i guess since there are no topics in this category guess i'll start!
lets think of topics to discuss for fun...
If by chance a Japanese battleship of the Yamato class engaged a US battleship of the Iowa class...who do you think would come out on top and or what variables would have an effect on who would win. IE night or day/ speed/ armor/ guns/ etc.

Yamota Hands down the thing was Huge. The American Battleships were alot like Pocketbattleships swift and heavily armed but the Armorement of the Yamota would have destroyed the Iowa.

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Out side is America!

I think that it depends on variables as to who would win...Yamato or Iowa. The Yamato had thicker armor and heavier guns. The Iowa had smaller guns and armor that was not as thick.
Looking at that you would attomatically think the iowa would loose. Not so...most of the naval engagements of the war took place at night. The Americans (by the time the Iowas were in service) had pretty much perfected radar for their warships. Where as the Japanese lagged behind. Had the battle been fought at night the americans would have won; for The Iowa class could stay out of effective range firing accurate shots. The Iowa's offensive armament were smaller than that of the Yamato...but 16' is nothing to scoff at...many hits of 16' projectiles could do much harm even to the Yamato.
Even though the Yamato's 18.1' guns could fire farther than the American's 16'. The darkness would have forced the Yamato to come in closer to the Iowa to hit effectively. However, being so heavy could not keep up with the faster Iowa's. The Iowa's could stay in effective range while keeping the Yamato's out of their effective range. This i think would have prob. forced the withdrawl of the Yamato.
If the battle was in daylight I think the Yamato had a good chance of winning a one on one battle. As long as visibility was good the Yamato would win...in times of bad visibility or night the iowa's would have won.
Also the Iowa's were in no way like "pocket battleships" their tonnage were around 45,000-55,000 tons. There guns were one of the larger sizes 16'. There armor was very thick. I would compare the Iowa's to Germany's Bismarck. The only reason the Yamato seems so much better is it is practicly a class of it's own. A super battleship. but the Iowa's are surely a battleship and not a pocket battleship...which is basiclly like a battlecruiser.

I've got what you're looking for: http://www.combinedfleet.com/baddest.htm

Everything you always wanted to know about WW2 Battleships but were afraid to ask.

thanks that was interesting!

Hi guys. It was found after the war, that there wasn't a major difference in penetration power between an 18" AP shell and a 16"AP shell. Both could easily penetrate thick, armour belt armour. It's my belief that the key determiner in any big-gunned engagement between ships, would be the degree of reliability and accuracy of radar-guided firecontrol. If the above holds true, then the Iowa's carry the day against the Yamato's. But,that is only my opinion.

Really? i sware i heard the 16' had better penetrating power because their velocity was faster?

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Never, never, never believe any war will be smooth and easy, or that anyone who embarks on the strange voyage can measure the tides and hurricanes he will encounter. The statesman who yields to war fever must realize that once the signal is given, he is no longer the master of policy but the slave of unforeseeable and uncontrollable events. -- Sir Winston Churchill

I think that the Yamato or the Musashi would have blow up the Missouri or the New Jersey if they had engaged each other. The 50.000 tons Iowas were faster and their radar capability was superior to 75.000 tons Yamato-class battleships. But the Japanesse sailors and officers in those ships were an elite in the Japanesse fleet. They had an advantage of experience against the americans. But I do agree that it would not have been a cheap victory, because americans showed themselves they could fight as well as the experienced Japanesse.

Admiral Yamamoto and
Admiral Hedaeki Togo

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"A mon fils: depuis que tes yeux sont fermes les miens n’ont cessé de pleurir." - Mère française, Verdun

I agree with John. The later class of U.S. battleships were very acurate.And I aree with ron about the night fighting. If the Iwoa was faster then she could have stayed out of range untill nightfall, then closed in with her radar and fire control.

I think the US would win for reasons already outlined. A nice night engagement where they could use their radar would have allowed the US to dictate the battle. It's not a matter of actually sinking the enemy, rather neutralising their offensive capability, and the US 16" guns would have been more than capable of doing the job.

Jumbo

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