This Is Why the U.S. Navy Doesn't Use Battleships Anymore

A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of large caliber guns. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries the battleship was the most powerful type of warship, and a fleet centered around the battleship was part of the command of the sea doctrine for several decades.

By the time of World War II, however, the battleship was made obsolete as other ships, primarily the smaller and faster destroyers, the secretive submarines, and the more versatile aircraft carriers came to be far more useful in naval warfare. While a few battleships were repurposed as fire support ships and as platforms for guided missiles, few countries maintained battleships after World War II, with the last battleships being decommissioned at the end of the Cold War.

[jerrypadilla]

When I think of Battleships, I think of my grandfather.
In his youth, he served aboard the U.S.S. Arizona...while she still had her "Bird Cage" observation towers. The stories he told us, when we were but kids, of fishing for 20 foot sharks, off the stern of "His ship", using a cable, to drag the poor fish, onto the deck...
Decades later, seeing the Arizona, where she died... my grandfather wept.
He bawled the whole day. He relayed to me, that he remembers, walking those submerged decks. Swabbing, chipping, and painting....and caring for that lovely lady. Tears, welled in his eyes, at him telling me that.
Then, one day, I visited her, myself...
My grandfather had passed on, but, there was a connection, across time, because of that dead lady, in the Hawaiian harbor...

[dapperfield]

America's enemies complained on the Iowas' being too op, so America decommissioned them in fear of getting banned from the server

[Tackleberry]

I served on the USS Wisconsin (BB-64). This was the best command that I served on.

[tolraftv]

Battle ship is never forgoten ... Battleship is history legend of ww2

[russell]

It would be interesting to see a truly Modern battleship designed.

[forsagebone]

I understand why they're no longer in service, but it's still pretty sad to see them go.

[kevinstonerock]

The defense department and the pentagon didn’t make it widely known that the enemies we faced developed treaties on the condition that the battleships were taken away from their shores. It turns out they dreaded the shelling of their coastline by the Iowa’s more than air bombardment. With aircraft they’ll bomb targets and once the bombs are dropped all they can do is return to base. That gives them an hour or two to refortify and move things around. A battleship can carry at least 400 shells or more. They can keep the enemy pinned down for hours at a time with each weighing the same as a car. The say that it costs a million dollars a day to operate a battleship. But when you have missiles that each cost that much you could stay at sea for several weeks for the cost of one salvo. The enemy will again be pinned down for only an hour or so. With a battleship they can linger on station for days or weeks. And while they linger on station supply ships can offload another load of shells and join the fight again.
Another consideration is these missiles could be vulnerable to an electromagnetic pulse. The fire control system on the ships are mechanically set and aimed. One of the officers said there currently is no missile system that can knock out a battleship.

[angeloicaro]

Their era has ended. But their Might has never been surpassed.

[norshstephens]

I think we sometimes forget that there’s three other Battleships with a shorter service life than the Iowa’s. The USS Alabama, USS Massachusetts and the USS North Carolina. I think they are still very capable ships.

[estellemelodimitchell]

Keep those battleships in working condition. Some days we’ll need them against alien invasion.

[あゆみキツネ]

Many WWII ships may have been forgotten, but if I can, I'll always remember them and tell their stories to everyone I know. I might not be a historian but I'll keep telling every WWII ship's stories I know of. Even if my family says that WWII was the worst, many soldiers died for the country they love, and for their loved ones, and therefore we should live with their honor.

[texasblueboy]

The Battleship Texas was used in WWII. It is a New York class Battleship. It's also a dreadnought era Battleship.

[alp]

The range of artillery is being extended by missiles fired like artillery shells. Imagine what could be done with the big guns of the Iowa class.

[DesertRat]

I've served on a Battleship (USS Missouri) and I spent a week on the USS Stennis (CVN-74). Battleships are far sexier, but I understand why the Navy can't afford to keep them commissioned anymore. Sad, they're dinosaurs, but they are AWESOME dinosaurs.

[ricardof]

I served aboard the USS New Jersey BB-62, I was station in Long Beach Ca. Then the USS Missouri came along and we were stationed across from each other and it was called Battleship pier. I miss my Battleship. I was a Gunners Mate Guns and left gun captain turret one.

[Tankerpaul]

Iowa class could take multiple hits from modern anti-ship weapons. Modern ships are not nearly as tough in that sense.

[dancingsilence]

Give a battleship anti missile defences and I think they can rip through modern destroyers still

[Vaxiid]

The battleship era has ended but their might will never be forgotten

[JRock]

If the US Navy were to do a modern "battleship" it would be nuclear powered. With duel nuclear reactors. The main gun armorment would be railguns. It would have armorment of hypersonic missiles, and CIWS. And a helicopter deck for ASW and scouting operations.

[JungleYT]

*Note to YouTube - You're losing altitude with all of these stupid Pop up ads interrupting the show!*