A WWI era BB is still a WWI era BB despite refits. Just like the Iowa's are WWII era BB's despite their extensive refits in the 80's. If a BB was built today, it would be built to todays standards and methods. No matter if you put modern equipment on an Iowa, it's foundation is still WWII tech.
This is true, however, WW1 layouts typically went with a brute force armor approach, we see how well t his worked against the Washington, who only suffered superficial damage.
The reason for it was because the US Navy wanted their battleships to keep up with the carriers( or at least the main consideration for the Iowa's since top speed of the South Dakota class was 28 knots). In order to do that, armor was sacrificed and an Iowa could not withstand shots from her own guns. Which the Yamato class would pose a threat to an Iowa since their guns were just as good as Iowa's, if not a bit better.
True, however I think the SoDaks were the best armored Battleships ever built, the Iowas not so much as they were larger, but I think outside the IJN 18 inch gun on the Yamatos, no other gun would be able to punch through its armor. Besides its own.
As long as the Commander of the Iowa isn't an idiot. A Yamato would not pose much threat to an Iowa. The Iowa is faster, has equal guns ( the IJN 18 inch was not a very good weapon for its size ), a faster rate of fire, and vastly better fire control.
The Montana class was going to be able to withstand shots from her own guns( though they accepted that her speed would go back down to 28 knots).
I never understood why they even laid the Keels for those ships, it was clear by the Battle of Midway that the carrier is what made differences, not battleships.
I wonder how much it would cost to build a modern BB...... The Zumwalt's railgun is designed to replace the Iowa's 16" guns.....
There is no point to a BB in the modren world, the concept is outdated and...well it never even worked in the first place. The Railgun on the Zumwalt isn't really made for close encounters, it has pretty insane range.
The day's of close waters naval warfare has been over for a long time. Destroyers can do the same job as a BB for a fraction of the cost. Things like the Zumwalt and the new French/Italian FREMM is where the future is. Small, fast, smart. With one hell of a punch.
I can't think of one place where those 16 inch guns serve any purpose these days.
Still a destroyer is close to costing the amount of money it takes to build a capital ship. A Ford costs $6 billion to build.....
Well, a Ford is just a modified Nimitz with less moving parts, its a 100% electric ship, with reduces build cost and decreases the number of valves, and moving parts. Making it cheap to build, its also made out of pretty typical materials and uses standard shipbuilding techniques.
The Zumwalt, is a whore new ball game, everything on the ship is brand new. New materials, new building techniques, new hull, new composites, new computer systems, new power generation which produces a ton of power, all latched onto a very fast and capable ship that can accept ****ing rail guns.
Its all brand new stuff, so its very very expensive to get it going. The Zumwalt will be a testbed for the next generation of everything, as was the Enterprise, and the Seawolf Class.
Sadly we will never know how much punishment a Nimitz/Ford class can take without a war breaking out.
Unless the Navy wants to take a decommissioned Nimitz class carrier and use it for target practice( though the test will not show how much punishment she can take with proper damage control). Though the results of the test will be highly classified like the results of the USS America sinking is.
Probably not, but being much newer and more robust than old carriers, built with much stronger materials ( nearly all of it is classified ), more water tight compartments, some of the fire surpression is totally automated, even the hangers can seal up and become water tight if the need be. I would say they could take an insane amount of Punishment. ESp considering the bulkheads, ahd the armor that armors the JP fuel tanks, reactors, turbines and shafts is made out of a steel where even the casting process is classified makes me think they could take a beating.