Why The U.S. Military Doesn't Use Battleships Anymore

[rangerrebew]

Why The U.S. Military Doesn't Use Battleships Anymore
Story by Chris Littlechild • Sunday

 
There are few military vessels historically as imposing as the battleship. Guinness World Records declares that the biggest battleships ever were the Musashi and Yamato, which were armed with nine 362,880 lb guns and were 863 feet long. Both Japanese powerhouses were sunk during World War II, in the wake of which aircraft developed an ever-increasing  prominence in combat.
 
Shows of sheer, gigantic force can certainly be effective deterrents. As the face of warfare has changed with technology, though, certain monsters have demonstrated that they may no longer be a fit for what militaries need. The mighty Corvair B-36 Peacemaker bomber, which boasted almost one dozen engines, ultimately became impractical as new technology was introduced, and this appears true of conventional battleships.   

The U.S. military, never a force to compromise on spectacle or afraid to innovate, appears to have seen the writing on the wall. It's exactly this that has led to battleships becoming increasingly impractical.

One iconic battleship, Dreadnought VII of the Royal Navy, was created in 1906, a 20,730 ton metal brute of a steam age vessel. During the era, such ships began to define themselves as the biggest bruisers of a naval force. In "The Battleship Book," Robert Farley notes that "the notion that a warship could go from being world class to obsolete in a decade is almost entirely alien to modern sensibilities." Here's what went so wrong for the era-defining Dreadnought and the battleships that followed.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/why-the-u-s-military-doesn-t-use-battleships-anymore/ar-AA1dWhTs?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=3d7b98c40c234668a3ac071b9137a961&ei=33

[PeteS in CA]

Technology advances. HMS Dreadnought was the first "all big gun" battleship commissioned. She had 12" main guns, a main gun layout that was less than optimal (the contemporary South Carolina class' layout was better), and lacked guns adequate for fighting fast destroyer type ships. Main gun calibers grew from 12" to 13.5" and 14" and then to 15" and 16" (Yamato's were 18.1"). The RN moved from wing turrets to super-firing turrets (ala the South Carolinas). The 3" secondaries of Dreadnought and the South Carolinas grew into 4" and 5" secondaries (5.5" and 6" were used by Japan). For WW2, quick-firing anti-ship secondaries became dual purpose guns for anti-ship and anti-aircraft defense.

Biplane fighters grew into P-26s and P-36s and F4Fs and ... P-51s and F4Us. Then came jets, and some jet fighters in use are considered "5th Generation".

In terms of Naval weaponry, the USN's Iowa class were capable of 33 kn, and their 16"50s fired 1900 lb. HC and 2700 lb. AP shells with a range of 29 miles. Carrier aircraft can carry 1000 and 2000 lb. bombs with ranges in the hundreds of miles at speeds of hundreds of knots. WW2 vintage carriers had crews similar or much less in number (depending on the class) than battleships.

From a 21st Century POV, the engines and other machinery of the Iowas is ancient, requiring skill-sets few modern navy personnel have. Further, the power generation capability of the Iowas cannot support modern electronic s suites.

[DefiantMassRINO]

Big ships make for big targets.

The advent of missiles and torpedoes negates the need for large Naval guns.

It's good to keep a few small ones onboard to blow Somalian piirates and Iranian gunboats out of the water.