Battleships' Lasting Voyage: The Reasons Behind Their Departure from Modern Naval Warfare

[rangerrebew]

Battleships' Lasting Voyage: The Reasons Behind Their Departure from Modern Naval Warfare
Story by Ava Chen • 3w •

The majesty of battleships has long captivated the minds of naval enthusiasts and military strategists alike. However, with the evolution of modern warfare, these titans of the sea have been relegated to the annals of naval history, their cannons silenced, their armor outmatched by new forms of conflict. The U.S. Navy’s relationship with battleships, once the pride of its fleet, is a telling saga of technological innovation, cost analysis, and strategic recalibration that reflects broader changes in military doctrine.


The prominence of battleships peaked during the World Wars, with behemoths like the Japanese Yamato and Musashi wielding unprecedented firepower and size. However, as warfare has undergone a technological revolution, the drawbacks of these once-dominant vessels have become starkly apparent. The U.S. Navy has recognized that the role of battleships, characterized by their ability to absorb and deliver heavy firepower, is incompatible with the demands of modern naval conflict. The aircraft and missile advancements have shifted the focus towards maneuverability, stealth, and advanced threat detection systems over sheer brute strength.
 
For instance, the development of intercontinental ballistic missiles like the Atlas SM-65, first deployed in 1959, marked a turning point. These weapons rendered the impressive armament of battleships less practical, and their armor less effective against the sophisticated threats of the modern era. As a result, the Navy has shifted to more agile, less conspicuous, and technology-driven vessels.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/battleships-lasting-voyage-the-reasons-behind-their-departure-from-modern-naval-warfare/ar-AA1o7oh1?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=aecc26b7dfc846a7ad1e45df2729e892&ei=35

[PeteS in CA]

1. Limited usefulness. 14" and 16" guns pack a huge punch ... within a range of about 25 miles. Great for bombarding emplacements on islands and shore areas. Those 16 or 20 5"/38 DP guns with proximity fuses were great against propellor planes ... but not so much against the faster jets of the 1950s and beyond, and their shore bombardment range was also limited.

2. While Reagan recommissioned the Iowas and updated them with missiles, and they were used in the Gulf War, the Iowas' engines are very old technology. Personnel with experience in operating and maintaining them were scarce, and spare parts for maintenance and repairs equally or more so and no longer produced.

3. The Iowas' machinery for hoisting and loading powder and shells and operating their 16" and 5" guns was old, manually crewed, technology. This required a large crew for a very moderate punch.

4. Modern technology - sensors, communication, computers - requires lots of electrical power. The capacity of the Iowas' electrical power generation was inadequate for what was needed.