Quote:
Originally Posted by dragoon500ly
I agree, I simply see the Adams being restricted to secondary roles, mainly convoy escorts and perhaps limited ASW. As the USN suffers losses in their front line ships, then the Adams would be shifted into the carrier support role, but I also expect these ships to suffer higher losses due to their outdated systems.
While there would by some attempts to update them, the will also be a bottleneck in getting the replacement equipment to the shipyards. Between repairing the damaged, but more capable warships, the need to keep DDGs with the key battleground and additional losses to enemy action, it would be reasonable to expect the Adams to be kept at sea for as long as possible.
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One advantage of the Adams that is often overlooked is their usefulness in a shore bombardment role. With a 4.6 meter draft, they could sail into the littorals much more safely than a Tico (with 2 5" guns) or a Burke (with 1 5" gun). They were armed with TWO MK42 5" cannon which had a higher rate of fire (30 rounds a minute/1 round per 2 seconds on average) than the Tico's/Burke's MK45 (20 rounds a minute/1 round per 3 seconds). The Adams was also more durable than a Burke and cost a lot less if lost in the Gunfire Support role. I can see the Adam's Class being used to support landings in shoal areas (where the Iowas could not sail).