In your face :) - Page 2

Willem Fick · 11-30-2006, 05:08 AM

The Hood had a weakness in that the shell entered through the deck and hit the magazine directly. The various magazines in the ship were linked, so that lead to a series of massive explosions, sending it to the bottom in no time at all. Lucky shot, but quite effective still!

I have always been a huge fan of naval guns, and was lucky enough to see a 14" ships gun at the Imperial War Museum in London (Iowa class has 15"?), and to say its a big mother is quite the understatement. I would love to have been able to see them in action.

It is nice to see the projectiles in that last snap, and if you take the size of the ship in consideration, its easy to see why one doesn't want to be on the receiving end!

Apparantly these rounds travel quite slow, and one often sees them in old pictures of firefights. Read an account of a D-day pilot who saw some of the ammo fro a couple of destroyers coming in over the beaches, and he describes them as being the size of cars...

Nostril Cheese · 11-30-2006, 06:43 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by m21sniper

USS New Jersey in a very bad mood.

I'd be more impressed if the money that went to build that ship and those guns went to build more schools or feed hungry people. But if it gets you hard, so be it.

Nathans_Dad · Nathans_Dad's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by Nostril Cheese
I'd be more impressed if the money that went to build that ship and those guns went to build more schools or feed hungry people. But if it gets you hard, so be it.

I agree!! And if that money had not been spent on battleships and airplanes and tanks, those schools could all be teaching our kids to speak Russian right now!! What a great concept.

fastpat · 11-30-2006, 07:47 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Nathans_Dad
I agree!! And if that money had not been spent on battleships and airplanes and tanks, those schools could all be teaching our kids to speak Russian right now!! What a great concept.

That's just as nonsensical as the idea that the west coast would have been speaking Japanese by force, and the east coast speaking German, had Roosevelt obeyed the law in 1939-41.

Nathans_Dad · Nathans_Dad's Garage

Yeah yeah, Pat, we know. You have read a bunch of books that says that if the US had no military everyone would leave the richest country in the world alone...

fastpat · 11-30-2006, 08:02 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Nathans_Dad
Yeah yeah, Pat, we know. You have read a bunch of books that says that if the US had no military everyone would leave the richest country in the world alone...

Name, and support with facts, one country on earth that could have, at any time in the past; have successfully invaded and conquered even a sliver of America.

Again, your answer must be accompanied by proof.

azasadny · azasadny's Garage

When I was in the US Navy ('82-'91) we were told that the USS Iowa and New Jersey were being recommissioned to "show the flag" around the world. Battleships aren't very easy to manuver in small bodies of water (Persian Gulf) and are very expensive to maintain. During Desert Storm, we saw and heard the shells from the battleships hit Iraq and it was pretty devastating, but long-range bombers are more effective.

Nostril Cheese · 11-30-2006, 08:03 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Nathans_Dad
I agree!! And if that money had not been spent on battleships and airplanes and tanks, those schools could all be teaching our kids to speak Russian right now!! What a great concept.

Typical response from most Texans I've met.

Nathans_Dad · Nathans_Dad's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by Nostril Cheese
Typical response from most Texans I've met.

That's because they're all smarter than you.

scottmandue · 11-30-2006, 08:23 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by m21sniper

USS New Jersey in a very bad mood.

How about a technical question?

Is that a photoshop? Why is it firering in both directions?

oldE · 11-30-2006, 08:39 AM

"Why is it firering in both directions?"

I suspect it is a demonstration. Note the gun barrels are almost horizontal. That is point blank. If you have to fire simultaneously on both beams at real targets, you are in deep doo-doo.

Usually, capitol ships engage their targets at long range, to reach out that far, the barrels are elevated. (That is one of the reasons the Hood was lost. Her deck armor was designed before the engagement ranges were great enough that the shot was dropping through your decks rather than coming through the side. The British found that out much to their chagrin at Jutland, but the Hood's design was already set.)

Les

oldE · 11-30-2006, 08:44 AM

"Name, and support with facts, one country on earth that could have, at any time in the past; have successfully invaded and conquered even a sliver of America."

Aside from Japan in the Aleutian Islands, you mean?

Les

sammyg2 · 11-30-2006, 08:50 AM

Quote:

I'd be more impressed if the money that went to build that ship and those guns went to build more schools or feed hungry people. But if it gets you hard, so be it.

You are kidding, right? Please tell me that was a joke.

The USS New Jersey was built in 1942, a year after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. The New Jersey was built to help replace the battleships that were destroyed in that attack.
If the money was not used to build it or any of the other ships and weapons, the final outcome of WWII would have been much different. In other words, this ship helped us WIN THE WAR!

I'd say that in 1942, building more schools and feeding hungry people was not the first priority. Trying to keep the germans and japanese from killing millions of Americans and taking over our country was probably a little higher up on that particular list.

This ship is no longer in service, it was refurbished and is now used as a historical museum.

lendaddy · 11-30-2006, 08:50 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by fastpat
Name, and support with facts, one country on earth that could have, at any time in the past; have successfully invaded and conquered even a sliver of America.

The Union Army.

lendaddy · 11-30-2006, 08:51 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Nostril Cheese
I'd be more impressed if the money that went to build that ship and those guns went to build more schools or feed hungry people. But if it gets you hard, so be it.

This is America, we don't have any hungry people.

sammyg2 · 11-30-2006, 08:52 AM

BTW, in the early part of WWII the French had a similar attitude. That was OK though, they had the US and England to kick the enemy out of France and give it back to them.

You don't have to be tough if you have someone being tough on your behalf, but if you don't you are just another target.

fastpat · 11-30-2006, 08:57 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by oldE
"Name, and support with facts, one country on earth that could have, at any time in the past; have successfully invaded and conquered even a sliver of America."

Aside from Japan in the Aleutian Islands, you mean?

Les

They didn't conquer any territory, unless you consider an uninhabited island "crucial terrain". A conquest is a taking of a people and their land.

fastpat · 11-30-2006, 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by sammyg2
Trying to keep the germans and japanese from killing millions of Americans and taking over our country was probably a little higher up on that particular list.

The notion that Japan could have successfully invaded mainland America is pure mythology.

Nathans_Dad · Nathans_Dad's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by fastpat
They didn't conquer any territory, unless you consider an uninhabited island "crucial terrain". A conquest is a taking of a people and their land.

I believe you asked for a "sliver of America" Paste, and that sliver was provided. Now go back to playing with your Junior Jihadist GI Joe outfit.

Purrybonker · 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by fastpat
Name, and support with facts, one country on earth that could have, at any time in the past; have successfully invaded and conquered even a sliver of America.

Again, your answer must be accompanied by proof.

...well there was that little problem with the Canadians (well, Brits technically) burning down the Whitehouse in 1812. IIRC it was a good thing it rained that day, or the whole of Washington woulda looked like Moscow later that same year (thanks to those (to hear it on this bored (pun intended)) peace-loving, un-warlike Frenchmen (under Napoleon)). But like Napoleon, the Canucks marched back home after a brief fete. Hey - maybe Napoleon got the idea from the Canadians!

But, I guess to your point - the Canucks didn't "hold any territory", but that was due to orders from the home office, not due to US military capability at the time. You see the French were otherwise too occupied to come help and the Brits needed to get their act together to debate Bonaparte in Europe.

I always find it interesting that few Americans seem to know anything about the wars of 1812 given the national obsession with their own history.