Comments by "" (@RedXlV) on "Aircraft Carriers - The Fleet Aircraft Carrier in the Interwar Years (1929-1939)" video.
-
4
-
4
-
@monarch3335 Montana would have the clear advantage over Yamato, being being able to put out about 24 shells per minute while Yamato would fire 15 to 18. Yamato's 46cm shells would have more penetration (though at long range this difference would be relatively minor) and do significantly more damage with a penetrating hit (33.85kg bursting charge, compared 18.55kg for the American 16" shell), but by firing significantly more shells Montana would be more likely to score hits in the first place (and that's even before taking into account superior radar-directed fire control). Montana's also slightly faster, which helps to dictate when and where the battle happens.
As for H-41, both Montana and Yamato would have a huge firepower advantage over that ship. 8x 42cm guns is no match for 12x 406mm or 9x 46cm. And in terms of protection, H-41 fares just as badly. Yamato has a 410mm belt and Montana has 409mm, while H-41 only has 300mm. The deck armor comparison is similarly lopsided. 50 to 80mm upper deck and 100 to 120mm main deck (with 120 to 150mm slopes forming a turtleback, but at long range that's actually a disadvantage since it gives a flatter surface for any plunging shells to hit) for H-41. 57mm weather deck, 179 to 187mm main deck, and 16 to 25mm lower deck for Montana. And a 200mm main deck plus 50 to 80mm lower deck for Yamato. The only recourse for H-41 against either Montana or Yamato would be to run away. And hope they don't score any hits that slow her down. Because she wouldn't be escaping very quickly; the finalized H-41 design was expected to have the exact same 28 knot top speed as Montana, which would be a mere 1 knot faster than Yamato. Meaning that there could be a long time during that escape when she's still within range of their guns. Yamato's 46cm guns had a max range of 42km and she's known to have scored a near miss (as in, near enough that the target was damaged by the underwater explosion) at 34.5km. Montana's 16"/50 guns would've had a max range of 38.7km, just like the Iowa-class. Montana's guns could piece H-41's belt from over 32km away, and Yamato could probabl do so from even further away (though I can't find penetration tables for her at ranges longer than 30km). And from that point all the way out to their max ranges, both could easily penetrate H-41's decks. I don't know how close H-41 would've needed to get to have a chance at penetrating Montana or Yamato's thicker belts, since the 42cm gun never actually existed. But H-39 (with the German 40.6cm gun, 12 barrels of which actually were built) would need to get inside of 25km to do so. Which is suicidal range to be fighting either ship at.
2