Must see. This photo is from the original source. Click on the link in the description box for a 1024x768 screensaver of the photo.

http://www.militaryspot.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=139

That is pretty damn awesome. I wonder what would happen if you were in a little boat in the water; right under the guns?

TOW, those are some great pics. Thanks for posting them. I looked at the other branches' pics as well. They are just great!!

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Originally posted by Joe:
That is pretty damn awesome. I wonder what would happen if you were in a little boat in the water; right under the guns?

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I was on an FFG in company with the NEW JERSEY when she was doing some NGFS qual firing off San Clemente in the 80's.

We were about 150 yards astern of her. Single-gun salvos weren't that bad, provided you knew they were coming, but when they fired the entire turret it was like being hollered at by God. They warned us to secure all topside personnel but we stupidly left the bridge wing doors open. I thought I was gonna crap my pants the first time they opened up with those 16-inchers.

Interesting fact: When the BB's would fire a full "broadside" salvo, the battleship was actually pushed backwards in the water a few hundred feet.

Hey guys can you imagine this ship in a gunfight.This BB was origionaly armed also over 150 other guns in World War2 20 5"-80 40mm AA's-20mm's

Hey all,
That is definately one of my favorite pics of a ship. I've seen it in a couple of school houses that I have been too.
Just thought I would see what this place is all about, I'm a recruiter in new england. can't wait to get back to the fleet!

I've been on San Clemente Island with NGF (naval gunfire). The island is about 9 miles long and 3 miles wide. The NGF was on the opposite end of the island, but it was still pretty thunderous. Not too many people know about San Clemente Island. (It's off the coast of Calilfornia below LA.) But when the battleships would fire on San Clemente, I heard that people in the LA region could hear it sometimes and report explosions. By the way, the island has wild javelinas and a "national forest" with about 5 trees!

TowWhen I was in Vietnam I was up in I Corp. near DMZ the USS New Jersy was about 15 miles out when she shelled North of DMZ at night it would knock all the junk off the shelves in our houches we played poker on their night from 2000-2300 it was their turn they would fire about 10 or 12 single salvos you could see the whole sky light up and you could hear those projectals spinning when they went overhead I believe if it had been daytime you could have saw them when they went over.

Another story about the big guns. My unit received an intel brief about what went wrong in Lebanon in the early 80s that prompted the suicide bombing on the Marines. It's a long story. To make it short, the American "peacekeepers" were hailed as heroes at first. For about a year they enjoyed Lebanese hospitality. But after about a year, one of our battleships (I think the Missouri) started shelling the Lebanese countryside where militants were thought to be residing. I'm not sure, but this may have even included the Bekaa Valley. Partly because of this massive, indiscriminate shelling, many others in Lebanon turned against the Americans. The Marines knew something was up when one day a platoon was on patrol in a Beirut neighborhood. A teenager ran out to a Marine, punched him in the chest, and ran back to cover. Later, suicide bombers struck the Marines and French peacekeepers.

By the way, it's often been said that a battleship's 16-inch-diameter guns can hurl the equivalent of a Volkswagen Beetle 23 miles.

Here is a photo of San Clemente Island's National Forest:


I believe the sign says "Now Entering San Clemente Island National Forest - No Smoking." The Navy does a lot of naval gunfire and cruise missile testing on this desolate island.

Tow I am not sure about the Lebanon insident but there was 3 Iowa's in commison Iowa ,New Jersy & Missouri I don't know I think the Missouri's first mission in the Med. was Gulf 1 but who knows they were big.A 16" Armor Piercing weight is 2800 lbs if I remember an AP round is 1800 lbs so a VW Bettle wouldn't be much of a problem.

I don't think anyone could get much lumber out of that forest

I don't know but sure seems like a lot of our money they spent for small groups of people I always thought shore bombarbment was to cover large movements of troops.

Yes Sully, that's what infuriated the Lebanese. Women, children, and other noncombatants were indiscriminitely being killed by the massive bombardments.

It was the USS New Jersey in Lebanon. Here's one reference:
http://www.krysstal.com/democracy/display_acts.php?article=1983_lebanon

Tow I hope this is not your website I did a lot of research on this very place a couple of months ago and it is about the most Anti-American site on the computer I saw some of the inserts on the Vietnam Conflict and it is one scarey place.

Of course that is not my Web site. Just used it as a reference. One of the reasons I brought up this story is that it has implications for today. We have to be smart in how we use force, as the Lebanon incident illustrates.

Tow I didn't mean the remark in a way to dis-mean you yes I know what you mean about the way we need to handle things like that but I also hope I understand about what is happening in the USA this Country is completely seperated these People in the Whitehouse are so busy fighting over power that they are letting our own enemies kill us if they for one moment think the UN is a friend they are badly mistaken .The reason I made the comment on the website is if you trace the link back you will connect you to the ACLU,and all the other the people or so called humanitarians that are killing our Troops.Tow I went through this don't shoot until your shot at in Vietnam .I also know that Muslims in Europe have not liked Americans for a very long time I have been all over the Med.they might treat you good to your face but they will also cut your throat in the night.

Sully, I'm with you 100%!