Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 4:07:37-4:08:31

If the United States built Iowas, Alaskas, and Montanas

A much larger postwar US gun fleet might keep big-gun ships in service longer and prompt analogous foreign projects.

Alaska Class Large CruisersBattleshipsCold WarIowa Class BattleshipsMontana Class Battleships
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Question

What if the United States built all the Iowa, Alaska, and Montana classes before or just after the Second World War?

Short answer

Large gunships would probably remain in service longer, supported by political prestige even as their naval utility became debatable.

Notes

The answer expects the US Navy to rotate Iowas, Montanas, and Alaskas between service and reserve. Keeping such a large inventory could also encourage Britain to finish the Lions and Stalin to obtain comparable Soviet ships. Politicians could become attached to the prestige of large gunships even as navies questioned whether they were still necessary. The altered fleet therefore prolongs the political life of battleships beyond the point where their operational case is straightforward.