Q&A · 1:55:38-1:57:02

An upgraded Iowa against a First World War fleet

Modern fire control and drone spotting make a 1980s Iowa an out-of-context gunnery problem for First World War opponents.

Question

Purely in gunfire terms, how effective would a 1980s Iowa be against First World War Central Powers fleets?

Short answer

Terrifyingly effective, because modern sensors, drone spotting, and fire control would deliver accurate heavy salvos far faster than period fleets could answer.

Notes

The counterfactual gives an Iowa its 1980s fire-control equipment, including drone targeting support. Accurate target information would reduce dependence on repeated cycles of firing, observing, and correcting. Heavy salvos could then continue within an established firing solution. The prediction is an extreme mismatch for First World War opponents because of the combined accuracy and sustained weight of fire.