Odd naval question...

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by CaptainMattJ.

Well, the iowa couldve most certainly held her own in a 1 on 1. Had we not utilized radar guided FCS systems, the battle wouldve most likely have gone to yamato. Her 18.1 inch batteries and thick armor would be the obstacles to overcome. But, under even circumstance, the iowa couldve simply outgunned the Yamato from afar, using her superior top speeds and more accurate shots to pound at her from beyond the accurate range of Yamatos guns.

It's an old truism in warship design that you can't know the actual power of the enemy's guns, so you can only armor against your own. Iowa was armored against her own 16" guns, and Yamato was armored against her own 18" guns, and in both cases that armor was only good at long ranges. Close in there is no armor that can stop any decent shell of comparable value. The good news is that the 18" guns may have carried more powder but actually had slightly inferior penetration.

As for "outgunning from afar", that is by no means guaranteed. Unfortunately superior fire control has never been proven superior. The longest shot ever achieved against a moving target was roughly 26,000 yards, and that was more luck than skill. More likely no one would have been hitting until around 20,000 yards, and at that range Yamato's fire control was perfectly adequate. I agree, an Iowa could likely have "held her own", but the outcome was hardly certain, and that certainty is needed in any naval conflict.

[Torplexed]

Originally Posted by CCIP

Nevertheless, shrewd of them to consider it an extreme threat and counter it with numbers. When in doubt, prepare for worst-case.

The Japanese themselves made some rather shrewd guesses at what the United States was then designing, based largely on the assumption that any U.S. battleship would be designed to fit through the Panama Canal. Japanese intelligence estimated that future U.S. battleships would displace 35,000 tons, would have a speed of 33 knots and a main battery of nine 16" (406mm) guns, and would have a length of 880 feet (268 meters). In fact, the Iowas displaced 45,000 tons, had a speed of 33 knots and main battery of nine 16"/50 guns, and had a waterline length of 860 feet (262 meters). It is fair to say that the Yamatos were designed specifically to outclass the then unknown Iowas.

The Yamatos were also constructed in great secrecy behind giant curtains of sisal rope and mats. Workers were under pain of death to ensure that no plans, drawings or photos of them ever left the dockyard area. The deceptions were so successful that the American Consulate, located across the bay from Musashi's construction site, was completely unaware of her existence during the construction.