So you're saying the movie Battleship was right, and they should've launched WWII era Iowa-class battleships (with dumb weapons reaching 20 miles) against this thing?
lmao at how they say to drop unguided bombs, with the next panel showing a Mk 82(?) with a JDAM kit. Like even if they aren't using the GPS/laser designation, it's still got electronically controlled control surfaces
And this flying manta uses quantum wave or whatever to fly. It won't be strange if it can manipulate gravity, right?
Isn't it possible it just have like...magnet field to repel stuff too? Would be cool tbh
Honestly, as an American with an interest in naval history, I am a little disappointed that the author and artist didn't consider the American battleships as anti-monster weapons.
Discounting any claims of copying the Battleship! movie, it seems that the major problem in combating the newest monster is the inability to use guided projectiles. The several Iowa class battleships could be some of the best options in that regard, with an operational range of ~23 miles with the main guns, firing 16-inch half-ton projectiles. There's even the High Explosive and Armor Piercing options to consider.
As discussed on the Battleship New Jersey YouTube channel, all of the US museum battleships are fully capable of being refitted and rearmed if necessary. Additionally, given the stereotypical American nuclear response, the battleships were at one point equiped with nuclear warheads. And the Missouri is right there, in Hawaii!
I am just a little bummed out by the missing potential for the story that these options provide. There's not much more American than the battleship.
Doesn't Nues attack reach farther than 23 miles? Couldn't find that blurb anymore.
Previous chapter, when the Nimrod do their briefing after Konoe arrives.
They predict it to be 40~60 miles.
I’m still wondering if it’s line of sight or can move following earth curvature though.
Maybe we can see that next if it try to zap the ships that launched the failed missiles.
Does that include the navy having ready supply of the ammunition for those big guns?
That would make the battleships useless. Naval mines might have been more viable. Or napalm. Or maybe build floating platforms for atillery. Or some other methods.
So much to unpack,hoh boy...
Firstly,yes,a dumb bomb,actually dumb with no controlled surfaces,would terminally impact the Nue,assuming it can't direct the particles it used to fly to directly push against the incoming ordnance,as we saw here(blind spot do be workin'),but of course the risk to the CAS craft is quite high.
So either something crazy fast n' low from the blindspot to drop semi-armour piercing bombs or,since ballistic computers can calculate when to drop a dumb bomb with all factors taken into account(save for the Nue either pushing against said ordnance or dodging),a high altitude drop,possibly with a bomb that shreds the control surfaces at the last 1/3 or so in order to prevent interference whilst also maintaining some control,or what appears to be in this case,the system simply being disabled.
Secondly,yes,a 406 mm barrage from over the horizon would probably work pretty well,it'd just need some time to get those battle barges up n' running along with making ammo,the time taken might lead to the Nue going for its' next island meal.
Considering it can detect the direction(and possibly discern the distance,thanks to having two antenna)of the attack,the question then comes down to if the retalition strike can compensate for the curvature of the Earth and actually smack the Iowas or if the water will block the attempt.
Again,though,assuming it can't use the particles to push against high speed nine(times X,X being the number of Iowas brought to bear)406 mm shells raining down to effective parry the attack.
Thirdly,yes,any shot artillery might work,so long as they can get a good bead on the target and lob 'em rounds,a large number of 203 mm guns might also do the trick.
If they can figure out a method to keep the crew safe from the counterstrike,then they can keep lobbing shells,they'd also just need to figure out the whole logistics of it.
Fourth,considering hypersonic tech was being explored 'round the time the comic occurs and supersonic tech does exist,one wonders if a really fast attack to the antennae would makes things much easier,it may not have enough time to react to something that fast.
Fifth,laser tech does also exist,so at the risk of the aircraft carrying the big ol' laser,would burning through it help?,in fact,how sensitive would its' sensory organs be to concentrated laser light?
Sixth,napalm does sound like a good one to try,but white prospherous sounds even better,more so straight to gills.
Seventh,contact naval mines migth work,up until it descides to fly out of the water to avoid 'em,so perhaps waiting until most of the mines are in contact before setting 'em off.
Eighth,considering they can induce it to fly,setting a nuclear warhead off after making it take off in the middle of deep water would be the least impactful result of nuclear fall out,if we use the minimum load from a non-EMP-able ordnance.
