47 Sailors Killed on Ship
The accident aboard the battleship Iowa provides a basis to consider the utility of such a vessel in the scheme of modern warfare and defense.
The battleship deserves a hallowed place in history among the great instruments of war that last played an important role in the 1940s. In the age of supersonic missiles, however, the battleship is little more than a sitting duck.
Using benefits received per dollar expended to measure efficacy, it has to be the worst possible value. Needing thousands of personnel on a ship costing hundreds of millions to lob 16-inch shells a few miles may look spectacular, but certainly cannot compare to missiles launched thousands of miles away with a CEP (circular error probable) from 0.12 to 0.3 nautical-mile radius. I guess the U.S. Navy, et al, were not paying attention to the capabilities of short-range missiles in sea warfare during the Falklands/Malvinas conflagration.
T.G. ROGERS
San Diego
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