant do that to any other sudden threat that may arise?

[tathtath]

@NJP695 battleships went out of use because of lack of ammunition and the hardship of maintence (lack of spare parts, etc.)

[dadukman70]

@tathtath : nope, the overall operational expense, along with the fact that bird farms are more capable of getting the "job" done are major contributing factors as to why we have only 1 BB still in comission(but in mothballs and still needing T-2 refit) but soon to be struck from the register never to be used again. Sure do miss them

[CaptHawkeye]

@dadukman70 Not to mention that the precision missile, like the Harpoon and Tomahawk, totally undermine and defeat the concept of the "big gun".

[iowa61]

@CaptHawkeye Not true in the least. All have their place. Neither Harpoon or Tomahawk has the penetrating power of an armor piercing 16" round. And neither Harpoon or Tomahawk can provide the 24hour, day or night all weather capability of the 16inch guns. Neither Harpoon or Tomahawk has STAYING power. The ability hit, loiter and hit again...

[CaptHawkeye]

@iowa61 Yes and i'm sure you're much smarter than all those silly Admirals in the Navy who clearly say otherwise.

[Ralastar]

Walk softly, carry a big stick.

[SonyU10i]

dreadnoughts are over.. coz one silly cruise missile or well placed torpedo will put an end to all that investment and your tax money.. im with air/space domination on this one.. much better than slow moving juggernaughts.. i want those turrets ontop of my house!!! :)

[F15pilots]

@SonyU10i Actually, it was shown that it would take 6 Styx Soviet Anti-ship missiles, all in the superstructure to even slow an Iowa class battleship down. The hull armor is impervious to the Styx.

[transonicbuoy1]

Fine ship. A bit sad to see the end of the dreadnoughts. Era over.

[atpcfi]

Listen to the beginning of the tape you can hear a higher pulse rep rate radar throughout the tape

[dadukman70]

@atpcfi I believe you were hearing one of the four Phalanx (CIWS) guns firing...that alone is enough to tear some shit up...

[atpcfi]

Listen to the beginning of the tape you can hear a higher pulse rep rate radar thoughout the yape



[atpcfi]

No the BRTTTTTTTTTTTTT was the sound of the air search radar. It was about 400 piueses per second

[patwas42]

My dad was the X.O. of the Mighty Mo when this happened. He took command in 7 June 1987.

[Pigroota]

That was Chuck Norris dropping his dacks and mooning someone on the shore

[Contrajoe]

Judging by the box on the forward firecontrol tower, this might just be NJ.

[m14lover1]

uss north carolina ftw



[sweetsongman1]

was that BUTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT phalanx fire?

[themid1957]

@sweetsongman1 Yes

[MortisIlluminare]

@themid1957 It tryed to shoot down own 16in shells? :)))

[vector6977]

@sweetsongman1 nahhh someone ate too many Navy issue beans for lunch.

[Lionwolf0777]

Boy miss those old battlewagons. Nothing says "diplomacy" like the old BBs.

[themid1957]

@Lionwolf0777 I don't know, you can shake in your boots hearing a freight train rocketing twords you from a battleship, or shake in your boots because you don't know where that stealth bomber is, or when that tomahawk is going to screach in and get you. Either way we get their attention. Ever since Teddy Roosevelt we seem to have a way with carrying that big stick to reach out and touch someone. Not many things settle a region down as fast as finding out a carrier battle group is in the area.

[artacania]

@Lionwolf0777 Your Way of diplomacy finds a great agreement with mine ! And please dont call such a beauty a 'wagon' its a understatement for what that ship did for your country :)

[ExUSSailor]

Even though I served in new age Navy, I still look to the Iowas as the definition of naval power. Plus, being from the great state of New Jersey, I can't help but feel proud that the most decorated ship in US history is named for this great place.

[themid1957]

@Capt2194  USS Ranger CV-61

[1STACCS]

That is what we need off the coast of Somalia!

[themid1957]

I agree.

[themid1957]

@1STACCS LOL I dont know, as long as they keep attacking our Frigates with skiffs and AK 47's, I think the big guns would be a bit much.

[gofuck4]

@themid1957 they are also attacking with RPG's now so i think the world should take russias strategy into consideration and that is they shoot at use we'll blow the shit out of them the happened when a somali pirate shot one bullet off at a russian frigate and the russian frigate went and launched 2 12-inch shells at it and blew the hole cargo ship up :-)

[1STACCS]

@themid1957 Just imagine the look on the faces of those savages if they saw those guns go off 1000 yards away.

[zequelll]

@themid1957

thats what the 5 inch guns are for :P

[AmericanThunder]

@themid1957 Overkill is the best policy!

[USSWISCONSIN64]

@themid1957 nope. be good target practice for the sailors on the ships.

[RonnieJamesable]

@themid1957We take 'em off before sinking boats,anyway.Some pirates, linked to Al-Shabhab go after big, lucrative targets and need sniping,frankly.Whilst others are literally just out looking to make a score so they can eat. As a gunner, I'lll engage any target I'm advised to, but that doesn't make blatting hungry men in a wooden boat with a 30 mill.Oerlikon cool, and it certainly doesn't need a 4.5" gun let alone a 16" gun to deal with the problem. Infrastructure ashore would help, too.

[brandonbeban1]

@themid1957 fuck that, this is America, there's no such thing as overkill haha

[darkhound891]

@themid1957 nah itd be perfect i bet they wouldnt even try it with the bbs sailing off their coast

[UAL012]

@themid1957 I agree that we need a battleship to deter them. Obviously those assholes have no clue and keep harassing our ships. Turn a battleship loose and let them pound the hell out of the harbors and any pirate ships/skiffs that come out to play. All it would take is one 16" gun blowing an enemy vessel in half to get the point across.

[DSMeclipsegst]

@themid1957 It has 5 inchers lol

[Intel5]

@themid1957 Ain't no kill like overkill.

[44R0Ndin]

@themid1957 with pirates, its not about having "enough gun" for the task, its about intimidation!

[daishi2442]

@themid1957 No kill like overkill man. That's what naval gunfire spotters are for. ;)

[doughesson]

@themid1957 That's why the big ships always have DDs,DDGs,FFs & FFGs in attendence.

Blowing away a Boston Whaler with a 16" shell might be major overkill but having a DDG take on a boatload of pirates is as fair a fight as it needs to be.

Wanna piss off a tin can sailor?Point out some random guy & tell him that he's not getting Liberty b/c of him.

[deltadude61]

@1STACCS Roger, BB-64 sailor USN ret.

[csgptg]

@1STACCS lol maybe you were thinking too big, maybe a destroyer. They are after all escort vessels.

[1STACCS]

@csgptg I meant if these ships were reactivated. BTW: It seems that some people only understand the barrel of a gun. That is what you have in Africa and the Middle East.

[zarquon53]

@1STACCS To deal with half a dozen guys in an open launch with a few AK47s and an RPG Anti-Tank Rocket launcher - - - - - - - - - - - 45,000 tons of battleship with 9 x 16 inch guns .

Duuuuuh !

[1STACCS]

@zarquon53 Not just for them, but the whole coatline of Somalia-A-Duh?

[domdadon018]

@1STACCS shooting mosquitos with a pumpgun?^^

[hahan00b]

fail