How will a modern naval battle look like?

Question

It's been few decades since any serious ship to ship battle has taken place. In the WWII there were battleships and battlecruisers and all that and basically they threw heavy shells at each other and they are protected from inches of armour. However modern day naval vessels are very different. If I'm not wrong they barely has any armour at all. The main weapons at sea I assume are missiles and not guns. So how will a modern naval battle turn out to be? How fast will it last and are we talking about 1 hit 1 kill and fast paced or like the olden days which lasts for quite a while without much serious damage?

Armed with Inkstick · Accepted Answer

Hours of boredom looking for contacts followed by seconds of sheer terror in a series of missile/torpedo exchanges (depends on what you are shooting at/being shot at by).  

Depends on what you get hit with.  1 Hit by torpedo=1 kill.  1 hit by missile=you stay afloat, but are probably mission kill (eg you can't perform your job anymore).   Modern combat systems and technology doesn't survive impacts very well.

klicka · Answer

Modern Naval Battles

? · Answer

I recommend you read the book "Red Storm Rising"  by Tom Clancy  it is an excellent depiction of what modern land and naval combat might have looked like in the late 80's if the Soviet Union and Nato had gone to war.

Naughtums · Answer

During WW2 there were actually not that many ship-on-ship battles.  The aircraft carrier and submarine had replaced the gun as the primary anti-ship weapons.  That has not changed.

Anonymous · Answer

I think modern battle involves airstrikes more than anything. The ship would be sunk by drones

MG B · Answer

Like a long range video game.

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How will a modern naval battle look like?

6 Answers