Ryan Szymanski, on the BB New Jersey site, has put out a video with what he considers the longest BB hits. https://youtu.be/Dfxxs7Armj8?si=kNWBzsoZhQlDswtZ. Commentary below, and there are some definition issues.
(list grabbed and modified from a Youtube comment to save typing)
#10 At a range of roughly 20,300 yards, IJN Yamato (battleship) vs. USS Johnston (DD-557) (destroyer) Usually attributed to Kongo
#09 At a range of roughly 22,000 yards, IJN Yamato (battleship) vs. USS Gambier Bay (CVE-73) (escort carrier) (Near Hit)
#08 At a range of roughly 22,700 yards, USS West Virginia (BB-48) (battleship) vs. IJN Yamashiro (battleship).
#06 At a range of roughly 26,000 yards, HMS Warspite (battleship) vs. Italian Navy ship Giulio Cesare (battleship)
#06 At a range of roughly 26,000 yards, Kriegsmarine (Nazi Germany Navy) Scharnhorst (battleship) vs. HMS Glorious (aircraft carrier)
#05 At a range of roughly 28,000 yards, USS Massachusetts (BB-59) (battleship) vs. French Navy ship Milan (destroyer)
#04 At a range of roughly 28,500 yards, USS Massachusetts (BB-59) (battleship) vs. French Navy ship Jean Bart (fast battleship)
#03 At a range of roughly 30,000 yards, IJN Kongō (fast battleship) vs. USS Heermann (DD-532) (destroyer) (Near Hit)
#02 At a range of roughly 34,000 yards, IJN Yamato (battleship) vs. USS White Plains (CVE-66) (escort carrier) (Near Hit)
#01 At a range of roughly 36,000 - 40,000 yards, USS New Jersey (BB-62) (battleship) vs. IJN Nowaki (destroyer) (Near Hit)
Now, the criteria used is debatable. For one, his #04 on Jean Bart should be included because the target was not moving and was tied up pierside. Like shooting ducks off the water, it's just not done. Also, he counts near-hits that strike the water nearby and then cause damage as being a 'hit', which is certainly an arguable point. He also makes much of the IJN long fuse timing, allowing for a short near-miss to travel underwater for a distance. If I'm counting actual hits, I think I would put the near-hits on a separate list, since close enough is only good enough in horseshoes, hand grenades, and nuclear weapons.
#05 is debatable, and I simply haven't seen the evidence one way or another to draw a conclusion
#10 We only have IJN records that record a hit on a 'heavy cruiser', Johnston was lost, and I'm not sure if a through-and-through hole can be distinguished between 14" and 18" on the wreck. Then again, Yamato is based on Lundgren.
What do you all think? And as a side note, I would really like a 1:1 scale battleship of my own too.
Battleship New Jersey list of longest hits
- jemhouston
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Re: Battleship New Jersey list of longest hits
Watched the video too. I'd like to 1:1 Battleship model too, but no place to park it.
Re: Battleship New Jersey list of longest hits
There's a free slot in San Jacinto park. Will need a bit of dredging, may need some excavation to lengthen it depending on which BB.jemhouston wrote: ↑Fri Jul 12, 2024 12:21 am Watched the video too. I'd like to 1:1 Battleship model too, but no place to park it.
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Re: Battleship New Jersey list of longest hits
Go old school with BB-1.kdahm wrote: ↑Fri Jul 12, 2024 1:01 amThere's a free slot in San Jacinto park. Will need a bit of dredging, may need some excavation to lengthen it depending on which BB.jemhouston wrote: ↑Fri Jul 12, 2024 12:21 am Watched the video too. I'd like to 1:1 Battleship model too, but no place to park it.