If an Iowa-class battleship got a modern warship in gun range, what would its guns do?
Short answerThe shells would likely inflict devastating kinetic damage, potentially passing through and shredding the ship rather than simply exploding inside it.
NotesA large shell would likely shred a modern warship and might pass through rather than behave like a conventional magazine explosion. Modern structures can be highly exposed to old-style heavy ordnance. Armour and damage effects should not be treated as interchangeable across eras.