Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!csd4.milw.wisc.edu!uxc!iuvax!rutgers!att!cbnews!anderer@vax1.acs.udel.edu From: anderer@vax1.acs.udel.edu (David G Anderer) Newsgroups: sci.military Subject: Re: USS Iowa explosion Message-ID: <5938@cbnews.ATT.COM> Date: 26 Apr 89 04:10:18 GMT References: <5788@cbnews.ATT.COM> <5853@cbnews.ATT.COM> <5889@cbnews.ATT.COM> Sender: military@cbnews.ATT.COM Organization: University of Delaware Lines: 49 Approved: military@att.att.com From: David G Anderer In article <5889@cbnews.ATT.COM> asulaima@udenva.cair.du.edu (SULAIMAN) writes: > While Exocets are sea skimmers missiles like the Harpoon have a >terminal dive phase and I think so does the Sea Eagle. In this phase the missile >climbs and then dives terminally hitting the UPPER unarmoured deck/superstruct. >knocking out command facilities and possibly driving through the thin upper >armor into the innards of the ship. Now I'm not familiar with the deck armor >of the Iowas but that is the threat. The deck armor of an Iowa is a 1.5" STS (special treatment steel) bomb deck, followed by the main armor consisting of 4.75" of class B armor and 1.25" of STS followed by a splinter deck of .625" STS. While the Soviets have some large missles that could get through this, I'm not aware of any hostile sea skimmers that could. A "soft kill" - destroying command and communications capabilites in the superstructure - is a more likely concern. >BOMBING Royal Navy ships which are believed to have on par if not better >air defense than a-thing in USN except for the Tico class. I'd like to see some references for this. Sea Wolf is good, but I know of no evidence that the Standard family is inferior to the Sea Dart. >The ground support mission is covered by aircraft really well. Please define your terms. Perhaps in some ways your right, but in at least as many ways you're wrong. Here's an example from "Iowa Class Battleships" (1988): A Nimitz strike can deliver 75 long tons of ordance. Assume 3 strikes a day and you get 225 tons/day. An Iowa can deliver 229 tons in 30 minutes. Now that doesn't prove the Iowas are better in this role than TacAir, but.. >For those who point to Vietnam for the great job the Iowas did, keep in mind >that the ships themselves were NEVER under any threat of any retaliation. >Air control was already achieved completely. Hard to cover the Marines when >your own ship is under attack. Seems we've been in environments of air superiority for the last few wars, police actions, invasions, etc. Not to say it will always be that way, but there's a good likelyhood that if the Iowas are used in anger it will be in a situation where there is no significant air threat. -- Dave Anderer Academic Computing and Instructional Technology University of Delaware