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Originally Posted by M21Sniper
BTW, the Jersey in Lebannon destroyed a command bunker 5 stories underground that had resisted numerous US airstrikes previously.
Lots of disinformation floating around thanx to the many Iowa critics. It's a shame.
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I respect your knowledge and opinions, M21 but...
Granted this is only one source "A Glimpse of Hell" by Charles C. Thompson pp. 139-140
"The Joint Chiefs of Staff agreed to let the battleship [New Jersey] fire on December 14, 1983. Eleven 1900-pound high-explosive shells were lobbed into the Shouf Mountains. THERE WERE NO SPOTTERS IN THE AIR OR ON THE GROUND TO ADJUST WHERE THE SHELLS FELL [my emphasis]. The results were pitiful. [the author does not define 'pitiful']...
She was cleared for another fire mission the afternoon of February 8, 1984. The targets-all located by satellite- were Druze and Syrian gun positions near a mountain village about fifteen miles east of Beirut. Again, no spotters were present. For eight hours, the New Jersey hurled nearly 300 sixteen-inch shells. She fired another thirteen shells on February 26 before heading back to her homeport...The results of these two missions were even worse than in December.
Marine Colonel Don Price, who had served in combat in Vietnam and was familiar with naval shore-fire bombardment practices investigated the New Jersey's gunnery in Lebanon and concluded that she missed her targets by as much as 10000 yards (about six miles). Price was convinced that some of the New Jersey's errant shells killed civilians living in the Shouf Mountains, although the Navy denied this. "You have a multimillion-dollar weapons system and nobody knows how to put the rounds anywhere near the target," Price said.
Although the Navy publically claimed that the New Jersey hit her targets, the CNO...thought otherwise...[he] met with RADM Bill Fogarty and asked him if there had been a powder problem when he commanded the New Jersey."
p. 138
" Fred Ralston, a fire controlman assigned to forward main plot, noticed that while the ship was firing on the San Clemente, California gunnery range, the velocity of the projectiles exiting the barrels was wildly erratic. Some projectiles left the muzzles travelling 120 feet per second faster and some 120 feet per second slower than the 1725 feet per second norm for a 2700-pound armor-piercing shell. Gunnery experts say that a deviation of only two or three feet per second is cause for alarm. The excessive deviation made it almost impossible for the New Jersey to aim her guns accurately. It also indicated that the powder could be unstable."
Poor powder (and no spotters
) was the root of the problems for the Iowas throughout the 80's and 90's. It was only after they found an uncontaminated supply that accuracy began to get where it should be.
These guns are capable of incredible accuracy, but along with the ship upgrades, we need new powder, and likely some new projectiles. They also need to shock-harden all the electronics. (it sounds ridiculous, but they didn't do it when they first refurbed NJ. The first salvo she fired out of the shipyard blew out most of the twidgets gear.)
You have to admit that one bunker hit out of 324 rounds fired is pitiful.