Quote:
Originally Posted by Pistolenschutze
You know, Pat, the pundits can say what they will about battleships being obsolete, but I do think they still have a place in the scheme of things. The days of battleship to battleship combat are long gone, never to return, that is certainly true. But a high-explosive 16" shell weighing well over a ton still speaks as loudly as it ever did against inland targets.
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I enthusiastically agree, Pistol! I had a college roomate who ended up being a fire control operator (the guy who aims and shoots the 16' guns) on the Battleship Iowa in the late 80's and early 90's. He used to regale me with stories of the emotional reaction that the Battleships used to have on foreign populations when they would cruise into a foreign port or near shore. The emotions ran the gamut from admiration and awe (if you were friend like, say, the British) or perhaps raw fear and anxiety (if you were foe like, say, Iran or Libya). As a sidebar... my friend was assigned to the rear turret the day that the accidental explosion occured in the number 2 turret. Must have been his lucky day!
When you consider the deterrence offered and fear it inspired in our enemies, what price can you place on this effect? Or how about the peace of mind and confidence it inspired in our friends that the U.S. had plenty of fire in its belly and one hulluva knock out punch in the form of 16' guns and lots of solid steel.
I think its baloney to say that the Battleships are obsolete and are too expensive. BALDERDASH!!! I think that we can't afford NOT to have the last two seaworthy models roaming the high seas (one in the Atlantic and one in the Pacific), at least until a super Battleship replacement-like the one you previously described-can be built and launched.
BRING BACK THE BATTLESHIPS! Let us hoist a mug of grog in honor of our beloved battleships and join the cause for their recommissioning.
www.battleship.org.