# Iran Bombs a Replica of a US Aircraft Carrier **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 25, 2015, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-bombs-a-replica-of-a-us-aircraft-carrier/713617 "2015-02-25T23:28:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2015, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-bombs-a-replica-of-a-us-aircraft-carrier/713617/21 "2015-02-26T12:47:32Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > As for it being made of wood - I know that people aren’t made out of cardboard, but I’ve still shot enough man-shaped cut-outs in my day. How else do you practice? Frankly, I find the fact they were able to scrounge up enough wood in the ME to build something that large far more impressive than any 2nd rate military display. Those builders got game. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2015, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-bombs-a-replica-of-a-us-aircraft-carrier/713617/22 "2015-02-26T13:37:05Z")
Makes perfect sense, as observed above, especially if they don’t care if they piss the US off. They probably see that as a point in its favor. The Japanese practiced the Pearl Harbor attack on a (full sized) replica of the place (or at least as close as they could get). The British practiced their “Dam Buster” raids on a lake in Scotland and tested the theory with scale models of dams. The US practices desert warfare in the deserts of the US. ---
**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:** [February 26, 2015, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-bombs-a-replica-of-a-us-aircraft-carrier/713617/23 "2015-02-26T14:09:37Z")
Here’s CNN’s coverage: [http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/26/world/iran-mock-carrier-destroyed/index.html](http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/26/world/iran-mock-carrier-destroyed/index.html) > [@Your\_Great\_Darsh\_Face](#): > > …ISTR that US military planners had war plans for fighting the UK in the 20th Century in case it ever came to that… Yes. Here’s the Staff Report on War Plan Red: [Did the U.S. plan an invasion of Canada in the 1920s? - The Straight Dope](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2070/did-the-u-s-plan-an-invasion-of-canada-in-the-1920s) ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2015, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-bombs-a-replica-of-a-us-aircraft-carrier/713617/24 "2015-02-26T14:34:21Z")
> [@chacoguy](#): > > Wow, they could do a lot of damage to US carrier if they found in the ocean. > > Stopped dead in the water… > > without it’s air wing… > > or escort ships. Or simply in confined the waters of the Persian Gulf. [QUOTE=lieu] Frankly, I find the fact they were able to scrounge up enough wood in the ME to build something that large far more impressive than any 2nd rate military display. Those builders got game. [/QUOTE] :dubious::rolleyes: For [the record](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agriculture_in_Iran#Forestry) > [@](#): > > In 2005 Iran’s forest area totaled about 11 million hectares, a_ **pproximately 7 percent of the country’s surface area.** _[37] Adequate rainfall and a favorable climate have created 1.5 million hectares of dense forest in the Caspian region. The remainder is distributed among western forests (3.6 million hectares), southern forests (434,000 hectares), desert forests (620,000 hectares), and forests scattered in other locations.[37] Supervised by the Department of Natural Resources, t_ **he Caspian forests produced 820,000 cubic meters of timber products in 2004, more than 90 percent of which was for industrial us** _e. You know, if you are going to want to make a wisecrack, do your research and actually make it witty, not ignorant and xenophobic. The whole world of humour available to you and you come up with that? You could have said something like, the Iranians might order the sea to get 300 lashes next. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2015, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-bombs-a-replica-of-a-us-aircraft-carrier/713617/25 "2015-02-26T14:59:39Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > Maybe they should buy one of the carriers we’re scrapping. You know so they can try to damage something made of metal. Make it out of aircrap scrap? ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2015, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-bombs-a-replica-of-a-us-aircraft-carrier/713617/26 "2015-02-26T15:05:28Z")
