USS Iowa

[Joseph]

On July 13, the San Francisco board of supervisors by a vote of 8-3 rejected Veterns, History Buffs, and ship lover to berth the USS Iowa in San Francisco as a museum.
Many of the No vote said, the home of peace is no place for the ship.

If I was still part of the Navy, I would cancel Fleet Week for the next 20 years.

[Winston]

What an idiotic reasoning. "Hey, let's ban navy ships and end all wars." "Yeah, I'm cool with that." "Me too."

[PLATO]

I really wish that those ships would have one more life...but alas, their day has passed from this world.

[Geronimo]

Originally posted by PLATO
I really wish that those ships would have one more life...but alas, their day has passed from this world.

Why weren't they useful as arty platforms for shore bombardment? I'm surprised they are regarded as so useless as to be better mothballed than leaving one or two as token battleships in the fleet.

[Zkribbler]

Was that the one that had the gun explode a couple of decades ago?? At first, the Navy tried to claim a gay sailor sabatoged the gun in order to commit suicide. Later, it apologized to the sailor's family.

[notyoueither]

Originally posted by Geronimo


Why weren't they useful as arty platforms for shore bombardment? I'm surprised they are regarded as so useless as to be better mothballed than leaving one or two as token battleships in the fleet.

Cost.

Several thousand sailors to lob volkswagons a bit past the edge of the horizon or a couple of pilots to drop precision munitions within a 500 mile radius.

[notyoueither]

Sell it to Canada.

Let's see the Danes sail their fish boats to Hans Island now!

[Winston]

If the Canadians buy it, the ship will sink all by itself within 6 months.

[OzzyKP]

At that same meeting the San Francisco Board of Suprivisors voted 10-1 on a resolution telling the state of California to allow cities to lower their voting ages to 16. All because of the hard work of NYRA-Berkeley.

[Patroklos]

The museum ships are mothballed.

The Wisconsin, which is berthedin Norfolk 200 yards from my apartment, is completely sealed. You can walk the weatherdecks only.

Still cool as hell.

The guns are not as effective because of their age. Sure, the 16" guns are cool but if we were to build a modern version it would shoot twice as far with 10% of the manning.

And the aircraft option was not really the death of them. Sure an aircraft is more effective, but it can't loiter for days at a time providing continuous bombardment with no risk to personel.

People are the most expensive thing in the DoD, and BBs use alot of them.

[notyoueither]

Originally posted by Winston
If the Canadians buy it, the ship will sink all by itself within 6 months.

You must be worried. It is of the right vintage for the Canadian forces to be seriously interested.

[Berzerker]

Was that the one that had the gun explode a couple of decades ago?? At first, the Navy tried to claim a gay sailor sabatoged the gun in order to commit suicide. Later, it apologized to the sailor's family.

Yup, Clayton Hartwig. I lost whatever respect I had for the Pentagon over that and Bush 1 showed his true colors. They interrogated another sailor for hours on end until he agreed to say that Hartwig made a pass at him which he rebuffed thus driving Hartwig to commit suicide by blowing up the #2 turret. Thats how Republicans support the troops - use them as scapegoats just like Abu Ghraib.

[Patroklos]

[Winston]

[Patroklos]

heh, glad to see that is getting some milage.