On 18-Aug-2009, Vic Smith wrote:

Hi Joe,

It is true that armor would keep bullets out, but an Exocette with go
through that like so much cardboard.

The ships taken out by Excepts weren't battleships. Destroyers are
unarmored and often have aluminum superstructures.
But I agree that *all* surface ships are vulnerable during all out war
with a major power in this air/electronics age.

This is closest to being correct. The Exocets will not penetrate an Iowa
class battleship according to several people that were on them.
I am not saying that they can not be sunk by missiles, I just said that the
antiship missiles wont do it. They are designed to take out the newer less
armored ships.
Now could a major power quickly repurpose a missile to kill a battleship?
Might take a few hours but necessity is the mother of invention.

On Tue, 18 Aug 2009 16:56:26 GMT, wrote:


On 18-Aug-2009, Vic Smith wrote:

Hi Joe,

It is true that armor would keep bullets out, but an Exocette with go
through that like so much cardboard.

The ships taken out by Excepts weren't battleships. Destroyers are
unarmored and often have aluminum superstructures.
But I agree that *all* surface ships are vulnerable during all out war
with a major power in this air/electronics age.

This is closest to being correct. The Exocets will not penetrate an Iowa
class battleship according to several people that were on them.
I am not saying that they can not be sunk by missiles, I just said that the
antiship missiles wont do it. They are designed to take out the newer less
armored ships.
Now could a major power quickly repurpose a missile to kill a battleship?
Might take a few hours but necessity is the mother of invention.

Hey, how come your spell-checker changed my Exocet but left yours
alone? (-:
I spent 3 1/2 years on a can and always felt like a sitting duck.
Most of that time was in a boiler room 12 feet below the waterline.
Battleships had exterior tankage and other means to thwart torpedoes.
I had maybe half an inch of steel. More than once I would look at the
hull and wonder if a Russian torpedo could punch through and land in
my lap before it exploded. Not that I worried about it, but the
thought did come now and then.
Luckily, at that age I was usually just thinking about pussy.

--Vic

Vic Smith wrote:
On Tue, 18 Aug 2009 16:56:26 GMT, wrote:

On 18-Aug-2009, Vic Smith wrote:

Hi Joe,

It is true that armor would keep bullets out, but an Exocette with go
through that like so much cardboard.

The ships taken out by Excepts weren't battleships. Destroyers are
unarmored and often have aluminum superstructures.
But I agree that *all* surface ships are vulnerable during all out war
with a major power in this air/electronics age.
This is closest to being correct. The Exocets will not penetrate an Iowa
class battleship according to several people that were on them.
I am not saying that they can not be sunk by missiles, I just said that the
antiship missiles wont do it. They are designed to take out the newer less
armored ships.
Now could a major power quickly repurpose a missile to kill a battleship?
Might take a few hours but necessity is the mother of invention.

Hey, how come your spell-checker changed my Exocet but left yours
alone? (-:
I spent 3 1/2 years on a can and always felt like a sitting duck.
Most of that time was in a boiler room 12 feet below the waterline.
Battleships had exterior tankage and other means to thwart torpedoes.
I had maybe half an inch of steel. More than once I would look at the
hull and wonder if a Russian torpedo could punch through and land in
my lap before it exploded. Not that I worried about it, but the
thought did come now and then.
Luckily, at that age I was usually just thinking about pussy.

--Vic

We had our bottom sandblasted in dry dock. It took three tries to get
afloat. Sandblasted right through that thin old bottom!
Another time at sea, we had to stop and put a diver over the side to
plug a hole.
I don't think we could have stopped a 22!
Gordon

On 18-Aug-2009, Vic Smith wrote:

Hi Joe,

It is true that armor would keep bullets out, but an Exocette with go
through that like so much cardboard.

The ships taken out by Excepts weren't battleships. Destroyers are
unarmored and often have aluminum superstructures.
But I agree that *all* surface ships are vulnerable during all out war
with a major power in this air/electronics age.

This is closest to being correct. The Exocets will not penetrate an Iowa
class battleship according to several people that were on them.
I am not saying that they can not be sunk by missiles, I just said that
the
antiship missiles wont do it. They are designed to take out the newer
less
armored ships.
Now could a major power quickly repurpose a missile to kill a battleship?
Might take a few hours but necessity is the mother of invention.

Hey, how come your spell-checker changed my Exocet but left yours
alone? (-:
I spent 3 1/2 years on a can and always felt like a sitting duck.
Most of that time was in a boiler room 12 feet below the waterline.
Battleships had exterior tankage and other means to thwart torpedoes.
I had maybe half an inch of steel. More than once I would look at the
hull and wonder if a Russian torpedo could punch through and land in
my lap before it exploded. Not that I worried about it, but the
thought did come now and then.
Luckily, at that age I was usually just thinking about pussy.

--Vic

First let me say thank you for serving!
Being born in 59 I missed that obligation. My cousin (4 years older) served
on the New Jersey from the time Reagan took it out of mothballs until it
went back in. He is the source of most of my information on battleships. I
chose to go to collage, he went in the navy. He has a pension from the navy
and is about 5 years from retiring from 3M with another pension. Meanwhile I
am looking for a job, AGAIN.
I have come to hate aviation. When the economy takes a downturn aviation
does a nosedive.

As to my spell-checker changing your Exocet but leaving mine alone is
simple. I hit the wrong button.