According to the article, they were practicing a “swarming speedboat attack”, something that the US Navy has shown some vulnerability to (e.g. the USS Cole). I can see some usefulness in having a mockup to have the boat drivers practice against - how to coordinate the attack so all the boats arrive at the same time, how to get to your target area without crashing into another boat, what distance to launch whatever weapons you’re using, etc. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2015, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-bombs-a-replica-of-a-us-aircraft-carrier/713617/27 "2015-02-26T15:47:02Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Aircraft carriers serve no purpose beyond projecting power against 3rd world nations. They wouldn’t stand up to attack from a major world power. > > Attacking one comes with a political price because it can respond with enough force to destroy any nation on earth beyond recognition. Huh? Nobody really knows how the next big naval war will shake out. Right now, the thoughts are that it will have a much larger submarine component, and that missiles will play a larger role, but that doesn’t mean that aircraft carriers are obsolete just yet. If nothing else, they’re still the longest-ranged weapons systems in any navy, in that the planes can fly near to BINGO fuel, then launch missiles toward the enemy ships. For the US, that’s something like 350 nm for the F/A-18E airplanes, and another 150 nm for the Harpoon missiles they carry, giving us 500 nm range from the carrier that an enemy ship could conceivably be hit at. By way of comparison, that’s about like a carrier in San Diego hitting targets in the southern parts of San Francisco bay near Palo Alto, or a carrier near Houston hitting targets in Mobile Bay. I’m with the camp that says that this is no big deal; it’s likely just a training exercise combined with the usual ham-handed and silly propaganda. ---
**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:** [February 26, 2015, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-bombs-a-replica-of-a-us-aircraft-carrier/713617/28 "2015-02-26T18:10:31Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > According to the article, they were practicing a “swarming speedboat attack”, something that the US Navy has shown some vulnerability to (e.g. the USS Cole)… U.S. military wargames have revealed the same; Malcolm Gladwell discussed this in _Blink_: [Millennium Challenge 2002 - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millennium_Challenge_2002) ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2015, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-bombs-a-replica-of-a-us-aircraft-carrier/713617/29 "2015-02-26T18:39:46Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > U.S. military wargames have revealed the same; Malcolm Gladwell discussed this in _Blink_: [Millennium Challenge 2002 - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millennium_Challenge_2002) In shallow waters. Why would you use an AirCraft Carrier there. You are negating all of it advantages, ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2015, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-bombs-a-replica-of-a-us-aircraft-carrier/713617/30 "2015-02-26T19:58:26Z")
If the Iranians simulate penetrating the defenses of several Aegis destroyers, SSNs, E-2 Hawkeye AWACS and all the other defenses of a CVBG, then that would be something. Otherwise, this is like someone “simulating” the theft of gold bars from Fort Knox by practicing picking up gold bars off a table and putting them in a duffel bag. ---
**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:** [February 27, 2015, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-bombs-a-replica-of-a-us-aircraft-carrier/713617/31 "2015-02-27T01:49:40Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > If the Iranians simulate penetrating the defenses of several Aegis destroyers, SSNs, E-2 Hawkeye AWACS and all the other defenses of a CVBG, then that would be something… Sometimes all it takes is a single submarine: [The uninvited guest: Chinese sub pops up in middle of U.S. Navy exercise, leaving military chiefs red-faced | Daily Mail Online](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-492804/The-uninvited-guest-Chinese-sub-pops-middle-U-S-Navy-exercise-leaving-military-chiefs-red-faced.html). And the Chinese have made some sales (although not of entire subs) to the Iranians. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2015, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-bombs-a-replica-of-a-us-aircraft-carrier/713617/32 "2015-02-27T03:09:39Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Huh? Nobody really knows how the next big naval war will shake out. that made me laugh out loud. They served a purpose in WW-II when you could hide a carrier group in the middle of the ocean and there weren’t intercontinental missiles and nuclear explosives. There won’t be any more “great naval battles” because the function of the carrier group has changed. In a war against a major power they will be one of a mix of launch platforms firing their last missiles. > [@bump](#): > > Right now, the thoughts are that it will have a much larger submarine component, and that missiles will play a larger role, but that doesn’t mean that aircraft carriers are obsolete just yet. If nothing else, they’re still the longest-ranged weapons systems in any navy, in that the planes can fly near to BINGO fuel, then launch missiles toward the enemy ships. For the US, that’s something like 350 nm for the F/A-18E airplanes, and another 150 nm for the Harpoon missiles they carry, giving us 500 nm range from the carrier that an enemy ship could conceivably be hit at. We have air bases all over the world. At best a carrier group fills in gaps but at a huge cost in infrastructure. A handful of airborne tankers replace all the massive investment that goes into just one boat guarding or servicing a carrier. When you talk about range we can send any Air Force plane anywhere in the world at a speed that far exceeds that of a carrier. Technology is rendering the plane an expensive platform so we’re now seeing drones doing a lot of the work. > [@bump](#): > > I’m with the camp that says that this is no big deal; it’s likely just a training exercise combined with the usual ham-handed and silly propaganda. The fallout from a successful attack against a carrier far exceeds the deed. