Could the Zumwalt's guns take on a battleship?

[HoratioNelson]

The new Zumwalt class guided missile destroyers are armed with the highly touted 155mm Advanced Gun System, which can supposedly fire ten rounds a minute and hit enemy ships over 50 nautical miles. It carries two of these, if I recall.

Now, let us pit these modern naval guns against a battleship, as represented by the ever popular Iowa class fast battleship (1980s configuration). This is a guns alone battle both ships are within range. Could the Zumwalt's 155mm pea-shooters do sufficient damage to sink, cripple or mission-kill the Iowa battleship before the Iowa's legendary 406mm/50 caliber Mark 7 naval guns do the same to the Zumwalt.

So... the outcome?

[HistoricalDavid]

Wow, big fan of the Zumwalts then eh?

[Gun Grape]

And the purpose behind this "exercise"?

OOh, Zimwalts are crap all hail the 60yr old ships. They are the greatest thing ever.

Here is another battle, You have a M9 9mm pistol. I have a M40A2 7.62 sniper rifle. We are both in range of each other and standing out in the open.

Can you do enough damage with that pea shooter before I can jack a round in the chamber of my mighty rifle and kill you with one shot.

[HoratioNelson]

I'm actually legimately curious as to the ability of the Zumwalt's 155mm AGS to replace the NSFS capability of the Iowa's 406mm/50 cal. Can it? How well? What about cost efficiency? Power? Accuracy and range are certainly superior to the 406mm gun.

[Gun Grape]

Originally Posted by HoratioNelson

I'm actually legimately curious as to the ability of the Zumwalt's 155mm AGS to replace the NSFS capability of the Iowa's 406mm/50 cal. Can it? How well? What about cost efficiency? Power? Accuracy and range are certainly superior to the 406mm gun.

Than why did you put up a exercise that has absolutely nothing with Naval Gunfire Support?

[Michigan_Guy]

Sorry buddy, it's just that the "every weapon on earth" vs "The Iowa" debate is about as old as the Iowa's.

[fitz]

Originally Posted by HoratioNelson

The new Zumwalt class guided missile destroyers are armed with the highly touted 155mm Advanced Gun System, which can supposedly fire ten rounds a minute and hit enemy ships over 50 nautical miles. It carries two of these, if I recall.

Now, let us pit these modern naval guns against a battleship, as represented by the ever popular Iowa class fast battleship (1980s configuration). This is a guns alone battle both ships are within range. Could the Zumwalt's 155mm pea-shooters do sufficient damage to sink, cripple or mission-kill the Iowa battleship before the Iowa's legendary 406mm/50 caliber Mark 7 naval guns do the same to the Zumwalt.

So... the outcome?

Now this is silly.

[Maxor]

If in theory it were for some reason limited only to guns, (highly unlikely) and in this oddly inconcievable world the zumwalt could theoretically stay out of range of the iowa's guns, (iowa's are faster by published accounts). And the zumwalt had nearly unlimited ammunition supplies the eventually through a lucky hit it may conveiably be possible for a mission kill to occour, or some unbeiviably lucky hit to set off a golden bb chain reaction.

Its a retarded sencario and the zumwalt would litterally be attempting to damage/sink a much more powerful ship by a death of 1 million papercuts.

[Dreadnought]

IMO, I'm still waiting to even see a Zumwalt class on the ways. Not very sure if the program has even taken off yet. Nor what the effects of the canceled ERGM programs will have upon them. Should prove interesting though for future threads once one is tested. It would be even more interesting if the DDX and the new railgun project met at the very same point in time.

[mweber24]

The 155 AGS is exclusively for surface fire support, it is not an anti-ship weapon. It does not shoot a ballistic trajectile, it shoots a gps guided rocket/glider. So, in a surface fight, DDG1000 still wins because it would have located the BB with its embarked helicopters far outside the BBs effective range (the radar horizon) and called in an air strike or a submarine to sink the BB with a MK48. Baring basic operational competence of the side with the DDG1000, it could still fire every Standard Missile at the BB and most like knock out at least its sensors, making it very hard to aim those big guns and anything but point blank range.

[rm444]

Zumwalt outranges Iowa.It'd be ugly, but my money says Iowa can absorb the punishment and close in.
Iowa limps home.Z-barge gets the deep 6.

[rm444]

Originally Posted by Dreadnought

IMO, I'm still waiting to even see a Zumwalt class on the ways. Not very sure if the program has even taken off yet. Nor what the effects of the canceled ERGM programs will have upon them. Should prove interesting though for future threads once one is tested. It would be even more interesting if the DDX and the new railgun project met at the very same point in time.

They should just go DDX and railgun.For surface action and amphib support, nothing will stand against it.

[Dreadnought]

I would very much like to see the ballistics of the Zumwalts future gun and what its penetration abilitiy would be.I have already read some reports on the rail gun but penetration was not mentioned only the velocity and the approximate testing range.
Further, I would like to see the guns ability to penetrate armor of that period either Class A or Class B.

[BenRoethig]

The AGS isn't a direct fire weapon. It's more like a sea based platform for a pair for 155mm howitzers.

[omon]

Originally Posted by Gun Grape

Here is another battle, You have a M9 9mm pistol. I have a M40A2 7.62 sniper rifle. We are both in range of each other and standing out in the open.

Can you do enough damage with that pea shooter before I can jack a round in the chamber of my mighty rifle and kill you with one shot.

i don,t think you'll be chambering rounds and aiming as easy when you got 9mm slugs coming your way. as if you were behind cover.
and yes i just might do enough damage if i don,t miss, even thou those are peas flying your way, they still can kill you even 1, if hits in the right place,