Actually the 16 inch shells are far more destructive and accurratte then Air dropped munitions.

Trust me I don't like to admit it, being an Air Force Cadet myself but the fact of the matter is that Shells will always hit harder then Bombs.

There is also the fact that the Air Force also loves the Battleships.

Most of the planes and aicrews the USAF lost in the Vietnam war were hitting Targets within Range of the New Jersey's guns. (Or Rehitting, oftentimes the Air force would have to bomb facilities multiple times). Air Force Casualties were SIGNIFICANTLY lower when the New Jersey was operating.

The real fact of the matter is that with the 16 inch guns your striking out targets without exposing a vulnerable Aircraft and aircrew, it is also MUCH faster, assuming a choice target is located it can take anywere from a few minutes to a few hours to load up planes and get them into position. A Battleship can hit it in anywhere from 90 seconds to 3 minutes depending how far out it is. and it doesnt matter if the Target is surrounded by AAA batteries or SAM Sites.

This is particularly true if your landing Marines, the Aircraft have a long response time  and a limited endurance. The Guns can come to bear in a few seconds.

Katana, you sure you didn't apply to the wrong Academy? [;)]

America has multiple carriers and SSBNs, China only has one Beijing. Even a communist can do the math.

Kharn

LMAO!!!!!![:D][:D]

....better still, it would probably bring [i]real[/i] good fortune afterwards.


lib-who does not like bully commies

Add to that their trade with Taiwan. Talk about killing the goose that lays golden eggs!
I agree, I don't think even they are that stupid.

No apologies necessary.  And thanks for thinking I was a kid who had read too many Clancy novels.  I really wasn't trying to sound cool...hell, I'm too old for that.  My missus reminds me of that all the time.  I can see where you'd think that though...I do tend to get a bit pedantic and full of myself way too often.  (She reminds me of that too!)  [;D]

Most of us remember Forrestal because of the amount of damage and the [honest] mistakes made by the fire fighters that ended up allowing the fire to continue to burn for far too long.  What isn't known by most non-sailors is the large number of deaths to the flight deck crew and DC personnel.  The exploding bombs wiped out many of the first men on scene and their replacements were not quite as well trained.  They tried like hell but they just didn't have the extensive training required to really fight that fire.  For example, while one hose team was playing fire fighting foam on the flames, another would come along with a 2 1/2" and wash the smothering foam over the side...REFLASH!.  That happened far too many times...a lesson that we all applied to our own training later.  What is it that is often said of Navy training...our lessons were learned in blood?

Anyway...just remember this:  Old SWOs never die...they just go on deployment forever.  [;)]

Oh...I forgot one thing...Beat Army!

What I don't get is where all these "tough"badboy states get the idea that if they bloody the US of A that we'll just curl up and hide out.Don't these guys read the papers?Don't they study our history?They might want to check it out before they start something that AMERICANS will finish.


The British screwed with our mariners so we went to war.[50]

Pirates were based outta Tripoli,so we landed Marines.[frag]

The mexicans srewed with US citizens,so we had to march on their capitol(and take a few acres as payback)[beer]

The Spanish disrespected us ,so we had to kick them outta the Caribean and eventually the Phillipines.[sniper]

The Germans scoffed at the thought of our combat capabilities(TWICE)so we had to flatten them.[kill]

The Japs thought if they stabbed us in the back we'd run away.So we wiped the slate clean and started over(their country, I mean)[chainsawkill]

Iraq want's to give us the mother of all battles,so we have to exterminate their army.[grenade]

Some dirtbags blow up our buildings,then try and hide out in a lawless country halfway round the world,so we have to effect a little regime change[rolleyes]


The list go's on and on,and I guess its right that some people just never learn.


Just where are these guys gettin their info?

Infact didn't these very Chinese once think that we would idly sit by while one of their client states steamrolled a democratic allie of ours on the Korean pinninsula?How many bodybags did that stroke of genius cost them?[marines]

I believe it was the USS Forrestal, not the Enterprise....

Known as the "Forest Fire" infamously.

Edited to say read the newer posts, and I guess I am talking out of my *ss.

So I will admit it.

Late 1970's...about the same time South Africa Did. Draw your own conclusions.

Taiwan and Israel also do a lot of business with one another on the Defense side of things as well.

Taiwan was close, but never got there, due in large part to US pressure. South Africa and Taiwan shared a good bit of technology, I've read.

This article summarises it all pretty well:

http://www.bullatomsci.org/issues/1998/jf98/jf98albright.html

With all the Heinlein quotes flying around in this thread, one would think that you people would have read his novel [u]Between Planets[/u].

In the middle of the book, Don Harvey is listening to a conversation in the lunch counter he works at.  The customers decide that the Federation will never invade because it would cost too much.  Heinlein continues with the observation that farmers have one type of math, but politicians and others who deal in power have another -- the Federation nuked the Venus Republic's space-defense ships that night and invaded.

Don't they all!



Yep. I remember that lesson CLEARLY.



LOL! Amen, brother!

Funny thing. Here at work they tell us that we are not, under any circumstances, to fight a fire should one break out. We're to evacuate and allow the firefighters to do their job.

I laugh my ass off at that, because after five years in the fleet I have about as much firefighting training, if not more, than a rookie firefighter. I've always said that I'd do my damndest to at least contain the thing before the professionals arrived.

And before anyone accuses me of thinking I know more about fighting fires than the firemen, let me just say that the Navy taught me how to control and put out a fire, AND WHEN TO FALL BACK UNTIL REENFORCEMENTS ARIVE. I'm not foolhardy, but I think it's cowardice personified not to at least TRY to help if you've had the training, know how and when to use it properly, and how not to become an additional casualty.

Sorry, I'm just rambling now. Too early in the morning for this shi*!

Don't you HATE when that happens? [;)]

... true, the Sky Hawk (IIRC) was piloted by Arizona Senator/Traitor John McCain

Different ships...different fires...

In the Forrestal fire, McCain was sitting in his A-4 Skyhawk (aka The Scooter) when the fire started.  He barely escaped...only to become a POW later.

Nowadays...methinks he doth protest too much.

I believe that his actions are simply payback for the Bushies for preventing him from reaching the White House.  Hatred begets revenge...revenge poisons the mind.  We ain't seen the last of the senator from Arizona either.  He's going to do everything in his power to screw with this president.

(Man are we far afield on this thread....)   [:\]

Seems to me that China's been itching to fight us since Korea.  Harry Truman shouldn't have whacked MacArthur, he should have let him do what he was trained to do at West Point while Harry was selling hats in Missouri.  Now the north and south Koreans are firing on each other's gunboats.  It won't be long and we'll get hauled into that mess again.  Let's just hope China understands that there's a Texan in charge, not an Arkansas Chubby-Chaser.