"Eisboch" wrote in message
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wrote in message
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On Thu, 14 Aug 2008 12:04:32 -0400, hk wrote:

What I suspect will happen is that someday some assholes will launch one
of these new missiles at one of our capital ships, hit it, and sink it,
and *then* we'll have the sort of "missile crisis" that results some
years later in a new ship defense system. Defense systems tend to be
reactive.

We already had one of these incidents in 1987 with the Iraqis and the
USS Starke.
This wasn't really a high tech missile either, it was the Exocet, a
fairly crude subsonic cruise missile that managed 2 out of 2 hits on
the ship.



Good grief, man. That was in 1987 ..... 21 years ago. Technology has
changed a bit since then.

In addition, the main defensive weapon of its day ... the Phalanx close
in (last resort) system wasn't even turned on.

You also have to remember... small ships like the Starke are considered
to be expendable compared to an aircraft carrier.

Eisboch


Don't they call 'em 'picket ships' for a reason?