@PaulfromChicago
Ryan has been very consistent in his approach. If Hood is a battle cruiser, Iowa is a battle cruiser. If Hood is a battleship, Iowa is a battleship. Ryan has always called Hood a battleship, therefore Iowa is a battleship.
@isaacmatthews1966
Ryan szimanski long form content
@michaelmcnally2331
It really depends upon what you mean by Battlecruiser. In terms of the British and Jackie Fishers concept then was for a large ship with high speed and larger then cruiser armament. Such a ship would be used for reconnaissance which traditionally had been the cruiser role. Compared to such cruisers then Jackie fishers concept would have outgunned and outranged traditional cruisers, and if met battleships then would be fast enough to disengage. Unfortunately the concept showed to be flawed and whilst they had BB style armament, to get the performance then sacrificed armour (to reduce weight) and when used in the battle line then showed could not stand up to battleships guns. (Which Jackie fisher never expected them to be facing). Yes ignoring correct practice of ammo storage didn’t help but still had to penetrate the armour to set the ammo off. Germany however had a different concept for its idea of battle cruisers which had more armour then the British and instead sacrificed firepower to improve performance but would allow them to stand in the battle line against battleships but be more manoeuvrable. So could scout first then take place in battle line once the enemy found as Germany had less battleships then Royal Navy. So British Battlecruisers are originally large battleship size ships,with battleship level guns and lesser armour to improve speed, German Battlecruisers are armoured to fight against battleships in the battle line and sacrifice firepower to improve speed. Both called Battlecruisers but different approaches. During construction learning lessons from Jutland then the armour on Hood the only Admiral battlecruiser to be completed was increased making it comparable to the QE battleships as opposed to the original tiger class levels of protection as per original design. So Hood started out as typical UK Battlecruiser but was upgraded protection during construction to battleships level. At the time of the Washington treaty then a capital ship more then 24kts was defined as battle cruiser by the Royal Navy, no matter the firepower and protection, which is why the G3 defined as Battlecruiser even though realistically they were more Fast Battleships, and larger and more powerful and better armoured then existing Royal Navy Battleships. however N3 filled battleship role with more firepower and armour but slower then 24kts. Fast Battleships differed from Battlecruiser concept of Jackie Fisher in that would stand in the battle line but be able to manoeuvre better for tactical advantage compared to the traditional Battleships. Speed coming from improved armour layout focussing on critical area’s and power. So they have the firepower of BB and armour protection of BB whilst being faster then previous BB. They were not intended to do the recce role either and then drop to battleline so do not match the german concept either. As such Iowa is Battleship as in Fast Battleship rather then Battlecruiser. Speed requirement from being intended to intercept Kongo etc but still fight in the battleline so couldn’t sacrifice firepower or protection as battlecruisers tended to do for the speed. Beam of Iowa dictated by requirements to transit Panama Canal so being longer then appear “narrow” in terms of length to beam ratio.
@johnfleet235
The only reason you might consider the Iowas battlecruisers is because of their speed. If the US Navy, left the speed at 28 knots, then these are battleships. I think the Iowas are battleships. They are just too big and heavily armored to be a battlecruiser.
@geoguy001
I would point out the NC, SD, and Iowa were not fully protected against their own main armament once superheavy shells were introduced...but Montana was.
@rickkephartactual7706
With all the various specifications for different "Battle Cruiser" I don't know that anybody was ever really sure what they were or how they were to be used.
@andriiyevdokymov6781
The funny thing is, people don't even realize that calling Iowa a battlecruiser is a compliment! The death of the British battlecruisers has so spoiled the reputation of this term that people perceive the battlecruiser as something flawed. Understand, the British simply did not cope with the task. Saving wildly, counting every penny and oversaving on armor, fire fighting equipment, shells, etc. The battleship is an expensive thing, but rather cruder, building a satisfactory battleship is expensive, difficult, but many succeeded. Building a battlecruiser is an art, you need to clearly set tasks, clearly make compromise decisions, this is the pinnacle of the fleet of the era of armor and steam. And Iowa is just that. Amazing ships!
