# How many conventional cruise missiles to sink the USS Missouri?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-conventional-cruise-missiles-to-sink-the-uss-missouri/413406>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 27, 2007, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-conventional-cruise-missiles-to-sink-the-uss-missouri/413406 "2007-07-27T18:05:39Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 6

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**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\
**Post date:** [August 1, 2007, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-conventional-cruise-missiles-to-sink-the-uss-missouri/413406/101 "2007-08-01T20:24:02Z")

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[QUOTE=mlees]  
…The Missouri grounded on a shoal in 1950, and had to be repaired in the drydock that the Kentucky’s hull was in…

[/QUOTE]

Yikes. Did the captain or the OOD get canned?

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**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\
**Post date:** [August 1, 2007, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-conventional-cruise-missiles-to-sink-the-uss-missouri/413406/102 "2007-08-01T21:23:53Z")

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[QUOTE=Elendil’s Heir]  
Yikes. Did the captain or the OOD get canned?  
[/QUOTE]

From this site: [http://www.factplace.com/mightymo.htm](http://www.factplace.com/mightymo.htm)

> [@](#):
>
> **Wasn’t she run aground once?** Yes, in January 1950 she was run aground off Hampton Roads. Captain William Brown was court-martialed as a result, and never commanded a ship again before he retired. Contrary to rumor there was no serious or lasting damage to the ship as a result of the grounding; thanks in part to the quick actions of some of Missouri’s engineers who shut the engines down before the intake valves could completely clog with mud.

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**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\
**Post date:** [August 2, 2007, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-conventional-cruise-missiles-to-sink-the-uss-missouri/413406/103 "2007-08-02T00:05:35Z")

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[QUOTE=mlees]  
On the Iowa class, Wiki says that the conning tower is located “in the middle of the bridge”, which, if correct, would make it hard to see in photos… I will try to confirm elsewhere.

Found a pic on this site: [http://www.ussiowa.org/general/html/specifications.htm](http://www.ussiowa.org/general/html/specifications.htm)  
[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=mlees]  
And here: [http://www.ussiowa.org/pics/mothball/mb13.jpg](http://www.ussiowa.org/pics/mothball/mb13.jpg)  
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For a _really_ informitive shot of the bridge/conning tower, [go here](http://www.battleship.org/html/Articles/IowaClass/Armor.htm). That first image is of the interior of one of the bridges (flag bridge, most likely), with the access door to the conning tower open. That should give you a visceral idea of the levels of armor we’re talking about. Obviously, the conning towers were massively heavy, and so kept as small as possible.

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