Tug boats maneuver Pre-Commissioning Unit Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), into the James River during the ship’s Turn Ship evolution on June 11, 2016. US Navy photo.
Thomas E. Ricks, Foreign Policy: Will the USS Gerald Ford be remembered as the doomed Yamato of the carrier era?
Commissioned by the Japanese in December of 1941, just over a week after their surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, the Yamato was the largest, most powerful battleship that had ever existed — a title that it still holds to this day, over 75 years later. With its nine 18.1-inch guns, it could fire 3,000 pound shells up to 26 miles away — so far that it required spotter aircraft to identify targets over the horizon. In comparison, the heaviest guns on U.S. battleships were 16 inches and limited to a maximum range of 20 miles. To paraphrase President Trump, it was truly a ship to make its enemies shake with fear.
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WNU Editor: Advancements in naval aviation made the era of battleships and large surface ships obsolete. Will advancements in anti-ship missiles do the same thing for aircraft carriers? The Russians are working on developing these missiles .... Watch Russia's Only Operational Battlecruiser Launch A Massive "Shipwreck" Anti-Ship Missile (The Drive), but so is the U.S. .... Army, Pentagon Upgrade ATACMS Missile to Attack Ships at Sea (Scout Warrior).
The B52 has been 'obsolete' for years. It still fights.
ReplyDeleteCarriers might have to sit farther back from the FEBA and wait until something cracks. the enemy will have their shortages, obsolete equipment and losses too. When that happens a carrier will be invaluable.