Who would win WW2 Battleship or Modern Destroyer?

watched the movie Battleship it was a badass movie love the concept of the movie...for you naval guys/gals, if they met on sea and go head to head who would win??? I dont really understand the difference or if they just changed the name from battleship to destroyer?

 

Destroyer would decimate the battleship and probably not even sustain any damage.

 

Battleships are meant to sustain damage though, Only thing is they arent all high tech like destroyers are. It would be hard to say honestly... Where one makes up for power the other makes up for defense.

 

This.

Maneuverability, targeting accuracy, durability.... and a battleship is a BIG freaking target.

There's a reason the battleships were retired, and the reason was not budget cuts.

The Missouri was the last to be retired in 1992. Iowa and Wisconsin were finally stricken from the registry in 2006.
Missouri was also the last to be commissioned... in 1944. Plans for 5 more ships in the Montana class were scrapped in 1943 in favor of more carriers, and only 4 of the planned 6 of the Iowa class were built.
Everything older than the four Iowa class ships, except for one, were decommissioned prior to the end of '48.

 

WWII era battle ship vs. new destroyer class ??

I've never been in the service but with the technology & weaponry aboard newer ships that WWII would be trashed before it left port, they'd never meet face to face, its position would be known hundreds of miles before the older vessel even knew the other was around I'd think, but I will say the guns on the older ships would def. fuck you up if attacked...

 

Depends on if you mean old vs new, technology, or just cannon fire

 

Based on the OP comment referencing the movie....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Missouri_(BB-63)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_John_Paul_Jones_(DDG-32)

Top speeds are identical, and the JPJ's armament is relatively weak, though the antiship missile component is a big plus.
BTW: The real USS John Paul Jones was sunk as a target ship in 2001, so it's use in the movie was not totally appropriate.

An even more unfair match for the USS Missouri would be with a modern Arleigh Burke class destroyer.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Spruance_(DDG-111)
Top speeds are still the same, but at 9,200 tons vs 45,000 tons, size of the target and maneuverability is a HUGE issue.
The destroyer wouldn't have to have cannons capable of penetrating the Mo's armor because of it's missile capabilities.

Naval battles are no longer "line of sight".

The old battleships, cruiers, and destroyers were built in a day when sea battles were fought the way land battles were fought prior to the Revolutionary War.
Everybody lines up, shoots each other, and the last army standing wins.

Wars are no longer fought that way, on land or on sea.

 

I realize wars on sea are no longer fought that way but lets just say they meet on sea 500 yards away its safe to say the destroyer would win with its guided missiles right?

 

guided missiles firgates and such are used to thwart incoming antiship missiles, mostly. Whichever has more antiship missiles and can launch enough fast enough to overwhelm the missile defenses might win.

That means if a given system can track and shoot out 4 missiles , then you might need 2-4 more ASM to overwhelm it. Both had CIWS. I think the destroyer might have an output advantage and missile defense advantage and the 500 yds makes it tough.

That movie battleship with all that ammo flying out is pure Hollywood simpleminded visuals, they act like its a video game where you wittle down health points or something.
The 16" guns might not travers down low enough to hit the frigate at that range, but the smaller 5" or so guns might. Harpoon antiship missiles might be the deciding factor too, if either carry them.


More interesting would be a comprehensive and relatively accurate Hollywood visual effects of 100 or so bombers goin to take out one of our carrier groups with all them missiles chaff and massive weapons seeking out ships, f-14s(back then) trying to catch backfire bombers n such. Some of the scenarios would be quite violent and fast without any embelishments

 

I know I am entering this topic a bit late but as a sailor that had the privilege of serving aboard the USS Missouri BB-63 during the first gulf war in the beginning of my career and also served as the Tactical Action Officer (TAO) aboard the Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer USS Halsey DDG-97. I later retired as a Master Chief and spent the last three years of service training new sailors to protect our country. Having served on both ships of this topic I can say there is a lot of bad information here. So lets get down to the facts. Just because the Iowa class battleships were older that doesn’t mean they couldn’t handle their own in fight against a destroyer.

First: Upon her last recall to active service BB-63 was updated with the same Tomahawks, Harpoons, CWIS and Counter Measures used by Arleigh Burke Class Destroyers. Most Arleigh Burke Class Destroyers only have two CWIS and after the refit BB-63 had four. Iowa Class Battleships were built to take a punch that new destroyers simply couldn’t match. Since the Iowa Class Battleships were built with denser and stronger hulls they can take much more punishment then a destroyer could. A battleship with upgraded systems would fair better in a one on one fight. Just think back to the attack on the USS Cole. That was a Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer and the hull was compromised by a bomb that would have never blown a hole in the side of a Iowa Class Battleship

The real differences in the ships are the size and manpower required to operate the ships. The Missouri was nearly 900ft long and 45,000 tons. It requires almost 1500 sailors to operate and cost far more to maintain. Destroyers range between 504-509ft depending on the year it was laid and weigh in at around 9,000 tons depending on its stock of weaponry. There is a reason Iowa Class Battleships cannot be removed outside the use of military utility. They may be museums now, but the navy can repo those ships at anytime and re-commission them. The people who take care of the Iowa Class Ships can't even make changes to those ships without the permission of the Navy.

Lets just put it in plain English: An upgraded Battleship will win the one on one fight with a destroyer. At close range the destroyer doesn’t stand a chance. The destroyer has one five inch gun for that type of fight, the Iowa's have twenty "five inch" guns plus nine of the sixteen inch guns across three main battery turrets. Both have missiles including Tomahawk, Harpoon and other systems. Also because of the size of the ships the Iowa could hold far more ammo then the destroyers. Any Iowa Class Battleship would be first sent to dry dock and refit with todays weapon systems before it could sail again. But when push comes to shove the Iowa Class Battleships could take the kind of punishment a destroyer never could! For that reason put me on a refit Iowa Class Battleship everyday and twice on Sunday. I know, I served on both.

God Bless all our sailors and soldiers for what they do!