@ut000bs
Okay, this has been my argument for years and here goes. Battlecruisers were made to be part of a scouting force. They had high speed, contemporary battleship guns, and light, generally cruiser-proof, armor. They could outrun anything they couldn't outgun. The Alaska class had high speed, generally cruiser-proof armor, but lacked contemporary caliber guns. Battleships with 12" guns were soooo 1905. Two out of three checks in the boxes. The Iowa class has high speed, contemporary battleship guns, and battleship armor fully capable of scouting with cruisers and destroyers and kicking the butt of anything they come across that needs a butt-kicking. Technically, that is two out of three but the third isn't a negative, it's a freaking bonus. Full battleship armor. Long story, short. If the Alaska was a battlecruiser, the New Jersey is a better one.
@Avalanche041
The Iowa Class are fairly similar to the Queen Elizabeth Class in terms of their relationship with the American battle line. The British prior to WWI had standardized on 21 knots as the top speed for their battlefleet. The Queen Elizabeth's were designed to be 3-5 knots faster in order to increase the fleets flexibility. They were meant to form the fast wing of the British battle line. This allowed them to act alongside the battlecruisers in a supporting role, counter enemy battlecruisers, and carry out missions to sweep around enemy battle formations to achieve a tactical victory. Jump forward 30 years to the US Navy. In the 1930s, the US Navy has now standardized on 28 knots as the speed of their new battlefleet. So all new battleship construction has a minimum speed requirement of 28 knots. The Iowa's are designed to form the fast wing of this new battle line. They are still an integral part of the battlefleet but their mission is to give more tactical flexibility to the battleships. Its also important to remember that you cannot compare an Iowa to a Montana. Iowa was the last class of treaty era battleships built. They were designed and built after the escalator clause had been invoked which is why they increase their size to 45k tons. The Montana's if built would have been America's first post treaty battleship design.
@Knight6831
07:22 with the battlecruiser being up to 10,000 tons heavier, that is probably due to the longer hull
@SonOfAB_tch2ndClass
Battlecruisers don’t have 6-7 inches of deck armor! REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
@ThumperE23
I think what they were looking to do with the Iowas was what the Royal Navy did with the Queen Elizabeths in WW1. As Ryan said the fast wing of the battleline. Also to put a kill on the battlecruiser argument, the Iowas, were based on the South Dakotas, and the standard US Navy gun lay out was the 2A1 with three gun turrets. The Montanas were a return to a more traditional American 2A2 with three gun turrets. Didn't they reorder BB65 and BB66 as Iowas? Also, I believe there is a US Law that the Class A Ships of the Line are to be named after states.
@michaelpielorz9283
there`s a easy test to find out Battlecruiser or not:ask a german ship to have a barrel of beer and shoot at it. Explodes after 1st hit : It`s a battlecruiser! Simple as that.
@scottspilis1940
The original WW I definition for a battlecruiser was a ship with a capital ships (battleship) main armament, higher speed and lighter armor than contemporary battleships. The battlecruiser armor scheme was such that it was not proof against its own armament, thus giving rise to the design concept of trading off speed for protection. The Iowa's were designed with an armor scheme that was proof against their main armament, at least until the 2700 lb 16 inch shell was introduced. Iowa's armor scheme had an immune zone from 17,600 yards to 31,200 yards with the 2240 lb shell; that zone shrunk significantly to 20,400 yards to 26,700 yards for the 2700 lb shell. A ships classification is determined by its design characteristics, not by the introduction of successor ships. Iowa's would have remained classified as battleships regardless whether the Montana's were built or not.
@KyriosMirage
Regarding the numbering discrepancy, I suspect the numbers changed because the Montana class had not yet been laid down. All six Lexington class battlecruisers were laid down, as were the six South Dakota class super dreadnoughts, hence why North Carolina picks up at BB-55, despite none of the SoDaks being completed. So, I think Ryan is correct in assuming the Iowas would have picked up with hull number CC-7.
@Bismarck.1871
The line dividing battleship and battlecruiser is thin. It all comes down to personal taste. Purpose defines the ship. Courageous and Hood were battlecruisers. One was armored and armed to fight battleships and the other just to fight lesser ships and “help” the battle line. Yet they were both battlecruisers.
@ParabellumHistory
Whats the book being referenced at 19:26? About the wacky modifications for the South Dakota class?
@mikepotter5718
The battleship dies when the line of battle concept is moved into the background. The true line forward is shown by ships like Hood. Basically any ship developed after it are all Battle cruisers. :)
@andriiyevdokymov6781
I repeat, a battlecruiser is a battleship capable of performing cruising missions. Armor, weapons, etc. they don't talk about anything. It's just that after the death of three battlecruisers in Jutland, the name "battlecruiser" became toxic.
@KPen3750