Tug boats maneuver Pre-Commissioning Unit Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), into the James River during the ship’s Turn Ship evolution on June 11, 2016. US Navy photo.
Thomas E. Ricks, Foreign Policy: Will the USS Gerald Ford be remembered as the doomed Yamato of the carrier era?
Commissioned by the Japanese in December of 1941, just over a week after their surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, the Yamato was the largest, most powerful battleship that had ever existed — a title that it still holds to this day, over 75 years later. With its nine 18.1-inch guns, it could fire 3,000 pound shells up to 26 miles away — so far that it required spotter aircraft to identify targets over the horizon. In comparison, the heaviest guns on U.S. battleships were 16 inches and limited to a maximum range of 20 miles. To paraphrase President Trump, it was truly a ship to make its enemies shake with fear.
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WNU Editor: Advancements in naval aviation made the era of battleships and large surface ships obsolete. Will advancements in anti-ship missiles do the same thing for aircraft carriers? The Russians are working on developing these missiles .... Watch Russia's Only Operational Battlecruiser Launch A Massive "Shipwreck" Anti-Ship Missile (The Drive), but so is the U.S. .... Army, Pentagon Upgrade ATACMS Missile to Attack Ships at Sea (Scout Warrior).
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