Perspective

[Eaglelord17]

Yes, President Reagan wanted a 600 ship Navy and part of that proved an opportunity to reactivate the four Iowa-class battleships. It wasn't just numbers that the four Iowa-class battleships provided, they were upgraded with new combat systems, removing 4 of the five-inch 38's in order to accommodate Harpoon anti-ship missiles, Tomahawk cruise missiles, and Phalanx CIWS close-in weapon systems. Each ship retained its nine sixteen-inch guns since the new, modern Navy had no naval guns over five inches in diameter, and the big guns of the battleships would prove invaluable in the event of an amphibious landing.

Those 16" guns also shredded the Iraqis during the Gulf War, exceptionally effective I think would be the best way to describe it.