Trump wants battleships. Is it feasible?

[EJM]

Not going to happen. Not now or ever.
What has this guy been smoking?
https://www.twz.com/sea/is-trumps-call- ... n-feasible

[DougC]

Bullets may be cheaper but are too short range for modern warfare.

It would be like taking a knife to a gun fight.

[Iceman 29]

There are already projects in the pipeline!

[BB62vet]

Iceman,

I might have known that given enough time to pass, USS TOM FOOLERY and her amphib sister USS PANTHENON would make their debut'!!!!

Of course the kits will cost a fortune - mainly for the PE sheets that will be gold plated!!!

[JerryTodd]

Isn't it obvious his mother took Tylenol while she was pregnant with him, and somehow the miscarriage lived.

[EJM]

He's at it again!
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/22/politics ... a-tensions

[81542]

Like many of an ignorant persuasion and lacking any knowledge of naval history, he is clearly confusing the term "battleship" with "warship."

[BB62vet]

I tend to agree with 81542's comment re. the terminology of "battleship" to describe the new class of warship that Pres. Trump has announced. I am an adherent of the traditional & classical school of thinking in that a BATTLESHIP is heavily armored, heavily GUNNED major warship as we are generally familiar with (esp. on this forum).

Here is a rendering w/callouts of the proposed USS DEFIANT as published by USNI this morning (courtesy of Naval Sea Systems Command) -

USS DEFIANT.jpg

If I were to define this vessel, I would call it a Heavy Missile Cruiser rather than anything else. Since nothing was mentioned regarding either the hull or superstructure being armored (and there may well be armored areas that aren't being publically discussed), it certainly (IMHO) would not meet the above accepted definition of BATTLESHIP. With all the problems and backlogs that U.S. shipyards are having today simply producing one ship of this class may take quite a while, if ever.

I do, however, applaud the administration for it's willingness to be open to new ideas/changes, etc. regarding modernization of the US Naval fleet in light of past administrations simply either ignoring needed modernization & upgrades and failing to remedy existing design/cost/shipbuilding problems.

I think that the various battleship museum curators can breathe a sigh of relief as their main artifact isn't going anywhere!

[jpeeler]

After the artists' renderings were revealed, this thing went to its logical conclusion:

[BB62vet]

Well, of course!!!

Whoever came up with that certainly has a sense of humor - and the elec. motor is probably Chinese

[gs 1]

Chinese engines would be a mistake. Best engines are German or Finnish.

[jpeeler]

Whoever came up with that certainly has a sense of humor

Honesty compels me to admit it's my work. The renderings reminded me too much of '50s box art with spectacular but implausible scenarios (carriers with all guns blazing while air operations are taking place, etc.). The devil in me took over from there.

Jodie Peeler

[BB62vet]

Honesty compels me to admit it's my work. The renderings reminded me too much of '50s box art with spectacular but implausible scenarios (carriers with all guns blazing while air operations are taking place, etc.). The devil in me took over from there.
Jodie Peeler

Nice artwork/graphics, etc.! - almost looks authentic!!! Also, in sinc with the Revell ARIZONA box art showing her firing all main/secondary batteries (another impossibility while swatting enemy aircraft!!).

Re. gs1's motor reply - yeah, Euro elec. mtrs. are quite good. However, I must admit my 55 year old Taiwanese grinder motor is one of the smoothest and quietest elec. motors I've ever seen and runs just like new today. I don't think Lowe's sells it anymore ( )

Hank

[dragon53]

Update on Trump-class battleship.

LINK: https://www.twz.com/sea/everything-new- ... 3bf8e9d76c

[wefalck]

The situation around the Iranian waters reminds of the 1880s/1890s, when the big-ship guys were confounded by the arrival of fast, small and cheap torpedo-boats, that were difficult to see and hit with the weapon technology of the time. Think of David and Goliath.

I am not an expert on this, but it seems that the USN is not very well equipped for assymetrical (naval) warfare. Big battleships may be good for the ego of a country's leader, but today are pretty much a tactical nonsense. Gun-boats may have impressed minor powers in the past, but today these have access to cheap guided missiles that can do serious damage to large, slow-moving targets.

[dragon53]

Trump-class battleships will be nuclear-powered.

LINK: https://www.twz.com/sea/trump-class-bat ... 7c3b843f83

[dragon53]

More about nuclear-powered Trump battleship.

LINK: https://www.twz.com/sea/nuclear-powered ... 4f3eb34933