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Reply With QuoteCould you imagine the RN having the Iowas in WW1. Jutland would have taken on a new meaning the Germans would have gotten slaughtered three fold..lol
Well the Royal Navy in WWI would have classified her as a battlecruiser. They did so with any capital ship with a speed of 24 or more knots.
"Any relations in a social order will endure if there is infused into them some of that spirit of human sympathy, which qualifies life for immortality." ~ George William Russell
Could you imagine the RN having the Iowas in WW1. Jutland would have taken on a new meaning the Germans would have gotten slaughtered three fold..lol
Last edited by Dreadnought; 12 Sep 05, at 16:22.
I had seen a picture this weekend (not the picture here) of the HMS Royal Oak and had mentioned to TH how beautiful she was. ... WoW.
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THL she was very beautiful. In Englands eyes she ranks up there with our Arizona. Both sunk at their moorings with a tremendous loss of life. The Arizona by torpedoes and bombs from the Japanese and the Royal Oak torpedoes from a German sub that slipped into Scapa Flow at night avoiding all of the submarine nets etc. Gunther Prien the subs captain was awarded the german cross one of the highest honors bestowed upon a german captain of a submarine for such a daring and lethal attack. The public impact and body count from these two ships alone were staggering.Originally Posted by TopHatsLiberal
Last edited by Dreadnought; 12 Sep 05, at 18:33.
They are very beautiful. Unless they are firing on you.I had seen a picture this weekend (not the picture here) of the HMS Royal Oak and had mentioned to TH how beautiful she was. ... WoW.
Yup, but I have always wondered how the Iowas would have done in a proper surface Fleet Action. I know the armour is great, but the fact is that guns above 14" Calibre could penetrate most Naval Armour at normal engagement ranges.Could you imagine the RN having the Iowas in WW1. Jutland would have taken on a new meaning the Germans would have gotten slaughtered three fold..lol
"Any relations in a social order will endure if there is infused into them some of that spirit of human sympathy, which qualifies life for immortality." ~ George William Russell
The Iowa's armored scheme is designed to stop guns of her own caliber, ie, 16"/50.
Depends on the range.
Maybe at 45.000 yards, not at 30,000.
"Any relations in a social order will endure if there is infused into them some of that spirit of human sympathy, which qualifies life for immortality." ~ George William Russell
Yeah, even at 30k.
Turrets maybe, side armour 12 inches if memory serves correctly, no way, even at 45000 yards, even with 14"/45 guns of say KGV.
Quite simply a problem all battleships faced as the gun got bigger and shells better, not to mention radar aimed guns.
Don't get me wrong, Iowas are probably the most successful class of battlewagons ever (except maybe the Queen Elizabeths). Of her contemporeis only the Yamato is comparable. Does not change the fact that by WWII, the battlewagon were all quite vulnerable. Look at Bismarck, penetrated by a 8" shell.
"Any relations in a social order will endure if there is infused into them some of that spirit of human sympathy, which qualifies life for immortality." ~ George William Russell
Armor belt yes, 12.1 inches - Inclined 19 degrees.
Turret face plates, barbettes and conning tower 17 to 17.5 inches
But penetrated where exactly? Somewhere vital?
The "all or nothing" armor concept guarantees that any battleship can be penetrated at some place by a sufficiently large enough armor-piercing shell such as 8-inch.
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Looking at overall armor thickness does not tell the whole story.
One must also realize that it's triple layered in most places, as well as double spaced(with some of that spacing being as wide as 10 feet!), and along the hull, there is massive bunkerage to further increase protection. Besides, the 12.1" hull plating is just the outer layer. It's backed by STS and class A interior armor plates as well. Therefore, hull side protection is actually closer to 30"(750mm) of effective protection once sloping is figured in.
The conning tower and tube are 19" of class B plate, and the decks are triple layered Class A and STS steel armor.
The Iowas were designed to stop guns of their own caliber, and at ranges greater than 10,000 yards, they do(or so it's always been claimed)
Last edited by Bill; 13 Sep 05, at 17:41.
From the official US Navy website:
"Built under Fiscal Year 1940 (BB 61 & 62) and 1941 (BB 63-66) appropriations, the Iowa class were much longer, more powerfully engined and considerably faster than the preceding North Carolina and South Dakota classes. Their main battery, nine 16"/50 guns in triple turrets, was also somewhat more powerful than the 16"/45 armament of the two earlier types. The Iowas' internal armor protection scheme was similar in arrangement to that of the South Dakota class, and was designed to keep out the armor-piercing shells originally intended for their guns, though not the heavier (2700 pound) shells ultimately used."
http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/u.../bb/bb61cl.htm
My biggest wonder is how well the Iowas would have shrugged off a Long Lance after North Carolina was kinda screwed up by one.
Among the community of nations, Pakistan today stands out on one hand as a petty thug brandishing a dangerous weapon, and at other times as a concubine, sleeping with anyone willing to pay for her expensive tastes. ~ Tarek Fatah
The Iowa class' TDS was always the weak point of the scheme.
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