Quote:
Originally Posted by Ucar
Dear Shipwreck
I have read both the Iowa thread and this thread. Can you summarize the primary points of discussion (pros and cons if possible) as I am completely lost after reading everything over the last weeks. Many thanks.
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Ucar Bey,
The intention here is to show,
using solely information publicly available, that :
1. On a strategic level, the decision to deploy
USS New Jersey off the coasts of Lebanon in 1983-84 was based on wishful thinking rather than military considerations (e.g. see posts #10, #11 and #12).
2. The airstrike of 4 December 1983, where 2 aircrafts were lost, was sabotaged and the apparent failure of this airstrike was what cleared the way for
USS New Jersey to use her 16-inch guns (e.g. see posts #31 and #32).
3. The shooting of
USS New Jersey in Lebanon was lacklustre, suffering (among other things things) from excessive dispersion (e.g. see posts #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #13, #16).
4. The reasons commonly given for this poor gunnery performance (barrel wear, propellant inconsistency, lack of precise target location, lack of spotting, use of different datums) are either inaccurate or don't tell the whole story (e.g. see posts #2, #5, #15, #23, #24).
5. The poor gunnery performance of USS New Jersey can essentially be traced back to human factors.
6. This poor gunnery performance demonstrates that mastering battleship gunnery is a non-trivial issue and involves a painstaking learning curve.
Most of my archives have been repriated to CONUS in December, so it will be another 2 weeks or so before I can bring some crucial documents / testimonies in the discussion.
On a sidenote, I have checked the DOD website yesterday and noticed that no FOIA request was filled so far for the GAO study conducted in 1984/85 to review "the Capability and Effectiveness of USS New Jersey" in Lebanon (see post #18).