Comments on: USS Missouri Big Guns Blazing

By: Kentucky Jim

Kentucky Jim — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 23:53:46 +0000

I remember steaming about a mile astern the Iowa when she let loose a couple broadsides. Terrific bass response. Two thousand yards away and it still felt like someone was thumping you with a pillow.

Times change, and though they did not fight other battle ships after WWII (that I know of) they were the ultimate naval gunfire support platform for any troops within 20 miles of the beach.

I’d love to have one back to stick next to Gaza or Lebannon right now.

By: Lftbhndagn

Lftbhndagn — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 00:39:03 +0000

Kentucky Jim
——————–

THE USS Missouri will ALWAYS hold a special place in my heart….

As far as “I’d love to have one back to stick next to Gaza or Lebanon right now.”

What we got now is 10 fold more deadly…

But she sure was beautiful in her day…. Still is.

By: mommyrn

mommyrn — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 00:46:07 +0000

And everyone says size doesn’t count. I say the bigger the better!

By: Bill Smith

Bill Smith — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 00:47:36 +0000

I remember hearing about one of these magnificent Battleships being called on a fire mission during the Korean War. It seems that the bad guys were behind a mountain, or ridge, and could not be reached for a number of reasons. The naval liaison is supposed to have said, “No problem. We’ll just lower the mountain.”

By: Maynard

Maynard — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 05:10:11 +0000

eight inches if i fold it in half

By: Dave M.

Dave M. — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 08:04:24 +0000

I always wanted to know, presuming the ship rocks a little bit
due to waves. Yeah, I know, it’s a big ship, but even if it only moves
a fraction of a degree, that’s a large change in the shell’s
impact after it travels 10 miles or more.
Was there anything automatic that tried to compensate for this?

By: Old Sailor

Old Sailor — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 15:10:53 +0000

Dave M
Those old guns originally designed in WW2 used some kind of manually cranked computer to compute firing solutions, if I recall correctly. It was an imperfect system, but worked fairly well for the weapons of its time.

And when you consider that a full broadside of high explosive shells could reportedly level an entire square mile of land or so (at least that’s what I heard, true or not, I’m not sure), who cares whether it is off by a degree or two?

By: rightangle

rightangle — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 16:14:32 +0000

Dave M. If you have the time, James Hornfischers book “Last stand of the tin can sailors” publ. 2004 or 5 gives an account of the greatest and possibly last major battle of Battleships vs Destroyers, an overwhelmed patrol USN “taffy 3″ against a larger battle group of IJN.

He gives an in depth explanation of early US navy computer assisted firfing systems that took account for many of the factors that can spoil shell trajectory. I remember an account of ships in heavy seas with guns swirling and dancing up and down in unison as the gyros accounted for
the ships pitching and yaw.

Another brief search (Your question had me curious too) found this.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_I_Fire_Control_Computer

By: steve m

steve m — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 17:19:20 +0000

beeeeeeautiful..Need some John Phillip Sousa and whole lotta’ video of this and various others for a July 4th video, how ’bout it Bash?

By: Bill Smith

Bill Smith — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 18:37:59 +0000

The readers of this board are a marvelous resource in addition to Pat, Bash, Lfty, et al. Notice: A pretty obscure questiion is asked at 1204, and by 0814 he (we) have two dead on answers.

By: rightangle

rightangle — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 01:49:53 +0000

Bill Smith, Old Sailor, I was on my way out the door when I posted, hoping someone else would see that. I miss the Mighty Mo. She left my corner of the US- Pacific NW, for Honolulu and we got nothing in return.