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From: eos!eugene@eos.arc.nasa.gov (Eugene Miya)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: No armor on new capital ships (USS Iowa explosion)
Message-ID: <5930@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Date: 26 Apr 89 04:09:46 GMT
References: <5789@cbnews.ATT.COM> <5883@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Sender: military@cbnews.ATT.COM
Organization: NASA Ames Research Center, Calif.
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From: eos!eugene@eos.arc.nasa.gov (Eugene Miya)

I think I learned the answer to this when I was considering a career in the
nuclear surface navy.

I was thinking the USS Long Beach (CGN-9) would be a nice ship to gain
experience on.  The LB was the first cruiser to lack armor and they almost
didn't place any gun on it (two-5 inchers amidships).

The reason can be traced to the thinking in the late 40s and 50s resulting
from nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll.  These tests were reasonbly well
documented and aerial footage is seen practically daily.  This is when
numerous Japanese, German, American, and other ships were sunk in tests.

For mid air brusts above ships, armor really did very little to help
survivability of a ship which were generally just pushed down, largely
intact.  You practically had to have near direct hits.  So speed came into
some play.  But you see what really happened, not only in the Navy, but
the Air Force, and a lesser extent, the Army, shifted into a WWIII
mindset.  All threats and responses were nuclear (or modern missile).
It took what it thought was a adequate worse case scenario.
It almost totally forgot about conventional and brushfire
engagements.  The partial role 5 and 8 inch guns were replaced by guided
(inadequate) missiles.  I think Naval experts really took a hard look at the
limited impact (pun intented) of the 5 inch rounds at the Falklands
(regardless of how fast a single gun could fire).  There are other more
complex subissues like the role of amphibous operations in a day of
helicopters and airborne delivered troops, etc.  Economic issues.
So this is gross.

This is power to the armed forces which think strategically (nuclear).
The problem is comes with a lack of flexibility  (Oops! have to take the
nuclear racks off and put the conventional bomb racks on... etc.)

Longish signature follows "Type 'n' now"

Another gross generalization from

--eugene miya, NASA Ames Research Center, eugene@aurora.arc.nasa.gov
  resident cynic at the Rock of Ages Home for Retired Hackers:
  "You trust the `reply' command with all those different mailers out there?"
  "If my mail does not reach you, please accept my apology."
  {ncar,decwrl,hplabs,uunet}!ames!eugene
  				Live free or die.