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2015, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-bombs-a-replica-of-a-us-aircraft-carrier/713617/33 "2015-02-27T03:22:33Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > When you talk about range we can send any Air Force plane anywhere in the world at a speed that far exceeds that of a carrier. A fighter jet would need multiple tanker refills for a long flight & you’d be pushing the limits of the pilot in such a long flight. A carrier in the neighborhood can provide \*constant \*air superiority. Close Air Support in Iraq wasn’t flown in from the US but either nearby friendly bases or from carriers. A CVBG still creates a convenient, \*movable \*launch point & considerable fire power. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2015, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-bombs-a-replica-of-a-us-aircraft-carrier/713617/34 "2015-02-27T03:56:33Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > A fighter jet would need multiple tanker refills for a long flight & you’d be pushing the limits of the pilot in such a long flight. A carrier in the neighborhood can provide \*constant \*air superiority. > Close Air Support in Iraq wasn’t flown in from the US but either nearby friendly bases or from carriers. A CVBG still creates a convenient, \*movable \*launch point & considerable fire power. yes I can see how a boat requiring billions of dollars in assets traveling at 30 knots is more responsive and cost effective than jets with disposable drop tanks and tankers launched from bases located all over the world. It’s not 1942. Things have changed. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2015, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-bombs-a-replica-of-a-us-aircraft-carrier/713617/35 "2015-02-27T05:28:57Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > The fallout from a successful attack against a carrier far exceeds the deed. The US isn’t likely to nuke someone over a lost carrier, so what exactly would be the fallout - heavy conventional bombing? ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2015, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-bombs-a-replica-of-a-us-aircraft-carrier/713617/36 "2015-02-27T14:36:38Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > I don’t like Iran all that much, but I can’t fault the Iranian army for acting like an army. You’re absolutely right. So, let’s all make sure we laugh at their “navy.” ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2015, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-bombs-a-replica-of-a-us-aircraft-carrier/713617/37 "2015-02-27T14:50:52Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > You know, I don’t see what the big deal is. Armies train against potential threats, and an American carrier could definitely be called that. As for it being made of wood - I know that people aren’t made out of cardboard, but I’ve still shot enough man-shaped cut-outs in my day. How else do you practice? > > I don’t like Iran all that much, but I can’t fault the Iranian army for acting like an army. But they’ve never done that before. It just doesn’t seem fair. ---
**Author:** ![turner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/22d042/32.png) [@turner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/turner)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2015, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-bombs-a-replica-of-a-us-aircraft-carrier/713617/38 "2015-02-27T15:14:25Z")
When I saw the video of the swarming attack, I couldn’t help but hum the Go-Go’s song “Vacation”. I expected tactical water skiers to be hanging off the back. I also found it interesting that the didn’t SINK that mock carrier. That might have been intentional (cost, hazard to navigation, etc.) but still interesting. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2015, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-bombs-a-replica-of-a-us-aircraft-carrier/713617/39 "2015-02-27T15:19:24Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > The US isn’t likely to nuke someone over a lost carrier, so what exactly would be the fallout - heavy conventional bombing? About 1000 Tomahawk missiles targeted at everything of value in the country, plus leadership down to the platoon level. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2015, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-bombs-a-replica-of-a-us-aircraft-carrier/713617/40 "2015-02-27T15:36:30Z")
“There are four Raytheon / General Dynamics 20mm Phalanx six-barrelled Mk 15 close-in weapon systems which have a firing rate of 3,000 rounds/min and a range of 1.5km.” Those alone would pretty well destroy small boats, would they not? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-bombs-a-replica-of-a-us-aircraft-carrier/713617.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-bombs-a-replica-of-a-us-aircraft-carrier/713617.md?page=3)