M14 Forum

nSquid

Again - the Navy is finalizing the design of a rail gun launching system to replace the steam catapults used to put birds in the air.

Another line of R&D is working on Rail Guns as replacements for the 16" gun. No powder, no barrel liners. Might not even have a turret as the projectiles will most likely have internal steering capabilities. Over-the-horizon reach, on the order of 100+ miles.

Technology side-lined the Battleship, it did not render it obsolete.

Megawatt laser systems are becoming practical. Worst problem for a submarine is the slow loitering aircraft, be it winged or lighter-than-air. I long wondered about running the laser wave guide down the "basement" of the Missile House, between the 16 tubes (now 24 on Tridents) as there was next to nothing down there in Lower Level. Reactor is usually putting out less than 25% power at patrol cruise, plenty of spare power to charge a big laser. Special periscope for the beam, fast scan the sky for aerial contacts, point and burn a hole in the aircraft.

it's coming, it just isn't here yet.

Tommo

Thank you all for the great links.

willriskit

The 16" guns on the Iowa class are not sleeved and after a maximum bore life of about 350 rounds, each individual barrel and breech mechanism weighing about 90 tons has to be hoisted out and switched, at three to a turret. By today's standards, the range of the 16's is pitifully short, especially when compared to the infinitely more powerful ballistic missiles with nucleur capability. Also, black and brown powders are two of the most dangerous materials to store aboard ship. The accident aboard the USS IOWA when a silk powder increment detonated prior to breech closure was perhaps the last hurrah for the big guns. Interestingly, my barber at that time had served in G division aboard the IOWA during WWII and he still had a copy of the gunnery officer's order warning against the consequences of using excessive force when seating powder bags. Weighing combat effectiveness against the potential propaganda value of combat loss, and the very high operational and manning expenses associated with something constructed of pre-1948 marine steels that is in reality, little more than a rear admiral factory, the BB's are best left at pierside.

Master of Oceans, USMM ret. and past trial captain of US naval vessels, USMC 1961-65