re: Navy's largest destroyer leaves for sea trials

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Surface ships and submarines can launch guided missiles as well... you don't have to rely completely on air superiority.

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That's where we're headed. Aircraft carriers will one day be obsolete. It's just cheaper and safer to have guided missile subs and destroyers that can launch cruise missiles from thousands of miles away than it is to build a 13 billion dollar aircraft carrier and hundreds of jets to put on them and thousands of pilots to fly them. Even Air Force fighters and bombers will one day be gone. The Army can launch surface to surface missiles as well. The missiles from ships and land based systems become more accurate, flexible and lethal each day.

im an idiot.

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It's just cheaper and safer to have guided missile subs and destroyers that can launch cruise missiles from thousands of miles away than it is to build a 13 billion dollar aircraft carrier and hundreds of jets to put on them and thousands of pilots to fly them.

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A while back the Navy converted 4 ballistic missile subs to guided missile subs (SSGN). It was a huge cost savings over developing a new platform and each one can carry up to 154 cruise missiles.

I've heard that there will be some conversions done on future Virginia-class subs to allow them to carry more cruise missiles once the SSGN's are removed from service.

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No offense to our Navy friends... But that thing is ugly as a fresh dog turd. I love the look of old school tin cans & battle wagons personally.

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form follows function, my friend.

doubt those big guns, while purty, can actually do anything useful these days.

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That's 6 or 7 inches. Is that really something you would use to hit pillboxes?

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Yes. Yes, it is.

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Because looks are important when fighting a war.

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Oh trust me, I know. I served on the M1 & M1A1 my whole time. But I always though the M60A3 (which the Abrams replaced) looked a whole lot cooler.



But the Abrams was head and shoulders better in a fight.

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How much firepower is 154 cruise missles?

I'm genuinely ignorant about these things.

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depends on how the missiles are equipped. There are many varieties. A conventional Tomahawk carries a 1000lb warhead. Each Tomahawk has a range of 800+ miles. It can fly nap of the earth with minimal guidance after launch.

Given its range, the Tomahawk can hit virtually any target in the world provided the ship can get close enough to the enemy shoreline.

So you get half of the payload in exchange for much more range and I'm assuming better accuracy, although I imagine a modern gun targeting system would be very good.

How much less offensive capability does the boat have than an Iowa class ship? I would assume the older ships carried far more than 154 shells.

I think the old naval guns are incredibly cool, so that's why I'm still trying to justify their existence.

I'm talking about 16's. Not those wimpy anemic 5 inchers.