Posted by Ady1 on 02/08/2017 15:47:41:
This was why the Japanese were the only battleship builders who ever bothered
confirm? Deny? discuss!
I suppose the logic would be a bigger gun and battleship would give you longer range with which to hit something.(Heavy weight isn't necessarily as much of a problem at sea, what matters is how well balanced the weight is and buoyancy. It just means you need a longer distance to come to a halt, like those big oil tankers do.)
A heavier gauge weapon in this type of warfare was the way to outclass an opponent because you could hit them before they could hit you.
Submarines and aircraft advancement has kind of taken out the one upmanship of nations building what are essentially floating fortresses, they were considered untouchable. They still have them, of course, (Nimitz, Kirov etc) but they aren't the force they once represented.
The HMS Hood for e.g before the germans sent it to the bottom, once was the pride of the royal navy, was probably their biggest ship, and therefore the only match they had for the bizmark. It didn't go their way but you can see how they gauged up what was suitable vessel to take on such a beast in direct combat. That being said, the bizmark was also very lucky to have landed a plunging shot on the wooden deck. This led to the loss of around 1400 men. Very sad.
Michael W
Edited By Michael-w on 02/08/2017 18:12:55